Beards & Bible Podcast

How Should Christians Vote? Politics, the Bible, and Kingdom Values

Election season is upon us, and many Christians have conflicting emotions and deeply concerned about their role and participation in the upcoming election. What Biblical principles and ideals should inform our participation in the political process? How is a Christian supposed to vote? Is it simply along party lines, or one single "make or break" issue? And is it possible to have constructive, honest, and thoughtful dialogue about these issues?

Mary Magdalene, Blue Eye Shadow, & How the Bible Came to Us (with Amanda Hope Haley)

So often there are things we believe about the Bible, that just aren’t in the Bible. The Bible never talks about there being 3 wisemen present at the birth of Jesus, or that Adam and Eve ate an apple in the garden, or that it was a whale that swallowed Jonah. But so many of us, there years of tradition and human interpretation that have instilled in us (sometimes even unknowingly) misconceptions about the Biblical texts. So how do we read the Bible in its original context? How do we do the work of separating tradition from truth and our cultural interpretations from what the text actually says? How was the Bible written? How did it come to us? 
 

Genesis, Charles Darwin, and the Question of Origin pt. 2

Is Genesis just far-fetched, goofy, highly unlikely mythology that should be taken allegorical? Or is it a historical account of literal events? Are Christians rejecting science by choosing to believe it? If someone rejects the book of Genesis, have they rejected the rest of the Bible?
 
In the 2nd installment of a two part episode, we address these questions and discuss the various interpretations of the creation account in the book of Genesis.

Genesis, Charles Darwin, and the Question of Origin pt. 1

In 1859, Charles Darwin theorized in his book, The Origin of Species, that life forms have evolved over time through the process of natural selection. In 1871, in his book, The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, he theorized that nature itself determined the development and progress of all living things. The implication was that any God-centered view of the world is merely wishful thinking. Darwin implies that nature, not God, controls human development. Our origin story is explained through the laws of nature and science.  
 
150 years later, Darwin’s theories have been accepted by most rational minds as scientific fact. Meanwhile, the Bible also speaks to the question of origin. The book of Genesis gives us a different set of answers about how we got here. But is Genesis just far-fetched, goofy, highly unlikely mythology that should be taken as allegorical? Or is it a historical account of literal events? If so, are Christians rejecting science by choosing to believe it?
 
In the first installment of a two-part episode, we'll be diving into the theories of Charles Darwin and exploring their influence on western civilization.  
 
 

Artificial Intelligence, the Imago Dei, and the Age of Spiritual Machines

Artificial intelligence, in a broad sense, is any task performed by a program or a machine that, if a human carried out the same activity, we would say the human had to apply intelligence to accomplish the task. Things like planning, learning, reasoning, problem solving, knowledge representation, perception, motion, and manipulation and even, to a lesser extent, social intelligence and creativity can now all be performed, to a certain extent at least, by artificial intelligence systems.
 
But if we’re able to develop a technology that empowers machines to do anything a human can do, does this mean that the day is coming when humans will become expendable and replaceable?
 
Will the lines between humanity and machine become blurred in the years to come with the development of more advanced artificial intelligence?
 
Will AI evolve to eventually surpass humanity by becoming smarter than us? How as Christians should we treat AI systems? Like slaves or with the same kind of respect and dignity as a human being?
 
And speaking of which, what is that makes us human after all? Are we human because of how “highly evolved” we’ve become- or is there something else God has placed within us that makes us “human”?
 

Keeping the Faith in the Digital Age- The Impact of Social Media

There are now 3 billion social media users in the world- that’s roughly 40% of the earth’s population. The amount of social media users is growing too- in 2005, only 5% of American adults reported using social media. Now? 70% of them do.
 A technology that enables humanity to communicate and share life together all across the globe seems like a positive, life-giving thing. But is there a dark side to this technology?
Limited research has shown that social media use actually has a significant impact on our stress levels, anxiety, mood, sleep, relationships, and overall happiness and well-being. In fact, some studies seem to indicate that the more we use social media, the more unhappy, lonely, and superficial we become.
But is there a way for us use this technology responsibly? Can we as followers of Jesus harness its power to spread the Gospel and witness to the truth of who Christ is in our lives? Is it all-together an “evil” thing? Or can it be used for good?

Angels, Demons, and the Unseen Realm

We’ve seen the bumper sticker, “Don’t drive faster than your guardian angel can fly”. We’ve watched the cartoons where a robed, winged figure with a halo appears on one shoulder to encourage a character to be good and a red, horned figure with a pitchfork appears on the other shoulder to try to influence the same character to be bad. Some of us have even seen the terrifying depictions from Hollywood’s imagination of demonic possession and activity, and the fantastical depictions of angels and the heavenly realm.
But how much of this is fiction, and how much is fact?
When you read the Bible, what does it describe about these beings and what do the individuals who actually encountered them have to say?
What about demons?
Can you see demons or summon them?
Can you do the same with angels? Does everybody have a "guardian angel", or is that just something we made up?

Baptism, the Sinner's Prayer, and Biblical Conversion

The Gospel- it’s a word that’s been tossed around and used an adjective and a noun, and for many people there’s not really an understanding of what it actually means. It’s the good news concerning the identity of Jesus Christ as King and how He’s provided a way for us to be forgiven and saved from our sins and brought into the Kingdom of God. But how exactly does that work?
How is someone “converted” to Christ or saved? Is there a magic prayer that someone has to recite in order to become a Christian? Or maybe it’s baptism?
Why do Christians get baptized? If someone doesn’t get baptized, does that mean they’re not saved? 

The New Apostolic Reformation & A Call to Discernment

A new religious movement in evangelical Christianity- supposedly led by modern day apostles and prophets- has confused people, divided churches, and strained relationships as believers are forced to make painful choices between those they love and what they believe to be the truth of God’s Word. Most people don’t know the movement by any formal name, but its teachers and organizations- Bill Johnson, Bethel Church, Rick Joyner, International House of Prayer, YWAM- are world famous. Its practices and teachings have also permeated churches all across the world.
But are these teachings in alignment with Scripture? How do we use discernment to understand these teachings through the lens of God’s Word?
What about the worship music that comes from this movement? The extra-biblical teachings on spiritual warfare, signs and wonders, and prayer? Is this a cult?
Is it possible to talk honestly about these things without offending or ticking somebody off?

Out of Shadows, The Deep State, and Romans 13

A recent youtube documentary with over 10 million views, claims to lift the mask on how the mainstream media, Hollywood, and government work together to manipulate & control the masses by spreading propaganda throughout their content. Its makers claim their goal is to wake up the general public by shedding light on how we all have been lied to & brainwashed by a hidden enemy with a sinister agenda. What if there is a “deep state” that works to nefariously control and brainwash the general public? Can we ever really trust the media? How about our government? How are Christians to be “subject to the governing authorities” like Scripture tells us to do if our authorities might be inherently evil?