Beards & Bible Podcast

It’s not secret to anyone paying attention: America is more divided politically and ideologically than we’ve been in a very long time. And conversations about important cultural moments often quickly devolve into name-calling, shouting, and shaming those who don’t see things the way that we do. Regardless of what side you’re on of whatever issue is in the forefront of the news cycle, there’s talking points we repeat that we’ve been given from whatever news source we’ve consumed while we simultaneously shout down the “other side” as loudly as possible.
But none of this is working. Something is deeply broken. And for all our rage, it’s not getting fixed anytime soon.
But why? Why is it that we’ve found ourselves at such a deeply divided ideological impasse?
Perhaps the problem isn’t just about politics. Maybe it’s not really political at all.
Perhaps we are living in the same country, using the same words, but operating with two very different visions of reality itself. Two competing answers to deeper questions we rarely stop to name: 
Like, what is America, really? What is justice? What does it mean to be free? What is the purpose of law, and who gets to define it?
And for those who call themselves Christians, the divide cuts even deeper.
What is Christianity at its core? Is it a gospel that calls us to repentance, faith, and obedience to Jesus as Lord? Is it a message that calls us to submit to the commands of God and speaks of God’s judgment towards the wicked and unrepentant? Or, is it following a Jesus who was a social activist who lived primarily to extend compassion towards the weak, poor, and disenfranchised?
If we’re commanded to love our neighbor, what is the wisest and most faithful way to do that in a fractured culture? When love and truth appear to collide, which do we choose? Or is just a false dilemma altogether?
OK, real talk. Our intent with this episode is not to yell louder or score points with a certain side. We just want to ask better questions, and hopefully name the rival stories shaping our moment.
Because until we understand the visions competing for our allegiance, we’ll keep fighting the wrong battles and wondering why nothing ever changes.
And maybe…just maybe…if we’ll listen long enough and seek truth, maybe the fractures among us just might to start to slowly heal.

You asked, we listened. And now dear listener, here is an episode devoted entirely to your listener questions. On today’s episode, we field questions about self-defense, miraculous healing, why the younger generation is gravitating towards more liturgical traditions, and what Jesus meant by the phrase, “lead not into temptation” in the Lord’s prayer.
So sit back, grab your popcorn or bonbons, and let’s open up the mailbag together. 

Send us your questions for our "From the Mailbag" episode to beardsandbiblepodcast@gmail.com. 
Thanks for listening!

On today's episode, Gabe is joined by special guest Nick Sayers as they step into the ring to discuss the King James Version Only movement. 
 

Textual criticism is basically the process of comparing all the oldest and best ancient copies of the Bible we’ve discovered, so we can get as close as possible to the original words the biblical authors wrote.
Properly understood- it’s not scary, it’s not anti-faith, and it doesn’t deny the inspiration of Scripture — it’s simply good scholarship. And modern Bible translations use this approach to draw from a much larger, older, and more diverse set of manuscripts than translators had access to in the 1600s. The goal is clarity, accuracy, and faithfulness to the earliest text we can reconstruct.
But the KJV-Only movement takes a very different path. It leans solely on the Textus Receptus, a smaller collection of later manuscripts that the King James translators used. While those manuscripts are valuable, they represent only a sliver of the evidence we have today— which means the KJV-Only position often struggles to account for the full reality of how Bible translation actually works and how language naturally develops over time.
In the first part of a two-part series, we’re going to hear from Seth Knorr from BibleTheologyBlog.com as he explains and defends the textual-criticism approach to Bible translation—unpacking how it works, why it uses a broader and earlier set of manuscripts, and how it differs from the KJV-Only reliance on the Textus Receptus.

Are dreams and visions a genuine way the Holy Spirit still speaks today—or are we in danger of fooling ourselves when we put too much weight on them? What do you do with a dream that feels significant?
How do you discern between God’s prompting, your own subconscious, and something that could actually mislead you? And why do some Christians seem to hear from God in the night while others never do?
In today’s episode, we’ll dive deep into the mystery, the beauty, and the potential pitfalls of supernatural experiences. We explore what Scripture actually teaches, why discernment matters more than ever, and how to stay open to the Spirit without drifting into confusion or spiritual presumption. If you’ve ever wrestled with strange dreams, stirring impressions, or questions about how God guides us—hopefully we can talk through navigating it with wisdom, humility, and faith.

We’ve all heard it — “Judge not, lest you be judged.” But what did Jesus really mean by that? Is it ever right to confront another believer about sin or unhealthy behavior? And if so, how do we do that without becoming hypocritical, self-righteous, or unloving?
In this episode, we’re diving into one of the hardest parts of Christian community — holding one another accountable in a way that actually honors God. How do you approach a friend who’s drifting spiritually? What do you do when someone “calls you out” in a way that hurts more than it helps? And what does it look like to stand for truth among non-believers without being judgmental or defensive? At what point does something like Church Discipline get involved in the process? 
These are the kinds of critical conversations we can’t afford to avoid — and today, we’re talking about how to have them with grace, truth, and courage.

The New Testament is full of commands for Christians to gather together regularly for encouragement, discipleship and community. Not only that, we’re told as Christians 59 separate times to honor, care, love and serve one another within the context of the Church. According to the Bible, being involved in a local church and pouring our lives out for other believers in service and love is really a big deal.
But in our context, we seem to be missing something. The average American churchgoer only attends church 1.6 times per month, or roughly two out of every five weekends. Only about 21% of regular churchgoers consistently tithe to the work of their local church, and only about 34% of them regularly serve or volunteer. Sticking with just one church seems to be a challenge for us as well, as nearly 2 in 5 churchgoers report regularly attending multiple churches, while never committing to any of them. Not only that, criticizing churches and church leaders has become a favorite pastime and trending topic on most social media platforms. Churches get critiqued in online spaces a lot like restaurants, shops, or theaters and almost anything that doesn’t meet a person’s particular preference gets noticed and called out.
Could it that we’re seeing church as a product to consume instead of a family to belong to? How might we notice that mindset in ourselves and change the way we think and interact with the local church?

As of October 8th, 2025, the U.S. government is shut down. Lawmakers in Washington are deadlocked over federal spending — House Republicans pushing for deeper cuts and stronger border security, while Democrats are pushing back, warning that essential services and federal paychecks could be delayed if an agreement isn’t reached soon. It’s another reminder of how divided and fragile things can feel politically in our country.
Meanwhile, in the Middle East, this week marks two years since the October 7th attacks- when Hamas terrorists murdered around 1,200 people in Israel and took over 250 hostages. Since then, Israel’s war in Gaza has devastated the region- with tens of thousands killed, millions displaced, and deep global tension about how peace can ever return to that part of the world.
So in this episode, we’re talking about the instability of our times — in politics, in war, in culture — and how Jesus’ words in Mark 13 remind us that none of this takes God by surprise. Nations will rise and fall, wars will come and go, but His kingdom remains unshaken.

On Wednesday, September 10, right as we were recording and releasing our last episode, political activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated on the campus of Utah Valley University. This was a shocking, horrifying tragedy that absolutely rocked our nation. For Gabe and I personally as pastors, this was a really big deal. The same rights that gave Charlie the freedom to share his beliefs openly on college campuses are the same ones that give Gabe and I the freedom to open the Bible every weekend and to openly share our views about what we believe it means for our congregations. To have that kind of freedom threatened in such a violent way reminds us just how fragile it is.
In the hours and days that followed, the noise was deafening: headlines everywhere, political leaders weighing in, social media flooded with grief, outrage, and, disturbingly, even celebration. The sheer volume of conversation showed just how deeply divided and volatile the climate in our country has become.
So today we’re stepping into one of the most urgent conversations in America right now: the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the future of free speech, and the rise of political violence. What does this moment reveal about our nation—and what does it mean for us as followers of Christ? How do we hold fast to truth, defend freedom, and live as peacemakers in a culture increasingly marked by anger and division?