Beards & Bible Podcast

Under the Banner of Heaven- the School of Prophets, Joseph Smith, and the Violent History of the LDS Church.

Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith is a nonfiction book by Jon Krakauer that was recently adapted and released as a limited streaming series on Hulu. In the book and TV series, two stories are examined: the origin and evolution of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and a modern double murder committed in the name of God by brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty, who subscribed to a fundamentalist version of Mormonism.
In the years prior to the murder, Ron and Dan Lafferty became increasingly interested in Mormon groups that accepted many beliefs of the original LDS church, including polygamy and direct communication with God.
Ron and Dan were charged for the throat-slashing homicides of their sister-in-law Brenda Wright Lafferty and her 15-month-old daughter, Erica, that occurred on July 24, 1984. Ron, a self-proclaimed prophet, claimed to have received a revelation from God in which he was instructed to "remove" several people, including the two victims.
Every church, every denomination and every religious group has its own broken past, scars and ugliness, but is the LDS church just like any other Christian denomination? Speaking of which, are Mormons just other Christians that happen to have a different form of practice and worship, like Baptists, Methodists, or Presbyterians? Or was the church actually founded on something completely different than Biblical Christianity?  

Spiritual Abuse- What is is, What it isn’t, and How to See the Warning Signs

Abuse could be defined as the improper use of something; unjust or corrupt practice; or cruel and violent treatment of another person.
Spiritual abuse is abuse administered under the guise of religion or spirituality, including harassment or humiliation, which may result in psychological trauma. Spiritual abuse may also include misuse of religion for selfish, secular, or ideological ends such as the abuse of a clerical position.
There are extreme examples of this found in sexual abuse coverups and in cult groups like the Branch Davidians and the People's Temple. But also doctrinally sound, Biblically based churches or ministries can sadly delve into the territory of routinely using fear, guilt, or manipulation to produce unquestioning obedience, a sense of elitism, uniformity, or inappropriate loyalty- which could qualify as forms of spiritual abuse.  
But does every bad church experience qualify as spiritual abuse? When it spiritual abuse, and when is it just the brokenness or immaturity of church leaders or members?

Roe vs. Wade, Abortion, and a Question of Logic- is Abortion Murder and an Unborn Child a Human?

On May 2, 2022, Politico published a leaked draft opinion authored by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, appearing to be the majority opinion for the case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The case deals with the constitutionality of a 2018 Mississippi state law that banned abortion operations after the first 15 weeks of pregnancy.
If the ruling stands, it would overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which would allow U.S. states to determine the legality of abortions for themselves. Analysts predict that abortion would immediately be banned in 23 states and territories if this happens.
Meanwhile, the debate surrounding abortion seems to have been re-sparked. The issue for many has less to do with the life of unborn children, and has more to do with concepts, “women’s rights”, or “reproductive choice”. In fact, the issue of abortion itself has been so reframed that honest, productive, logical dialogue about the issue itself becomes almost impossible. To oppose abortion is to be anti-woman, or even pro-rape.
But if we just stripped away all the controversy, vitriol, and red herring arguments- logically speaking, what are the ethics of terminating a pregnancy? Is an unborn fetus a human being? Why are so many Christians against abortion? And why are so many other folks for it?

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?