You've Heard it Said

Would you trust a chatbot over your pastor? A recent Barna study found nearly 1 in 3 American adults, and 44% of Millennials, say spiritual advice from AI is just as trustworthy as advice from a pastor. So for Episode 20, Jared and Bill put it to the test.

We ask “Jesus AI” about women preachers, climate change, politics, Jesus’ favorite disciple, and one very real question from someone thinking about coming out to their evangelical parents. Then we try a pastor’s AI “digital twin” and run the same question through ChatGPT. Plus: Jared confesses how he actually uses AI as a pastor, and we land on the one thing no chatbot can do.

Faith, church & culture. No easy answers.

00:00 Episode 20!
00:24 Would you trust a chatbot over your pastor?
01:15 Jared’s AI confession
02:07 The pastor with an AI digital twin
03:17 How Bill uses AI
05:20 Questions you’re too embarrassed to ask your pastor
09:04 Meet “Jesus AI”
10:50 Should women preach?
14:07 Climate change
15:13 Which party would Jesus vote for?
16:35 Jesus’ favorite disciple
17:47 A hard question: coming out to evangelical parents
19:41 AI Jesus sounds like a pop Christian book
20:24 Trying the Robopastor
21:53 What ChatGPT said
23:22 Why AI can’t replace a pastor
25:53 Who will sit in your pain?
27:22 The verdict

SOURCES & LINKS
Barna – AI Is Becoming a Spiritual Authority, Even Among Practicing Christians: https://production.barna.com/articles/christians-trust-ai-flourishing-spiritual-authority
ABC7/CNN – Vallejo pastor creates AI version of himself: https://abc7news.com/19731252/
Roys Report – California pastor rolls out AI duplicate: https://roysreport.com/california-pastor-rolls-out-ai-duplicate-a-digital-discipleship-assistant/
Jesus AI: [paste the URL you used]

#faith #AI #deconstruction #christianity #church #podcast

Bill's kids give him grief about his cruises. Jared just paid more for a tank of gas than ever before. Somewhere in between, we ask the real question: why does the evangelical church treat climate change like a threat to the faith?

We dig into the Southern Baptists' 2007 resolution on global warming, the Cornwall Declaration, and the "Resisting the Green Dragon" series that called environmentalism a false religion. Then we fact-check ourselves live, and Jared has to take something back.

Where's the line between caring for creation and worshiping it? And if stewardship is biblical, what does that mean for how Christians live, and vote?

If you're an evangelical who's at peace with where the US stands, tell us why in the comments. We genuinely want to hear it.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:48 Bill's confession: recycling vs. cruises
03:45 The Southern Baptists' 2007 resolution
05:00 The fuel economy rollback
05:33 The Cornwall Declaration
08:40 Genesis 1:28 and the call to stewardship
11:30 "Resisting the Green Dragon"
12:10 Jared's China smog story
14:52 How much are we willing to sacrifice?
18:23 Wait, the US is #2?
21:46 Why is this a church issue?
23:15 Creation care vs. creation worship
24:46 Should stewardship change how you vote?
27:21 Where we land
28:50 Data centers, and your turn

EPISODE CORRECTION: Around 20:10 Jared says the US is "second behind India." I meant ahead of India: China ~30%, US ~11%, India ~8% of global emissions.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
SBC resolution "On Global Warming" (2007): https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/2007-sbc-resolution-on-global-warming/
Cornwall Declaration on Environmental Stewardship (2000): https://acton.org/public-policy/environmental-stewardship/theology-e/environmental-stewardship-judeo-christian-traditi
Carbon Brief, historical emissions by country: https://carbonbrief.org/analysis-which-countries-are-historically-responsible-for-climate-change

#CreationCare #FaithAndCulture #Deconstruction

An atheist asks a Christian apologist the hardest question there is: "I don't believe in God. Am I going to hell?"

This week Jared and Bill react to Wes Huff's viral answer on The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett, and then things go way into the weeds. C.S. Lewis says hell is locked from the inside. Is universalism the best news ever, or not the gospel? Did you know traditional Judaism teaches a hell that lasts twelve months max? Is the Bible's imagery of fire, darkness, and worms literal? Did Jesus offer a second chance when he descended after the cross? And does the rich man in Luke 16 shut that whole idea down?

We also get into the sinner's prayer (spoiler: the thief on the cross never prayed it), Rob Bell's Love Wins, the LDS three kingdoms of glory, and the most important apologetic of all: don't be a jerk.

Also: Bill finally breaks his margarita streak with peanut butter tequila. Yes, that's a real thing.

Mentioned in this episode: The Great Divorce (C.S. Lewis) · Love Wins (Rob Bell) · Erasing Hell (Francis Chan) · Luke 16:19–31 · Luke 23:39–43 · Romans 10:9 · James 2

Where do you land on hell: forever, annihilation, or something else? Tell us in the comments (kindly 😉).

Subscribe for new episodes every week. TikTok: @youvehearditsaidpodcast

You've Heard It Said: Faith, church & culture. No easy answers.

In our final episode with Pastor Destin, a wild-card night turns into a conversation about "wounding," the moments we come to believe a lie about who we are. Destin shares the surprisingly simple question that exposes where those lies come from: How old do you feel? He also explains why Jesus never speaks to us in "nots."

Bill brings the grace-vs-law challenge: why do Christians find it easier to live under rules than under grace? We land on community and communion, and why what's broken in community can only be healed in community. If you can't find a table, make one.

Referenced: Henri Nouwen, Rob Reimer, Philip Yancey, Acts 3, Luke 14, Matthew 25.

Did Christians make alcohol a sin?

Destined Wright joins Jared and Bill for a candid conversation about whiskey, cigars, Christian culture, and what the Bible actually says about drinking.

They talk about Jared getting publicly shamed over a root beer, why cigars can create space for deeper conversations, Jesus turning water into wine, Deuteronomy’s surprising reference to “wine and strong drink,” and the difference between celebration, connection, excess, and addiction.

This isn’t an argument that everyone should drink. It’s a conversation about Christian freedom, wisdom, and whether the church has sometimes created rules that Scripture itself never made.

What do you think: is drinking alcohol a sin?

For our first-ever guest episode, Jared and Bill sit down with longtime friend and pastor Destined “Dewbe” Wright.

Doobie shares the story of a church conflict that spiraled into accusations, broken friendships, denominational investigations, and a season that nearly drove him out of ministry.

But years later, he looks back on it differently.

This is a conversation about church hurt, betrayal, shame, forgiveness, leadership, and the difference between simply trying to be “better” and actually becoming healed.

What does it look like to trust God when you’re still in the middle of the storm?

Can Christians take modern science seriously without abandoning Genesis?

In Episode 14, Jared and Bill wrestle with creation, evolution, the age of the earth, Noah’s flood, the ancient worldview behind Genesis, and whether the opening chapters of the Bible were ever intended to function as a modern scientific account.

Does accepting evolution diminish God as Creator? Does Genesis have to be read literally to be true? And what happens when science challenges the way we were taught to interpret Scripture?

Join the conversation and tell us where you land.

In 1 Timothy 2:12, Paul writes, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man.” Sounds pretty clear… right?

Jared and Bill take a closer look at one of the most controversial passages in the debate over women in ministry, including the Greek behind “teach” and “authority,” Preston Sprinkle’s From Genesis to Junia, and the danger of building an entire theology around a single verse.

“Sell your cloak and buy a sword.” Did Jesus really tell his followers to arm themselves—and does that command justify Christians owning guns or even AR-15s today?

In Episode 12, Jared and Bill debate one of Jesus’ most controversial statements: Luke 22:36. Jared argues that Jesus was preparing his disciples for persecution, not violence. Bill isn’t convinced—and believes the command to buy a sword should be taken more literally.

Was Jesus speaking metaphorically? Was he trying to protect his disciples? And why did he later tell Peter to put his sword away?

It’s Jesus, swords, guns, and two very different interpretations. Whose argument is stronger: Team Jared or Team Bill?

Bill challenges Jared with a difficult question: If LGBTQ people love Jesus and show evidence of God’s work in their lives, does the church have the right to exclude them?

Using Peter’s vision in Acts, Genesis, Paul’s writings, and the example of Jesus welcoming outsiders, they wrestle honestly with biblical sexuality, inclusion, grace, and whether a church can welcome LGBTQ Christians without affirming same-sex relationships.