Hope's Reason: A Podcast of Discipleship

The He Gets Us organization (https://hegetsus.com/en) pays for some very interesting commercials to run during the Super Bowl. There is a link to the commercial in my video. They have received criticism from both the left and right. What are we to make of this? Here are my thoughts.Please visit me at my website at http://www.stephenjbedard.comFollow me at http://www.twitter.com/sjbedardSupport me at http://www.patreon.com/hopesreason

Recently, Pastor Alistair Begg has been heavily criticized for advice he gave to someone to attend the wedding of a family member that included a transgendered person. Was this the proper advice? In this video, I reflect on the issues and give my take.Support me on Patreon.Visit me at my website.

This is an update on the podcast as we transition from Bedard on Discipleship to A Faith Worth Thinking About.Visit me at my website.Check out my YouTube channel.Visit my online store.Support me through Patreon.

What is required for effective evangelism? Is simply sharing the information that a person is a sinner and that Jesus died for them enough? How should the church look at evangelism and how do we need to change? Visit me at http://www.stephenjbedard.com.Support me through Patreon http://www.patreon.com/hopesreason

How should the church respond to the LGBTQ+ community? Should the church insist on complete change before admittance into the community? Andy Stanley has recently stretched this conversation through the Unconditional Conference that was hosted at his church. You can find an article on this here: https://churchleaders.com/news/459809-andy-stanley-affirms-traditional-view-of-marriage-following-controversial-unconditional-conference.html This is the video I mention: https://youtu.be/Omzxo0ZauQk Please visit me at http://www.stephenjbedard.com. Support me at http://www.patreon.com/hopesreason

One of the most controversial issues is the use of preferred pronouns. Should you share your own preferred pronouns. even if they coincide with your biological sex? How do we respond to someone who has a different identity? That's what we look at in this video. Please visit my website: http://www.stephenjbedard.com. Support me through http://www.patreon.com/hopesreason

There have been plenty of books and movies that have attempted to portray an end-times figure called the antichrist. But what does the Bible actually say about the antichrist? In this video, I go through the relevant passages and share the biblical data. In the video, I mention something called Docetism. You can find out more about that here: https://historyofchristianitypodcast.com/2019/03/18/what-is-docetism/ Visit me at http://www.stephenjbedard.com. Support me at Patreon. http://www.patreon.com/hopesreason

Bruxy Cavey is one of the most well known pastors in Canada. Unfortunately, he known for both his success and failure. I have no desire to attack Bruxy, nor am I his judge. But Bruxy Cavey has made a quiet comeback at https://www.theghostof1820.com. My purpose for this video is to reflect as a pastor on when and how to return to ministry after a fall aside from what we think of Bruxy's path. All pastors should be thinking about these issues. Please visit me at http://www.stephenjbedard.com. Consider supporting me through Patreon.

What does the New Testament say about same-sex relationships? Three of the so-called "clobber passages" are found in Paul. These are 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 1 Timothy 1:9-11, and Romans 1:26-27. This is not a full scale study of those passages but rather a reflection of how they have been used to exclude 2SLGBTQIA+ people and whether that is consistent. Please visit me at http://www.stephenjbedard.com. Please support this podcast through Patreon.

It has been a couple of years since the revelations about Ravi Zacharias came to light. Still, there are issues that came up in that controversy that still affect us, especially how organizations protect abusers. In this video, I reflect back on what happened with RZIM in light of more recent events. Visit me at my website. Support me through Patreon.

Is Progressive Christianity a different religion? Randal Rauser, author of Progressive Christians Love Jesus Too (Amazon affiliate link), discusses how we should approach Progressive Christianity. You can visit Randal at his website and me at my website.

One of the so-called "clobber passages" is Leviticus 18:22. It seems to be a fairly clear condemnation of (male) same-sex activity. Is that passage sufficient for seeing all same-sex relationships as wrong for all time? In this video, we look at that passage and try to situate it in how we read the Bible. Please visit me at my website. Support me through Patreon.

Questions about same-sex relationships are at the forefront of conversations within the church. There are numerous passages that are considered relevant and must be looked at carefully. One of those passages is that of Sodom. Is the punishment of Sodom an indication of God's condemnation of same-sex relationships in general? That is the topic of this video. Visit me at my website. Support me through Patreon.

Every once in a while, we hear about a high profile Protestant who converts to Roman Catholicism. How should Protestants respond? I share my thoughts in this episode. Visit me at my website. Support me through Patreon.

What should churches do with Remembrance/Veteran's/Armistice Day? Should we have something in the service to acknowledge it or just ignore it? Should it be a major part of the service or should be used to critique military activity? I wrestle with this in this video. Please visit me at my website. Consider supporting me through Patreon.

Have you considered attending seminary? But what if you are not sure if you want to be a pastor? In this video I chat about why it is good to consider seminary and how it can be part of the discernment process. Support me through Patreon. Visit me at my website.

One of the issues that I have with Evangelicalism is the attitudes toward LGBTQ people. It is far more than an assertion that sex is limited to a marriage between a man and a woman. In many corners of Evangelicalism is there is actual hate toward gay people. I address that in this video. Visit me at my website. Support me at Patreon.

I recently encountered a very well known transgender person. Some people did not appreciate my reaction. How should Christians respond to transgender people? This is only my position. Consider supporting me at Patreon Visit me at my website.

What exactly happened between David and Bathsheba as described in 2 Samuel 11? Was it adultery between two consenting adults or an assault accompanied by an abuse of power? And how does this affect the controversies about pastoral sexual misconduct in the Church today? Support me through Patreon. Visit me at my website.

Two of the most influential leaders in the early church were Paul and James, the brother of Jesus. These two men were very different in their styles but were they enemies? Some people think so and that is why we look at this question in this video. Support me through Patreon. Visit me at my website.

Are Christians in Canada being persecuted? Are Christian churches being targeted in Canada? I address this persistent claim in this video. Visit me at my website. Support me through Patreon.

I sometimes struggle with Evangelicalism. One of the issues is that some evangelicals hold tightly to the culture war, the battle between conservatives and liberals, and wed that to the identity of the church. I share my thoughts on that. Visit me at my website. Support me through Patreon.

One of the most controversial issues within some denominations is the role of women. Should women be pastors? But what about 1 Timothy 2? In this video, I reflect on this issue. Visit me at my website. Support me at Patreon.

The report regarding the sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention has been released. The extent of the coverup and abuse is heartbreaking. One of the "excuses" that has been offered is that Baptist polity, specifically autonomy of the local church limited what SBC leadership could do. Does this aspect of Baptist polity diminish responsibility in any way? That is what we look at in this video. The Christianity Today article I reference is https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2022/may/southern-baptist-abuse-investigation-sbc-ec-legal-survivors.html?visit_source=twitter Visit me at my website.

In this series, I wrestle with some of my concerns about evangelicalism. One is the way evangelicals look at the Bible. In some corners of evangelicalism, it seems as if the Bible is lifted above Jesus. Please visit me at my website. Support me through Patreon.

As I reflect upon my experience as an evangelical, I look at some of the things I have struggled with. One of those is how evangelicals look at the role of men and women. Consider supporting me through Patreon. Please visit me at my website.

There has been a huge renaissance in Christian apologetics, ranging from the scholar to the pastor to the layperson. But what is the role of the Christian apologist? What should be their goal? I discuss this in this episode based on a video I recorded. For more on Christian apologetics, visit me here. Please support this podcast through Patreon.

In the past number of months, we have heard some terrible stories by such prominent pastors as Bruxy Cavey, John MacArthur, and Brian Houston. What is going on? Is there even a way to stop such abuse? In this episode, I vent my frustration. Support this podcast through Patreon. Visit me at my website.

After allegations against Bruxy Cavey, the investigation has been completed. But was this "just an affair"? When a pastor (any pastor) gets involved with a person they are ministering to, it is more than adultery. We look at this difficult topic in this episode. Visit me at my website. Please support me through Patreon.

Worldwide pandemics. Russia invading another European nation. Does all of this mean that we are now in the end times? That's what we look at in this episode. Please support this podcast through Patreon. Visit my website.

When we talk about disabilities, should we use person-first or identity-first language? That is, should we refer to "people with disabilities" or "disabled people"? In this episode, we look at this topic. Visit my website Disability Comes to Church. Please support this podcast through Patreon.

There is a lot of talk within the church about deconstruction. Some see this as one of the greatest threats to the church. But is it? What is deconstruction and is it always bad? That is what we look at in this episode of the podcast. Support this podcast through Patreon. Visit me at my website.

Mark Driscoll, James MacDonald, Bill Hybels, Ravi Zacharias, Bruxy Cavey. There is no lack of examples of once respected Christian leaders who have now been discredited based on their behaviour. Should we be talking about what happened? Or should we ignore these examples to avoid tarnishing the Church's reputation? That is what we will look at in this episode. Visit me at my website. Support this podcast through Patreon.

This episode is from a video I recorded right when the reports of Bruxy Cavey's sexual abuse first came out. More details have been released since I first recorded this. It is heartbreaking to see such abuse taking place in the Church and to see the fall of such a respected pastor. Visit me at my website. Support me through Patreon.

Do you use the R-word? Do you describe something as "retarded" or insult someone by calling them a "retard"? Is this harmless or is there a problem? I address this is this episode. Please visit me at Disability Comes to Church.

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus is the Archangel Michael. Why do they believe that and is there any biblical support? That's what we look at in this episode. Visit me at my website. Support me at Patreon.

In the books by J.R.R. Tolkien set in Middle-earth, there seem to be "good" races such as elves and hobbits and "bad" races" such as orcs and trolls. Does this reflect racism on Tolkien's part? That's what we look at in this episode of the podcast. Visit me at my website and support me at Patreon.

We often use the terms mental health and mental illness interchangeably but they are not exactly the same thing. So what is the difference? That's what we look at in this episode. Please visit me at Disability Comes to Church.

People have different views of the COVID-19 vaccines. One of those views is that it is the mark of the beast from Revelation. Is there any support for that? That's what we look at in this episode. Support this podcast at Patreon.

Is a sermon just a speech about religion or is there a difference? In this episode we look at the difference between a speech and a sermon. Visit me at my website.

Where do we start for disability ministry? One of most important areas is developing a theology of worship. How we see worship shapes how we treat disabled people. Visit me at Disability Comes to Church.

When I started attending church again regularly in my early 20s, the church I attended was very concerned about one particular thing: rock music. Poverty and mental illness were not on their radar but rock music was. I even attended an old fashion record burning event. What should Christians think about rock music? That's what I talk about in this episode. Please support this podcast through Patreon.

I recently graduated from Acadia Divinity College with a Doctor of Ministry degree. In this episode, I take some time to reflect on that experience. Please visit me at my website.

Many people have been listening to the Rise and Fall of Mars Hill. It is popular but should we be listening to it? Some are suggesting that it is "failure porn," that is enjoyment from other people's failures. Is there something useful that can be gained from listening to it. I talk about that in this episode based on one of my videos. Visit me at my website.

The Bible tells us not to be anxious. Does that mean that we are sinning of we experience anxiety? We look at this in this episode based on one of my videos. Visit me at Disability Comes to Church (http://www.disabilityandchurch.com).

Does the Bible contain any errors? What would an error even look like? We discuss this divisive issue in this episode. Visit me at my website. Support this podcast through Patreon.

You want to get a theological education but traditional seminaries are expensive or won't fit with your schedule. There are some online schools that are affordable but may lack accreditation. What do you do? We look at this question in this episode. Visit me at my website. Support this podcast through Patreon or by downloading a FREE audiobook with a FREE trial of Audible.

There are some Christians covered in tattoos and those that cannot conceive a Christian getting a tattoos. Are Christians allowed to get tattoos? That is what we look at in this episode. Please note that this episode is the audio of a video I recorded, in which I show the audience something. If you want to see the video, you can find it here. Visit me at my website. Please support this podcast through Patreon or by downloading a FREE audiobook with a FREE trial of Audible.

Many of us may not identify as having a disability but a temporary disability can come our way at any time. In this episode, Amanda Bedard shares her story of a temporary disability and how that has been affecting her life. Visit my website Disability Comes to Church. Support this podcast through Patreon or by downloading a FREE book with a FREE trial of Audible.

In this episode, I talk to Randal Rauser about his book Jesus Loves Canaanites, where he wrestles with the ideas of biblical violence and comes to some interesting conclusions. Please visit me at my website and support this podcast through Patreon or by downloading a FREE audiobook with a FREE trial of Audible.

Is the government actively seeking to close churches as part of a persecution of Christians? I look at that question in this episode. Please support this podcast through Patreon or by downloading a FREE audiobook with a FREE trial of Audible.