Tension

Nov 08 2024 94 ep. 44 mins 26
Tension Podcast artwork

Most of life and faith is lived in the tension between the two extremes. On this show, we look at what many of us were taught growing up in evangelical churches, weigh it against what our current culture is saying, and try to find what Jesus has for us in the tension between the two.

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Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.

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How to respond when Christians don’t represent Christ (a post election bonus episode)

Nov 08 2024 60 mins  
So the election happened...And not too long after it, we saw the wave of social media posts deify Donald Trump as God's chosen savior of our country along with any number of messages filled with mean-spirited language about people who voted for Kamala Harris.If you're like us, that's left you feeling some sort of way.In this bonus episode recorded two days after the election, we ta

The orange haired elephant in the room

Oct 28 2024 55 mins  
We’ve tried to stay fairly reserved all season, but this week some emotions came out that have been boiling under the surface.In this episode you’ll see two completely different views of how the rise of Donald Trump has impacted us when it comes to our Christian faith. Whether it’s the deification of the man, the hijacking of prophetic gifts, or how we view things overall, th

Cultural Christianity values influence over protecting women and children

Oct 21 2024 55 mins  
Did you know 1/3 of all adults who grew up in church but have since left said pastoral sex scandals played a significant role in their decision to leave?Over the past 15 years, we've seen cover up after cover up within the American church. And it's all for the same reason: churches were scared of losing their cultural influence if they fired the pastor who abused his position.This

Cultural Christians don't actually trust Jesus

Oct 14 2024 41 mins  
When it comes to cultural Christianity, so much of it comes down to an actual lack of trust in Jesus.If/when we trust Jesus, we believe he'll do what he says he will do and aren't so dang scared of everything.But when we don't trust him, we feel like it's up to us to protect everything and to fight for things he never told us to fight for.This week we talk about how that idea plays

The real reason Gen Z is not interested in church

Oct 07 2024 45 mins  
Gen Z is the least religious generation in American history. As of 2022, 44% of Gen Z claimed to have no relationship with religion at all.In the 5th episode of our season looking at how Cultural Christianity is killing the American church, we make the case that an incomplete gospel combined with bad end times theology is the leading thing driving Gen Z to be uninterested in church

We are more concerned with converting people than caring for them

Sep 30 2024 50 mins  
The issue we discuss this week is a subtle, nuanced one you don't notice until a light is shined on it. What started with good intentions - telling people how Jesus has helped us - has evolved into a culture where we (unintentionally?) give off the impression we are more concerned with converting people than actually caring for them.In this episode we look at how we got to where we

How you talk about abortion matters

Sep 23 2024 54 mins  
Did you know only 7% of people who had an abortion felt comfortable talking to *anyone* at church before making their decision? If that's not bad enough, only 3 in 10 believe the Church is a safe place to discuss pregnancy options (including parenting, abortion, and adoption).Why don't people who have had an abortion feel comfortable in the American Church? What is it about us that

There's no place for moderates in the Evangelical Church

Sep 16 2024 53 mins  
Here's a stat for you: since 2008, moderates have left the Southern Baptist Convention at a 40% higher rate than the overall decline of the SBC.This season we're looking at how cultural Christianity is killing the American Church. In this week's episode, we dive into how moderates - both politically and theologically - have been pushed out of the American Evangelical church.Article

Cultural Christianity is killing the American Church

Sep 09 2024 48 mins  
The American Church is in decline. Since 2013, the percentage of Americans claiming to be religiously unaffiliated has risen by 5%. During that same time, the percentage of Americans who said religion is either most important or among the most important things in their life dropped from 72% to 53%.So what's causing the decline?In the newest season of Tension, we make the argument t

How can a Christian vote for a Democrat?

Jul 15 2024 68 mins  
You've heard it said by Christian influencers and hyper partisans: you can't be a Christian and vote for a democrat.We don't agree with that. We believe the Gospel doesn't fit into one American political party and that Bible believing, Jesus loving people can disagree on how we apply our faith to government.In this episode, we walk through a Biblically focused grid to show how we c