Most of life and faith is lived in the tension between the two extremes. On this show, we look at what many of us were taught growing up in evangelical churches, weigh it against what our current culture is saying, and try to find what Jesus has for us in the tension between the two.
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Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.
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Most of life and faith is lived in the tension between the two extremes. On this show, we look at what many of us were taught growing up in evangelical churches, weigh it against what our current culture is saying, and try to find what Jesus has for us in the tension between the two.
-------
Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Less than 5% of podcasts make it to 100 episodes.
So forgive us if we take a minute to celebrate getting to this milestone.
In our super self-indulgent 100th episode, we take a look back at the impact our show has made in the lives of listeners over the last four years.
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Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.
AI notice: our outro was created with Suno using AI
The intro theme song is used with permission from the artist. It's High School by 90's Kids.
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We truly believe Christians can follow Jesus together while disagreeing on how we apply our faith to politics. We even believe we can disagree with respect and dignity.
But what's happening in our current culture is making it hard to love some of our neighbors around us.
And while it's the politics that we see on the surface, it's the outright mean-spirited nature driving those politics and the rhetoric around them that makes it so hard to love those neighbors.
This week we have an honest conversation about where we stand, why it's so hard to love them, and what it looks like moving forward in this climate.
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Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.
Our intro/outro music was created using AI.
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Cancers usually grow inside you without you noticing they’re there. You often don’t even know they exist until it’s a major issue. That’s American individualism within the evangelical church.
In today's Evangelical Culture, many would see the Gospel-inspired collectivism of Acts 2 as socialism. We are at the point where the literal Pope had to speak up because American Christians were trying to redefine what loving your neighbor meant into a more individualist view.
This week we talk about how that's impacted the church as a whole and how even the most aware people have to take part in the blame.
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Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.
AI Notice: our intro/outro music was made with Suno using AI
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If we're honest, Jesus didn't make this easy for us. There were things he did and didn't do that make following him harder. There are things he still does today that don't necessarily make sense or feel good.
We're still going to choose to follow him despite those things, but if we're going to have an authentic relationship with him, we have to at least admit those things exist.
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Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.
AI Notice - our intro/outro music was made by Suno using AI
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We hear a lot about thoughts and prayers in our culture. But if we're honest, prayer alone isn't enough. The single biggest way God chooses to work on earth is through the action - alongside the prayers - of people.
This week we talk about that reality along with how our prayer life should change the way we view the world as well as the things we care about.
And we play this season's favorite game: What unChristian executive order or policy statement was said this week?!
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Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.
AI notice - our intro/outro was made with Suno using AI.
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In the evangelical church - especially the version that's so overbearing today - we're taught we have to be in lock step with every position and not question any of them. After all, the Bible is clear about them all, right?!
But that's not the way actual life and faith work.
In reality, there are many theological positions I wish I was wrong about. In this episode, we get super honest – and only a little bit silly – about some of those positions.
After all, faith is about trusting even when we don't get it, right? Jesus never said we had to like or agree with everything, only that we trust him.
And we can trust him while hoping we're wrong.
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Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.
AI Notice - our intro/outro music is created by Suno using AI.
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Heads up before you press play:
If you’re currently processing the loss of a loved one, this episode might not be for you.
To be completely transparent: this episode talks about death, dying, and losing family members. It also talks about the fears and anxieties we have around those issues as we grow older.
The first 7-8 minutes or so includes some humor around death and dying, but if you can push past the immature bad jokes, there's also a really honest and candid conversation about how we know Heaven will be great, and we know one day with Jesus is better than 1,000 elsewhere, but if we're honest, we don't want to experience those things anytime soon.
Hopefully you enjoy this week, but if it’s not for you, we totally get it and hope you’ll come back next week.
PS - Jonathan is all good. Doc said it was mainly a formality and for genetic testing.
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Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.
AI Notice - our intro/outro is AI generated through Suno.
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To kick off Season 12, we're introducing a series of honest conversations we think people are feeling but aren't having starting with a simple idea:
I'd trust Jesus a lot more if it didn't require trusting other Christians.
We know we haven't been hurt by Jesus, but many of us have been hurt by other Christians. Sometimes that hurt was intentional, but more often than not it's been unintentional because people are, well, people.
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If you want to send in a story for our 100th episode, send them to hello@tensionpodcast.com or to Jonathan on Instagram (instagram.com/jonathan_carone).
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Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.
AI Notice - our intro/outro music was created using Suno.
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By every metric, the American Evangelical church is not in a healthy place. We've spent the last few months talking about how Cultural Christianity is killing the American church.
So now we ask - can it even recover from Cultural Christianity?
In this bonus episode, we talk about four things we believe are needed for the American Evangelical church to heal.
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Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.
AI notice - our intro/outro music was created using AI.
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So the election happened...
And not too long after it, we saw the wave of social media posts deify Donald Trump as God's chosen savior of our country along with any number of messages filled with mean-spirited language about people who voted for Kamala Harris.
If you're like us, that's left you feeling some sort of way.
In this bonus episode recorded two days after the election, we talk through a framework of how we can process what we're feeling and move forward in the tensions between how we believe we should apply our faith to the culture around us and the way a large portion of the evangelical church has decided to apply theirs.
PS - the whole episode can be summed up in the final 30-seconds. We think the entire thing is good, but fast forward there if you just want the cliff notes.
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Our definitions of cultural Christianity:
Spiritually immature Christians who have been discipled more by evangelical culture than the actual Bible.
and/or
Christians who are more concerned with applying their Christian preferences to the culture than they are in achieving unity in Christ with those who may have different preferences.
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Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.
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We’ve tried to stay fairly reserved all season, but this week some emotions came out that have been boiling under the surface.
In this episode you’ll see two completely different views of how the rise of Donald Trump has impacted us when it comes to our Christian faith. Whether it’s the deification of the man, the hijacking of prophetic gifts, or how we view things overall, this episode shows how the current conservative political movement has hit both of us individually.
You won’t agree with everything - and some of it might even be a turn-off for you - but this is our raw response to where we are in today’s climate.
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Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.
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Did you know 1/3 of all adults who grew up in church but have since left said pastoral sex scandals played a significant role in their decision to leave?
Over the past 15 years, we've seen cover up after cover up within the American church. And it's all for the same reason: churches were scared of losing their cultural influence if they fired the pastor who abused his position.
This week we talk about how this has impacted evangelical culture, what a healthier approach would be, and what actual restoration looks like.
Content warning: we do go into some details on a few of the scandals. If that's not content you would like to hear, we suggest you skip 8:52 - 12:57.
8:52 - discussion of scandals starts
12:57 - details are done, you can come back
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Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.
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When it comes to cultural Christianity, so much of it comes down to an actual lack of trust in Jesus.
If/when we trust Jesus, we believe he'll do what he says he will do and aren't so dang scared of everything.
But when we don't trust him, we feel like it's up to us to protect everything and to fight for things he never told us to fight for.
This week we talk about how that idea plays out in real life while somehow mentioning Wendy Peffercorn while also relating Jesus to David Hasselhoff on Baywatch.
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Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.
AI notice: our intro/outro music was created by AI.
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Gen Z is the least religious generation in American history. As of 2022, 44% of Gen Z claimed to have no relationship with religion at all.
In the 5th episode of our season looking at how Cultural Christianity is killing the American church, we make the case that an incomplete gospel combined with bad end times theology is the leading thing driving Gen Z to be uninterested in church.
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Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.
AI notice: the intro and outdo music is AI generated.
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Resources referenced in the show:
https://religioninpublic.blog/2023/04/03/gen-z-and-religion-in-2022/
https://sojo.net/articles/sponsored/1-million-leaving-church-every-year-gen-z-faithless-generation
https://relevantmagazine.com/magazine/how-gen-z-will-shape-the-church/
https://unitedwaynca.org/blog/gen-z-activism-survey/
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/12/08/about-four-in-ten-u-s-adults-believe-humanity-is-living-in-the-end-times/
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/11/17/how-religion-intersects-with-americans-views-on-the-environment/
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/politics-and-religion/article/religious-ideology-race-and-health-care-policy-attitudes/C7882B114833DA3B437FEE106A14FD47
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The issue we discuss this week is a subtle, nuanced one you don't notice until a light is shined on it. What started with good intentions - telling people how Jesus has helped us - has evolved into a culture where we (unintentionally?) give off the impression we are more concerned with converting people than actually caring for them.
In this episode we look at how we got to where we are today, fully acknowledge the good intentions that led to bad results, and introduce an idea for a more complete application of the gospel.
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Our intro/outro music has been AI generated.
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Did you know only 7% of people who had an abortion felt comfortable talking to *anyone* at church before making their decision? If that's not bad enough, only 3 in 10 believe the Church is a safe place to discuss pregnancy options (including parenting, abortion, and adoption).
Why don't people who have had an abortion feel comfortable in the American Church? What is it about us that makes them feel unsafe?
This week we continue our look at how Cultural Christianity is killing the American Church by discussing how the way we talk about abortion within the Church is hurting those who have been impacted by it the most.
Articles we reference:
https://www.focusonthefamily.com/pro-life/abortion/survey-women-go-silently-from-church-to-abortion-clinic/
https://deeperstill.org/roe-triggers/
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Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.
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Here's a stat for you: since 2008, moderates have left the Southern Baptist Convention at a 40% higher rate than the overall decline of the SBC.
This season we're looking at how cultural Christianity is killing the American Church. In this week's episode, we dive into how moderates - both politically and theologically - have been pushed out of the American Evangelical church.
Articles we reference:
https://www.prri.org/research/religious-change-in-america/
https://www.graphsaboutreligion.com/p/the-state-of-the-southern-baptist
https://www.graphsaboutreligion.com/p/southern-baptists-are-more-conservative
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Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.
AI notice: the song at the beginning and end of the episode is AI generated.
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The American Church is in decline. Since 2013, the percentage of Americans claiming to be religiously unaffiliated has risen by 5%. During that same time, the percentage of Americans who said religion is either most important or among the most important things in their life dropped from 72% to 53%.
So what's causing the decline?
In the newest season of Tension, we make the argument that Cultural Christianity is what's killing the American Church. In this episode, we lay the groundwork for the next seven episodes where we'll discuss an element of Cultural Christianity each week and talk about how it's having negative impacts on the American Church.
Articles we reference:
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-04-07/trump-s-brand-of-christian-conservatism-is-driving-people-from-church
https://www.prri.org/research/religious-change-in-america/
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Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.
AI notice: the song at the beginning and end of the episode is AI generated.
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You've heard it said by Christian influencers and hyper partisans: you can't be a Christian and vote for a democrat.
We don't agree with that. We believe the Gospel doesn't fit into one American political party and that Bible believing, Jesus loving people can disagree on how we apply our faith to government.
In this episode, we walk through a Biblically focused grid to show how we came to the conclusion that we would be voting for certain democrats this fall. This episode is not to convince you that voting Democrat makes you more of a Christian or that voting Republican makes you less of a Christian. It's simply to show how an honest look at the Bible can result in different applications.
NOTE: this episode was recorded before the assassination attempt of President Trump. That shouldn’t impact any of the content, but we wanted to clarify for anyone who may have wanted that context.
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Timestamps:
9:04 - We all negotiate our faith
10:48 - Step 1: Determine what the role of government is from a biblical perspective.
14:49 - Democracy and forms of government in the Bible
18:14 - It is not your religious duty to vote
31:55 - What does the Bible say about taxes?
40:56 - Step 2: Determine the issues you believe most accomplishes the role of government.
41:59 - Jonathan’s answer to what most accomplishes the role of government
43:47 - Eric’s answer to what most accomplishes the role of government
51:51 - Step 3: Determine which candidates align with your priorities to accomplish the role of government.
1:00:18 - How the Bible says we should approach those with a different political preference
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Andy Stanley sermon Eric references:
https://youtu.be/vga6t63XGcQ?si=ph0X-HLuOOLWRmmD
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For many of us who are trying to live in the tensions of our faith, we have come to places where what we're learning today is different from what we've learned in our past.
In the final episode of season ten, we talk about how it's okay to change your mind on issues as you learn new things and come to new understandings. We also discuss the amount of bravery it takes to approach your faith in a way that asks the hard questions.
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