Beards & Bible Podcast

Deconstructing Deconstruction: Pt. 2- Bad Teaching & Church Hurt

Deconstruction is trending. And many are simply struggling to make sense of it all.
But what if the existing structures and culture of the American Church at large share some of the blame for this rise in deconstruction amongst the younger generation?
Many young people have come up through churches that were swept up in the “seeker sensitive/Church growth” movement in the 90s/early 2000s. For the sake of attracting unbelievers and the unchurched, the teaching in some of these churches was very shallow, pragmatic, unintelligent, and never addressed the hard topics of scripture.
When the young people from these churches went off to college and encountered people who started poking holes in their faith, they had no answers because they’d never been equipped. They were woefully unprepared to deal with the big and difficult issues surrounding their faith. Shallow teaching produces shallow, unequipped, and ill prepared Christians that don’t know how to properly wrestle with their doubts because they don’t know the Bible.
It's not just that the Word of God has not been faithfully taught- poor leadership, sin, abuse, financial embezzlement, misaligned priorities, and sexual scandals have created untold levels of emotional and spiritual harm on an entire generation of Americans. Many are now wondering, “if I can’t trust the church, can I trust any message the church proclaims?”
Could it be that the American church needs to take a long, hard look in the mirror? Is the rampant deconstruction we’re not seeing a symptom of the decades of dysfunction, disobedience, and unfaithfulness of the American Church?

BONUS EPISODE- Deconstructing Deconstruction, Josh’s Story

On today's episode, Josh shares his story on deconstructing the Christian faith in his early 20's. 

Deconstructing Deconstruction: Pt. 1- What is deconstruction and Why it’s Trending

Deconstruction is trending. And many are simply struggling to make sense of it all.
In July 2019, popular Christian writer, speaker, and pastor Joshua Harris announced that he and his wife were separating due to "significant changes that have taken place in both of us". Subsequently, Harris revealed that he no longer considered himself to be a Christian. Harris cited primarily personal and relational factors in his own walk away from the faith. As public pressures and private crises in his life and ministry intensified, he found his Christian identity unravelling in slow motion- until he finally found there was nothing left and walked away.
In 2020, comedic duo Rhett & Link announced on their podcast Ear Biscuits that they both are no longer Christians, describing themselves instead as “hopeful agnostics”. This was a surprising announcement to many, as Rhett & Link were both raised as Christians and previously worked as full-time missionaries while attending college.
That same year, Jon Steingard, the lead singer of the Christian band Hawk Nelson, announced on his instagram that he no longer believes in God. Steingard compared the unraveling of his faith to the unraveling of a sweater. It didn’t happen all at once, but was a process that took years and occurred one thread at a time. Eventually, however, he discovered that the sweater was gone.
These stories are becoming more and more common, not just among well-known Christian artists, writers, speakers, and pastors- but among everyday people who once claimed a vibrant, real, meaningful Christian faith. What in the world is going on?
Deconstruction has been described as a crisis of Christian faith that leads to either a person’s reevaluation of Christianity or sometimes a total abandonment of Christianity. Deconstruction is not necessarily the same thing as deconversion, but most of the people who “deconvert” deconstruct first.
What is happening? Why is it happening? And what might lead a person into this process?
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The Rebuilding of the 3rd Temple, Jerusalem, and the Kingdom to Come.

The temple in Jerusalem was the center of worship and national identity in ancient Israel. The people of Israel have built two temples to God in Jerusalem, and both have been destroyed- the first by the Babylonians, and the second by the Romans. But it seems as if the Bible suggests that there will be a third temple in Jerusalem.
The desire for the Third Temple is sacred in Judaism, and particularly in Orthodox Judaism. The Hebrew Bible holds that Jewish prophets called for its construction to be fulfilled prior to, or in tandem with, the Messianic Age. This building of the Third Temple also plays a major role in some interpretations of Christian eschatology.
In other words, some Christians believe that Jesus isn’t coming back until a 3rd temple is built in Jerusalem.
But is that temple…literal? Or symbolic? If the temple is rebuilt, does that mean that the return of Christ is right around the corner?
 
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Check out our sponsor Magic Mind! If you're looking for an all natural supplement to improve energy, concentration, attention, and focus, check out what Magic Mind is up to .
Go to 
https://magicmind.co/BeardsandBible
Use discount code BEARDSB20 to get up to 56% off your first subscription or 20% off your first one time purchase. That 56% off code only lasts 10 days from this episode's premiere, so hurry up and grab your Magic Mind subscription!

From the Mailbag, Vol. 2 (Microdosing Psychedelics, The Chosen’s Mormon Connections, Israel’s Role in the End Times)

Happy New Year, Beards & Bible listeners!
On today’s episode we want to take time to answer some of your questions on topics like the Biblical ethic for microdosing psychedelics for PTSD treatment, the show “the Chosen” and its supposed connections to the Mormon Church, Israel’s role in the end times, and if there will be literal 3rd temple rebuilt in Jerusalem, and anymore we can possibly squeeze into one episode.
Thanks so much for sending in your questions, buckle up, cause this one might be a doozie!

BONUS- 2023 From the Mailbag, Special Announcement!

We'll be answering listener questions that have been sent in to us throughout the year, so if you have any topics, issues, questions, or ideas that you want us to do our best to answer and comment on, send them over to us- beardsandbiblepodcast@gmail.com or reach out to us via the FB page.
We will narrow it down the ones we think we might be able to do justice to and address and release our From the Mailbag episode on January 11, 2023.
So merry Christmas, hope and pray you and your family are blessed this season, and we look forward to hearing from you all very soon!

Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, and the Foolish and Harmful desires which plunge men into Ruin and Destruction.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past five years, you’ve probably heard a thing or two about cryptocurrency. In 2008, Bitcoin became the first established virtual currency, and remained that way in 2011.
But now, more than 12,000 cryptocurrencies are available, and that number more than doubled in the past year (2021-2022). Some economists believe cryptocurrencies are the world’s strongest currencies and a solution to global poverty. Others say they’re a harbor for criminal activity and an environmental disaster. Some investors have reported making millions overnight using cryptocurrency trading. Others say it’s not investing--- the crypto markets are so volatile, it’s actually more like gambling.
But let’s be honest: most of us don’t even understand what cryptocurrencies even are. When did they become a thing? How did they become a thing? What makes them valuable? How do people make (or lose) money from crypto?
And should a Christian invest in cryptocurrency? Is there anything in the Bible about…Bitcoin? Or Dogecoin?
 

The Word of Faith Movement: Dangerous Heresies, Misunderstandings & Our Need for Discernment (pt. 2)

When the origin story of the Word of Faith movement is examined, some very interesting things get uncovered. Such as the influence the New Thought movement and teachers like Phineas Quimby, E.W. Kenyon, and Mary Baker Eddy. Or the father of the word of faith movement Kenneth Hagin’s blatant plagiarism of new thought/mind science practitioners.
One of the ugly secrets most word of faith teachers don’t want you to know is that their movement is influenced FAR MORE by the ideas of new thought/mind science cults than it ever was influenced by Biblical orthodox Christianity.
Ready to take a deep dive into the history of the Word of Faith movement? What you find out may shock you…
 

The Word of Faith Movement: Dangerous Heresies, Misunderstandings & Our Need for Discernment (pt. 1)

What is faith?
The Bible says in Hebrews 11 that without it, we can’t please God and that it’s the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not yet seen. But does that we can “speak our tomorrow” into existence because of this force called, “faith”?
The Word of Faith movement is a mainly Pentecostal movement that came up in the late 20th century. Word of Faith teaching states that because we as human beings are made in the image of God (and whatever God declared through His Words came to be), words can be used to manipulate the force of faith, and thus we can actually create what many claim Scripture promises.
Speaking of what Scripture promises, many Word of Faith teachers declare that God’s will is for us as Christians to always be financially prosperous and never sick. Health and wealth are promised to us as believers. We just have to believe it and declare it. We have that authority.
But wait…what if Christians are poor? And sick? Does that mean they don’t have faith? What about the millions of faithful believers living in abject poverty and religious persecution in developing countries around the world? Are they poor and imprisoned because they just don’t have enough faith?
Or the faithful believer who lost a spouse, a child, or a loved one to an illness, even after they prayed for them? Did they just not have enough faith?
What does the Word of Faith movement actually teach? Is it Biblical? And how do we see its influence in the church today?
 

Kanye West, the “Red Media” canard, and the rise of Antisemitism.

The U.S. has seen a rise in antisemitic incidents over the past few years, with 941 incidents in 2015 jumping to 2,717 tracked in 2021 by the Anti-Defamation League. Four years ago, a gunman stormed into a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and killed 11 people in the deadliest attack on Jewish people on US soil.
On October 29th, there was a strange message seen scrolling on the outside of TIAA Bank Field during the Florida-Georgia college football game. In florescent letters, the words “Kanye is right about the jews” were visible scrolling across the exterior of the stadium structure, referencing recent antisemitic comments from the rapper Kanye West. Kanye West has drawn significant amounts of criticism, media coverage, and also support for his some of his comments espousing a conspiracy against the Jewish people.  
It’s unclear how that message was projected onto the stadium wall at the Georgia Florida game. It’s also unclear how long the message was visible outside the stadium.
But what is clear is that there is a growing narrative in the U.S. that states the Jewish people are somehow responsible for a global conspiracy of control over media, politics, and economics. And the Jewish people are now being scapegoated for all manner of societal problems and ills.
For students of history, this narrative is eerily similar to others that were peddled in 1930s Germany, the Jim Crow era American south, and the Pogroms of the Russian Empire.
What does God and His Word have to say about this? As Christians, what are to make of these claims? And is Kanye West for real crazy? Antisemitic? Or just…super confused?