We’ve all seen the deconstruction stories that flood our social media news feeds. We’ve heard the claims of “toxic theology,” and the #exvangelical propensity to identify historic Christian doctrine and ethics as oppressive and harmful. But what if there is a connection between deconstruction and modern impulse to seek therapy, psychological diagnoses, and therapeutic language to explain away objective truth claims about God and morality? If you haven’t heard words and phrases like Iatrogenesis, Social-Emotional Learning, and Gentle Parenting, Alisa and Natasha will define those terms and show how they represent a massive shift in the worldview of our current culture. They also explore how those topics are related to the deconstruction phenomenon. 

This Sunday is Easter, and churches everywhere will rightly be proclaiming the joy and hope we have because Jesus victoriously rose from the dead and is alive today. It’s also a time when a lot of people come to church who don’t normally do so. Some are nonbelievers and some are Christians who just aren’t already connected to a church home. But in an increasingly secular and skeptical culture, churches really can’t take for granted anymore that people coming have a reference point for understanding why Christians care about the resurrection so much and why we should even believe a resurrection happened. In today’s episode, Natasha and Alisa highlight some important conversations churches need to have surrounding Easter that tend to be ignored. 

Have you ever that if you grew up as a conservative Christian, you were indoctrinated into a fear-based view of God and shame-based view of yourself? Or that the fundamentalist “Christian Gospel” damages children by telling them that they are born into this world intrinsically bad and repulsive to God, learning that their sinfulness is to blame for the brutalization, torture, and death of God’s son? Well this is exactly what Jim Palmer, the chaplain for the American Humanist Association who also holds the title of Founder of The Center for Non-Religious Spirituality says. In today’s episode, Alisa and Natasha unpack some of these claims.

While Christians rightly value unity, some believe that we should not “get political” or divide over politics. Some advocate for Christians to keep their politics to themselves, while others teach we should “just preach the gospel.” In today’s episode, Natasha and Alisa discuss what true biblical unity looks like, and how Christians should engage politically in this cultural moment.

Frank Turek joins the podcast to talk about the mantra “Follow your heart” and how that is leading culture into the chaos of social media narcissism, divorce, and transgender ideology.

Over the last ten years, there have been all kinds of shifts in how culture thinks about sexuality. Clearly, the evangelical church has especially grappled with questions of homosexuality and gender identity. But there’s a whole other sexual revolution that’s been bubbling up during that time, and it’s one that the church rarely talks about. It’s the revolution of polyamory. In today’s episode Natasha and Alisa break down this cultural phenomenon from a biblical perspective. 

Is it okay to come out and call yourself a “Gay Christian,” as long as you don’t act on your desires? If someone struggles with same-sex attraction or gender confusion, can they accept those as part of their identity, adopt preferred pronouns and even identifying as “trans?” According  to Side B theology, the answer to both of these questions is yes. These are ideas that are being heavily promoted in conservative evangelical circles, and Christians really need to be aware of what’s coming to a church near you. In today’s episode, Alisa and Natasha give a quick primer on what side B theology is, who are some of the main players, and share some concerns for you to consider as you think through these questions for yourself. 

He Gets Us is at it again with a new round of Super Bowl commercials. In today’s episode, Alisa comments on the broader campaign, asking who’s behind it, what’s their agenda, who are they trying to reach, and how effective are they in reaching those goals? 

There’s a new small group curriculum for churches available, and you’re probably going to hear a lot about it this year because it’s both very timely and being produced and promoted by some big Christian names. It’s called The After Party, and according to its creators, it’s designed to counter the "dangerous trend" of Evangelicals having their political identity formed by “partisan forces, not by true Biblical faith." The curriculum was developed by David French (who’s a New York Times columnist), Russell Moore (the Editor-in-Chief of Christianity Today), and Curtis Chang. Natasha and Alisa did an episode on their concerns about the After Party last March when the curriculum was first announced. The reason they're talking about it again today is that it’s now been released and it's getting high profile promotion with churches and pastors nationwide. In fact, they’re making it available for free through the 2024 election. Tune in to today’s episode for some things you should be aware of before your church considers rolling this out.

It’s no secret that social media carries a tremendous amount of influence in our lives. Virtually everyone has a megaphone into the world into which they can entertain, shout their opinions, and highlight their brands. Today we’ll be discussing the influence of social media.