Beards & Bible Podcast

Exploring the Paranormal Pt. 3- Cryptids, Big Foot, and the Wild Wonderful World of Cryptozoology

In today’s episode, we’ll be exploring Cryptozoology- a field of study that searches for and researches unknown, legendary, or extinct animals whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated. Cryptozoology is interested in creatures like Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, the Chupacabra, and other lesser known entities- like the Skunk Ape or the Lizard Man of Scape ore Swamp. Many who are devoted to this discipline are frequently the subject of public ridicule, but nonetheless their commitment to discovering the existence of certain cryptids persists.
For these cryptid creatures, are they unknown physical creatures, mistaken eyewitnesses, enterprising frauds, or something else?
Why are people so fascinating and enthralled by the idea of these types of creatures existing?
This fascination and belief in cryptids/monsters goes back to ancient times in creatures like dragons, trolls, and other mythical beings. What are some reasonable explanations we have for the existence of these kinds of common folklore across various world cultures?

Exploring the Paranormal Pt. 2- UFOs, Tom Delonge, and Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind

In today’s episode, we’ll be exploring the phenomena behind UFO's, or as they have recently classified, UAP's- unidentified aerial phenomena. In 2020 and 2021, the US Government released a number of videos that raised some eyebrows. The report found that the US Government was unable to identify 143 objects spotted between 2004 and 2021. At least 18 of those US government reported UAP sightings represent breakthrough technology that involves unusual movement patterns or flight characteristics that represent technology or phenomena unknown to man. 
So the US Government has now stated that UFO's are real? What about other reports and sightings of UFO's and Extraterrestrial life? Does that mean aliens exist? Wouldn't the existence of aliens discredit and disprove Biblical Christianity? But what if UFO's weren't definitive proof of aliens or extraterrestrials? What are they then? 

Exploring the Paranormal, Pt. 1- Ghosts, Psychics, and Spirit Mediums

The word Paranormal implies that the scientific explanation of the world around us is normal and anything that is above, beyond, or contrary to that is para. What sets the paranormal apart from other pseudosciences is a reliance on explanations for alleged phenomena that are well outside the bounds of established science. 
Examples include- extrasensory perception (ESP), telekinesis, ghosts, poltergeists, life after death, reincarnation, faith healing, human auras. The three broad topics of paranormal activity (that we will be exploring in subsequent episodes are)- 1) Ghost Hunting, 2) Ufology, 3) Cryptozoology.
In today’s episode, we’ll be exploring the phenomena behind ghosts, physics and spirit mediums. Specifically, why does every culture, people group, and generation share accounts of similar experiences related to the appearance of spirit beings? Are these all results of legend, myth, and humanity’s wild imaginations? Or, is there something to these accounts?
When we hear about “paranormal” incidents or activities as Christians, how should be interpret them? What does the Bible say about ghosts, psychics, and mediums? And by the way, are psychics legit? Or are they fake?

Russia, Ukraine, and Christian Responsibility (Featuring Alexei Basarab)

On February 24, Russia began an invasion on the country of Ukraine, in a major escalation of a previous conflict between the two nations that began in 2014. The conflict is the largest conventional military attack in Europe since World War II. Early estimates are of at least 13,000 deaths, 2.1 million displaced, 1700 destroyed buildings, and 10 billion dollars of damage to the country of Ukraine.
But why? What exactly does Russia want with Ukraine? And how does this conflict effect the Ukrainian people? More than anything, what can we do as Christians to help?
Join us as we speak with Ukrainian Pastor Alexei Basarab from Stream of Life Ministries International (solmi.org). 

Online Censorship, Free Speech, the Metaverse, & the Gospel.

Tolerance is currently the highest value in Western society, and even questioning it is seen as being narrow-minded or discriminatory. But there’s a glaring hypocrisy in our obsession with tolerance…
This new kind of tolerance doesn’t mean simply respecting the rights of those who hold differing beliefs- it means affirming all beliefs as equally valid and correct. Therefore, there must be an intolerance against any teaching that disagrees with this assertation. Christian teaching and theology on human sexuality and the exclusivity of Christ in salvation disagrees with this new tolerance because its ideas stand in stark contrast to these progressive ideals.
Recently there have been incidents and reports of Christian leaders, pastors, and theologians having their teaching videos on Biblical sexuality blocked by YouTube as part of a violation of “content policies”. In the name of tolerance, certain Christian ideas can’t be tolerated. Freedoms of speech, religion, and the press are being revoked in the name of “safety” and censorship is targeting certain ideas that are being deemed as dangerous.
But does that mean that all censorship is wrong? What does the Bible say about censorship and freedom of speech? Should Christians be for freedom of speech? What’s the Christian response to the gospel being censored on online platforms? Speaking of which, what about the “Metaverse”? What will censorship/free speech look like there?

False Prophecies, Misinformation, and the Spirit of Discernment

Over the course of the past two years, you might have heard several convincing predictions, theories, or conspiracies about upcoming and ongoing world events. If you’re a person of faith, you may have even heard these things spoken to you in the form of a prophecy- where someone received a direct revelation from God foretelling the future.
You might have gotten an e-mail declaring to you that a friend of a friend who works for the pentagon has insider information that because of COVID, martial law would be declared in the US and food, guns and ammo would be confiscated from American citizens. You might have heard that China would invade mainland USA on inauguration day, that there were shipping containers in ports full of nuclear warheads set to go off on inauguration day, there would be civil war in the US before or on inauguration day, or UN troops would patrol our streets in order to keep the peace.
But all of the things that these so-called “prophets” saw never happened. Not only that, none of these prophets predicted Covid-19 before March of 2020, none of them saw the protests & riots of the summer of 2020, none of them predicted the fall of Afghanistan, and none of them saw Donald Trump losing the presidential election.
So why do we keep getting duped? What motivates a person to falsely speak and spread misinformation? What motivates to do this in the name of the Lord? What motivates someone to buy into misinformation and false prophecies? How do we know what we’re hearing, reading, or seeing may actually be false? How can we practice discernment?
 

Reverse Church Hurt- Wounded Leaders, Broken Pastors, and the Perils of Shepherding

Church hurt is real. In the recent years, increasing scrutiny has been placed on church leaders due to moral failures, abuse scandals, toxic leadership styles, financial indiscretions, and relational strife. The failures of leaders and pastors in many churches have left countless church members wounded, confused, and frustrated.
But what if leaders themselves are also experiencing significant levels of pain, brokenness, and church hurt? Even though some pastors are responsible for causing hurt within church, many of them are being wounded by it too.
One recent study found that 1 in 6 pastors are in distressing levels of isolation, loneliness, fear, anger, and hurt. 45% of pastors report having felt burned out to the degree of having to take a break from ministry. An increasing number of clergy are on antidepressants, and there’s been an alarming number of suicides among high profile pastors in the recent years.  
What is it about pastoral ministry that makes it so painful and difficult sometimes? Why do so many stay in ministry, even when it’s hurtful and challenging? And how can we pray for our church leaders, support them, and show them love? 

From the Mailbag, Vol. 1 (the unforgivable sin & blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, the theology of the Shack, spiritual bypassing & mental health, the Rise & Fall of Mars Hill podcast, etc.)

Happy new year, Beards & Bible listeners! We asked, and you delivered.
 
Now we want to take time to answer some of your questions related to topics like the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and the unforgivable sin, the sin of anxiety vs. the mental health disorder of anxiety, Saul and the Witch of Endor, our thoughts on the Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast, the Shack, and any more we can squeeze into one episode. Hang on tight, this might be a long one!

BONUS- Beards and Bible Podcast Special Announcement!

We wanted to reach out to our listeners about a very special episode we’re releasing in the new year. We’re calling it, “From the Mailbag”, and we will be answering listener questions that have been sent in to us throughout the year. So since we haven’t recorded yet, 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 12, 2022.
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!

Paul, the Holy Spirit, and Tongues of Fire- A Gift for Today or Charismatic Confusion?

One of the more confusing topics in the New Testament is the subject of the charismatic gifts- healing, prophecy, miracles, and tongues. As bizarre of some of these gifts seem to us, it certainly appears from reading the New Testament, that these gifts that were given by Holy Spirit were a normative part of a Christian life and the experience of the early church.
But has that changed at all? Are those gifts for today? If so, how does somebody get them?
What does it mean to be, “baptized in the Holy Spirit” or “Filled with the Holy Spirit”? And if you don’t speak in tongues, does that mean something’s wrong with you?