Thanks for sharing your experience! A big part of why we do this podcast is our belief that so many churches in the United States are teaching a heavily enculturated version of the faith, and it sounds like that felt off to you as well. We’re glad to hear that you put in the work to find a church that did a better job at following the way of Jesus. Many might not have made the effort and simply walked away, so it’s encouraging to know that you landed in a good place on the other side of what is often a difficult search.

A lawyer, a pastor who went through seminary and a religious studies degree but okay. We're exploring these questions because it's the questions young people are afraid to ask out loud. Simply dismissing the entire question arrogantly in a paragraph comment on youtube without grace, patience and understanding is why young people are leaving the church.

@@jesusvsamerica my point of view is from having experience and knowing this already so forgive me for misunderstanding the targeted crowd. It’s good for new believers to hear this. I assumed this was for seasoned believers so I apologize for making that assumption.

Thanks so much for sharing this with us! Hopefully we can revisit the topic again in the near future with a guest that can add further perspective.

I think it's because they are the only group seeking to change how believers think about what God has clearly spoken of as sin. Adulterers, fornicators, thieves, etc, aren't forming groups to do this.

@@dhfocus7 surely we aren't the only sinners. This really is different, though, because if we so much as ask for prayer we're kicked out of most evangelical societies. Speaking from experience -- I'm forever grateful that G-d isn't like human beings. At least I know I'm a sinner, but many people like you genuinely believe you are holy on your own merits. From what I understand of theology, self-righteousness is a very unsafe place to be spiritually.

Ironic because I believe Jesus was gay. He never or had any kids.

Also, you could have mentioned the Millerites from 1844

Yes! It's on our list to film in the next few weeks. We will definitely not be taking the position that it was a "nice" form of slavery.

​@@jesusvsamerica Thank you. Especially about not taking the "slavery Jesus saw was a nicer kind of slavery" position! It never made sense to me how saving a woman from being legally stoned for adultery and throwing money changers out of the temple (when there is no indication that they were illegally there) fell within Jesus's mission but somehow saying that slavery is wrong did not. In both of these instances Jesus took a stand against legally sanctioned actions (the stoning of a woman for adultery, and changing money in the temple) on the basis that they were wrong for reasons beyond the laws that allowed them. So Jesus definitely took a stand against actions that he felt were wrong even when they were legally sanctioned. So right there the argument that Jesus's mission did not include addressing legally sanctioned wrongs falls apart. And yet he says nothing to condemn or even address slavery! Slavery is by its nature dehumanizing and directly harmful to the human spirit. So the fact that Jesus seemed to just ignore it is a strong rebuttal to the idea that he was divine. How could a divine all loving being sent to save humanity see slavery, a wrong that denies people their basic humanity, and say nothing?

A lot of people were “slaves” in the sense of butlers to wealthy people. That was their only living. Jesus saw everyone the same no matter what their class was. [28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.(Galatians 3:28-29). Also, the Bible condemned threatening slaves. ”Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free. Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.“ ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬. Slavery during these times wasn’t like how it was in the 1800s towards black people, where certain Bible passages were used to control slaves. They weren’t allowed to understand their freedom in Christ Jesus or that they were being treated unfairly.

The idea that somehow slavery in the ancient world was different from slavery in the 18th and early 20th century is ridiculous! In both cases the master was considered a human being and the slave was considered property. And no, slavery in the ancient world was not the equivalent of being a butler or maid. A butler or maid can quit whenever they want to. A butler or maid can marry, own property, and have legal rights equal or at least on par with their employers. The ridiculous idea that ancient slavery was somehow "less bad" than slavery in the 19th and early 20th century is a great example of how Christians try to deal with the fact that Jesus never challenged slavery (telling a slave master not to mistreat their slaves or that there are no slaves in heaven is not even close to the same as saying slavery is wrong). We know that slavery is wrong. We know that it crushes the human spirit and diminishes the human soul. So in order for Christians to justify in their minds Jesus's silence in the face of the great wrong that is slavery, they have come up with the concept of "slavery that isn't as bad as slavery". That somehow the slavery that Jesus saw wasn't quite as bad as "real slavery". They paint ancient slavery as something akin to being a butler or maid, even though everything we know about ancient and written history tells us that slavery in the ancient world was no different than the slavery that we know. Honestly, if I asked you to describe life in the ancient world compared to the early modern world you would immediately say that ancient life was much harsher. Famine, disease, and bare subsistence were the norm. And yet when it comes to slavery, that you just somehow accept that that institution was somehow less cruel! Let that one sink in for a second. You immediately recognize that everything else about existence in the ancient world was harsher than the modern world, but you make an exception for ancient slavery! For some inexplicable reason ancient slavery was somehow "better" than modern slavery! Oh come on! On a basic level you know that ancient slavery was probably just as cruel as modern slavery if not more so. But you can't reconcile that idea with the fact that Jesus did not directly oppose it even when he took the time to protect a woman accused of adultery and threw money changers out of the temple. So Christians came up with the idea of a not-quite-as-bad slavery that Jesus rightfully ignored. Btw, the slave-owners who used the Bible to justify modern slavery said the exact same things about ancient slavery that you did. The only difference is where you say modern slavery was different from ancient slavery, they said modern slavery is exactly the same as ancient slavery! Let me put it this way. Imagine if someone came to you and said: "I'm all for bringing back slavery, but not like it was in the 18th-20th century but the way it was in ancient times. You know, like the way slavery was when Jesus was around!" I really doubt you'd be cool with that! Because on a basic level you recognize that ancient slavery was slavery! But you can't reconcile your faith that Jesus was devine and all good with the fact that he did not challenge slavery, something that was not just fundamentally wrong but soul crushingly so. Look at the end of the day, I have no doubt that you will probably just ignore this glaring omission in Jesus's teachings by just repeating the ridiculous idea that ancient slavery was the equivalent to being a maid or butler or at very least somehow not as bad as "real slavery" because that's way easier than recognizing this massive omission. But at very least recognize that this idea of "better slavery" is complete BS! Or at very least if anyone ever says to you that they want to "bring back slavery the way it was in Jesus's time", please don't agree with them!

@@noway9081 Jesus didn’t come to be a social philosopher. He came to fulfill the law and the prophecies about Him. There are cases where slaves are treated unjustly but the Christian thing to do is to show the love of Christ despite those who do you wrong. The Bible also tells the slave masters to be conscious of their own master which was God. After the death of Jesus he fulfilled the law and everyone could experience freedom in Him. Ancient world slavery often had rules in place to prevent oppression of slaves. The Bible has several passages condemning treating others harshly. For example: (Deuteronomy 24:14 “You shall not oppress a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the sojourners who are in your land within your towns). At the end of the day God desired every man to be free which is why He sent His Son to die and be a perfect sacrifice. “Slave” or not, anyone can be saved through Jesus which is what matters most at the end of the day.

@@noway9081 Slave ownership was a common practice long before the time the Mosaic Law was given. So, the law neither instituted slavery nor ended it; rather, the law regulated it. It gave instructions on how slaves should be treated but did not outlaw slavery altogether. Slaves were essentially like a child. If they made a mistake then a punishment was given to correct them. 20 “Anyone who beats their male or female slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies as a direct result, 21 but they are not to be punished if the slave recovers after a day or two, since the slave is their property. Exodus 21:20-21. God allowed slavery but didn’t condone killing them or treating them unfairly. As controversial as this may sound, slavery had its benefits and wasn’t supposed to be misconstrued as a system of unfair treatment towards another Human. Jesus knew of unfair treatment and said to “bless those who persecute you” and to “pray for those who abuse you”. In Christ we are all one blood and should love thy neighbor as ourselves. God wouldn’t send His only son to die for us if He didn’t love us. He made a way for eternal life despite our own human shortcomings.

@@noway9081 Whatever you are, you can rest in the fact we are all equal in Christ. No one can claim superiority over each other: There is [now no distinction in regard to salvation] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you [who believe] are all one in Christ Jesus [no one can claim a spiritual superiority]. (Galatians 3:26-29). Jesus sees past whatever our social role is and saves us regardless of our earthly troubles. This I will always believe.

Thanks for the comment. This is the introduction episode talking broadly about the mission of the show. If you want to hear more about those specific pieces of culture, we'd recommend watching an episode talking about a topic and examining the American culture's influence in that area.