Tim and Jeff are life-long friends and pastors desperately trying to reclaim the reputation of the Church by taking an honest look at their flaws - corporate and individual - and trying to figure out how to look more like Jesus. With a half-serious approach to serious issues plaguing the Church, they'll address critical, hot-button topics, confess their sins, and probably lose some friends in the process. What fun!
For our final episode before the Summer break, we have a real barnburner for you today - if you like business meetings. Denominational Politics sound boring. That's because they are. Usually. But every once in awhile, something big happens. Well, something big happened. So, let's talk about it. Resources referenced: J.D. Greear's SBC Annual Meeting Address (WATCH THIS): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zX89hz3fhU Trevin Wax, "What Are Southern Baptists Really Fighting About?" https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/what-are-southern-baptists-really-fighting-about/ (https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/what-are-southern-baptists-really-fighting-about/) David French, "Under Attack From Fundamentalist Pirates, Evangelical Baptists Refused To Give Up The Ship" https://frenchpress.thedispatch.com/p/under-attack-from-fundamentalist
The podcast gets a much needed makeover as we sit down with the strongest women we know to talk about…well, whatever they think we need to talk about. We are joined by Jen Higgins, Charaya Morris, and Brianna Jarrett for one of the best conversations we've ever had. Buckle up. This one is incredible.
“Pro-Life”. You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. We try to get to the bottom of what it means to truly be “whole life Pro-Life” with a little help from our friends, Fred and Brianna Jarrett.
We conclude our series on Christians and Violence with a conversation with the brilliant Dr. Jeffrey K. Mann. Tackling difficult issues related to pacifism and God-ordained violence, we'll wrestle with the question, “Should Christians participate in violence, and if so, how?” Buy Dr. Mann's book! https://www.amazon.com/May-Kill-Non-Violence-Civilian-Self-Defense/dp/1532652038/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1andkeywords=may+i+killandqid=1623128899andsr=8-2
In this corner, we have Table-Flipping Jesus. And in this corner, we have the Blessed Peacemakers. But are they really opponents? Are they actually in different corners of the ring? Should we practice non-violence or should we methodically craft a whip and get to work being holy Rambos? Doormats or Dominators?
Today, we host our biggest episode ever as we welcome into the studio three of Maryland's finest police officers. They share their experiences and challenges as a public servant, as well as their insights into the racial tensions we see in our communities. Buckle up and put down your cell phones. This episode is not to be missed.
We kick off a difficult series discussing violence in our culture and how we feel led to respond to it. In this episode, Brandon Morris joins us to share his perspective on police brutality and how it is received in the Black community. We'll try to make sense of what we see and how we can move redemptively in this issue.
Welcome to our very first profile on a Great Christian Person! We are beyond honoroed to be joined in-studio by the Godfather himself, Indian missionary and pastor, David Rajan. He shares his life story of how God has and is working in his life, and the work he is doing in India. For more information on how to support the work David and his missionary partners are doing in India and Sri Lanka, shoot us an email at goodchristianpod@gmail.com and we would love to help you join this work.
Brandon Morris joins us again as we interrupt our regularly scheduled program to process the recent verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial and discuss the holy call to justice.
Coming back from the break, we catch up on the past two weeks, take a look at what's ahead, and share some cut content from previous episodes.
Let's try this whole “Christian Movie” thing again. This time, we know what we're walking into. This week, we watch “Small Group” to see if there can be such a thing as a good Christian movie. We have no idea how the other guys feel about it. Let's talk about it.
We have access to the most creative mind ever, and yet, our art often pales in comparison to what the world offers? Why is this? What qualities are present, or are missing, in our art, and what should we desire from our artists? Also, we give our best pitches for our own Christian movies and the industry would be in good hands if we were given control.
In our effort to discuss Christian art, we foolishly watch a movie that is entirely unchristian...and you get to listen to us apologize and complain about it for 80 minutes! What fun!
“Cancel Culture” is everyone's new favorite thing to hate, but also, it's often our first reaction to something we disagree with. Today, we take a look at the history of Cancel Culture, the Church's role in it, and how we should respond. We talk Dr. Seuss, Gina Carano, and Tim and Jeff have the biggest fight of their friendship. It's a whole thing!
When the people we trust to guide us spiritually have public moral failures, the damage is considerable. How do we deal with the sinner? How do we deal with the victims? What do we do as those who trusted in these leaders? What do we do in the tension?
We conclude our series on racial reconciliation by bringing back Dr. Adam Alvarez, Brandon Morris, and new guest, Jeremy Edger, to revisit and work through some of the discussions of this past series. This powerful conversation is not to be missed.
Buckle up for an amazing episode! We continue in our series on racial reconciliation and we are joined by Christian journalist, Maina Mwaura, who shares his perspectives on race and the Church. We'll jump into some great topics, such as the summer riots and the SBC CRT controversy, as well as the importance of racial reconciliation to the Millennials and Gen-Z. Please check out Maina's work here: www.mainaspeaks.com
This week, we have the privilege of being joined by Dr. Kevin Smith, the Executive Director of the Baptist Convention of MD/DE. As we continue pursuing racial reconciliation, we want to spend some time addressing the state of the Evangelical Church, honestly look at the history of Southern Baptists, and try to make sense of where we are now. "Deflection Boy" t-shirts and bumper stickers will be made available...if we ever start doing merch.
Covid rears its ugly head and makes us socially distance in different zip codes - but we make it work! We continue in our series on the pursuit of racial reconciliation with a dear friend of the show, Brandon Morris. We tackle everything from the significance of names, the beauty of multicultural churches, the reality of individual and systemic racism, and movies. So many movies! It is an incredible conversation! For amazing marital relationship content from Brandon and Charaya Morris, check out: YouTube: Morr Love with RandB https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqN-OOBK_xkT0ONCLKCBgGQ Facebook: The Married Life https://www.facebook.com/groups/themarriedlife2020
This week, we begin a series of critical conversations on the pursuit of racial reconciliation. We are joined by Dr. Adam Alvarez and we discuss the history of systemic racism in America, the difficulties we have in recognizing it, and the call God has given us to work towards racial reconciliation. This is one for the record books.
To conclude our series on worship, we sit down with Dr. Raymond Higgins - who has forgotten more about worship than we could ever hope to know. We talk about worship philosophy and how corporate worship has changed over the years, for better or worse! 55 years of worship leading wisdom gets dropped by pretty much the kindest, most sincere man on the planet.
For the past few weeks, we've taken a look at the significance of corporate worship, but even more important to our spiritual health is our personal worship experience. In this episode, we begin with a discussion on critical current events, and then share our thoughts on how to improve our personal worship.
This week, we welcome Brianna Jarrett back as we continue our series on worship, corporate and personal. In this episode, we share stories of our experiences in worship ministry and give a behind-the-scenes look at corporate worship ministry in the Church. And all God's people said..."A-woman".
On this super-size episode, we begin a conversation with worship leader, Brianna Jarrett (esq.), on the significance of worship in the life of the Church and good Christian people. We go behind the scenes and pull back the curtain to share some of the challenges of leading worship when things get messy. We get super honest in this one. Also, Brianna is a lawyer, in case that doesn't get mentioned ten times throughout the episode.
This has been an incredibly hard year, but God didn't bring us through just to survive. He was doing something this year. So, we take a look back on the ups and downs of 2020 and share our experiences and lessons learned. Join us in sending out 2020 well by answering these questions along with us: What will you remember from 2020? What are you proud of from 2020? What do you regret about 2020? What lessons did you learn in 2020? What goals/resolutions will you set for 2021?
Merry Christmas from your favorite podcast recorded on Mondays in Glen Burnie, MD! Or, if not your favorite podcast recorded on Mondays in Glen Burnie, MD, then at least Top 5! We want to wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of our heeeaaaarts!
Christmas is just a few days away and we wrap up our Advent series breaking down the overwhelmingly undeserved and remarkably kind love of God who would come to rescue a bunch of NOT good Christian people. The confessions are convicting and somewhat uncomfortable this time around. We also give a lot of attention to a disturbing recent event that requires some heavy discussion. We don't want to, but we gotta talk about the Jericho March.
Life is hard. Life can beat us down. But in the midst of our struggle, our grief, and our scars, God has made a way for us to have joy in all of it – and that is rooted solely in Emmanuel; our God, who is with is.
In an increasingly polarized world, one thing we ALL recognize we need is peace…but we want others to bring it about. We aren't often the initiators of it. As we continue looking at Advent, we will discuss how Jesus makes it possible to have peace and be people OF peace. Plus, we talk about music, monoliths, and human meat steaks makes a return! "Advent is Actually Quite Political" - Kaitlyn Schiess https://christandpopculture.com/advent-is-actually-quite-political/ (https://christandpopculture.com/advent-is-actually-quite-political/) "5 Reasons Jesus is Still the Prince of Peace" - Sheila Alewine https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/reasons-jesus-is-still-the-prince-of-peace.html (https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/reasons-jesus-is-still-the-prince-of-peace.html) Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture https://iasculture.org/news/institute-releases-democracy-dark-times-sapc (https://iasculture.org/news/institute-releases-democracy-dark-times-sapc) "Restoring Shalom" - Paul Tripp https://www.paultripp.com/articles/posts/restoring-shalom (https://www.paultripp.com/articles/posts/restoring-shalom) Your Peace Will Make Us One (song) - Audrey Assad https://open.spotify.com/track/3b6kJ9mpFD0t6tpADOHmI4?si=AXY8eYSvTIiGqxdzPGxVoQ
2020 has…not been great. But, during this Christmas season, God has given us a chance to slow down and experience a true season of Advent, maybe for the first time ever. This week, we kick off a 4-week series looking at the meaning and importance of Advent, and discussing the reality of Hope. Practicing Advent in a Time of Turbulence - Tish Harrison Warren https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2016/december-web-only/practicing-advent-in-time-of-turbulence.html (https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2016/december-web-only/practicing-advent-in-time-of-turbulence.html) Hope is an Expectant Leap - Jay Y. Kim https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/november/advent-hope-is-expectant-leap.html (https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/november/advent-hope-is-expectant-leap.html)
Thanksgiving is upon us! Let's give thanks for everything. And we mean, everything.
After 7 episodes dealing with politics and Christians in the Age of Outrage, it's time for a palate cleanser. That's right. An entire show of good news. We probably need it right now.
Rise and shine, Campers! It's the Election Day episode! We wear suits! It's our biggest episode yet and we swing for the fences! Exclamation marks! In our final installment in the “Christians in the Age of Outrage” series, we break down what it means to be Kingdom Ambassadors in a Foreign Land. Who are we called to be? What are we called to do? Where are we called to go? The country is divided like no other time in recent history, and we desperately need Jesus. We desperately need the Church to act like Him.
After three weeks of looking at the realities of the age of outrage and our role in it, it's time to look at the positives: as Christians, how should we engage with those around us, online and offline. In today's episode, we discuss chapters 9 and 10 of Ed Stetzer's “Christians in the Age of Outrage”, and discover how to love like Jesus, even in the midst of disagreement. Also, we get our best listener feedback yet. We might have cried. And Jeff learns that you should never compliment Tim. Ever.
The reason we so easily participate in the culture of outrage is due to a lack of focusing on the correct things. When our eyes, minds, and hearts are distracted, our worldview becomes distorted. In this episode, as we break down Chapter 7 of Ed Stetzer's “Christians in the Age of Outrage”, we look at the factors that alter our worldview, discuss what happens when we lose our Kingdom mindset, and offer practical suggestions on how to fix our eyes on Christ. Spoiler Alert: It takes work.
In order to engage the world with the Gospel, we must have a correct view of what is happening in this outraged, politicized culture. Too often we respond to a false understanding of the culture and that negatively impacts our gospel influence. Today, we look at the second two lies ("___ will save me from the outrage", "Mission is optional") that impede our gospel impact, and confront them with truth.
In order to engage the world with the Gospel, we must have a correct view of what is happening in this outraged, politicized culture. Too often, we respond to a false understanding of the culture and that negatively impacts our gospel influence. Today, we look at the first two lies from "Christians in the Age of Outrage" ("Christians are the worst", "My outrage is righteous") that impede our gospel impact, and confront them with truth.
Less than a month away from the next presidential election, the anger and division in our country has reached new levels. In a culture that is growing increasingly more contentious, how are Christians to respond and navigate to all of the outrage? Today, we begin a 4-part series working through Ed Stetzer's “Christians In The Age of Outrage”, and we start with a look at the current state of Evangelicalism and its relationship to politics.
Jesus told His followers that the evidence of their relationship with Him would be how they love each other. We've done a pretty good job at huddling up and loving those inside our Church circle – those we consider to be our “tribe”. But, we've really dropped the ball when it comes to loving those who are outside of our circle. From the very beginning, people have struggled to recognize who their neighbor is and how we should extend compassion to those who are different than us. In this episode, we take an in-depth look at one of the most popular parables of Jesus and discuss how we are to show compassion, and more importantly, WHO we are to show love to.
For the Gospel to advance and continue past us, passing on our faith and discipling the next generation is key. Too often, the Church has missed the mark discipling younger people. Either we entertain/babysit without discipling, or we don't prioritize spiritually engaging the next generation because we don't see their immediate (or even long-term) value. In Part 2 of this conversation, we sit down with Dave Kurtz to continue discussing the importance of discipling the next generation, the unique challenges of current ministry in the midst of Covid, and offer practical tools to equip parents to disciple at home. Resources suggested in this episode: www.cpyu.org www.karapowell.com www.downloadyouthministry.com Parenting Podcasts: https://biglifejournal.com/blogs/blog/top-parenting-podcasts https://player.fm/podcasts/christian-parenting
For the Gospel to advance and continue past us, passing on our faith and discipling the next generation is key. Too often, the Church has missed the mark discipling younger people. Either we entertain without discipling, or we don't prioritize spiritually engaging the next generation because we don't see their immediate (or even long-term) value. In Part 1 of this conversation, we sit down with Justin Hanneken to discuss the importance of discipling the next generation, where we've failed in the past, and answer the question of who is primarily responsible for discipling the next generation. Also, we laugh. At each other. A lot. Please take a minute to support Justin Hanneken and Ends Cycling: https://www.endscycling.com/
One of the greatest threats to Church unity - the Gospel - is legalism. We have been set free by Jesus, and then turn around and create new cages, through extra-biblical rules, to take the place of the cage we left. These rules are not mandated by God, they rob the Gospel of its power (because we earn merit with God through works now), and create division in the Church. In this episode, we discuss the insidiousness of legalism and engage with five questions to evaluate where you stand with legalism. Also, we travel back in time to 1999 with a relic from our past and Jeff's "Great Christian People" example is big-time cheating...but it's so good.
One of the main reasons people leave the Church is being burned by the leadership. Whether intentionally/unintentionally, hurt caused by Church leadership can be incredibly wounding and doesn't just run them out of a specific church, but away from the Church as a whole. This episode's confession really hurts, and we introduce BabyTown, which feels like it's going to become a long-running reference.
The inaugural episode of GCP: the Podcast! Join us (Jeff Higgins and Tim Byer) for an honest look at the flaws of the Church (corporate and individual) and how we can be - and do - better. This episode, we tackle hypocrisy. Plus, we confess our sins at the end of each episode. Who does that?
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