Love, Lies, and 2024

Love, Lies, and 2024

Join me as I take you on a wild journey through the latest episode of Snarky Faith. Brace yourselves for a rollercoaster ride as I open up about my personal journey through grief and loss in the bleak landscape of 2024, where political turmoil looms large. But that's just the beginning!

In this episode, we fearlessly dive into the absurdities of American Christianity with the Christian Crazy segment (including some Taylor Swift/Evangelical insanity), and we kick off our Buzzword Breakdown series by dissecting the true essence of Love.

If you're ready for a candid, thought-provoking, and downright snarky podcast that will challenge your perspectives on faith, politics, and personal growth, then join me for this captivating episode. Laugh, question, and redefine your understanding of love and loss with Snarky Faith – it's a ride you won't want to miss!

Featured Crackpots, Grifters, and Prophets: 

Kent Christmas, Jesse Duplantis, and Tony Wood. 

Big thanks to these outlets that make the Christian Crazy possible:

Right Wing Watch

Christian Nightmares

Friendly Atheist

Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world.

www.SnarkyFaith.com

Check out the other fantastic Quoircast partners: The Heretic Happy Hour Podcast, Apostates Anonymous, The Messy Spirituality Podcast, Ideas Digest, The New Evangelicals, This is Not Church, and Wild Olive.

 

Photo by Merch HÃœSEY on Unsplash

 

[00:00.000 --> 00:04.880] This choir cast podcast is brought to you by Honoring the Journey, a brand new podcast co-hosted [00:04.880 --> 00:10.560] by Leslie Nese and Karen Schock. Imagine that life is like a journey where we're all traveling our own [00:10.560 --> 00:15.520] path and soaking in the sights. Then imagine someone taking you gently by the hand and showing [00:15.520 --> 00:19.920] you a little bit of the path that they're traveling. You learn from them, see the sights that they see [00:19.920 --> 00:24.560] from their perspective, and then you jump back on your own path, tucking beautiful pieces of their [00:24.560 --> 00:29.360] journey in your heart with you. A life journey is so beautiful and even more so when we get to hear [00:29.360 --> 00:34.400] from the perspectives of others who may see things differently, believe things differently, and even [00:34.400 --> 00:39.280] experience their journey in a different way. Let's honor these powerful journeys together and see how [00:39.280 --> 00:45.600] our hearts and lives expand as we journey together. Subscribe today to Honoring the Journey with Leslie [00:45.600 --> 00:54.720] Nese and Karen Schock. It's time for another round of Snarky Faith with your host, [00:54.720 --> 01:01.360] Stuart Deloni. This is a space where we irreverently wrestle through life, culture, and spirituality, [01:01.360 --> 01:06.960] all with our heads in the clouds, our tongues in our cheeks, our hearts in our sleeves, and our feet [01:06.960 --> 01:12.640] on the ground. At Snarky Faith, the questions or even the answers are never the point. It's all [01:12.640 --> 01:21.040] about the conversation. So here's your host, Stuart Deloni. Welcome back to Snarky Faith. I'm [01:21.040 --> 01:28.160] Stuart Deloni, your guide to the wilderness of spiritually disenfranchised radio. Had enough of [01:28.160 --> 01:34.400] the insanity in Christianity? Well, you've come to the right place. We're here on a quest for a sane, [01:34.400 --> 01:39.600] grounded faith that aims to make the world better in real, tangible ways. We're not afraid to call [01:39.600 --> 01:45.280] out the religious BS or to look for better pathways forward. If your conversations about [01:45.360 --> 01:52.960] faith require a heavy dose of sarcasm and even a bit of this, then welcome home. You can find this [01:52.960 --> 01:59.200] and all past episodes at snarkyfaith.com or wherever else you listen to podcasts. We're here. [01:59.200 --> 02:03.520] We're there. We're practically everywhere. Just look for Snarky Faith. [02:04.880 --> 02:12.880] Well, welcome. Welcome to the show. And I've got to go ahead and start the show off being a little [02:12.880 --> 02:23.920] honest with all of you out there. I have not wanted to do this show. And I've been dragging [02:23.920 --> 02:29.680] my feet on it for quite a while. Ever have the situations where you know you need to do something, [02:29.680 --> 02:40.160] but you also feel like it's loaded and heavy and you procrastinate and you find reasons to not do [02:40.160 --> 02:45.120] it. And no, no, no. And this is, it probably ends up sounding like I don't want to actually [02:45.120 --> 02:49.360] do a show for you guys. No, it, what I'm going to talk about at the beginning is the thing that I've [02:49.360 --> 03:00.480] been procrastinating my soul, dealing with and thinking about. And yeah, I just have not wanted to [03:00.480 --> 03:13.440] talk about it. I haven't really wanted to deal with 2024. And it's been a messy start to 2024 [03:13.440 --> 03:20.400] for sure. If any of you have, people still have newspapers. I don't know. If you ever, [03:20.400 --> 03:26.320] if you look at the news, if you look at the news, social media online, I and many people are [03:26.320 --> 03:32.080] stepping into this year and dipping into it with a sense of trepidation and [03:34.800 --> 03:44.080] uncertainty about what is on the horizons. And, and I speak from this, we'll just kind of funnel [03:44.080 --> 03:50.720] this down. Anyone paying attention to the political landscape? Yeah, yeah. With Trump's [03:51.200 --> 03:56.720] re resurgence and Christian nationalism seemingly cemented now as a permanent fixture, [03:56.720 --> 04:04.560] the horizon looks a bit bleak, to say the least. And it feels like the sands of times are shifting. [04:05.200 --> 04:12.160] And I find myself questioning the direction and sanity of a lot of folks in our country. [04:13.120 --> 04:20.880] But this isn't simply about Trump. This is the part that I guess I've been psychologically [04:22.000 --> 04:29.120] delaying, unpacking with you guys. But this is something that happened right at the end [04:29.120 --> 04:32.800] of last year. And I want to really try to make sure I don't make this about myself, [04:32.800 --> 04:38.000] even though my feelings are my own about it. But the news impacted other people as well. [04:38.800 --> 04:46.720] I had, I hate saying this in the past, since I had a friend, that someone I thought I knew, [04:48.080 --> 04:59.760] he's a pastor, and someone that I'd spent time with more in the past and hung out together, [04:59.760 --> 05:07.280] shared laughter with. Hell, I even had Thanksgiving dinner, this guy and his family. And towards the [05:07.360 --> 05:12.560] end of last year, like right towards the end of last year, I started hearing some stuff [05:13.680 --> 05:22.560] that my friend was a fraud. He was an imposter that was hiding behind faith and ministry, a person [05:23.120 --> 05:28.160] when I first started hearing stuff, I reached out to him. And I'm not looking to dox anybody on this. [05:28.160 --> 05:33.360] I'm just looking to unpack this because we talk about messed up stuff in the church here. [05:33.360 --> 05:40.800] We talk about people that say one thing and do another. We talk about predators in the pulpit. [05:41.600 --> 05:49.520] And one of those people was someone that I called a friend. Towards the end of last year, [05:49.520 --> 05:58.000] I started hearing some stuff online a little bit about my friend's certifications and schooling and [05:58.000 --> 06:06.240] all the stuff being false, reached out, didn't hear anything. And as I started digging into it [06:06.240 --> 06:13.600] and hearing from other people, it just started getting more and more insidious than simply not [06:13.600 --> 06:22.960] having the right accreditation certification or even transcripts. What had happened, and I know [06:22.960 --> 06:29.360] this has happened in so many other places and created so much trauma is that pastors do bad [06:29.360 --> 06:36.560] things and they lie and then they try to cover it up. My friend had woven a web of lives that [06:37.520 --> 06:44.960] I never saw. Faked credentials, manipulated trust, abused this position of authority. [06:45.680 --> 06:51.040] And those are the kind of things that I know I rage about here on the show and talk about [06:51.040 --> 07:00.240] how horrible they are. And this was someone that I knew. And when I heard about this and I heard [07:00.240 --> 07:09.600] about abuse, it just really, really shook me to my core. And my friend is someone that I haven't [07:09.600 --> 07:15.840] really hung out with in a few years, but we would check in on every once in a while on Zoom or [07:16.720 --> 07:26.320] via email or messenger. And I just thought everything was normal. But I had a friend [07:27.280 --> 07:36.320] that was a predator. And you all know, I know a lot of you that listen to the show know that [07:36.320 --> 07:42.720] I have a moral aversion to this kind of trauma, hurts trauma. The kind of pain that gets [07:42.720 --> 07:52.640] inflicted upon the faithful and ends up being this disgusting... [07:56.160 --> 08:04.000] I feel like it's like a cloak of malevolence that people empower oftentimes wear. And I, [08:04.000 --> 08:09.680] like for me, was having to process through all of this going, oh my gosh, I feel betrayed. I feel [08:09.760 --> 08:18.480] bad about all of this. But at the same time, I was trying to juggle through and understand [08:18.480 --> 08:24.160] what was happening to everybody else. Because I know many other people were hurt a lot more [08:25.200 --> 08:31.280] than I was, who just felt hoodwinked and a betrayal of trust. [08:32.240 --> 08:38.640] Situations like this are a stain on the fabric of organized religion. And we condemn it here [08:38.640 --> 08:46.480] on this show. But I'm just kind of left oftentimes wondering, should I have seen something? What [08:46.480 --> 08:55.360] could I have done? And I was just unaware of any of it. And then here I am here confronted [08:55.360 --> 09:01.440] with a harsh reality that even with my guard up, usually, and my BS filter set to high, [09:01.440 --> 09:15.440] I didn't see it. And it's a disheartening and humbling experience, to say the least. It's [09:15.440 --> 09:21.600] a situation that forces us to grapple with the idea that we may never fully protect ourselves [09:22.000 --> 09:30.560] from those who would abuse our faith for gain. And then, to make matters worse, as I'm digging [09:30.560 --> 09:38.000] and talking to people and finding out this web of deception and lies, my friend killed himself [09:38.000 --> 09:48.640] before the new year, too. And that's also devastating. [09:52.320 --> 09:58.720] It's devastating for justice. It's devastating for those that will never get answers. [09:58.720 --> 10:01.680] It's also devastating that [10:11.600 --> 10:18.320] there was no path. There was no path in his mind back to the living world. [10:19.280 --> 10:27.040] And I have to reconcile that he was a monster to people. And it's also weird knowing that [10:27.760 --> 10:40.160] he was also a friend. And it's a talk I've not wanted to have, because when I sit behind this [10:40.160 --> 10:44.960] microphone and talk and plan shows and things, I like to try to have answers to things. [10:45.680 --> 10:52.160] And in this situation, I am at a place where I'm saying, I don't know how to handle this. [10:53.280 --> 10:59.360] I don't know what I'm doing as I'm navigating into this new year. And I know there are many of you [10:59.360 --> 11:05.600] out there that have been through trauma and been hurt and abused. And this is awful. I've been on [11:05.600 --> 11:11.360] the receiving end of it in different ways as well, too. But this is just awful. It's just [11:11.360 --> 11:22.080] disgusting. And it is terrible that churches end up being a safe haven for people that are predators. [11:31.200 --> 11:37.600] And so I guess, yeah, that's a great place for us to be able to start out our discussion today. [11:38.000 --> 11:48.080] But really, where I'm at, I'm just tired of it all. I'm tired of the faith that claims to be about [11:48.080 --> 11:55.040] loving others, and loving your neighbors and loving your enemies, and a faith that [11:55.040 --> 12:02.400] proclaims morality and goodness, and having the ear in favor of God. [12:02.400 --> 12:14.480] But that same faith is just a fucking trauma factory. And I get tired of people over-spiritualizing [12:14.480 --> 12:20.240] these situations by saying like, oh yeah, you know, that's how the devil works. No, no, no. That's just [12:20.240 --> 12:30.720] how sucky people operate. And we have set up systems and churches and organizations that are [12:31.120 --> 12:40.720] organizations that allow folks like this to thrive. And the fact that we have established [12:41.440 --> 12:47.840] churches and organizations like this, and that they are fertile grounds for those that prey on the weak, [12:49.840 --> 12:59.120] that fact should make us question everything about what we're doing with the words of Jesus [13:00.080 --> 13:11.040] that have turned into a thing called Christianity. And in America today, as we see politics moving in [13:11.040 --> 13:15.680] weird and disgusting ways, and Christianity moving along with it in weird and equally [13:15.680 --> 13:22.640] disgusting ways, there has to be something better. There has to be a better way out of this. [13:22.640 --> 13:29.520] And no, because I get emails from people, listeners on the show asking, like, well, [13:29.520 --> 13:34.240] can you find me a good church in this area? Can you find me a good place in this area? And I don't [13:34.240 --> 13:40.480] have answers for that anymore. I don't have answers for that anymore. But I do know for those [13:40.480 --> 13:50.000] of us that do care about the teachings of Jesus, the way of Christ, of moving out self-sacrificially [13:50.000 --> 13:55.120] to help others to make this world a better place. For those of us that care about that, we must [13:56.000 --> 14:07.280] keep going. And in this situation, my heart breaks for the people that were abused and hurt. [14:09.040 --> 14:16.800] And I wish I would have known. But I wasn't in that community, and I didn't see any of those [14:16.880 --> 14:24.480] things. And I just didn't see it. But at the same time, I have to tell myself, I need to continue [14:24.480 --> 14:30.160] to be vigilant and awake. And I believe we all do as we move forward. [14:33.520 --> 14:38.880] Protecting those that need to be protected, giving grace and mercy to those that need grace [14:38.880 --> 14:43.440] and mercy, and keeping an eye out for the wolves amongst the sheep. [14:47.440 --> 14:52.560] That is what I continue to push towards. [14:56.480 --> 15:00.640] And that was a heavy start. That's a heavy start. That's a heavy start for where we're going to go. [15:04.800 --> 15:09.840] But here's what I'll tell you. Moving into our show today, what we're going to do, [15:10.640 --> 15:16.960] we're going to talk about some bad news. No, let me stop that. I'm going to switch it up. [15:16.960 --> 15:21.600] We're going to talk about some good news. Then we're going to make fun, like we always do, [15:22.480 --> 15:27.120] the Christian crazy of some of the bad news in the world. And then for our last bit, [15:27.120 --> 15:31.040] I'm starting a new little series here on the show where we're going to be talking through different [15:31.040 --> 15:41.200] forms of Christianese and dissecting them, finding out where's the BS and where is the goodness [15:42.000 --> 15:47.280] in those words. So you up for it? You ready for it? I think so. [15:47.280 --> 15:52.400] So let's go ahead then and start with some heavenly good news. [15:52.400 --> 16:05.360] This is absolutely beautiful. And it's going to come from a source that you don't expect. [16:06.080 --> 16:11.840] Anyone want to hear from a Texas state representative? No, stick with me. Stick with me. [16:11.840 --> 16:21.600] This is James Tallarico. Tallarico speaking out against a bill they were introducing in Texas, [16:21.600 --> 16:27.840] where they were trying to push putting up the 10 commandments in every classroom. [16:28.800 --> 16:34.400] Okay. Yeah. Cause that totally makes sense. The, the, the moral ills in society will all be fixed [16:34.400 --> 16:40.240] if we put up a laminated poster of the 10 commandments. Sounds dumb. It's cause it is, [16:40.800 --> 16:50.400] but, but I love, I love James's takedown in this enjoy cause it's beautiful. [16:50.480 --> 16:55.600] And I say this to you as a fellow Christian, representative, I know you're a devout Christian [16:55.600 --> 17:03.120] and so am I. This bill to me is not only unconstitutional, it's not only un-American. [17:04.000 --> 17:10.960] I think it is also deeply un-Christian. And I say that because I believe this bill is idolatrous. [17:11.680 --> 17:18.160] I believe it is exclusionary and I believe it is arrogant. And those three things in my reading [17:18.160 --> 17:23.520] of the gospel are diametrically opposed to the teachings of Jesus. You probably know [17:24.160 --> 17:31.280] Matthew six, five when Jesus says, don't be like the hypocrites. We love to pray publicly on street [17:31.280 --> 17:36.880] corners. When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your father [17:36.880 --> 17:42.880] who is in secret, a religion that has to force people to put up a poster [17:42.880 --> 17:50.400] to prove its legitimacy is a dead religion. And it's not one that I want to be a part of. [17:50.400 --> 17:57.360] It's not one that I think I am a part of. You know that in scripture it says faith without works [17:57.360 --> 18:05.200] is what is dead. My concern is instead of bringing a bill that will feed the hungry, [18:05.920 --> 18:11.600] clothe the naked, heal the sick. We're instead mandating that people put up a poster. [18:14.240 --> 18:23.280] And we both follow a teacher, a rabbi who said, don't let the law get in the way of loving your [18:23.280 --> 18:30.240] neighbor. Loving your neighbor is the most important law. It is the summation of all the [18:30.240 --> 18:37.760] law and all the profits. I would submit to you that our neighbor also includes the Hindu student [18:37.760 --> 18:44.560] who sits in a classroom, the Buddha student who sits in a classroom and an atheist student [18:44.560 --> 18:54.080] who sits in a classroom. And my question to you is, does this bill truly love those students? [18:54.880 --> 19:02.240] I'm going to go a different direction than I think you're trying to lead me. And that is that [19:05.600 --> 19:12.880] a very great wrong was done in our classrooms with that 1980 decision. Every time on this [19:12.880 --> 19:20.480] committee that we try to teach students values like empathy or kindness, we're told we can't [19:20.480 --> 19:26.320] because that's the parent's role. Every time on this committee that we try to teach basic [19:26.320 --> 19:33.120] sex education to keep our kids safe, we're told that's the parent's role. But now you're putting [19:33.920 --> 19:39.200] religious commandments, literal commandments in our classrooms and you're saying that's the state's [19:39.200 --> 19:52.000] role. Why is that not the parent's role? That's really an interesting rabbit trail that you've [19:52.000 --> 19:57.520] gone on with that. Would you be comfortable with adding language to receive parental consent from [19:57.520 --> 20:01.760] all the parents of students in the classroom before putting it up? I would not. I am again [20:01.760 --> 20:05.680] going to keep it clean as it came up. So you don't want parental consent when it comes to [20:06.160 --> 20:12.240] students receiving religious commandments? I don't believe that. Again, I think that these are [20:12.240 --> 20:19.360] foundational to being a good citizen. Do you believe schools are for education and not [20:19.360 --> 20:26.000] indoctrination? Absolutely. I guess what I'm trying to figure out is why is having a rainbow [20:26.560 --> 20:32.160] in a classroom considered indoctrination and not having the 10 commandments in a classroom? [20:32.160 --> 20:41.360] Is that a question? Yes. I am not arguing another poster. I'm arguing this, that the [20:41.360 --> 20:49.920] 10 commandments are represented in our earliest education system. I just worry this is what gives [20:49.920 --> 20:56.560] us religious people a bad name. That instead of living out the way of Jesus, we're instead [20:56.640 --> 21:02.320] imposing our beliefs on other people. Instead of leading by example, we're leading by mandates. [21:03.520 --> 21:09.200] And so I'm very offended by this legislation. I know you and I have worked together and [21:10.000 --> 21:16.400] I'm not casting aspersions on you and I would love to work with you. But as it is currently [21:16.400 --> 21:23.040] written, I find this to be a deeply offensive bill. Damn, was that a mic drop or just a sound [21:23.040 --> 21:32.160] effect? I dropped in at the end of that, which it really was. But wow, like, wow, like, wow. [21:32.880 --> 21:42.320] That, that, that is something that gives us hope or at least it gives me some hope that there are [21:42.320 --> 21:50.400] sane people out there and they are trying to counter the insane people. But you know, the [21:50.400 --> 21:58.000] best place for the insanity and Christianity. No, the choice is cuts of Christian nuts. [21:58.000 --> 22:03.040] That's right. It's time again for the Christian Crazy of the Week. [22:20.400 --> 22:27.760] Well, first off in the Christian Crazy, we've got pastor, Prophet Kent Christmas, [22:28.640 --> 22:38.880] giving great advice as he seemingly calls himself out as being a false prophet. Enjoy. [22:39.840 --> 22:43.680] Always remember this. There are false prophets too. [22:43.680 --> 22:52.640] And they're, the enemy will always try to negate and water down the true move of God [22:53.280 --> 23:00.400] by mimicking it and releasing a lot of goofy stuff that's in the atmosphere. [23:00.400 --> 23:06.560] And so you have to by the Spirit be able to discern, is this God or is this the enemy? [23:06.560 --> 23:12.160] Stay away from prophets that every single thing they prophesy about is political. [23:12.160 --> 23:18.720] Well, sweet Jesus, it's all political. How could prophets do such a thing? [23:20.160 --> 23:25.280] Well, we should listen to Kent Christmas doing that exact thing. [23:25.280 --> 23:29.680] I have people emailing and say, you are a false prophet because you prophesied [23:29.680 --> 23:33.840] that Donald Trump would be voted back in. I did. And he was. [23:35.600 --> 23:40.080] I mean, I'm not going to lie. The Christian Crazy is like the easiest job in the world. [23:40.080 --> 23:47.600] When you have guys like this, basically doing all the work for me. And next up, [23:47.600 --> 23:52.320] Oh, Oh, we're going to talk about some of the Christian ease a little later in the show, [23:52.320 --> 23:59.920] but, but if you can interpret this, you are a, you are a better human than I. [23:59.920 --> 24:05.920] This is Jesse Duplantis giving us a little Christian ease jive. [24:05.920 --> 24:11.040] Well, he also probably is saying it's cool for him to sin. [24:12.160 --> 24:15.680] But yeah, try to follow it because I don't really. [24:15.680 --> 24:19.520] Yeah. So my reputation means nothing because it's not me that liveth for Christ liveth [24:19.520 --> 24:22.160] than me in that life, which I now live in the flesh. [24:23.120 --> 24:26.240] I live by the faith of the son of God who loved me and he gave himself for me. [24:26.240 --> 24:33.440] So I don't frustrate the grace of God DC, which means, oh, somebody gonna get mad at this. [24:33.440 --> 24:40.880] I have a hard time sinning. I have to make myself. I have to get in the flesh. [24:41.760 --> 24:47.360] But if I crucify the flesh daily, instead of Sunday, and when you do that daily, [24:47.360 --> 24:49.840] instead of Sunday, then you understand the name of Jesus. [24:50.400 --> 24:56.400] So he understands the name of Jesus and he can't sin unless he wants to sin. [24:57.280 --> 25:01.360] And wait, isn't that the whole game? [25:02.160 --> 25:04.720] I don't want to do bad stuff, but I do bad stuff. [25:04.720 --> 25:07.680] Well, I know Jesus, so it doesn't matter. [25:07.680 --> 25:12.560] Yeah, yeah. Whatever this crap is came from this guy too, [25:12.560 --> 25:14.240] because he knows the name of Jesus. [25:14.240 --> 25:18.320] When you find vision, you find duties and opportunities. [25:19.200 --> 25:22.000] I thought I could save the world with $100 million. [25:24.160 --> 25:25.680] So I went to the throne of God. [25:25.760 --> 25:27.840] He said, what do you want, Jesse? He didn't ask me what I need. [25:28.800 --> 25:29.840] He's never asked me what I need. [25:30.560 --> 25:32.080] He's never said what you need. Never. [25:32.640 --> 25:36.240] In my whole Christian life, he says, what do you want? [25:36.240 --> 25:37.840] I said, Lord, I need $100 million. [25:39.040 --> 25:40.960] I said, I can trust the world for $100 million. [25:42.240 --> 25:44.080] He said, Don, gave me $100 million. [25:46.000 --> 25:50.720] Now, if you want to get Wall Street's attention, you got to get to the $100 million. [25:50.720 --> 25:55.120] If anyone ever wanted to hear what a grifter sounds like, there you have it. [25:56.160 --> 26:03.360] And lastly, in the cringe, we've got teaching pastor, Dr. Tony Wood, [26:03.360 --> 26:05.840] Permission Bible Church. [26:06.400 --> 26:13.200] And Dr. Tony here is giving us, hmm, how am I going to put it? [26:14.800 --> 26:17.360] He's going to compare and contrast something [26:18.560 --> 26:21.840] just so you understand there's a difference. [26:23.040 --> 26:24.400] And here's what I mean by this. [26:24.400 --> 26:32.560] So we all know there's a difference between a car and a computer, an apple and an orange. [26:33.520 --> 26:34.560] You know, that kind of thing. [26:34.560 --> 26:38.560] Like you're able to see that there's one thing here and there's another thing here [26:38.560 --> 26:39.600] and they're different. [26:40.480 --> 26:46.720] But Tony, Tony, Tony, Tony doesn't seem to understand the difference because [26:47.680 --> 26:50.640] Tony's got it bad for Tay Tay. [26:51.280 --> 26:51.920] That's right. [26:52.720 --> 26:59.360] Tony's upset that some of us may somehow think that Taylor Swift is Jesus? [27:00.320 --> 27:04.000] I don't know, but I think Tony's going to mansplain it to us. [27:04.000 --> 27:08.560] So Tony, pretty sure it's not the first time you've mansplained anything. [27:09.360 --> 27:10.240] Go for it, buddy. [27:11.120 --> 27:15.600] Taylor Swift was named Time Magazine Person of the Year. [27:16.240 --> 27:20.720] They said, quote, every year contains light and contains dark. [27:22.080 --> 27:26.720] But 2023 was a year of significant darkness. [27:27.520 --> 27:31.280] But Taylor Swift became our source of light. [27:31.920 --> 27:36.880] When your hope as a world is pinned on a middle-aged pop star, [27:38.480 --> 27:40.960] you're in a very, very sad situation. [27:40.960 --> 27:45.520] Apparently, there was not a president who has done enough to be on the cover of Time Magazine. [27:45.520 --> 27:47.840] Apparently, there was not a Nobel Peace Prize winner [27:47.840 --> 27:51.520] who has done enough this last year to be on the cover of Time Magazine. [27:51.520 --> 27:56.400] And the hope of the world is someone in pink spandex and known for glitter bombs. [27:57.440 --> 28:00.560] You know that the world is in a woeful and grievous place. [28:01.680 --> 28:05.040] Taylor Swift can't help you even with your puny human problems. [28:06.800 --> 28:08.640] She can't help you with the aches in your back. [28:08.640 --> 28:10.560] She can't help you with the family distress. [28:10.560 --> 28:12.000] She can't help you with the finances. [28:12.000 --> 28:13.760] Well, maybe she could, but she ain't going to. [28:14.800 --> 28:17.680] But she certainly can't help you with your eternal ones. [28:17.680 --> 28:19.840] The fact that you and I are dead sinners [28:19.920 --> 28:23.600] and we stand before a holy God and there is no entrance into that heaven [28:23.600 --> 28:26.480] and Taylor Swift can never lay her body over that chasm, [28:26.480 --> 28:29.760] allowing us to walk over it to get into the graces of a mighty God. [28:29.760 --> 28:33.200] There is only one who ever could and his name is Jesus. [28:33.760 --> 28:38.720] So, bonus points right out the gate for pronouncing Jesus's name [28:38.720 --> 28:42.800] in the correct evangelical vernacular. [28:42.800 --> 28:43.600] Jesus! [28:44.560 --> 28:52.080] But also, seriously, what a weird, weird, weird small man this guy is. [28:54.480 --> 29:01.360] Really odd to fixate on a woman that has nothing to do with the church [29:01.360 --> 29:02.880] that doesn't challenge the church. [29:02.880 --> 29:05.280] Apparently, it challenges something within him. [29:06.480 --> 29:10.480] And maybe it's just a challenge to their church's core values of, [29:10.720 --> 29:16.080] I don't know, like misogyny, bigotry, and all that worship of the patriarchy. [29:16.080 --> 29:17.680] I mean, this isn't a Barbie movie here. [29:17.680 --> 29:19.040] I'm not preaching that. [29:19.040 --> 29:28.240] But I'm saying is, why in the world would you compare Jesus to Taylor Swift? [29:29.040 --> 29:34.560] They're two different things and they can both exist in the same universe. [29:35.040 --> 29:43.040] But somehow, her existence challenges as we've seen in the news and conservatives losing their minds [29:43.040 --> 29:45.600] over Taylor Swift showing up to a football game. [29:46.560 --> 29:54.080] Somehow, a woman makes them sweat, makes them nervous, makes them worried that, [29:54.960 --> 30:00.800] oh no, is this what happens when we allow women to actually be humans? [30:01.680 --> 30:03.200] Oh, we got to do away with that. [30:04.000 --> 30:05.360] That's just not Christian. [30:07.280 --> 30:09.200] Hey, you said it, not me, buddy. [30:09.200 --> 30:14.960] You said it with the altar call music on, which means you really, really mean it. [30:17.360 --> 30:25.120] This is just sad, sad, sad, sad, sad that the only would Tony's sport is in his last name. [30:25.760 --> 30:34.080] And lastly, lastly, I bring you the best of the worst for your Christian cringe of the week. [30:34.080 --> 30:36.720] So a show of hands out there. [30:37.760 --> 30:41.600] Anyone, anyone in the mood to throw up in your mouth? [30:41.600 --> 30:42.880] Oh, you, you, you. [30:42.880 --> 30:44.160] Oh, that's great. [30:44.160 --> 30:50.160] Glad we had so many hands because you're going to need them to grab the little bag [30:50.800 --> 30:53.360] because the throw up is going to be more than your mouth can handle. [30:54.000 --> 30:55.520] This is cringy. [30:55.520 --> 30:56.560] This is disgusting. [30:56.560 --> 31:01.920] And I'm only going to give you a bit of it because again, I don't want you to make a mess [31:01.920 --> 31:04.400] all over yourselves because heck, I don't know where you're at. [31:04.400 --> 31:05.280] Maybe you're on a plane. [31:05.280 --> 31:06.720] Maybe you're in a taxi. [31:06.720 --> 31:07.840] Maybe you're at work. [31:07.840 --> 31:12.720] And that would just be irresponsible of me and really embarrassing for you. [31:12.720 --> 31:13.600] And I love you. [31:13.600 --> 31:15.360] So I won't do that. [31:15.360 --> 31:16.480] You've been warned. [31:16.480 --> 31:18.880] Here's your Christian cringe of the week. [31:23.600 --> 31:24.800] No, no. [31:24.800 --> 31:30.160] And on June 14th, 1946, God looked down on his plan paradise and said, [31:30.160 --> 31:31.680] I need a caretaker. [31:31.680 --> 31:32.880] So God gave us Trump. [31:33.680 --> 31:40.000] God said, I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, fix this country, work all day, [31:40.000 --> 31:45.760] fight the Marxist, eat supper, then go to the Oval Office and stay past midnight at a meeting [31:45.760 --> 31:47.120] of the heads of state. [31:47.120 --> 31:48.720] So God made Trump. [31:48.720 --> 31:53.040] I need somebody with arms strong enough to rustle the deep state. [31:53.040 --> 31:55.920] And yet gentle enough to deliver his own grandchild. [32:01.920 --> 32:06.880] Sorry to gag and laugh at the same time. [32:07.920 --> 32:09.760] What was all of that? [32:11.360 --> 32:17.520] Sick of fan cultism and Christian nationalism mixed together. [32:17.520 --> 32:18.160] Yes. [32:18.160 --> 32:18.560] Yes. [32:18.560 --> 32:20.320] That would be basically it. [32:20.320 --> 32:20.720] Yes. [32:20.720 --> 32:25.520] That is sick and sick of anti, uh, if that's even a word. [32:25.520 --> 32:38.560] But that that is the craziness and demagoguery that is just happening in our country now. [32:39.840 --> 32:41.680] And it's insanity. [32:42.240 --> 32:48.960] It's it's laughable if people didn't actually believe that horseshit. [32:50.960 --> 32:55.600] And I think that's quite possibly the nicest way that I can put it. [32:56.400 --> 33:04.000] And I know, I know, I know we're living in a world that feels insane, [33:04.960 --> 33:11.920] that there are people out there that continue to worship the fat bastard, Orange Messiah. [33:11.920 --> 33:13.200] I mean, that's it. [33:13.200 --> 33:15.600] He's a bronzer baby and they love it. [33:16.320 --> 33:17.040] Can't get enough. [33:17.600 --> 33:18.400] Can't get enough. [33:18.400 --> 33:26.720] Because apparently for conservatives and evangelical Christians, Jesus was insufficient. [33:27.600 --> 33:35.280] They needed, they needed a guy like this, a sweaty, tiny handed, sexual assaulting, [33:36.000 --> 33:40.160] Buddha of hate, misogyny and fascism. [33:40.800 --> 33:45.440] But yeah, everything's scary and the world is topsy turvy, [33:46.240 --> 33:47.280] but we're going to get through it. [33:47.280 --> 33:50.400] People, come on, we're going to do it together. [33:51.120 --> 33:52.400] There are better days ahead. [33:53.600 --> 33:59.120] And I think those things happen when we hold on to hope and we continue to push through [34:00.000 --> 34:08.160] the things that we believe and live in a way that is authentic and reeks of Jesus kind of love. [34:09.040 --> 34:09.760] Because guess what? [34:10.480 --> 34:13.680] I think we're going to be talking about love just a little more on the show. [34:14.480 --> 34:21.280] If you're ready for it, and if you're not, oops, you're still going to get it. [34:21.920 --> 34:23.520] So enjoy or don't. [34:24.480 --> 34:25.440] True or false? [34:25.440 --> 34:26.800] Hats make you go bald. [34:26.800 --> 34:28.160] This is actually false. [34:28.160 --> 34:29.760] Maybe still skip the fedora though. [34:29.760 --> 34:34.160] Hair loss is a genetic condition that affects two out of three men by the age of 35. [34:34.160 --> 34:35.280] Those aren't great odds. [34:35.280 --> 34:38.800] But the good news is that keeps can help with expert personalized care [34:38.800 --> 34:43.040] and science-backed treatments that are up to 90% effective at reducing hair loss, [34:43.040 --> 34:45.760] all without leaving the house delivered straight to your door. [34:45.760 --> 34:47.360] Hair loss stops with keeps. [34:47.360 --> 34:51.040] For a special offer to get started, go to keeps.com slash podcast. [34:51.040 --> 34:54.240] That's k-e-e-p-s dot com slash podcast. [34:55.680 --> 35:02.960] Welcome to the gospel according to snark where we unravel the rich tapestry of christianese [35:02.960 --> 35:07.840] threading our way through the buzzwords that have buzzed a little too loudly [35:08.400 --> 35:10.720] and a little too empty in our ears. [35:11.440 --> 35:15.040] This is a new series we're going to be doing this year on the show. [35:15.040 --> 35:18.880] And today we're starting with a heavyweight love. [35:19.600 --> 35:28.320] Yes, love the crown jewel of christian virtues, the cornerstone of every sunday sermon and yet [35:28.880 --> 35:36.400] perhaps the most misunderstood and misused word in the christian lexicon. [35:36.400 --> 35:37.360] That's right. [35:37.360 --> 35:38.000] I said it. [35:38.720 --> 35:41.760] We're going to do a dive into love. [35:41.760 --> 35:42.640] What the heck is it? [35:43.280 --> 35:43.920] So let's go. [35:45.040 --> 35:54.320] First, let's hop in and unearth the authentic raw unpolished gem of love as it was meant to be. [35:55.280 --> 36:00.720] In the original greek text of the new testament, we encounter four distinct flavors of love. [36:01.440 --> 36:05.600] Agape, Eros, Philia, and Storge. [36:05.600 --> 36:12.560] But it's agape, the unconditional self-sacrificing love that truly anchors the christian [36:12.560 --> 36:14.000] understanding of love. [36:14.640 --> 36:18.800] It's the kind of love that isn't about feeling good or comfortable. [36:18.800 --> 36:21.280] It's not even about reciprocity. [36:22.240 --> 36:23.520] It's about willing. [36:24.640 --> 36:27.360] Willing the absolute best for the other. [36:28.160 --> 36:30.400] Even and especially when it costs you. [36:31.120 --> 36:34.080] This love, this love is radical. [36:34.880 --> 36:36.160] It's counter-cultural. [36:36.720 --> 36:40.560] It's the good Samaritan bending down in the dirt to tend to its enemy. [36:41.920 --> 36:44.800] It's Jesus washing the feet of his betrayer. [36:45.920 --> 36:48.720] That's the love that we're talking about here. [36:48.720 --> 36:51.680] A love that doesn't just feel but acts. [36:52.320 --> 36:55.360] A love that doesn't count the cost. [36:56.800 --> 37:03.840] Not a love of tacos, but a deep love that is committed to others around us. [37:04.880 --> 37:06.960] Now let's look at it today. [37:06.960 --> 37:09.600] Fast forward a couple millennia and what do we have? [37:10.480 --> 37:11.440] Love. [37:11.440 --> 37:20.960] This rich, robust, all-encompassing action has been deluded to a mere shadow of its former self. [37:21.600 --> 37:23.760] It's becoming a buzzword on bumper stickers. [37:23.760 --> 37:24.960] Love is all you need. [37:25.840 --> 37:30.080] It's the non-committal sign at the end of an email. [37:30.080 --> 37:30.800] Much love. [37:31.440 --> 37:38.080] It's the abstract feel-good vibe we get from a cozy Sunday sermon that really never challenges us. [37:38.080 --> 37:40.400] Never pushes us out of the comfort zone. [37:40.400 --> 37:44.000] This modern, sanitized version of love is easy. [37:44.000 --> 37:45.040] It's convenient. [37:45.040 --> 37:46.080] It's safe. [37:46.080 --> 37:47.600] It's on the Lifetime channel. [37:48.480 --> 37:52.400] And it really doesn't cost us much of anything. [37:53.440 --> 37:57.280] Within the Christian ethic, we are called to love. [37:58.000 --> 38:00.080] We're called to love everyone. [38:00.800 --> 38:04.160] We're called to love everyone in theory of what Jesus laid out. [38:04.160 --> 38:07.120] But in practice, eh, not so much. [38:08.320 --> 38:14.000] We love the poor, but do we know any people that are poor? [38:14.000 --> 38:15.840] Do we help anybody that's poor? [38:16.560 --> 38:22.880] We're called to love our enemies, but do we even say we have any? [38:23.600 --> 38:27.840] Or do we truly love our enemies? [38:27.840 --> 38:31.280] I don't think we do. [38:31.280 --> 38:36.560] I think it's a word that just gets tossed around, and it is hollow, and it's empty. [38:37.280 --> 38:42.080] And we especially see this in Christianity, where the word is tossed around so much. [38:42.720 --> 38:43.920] Love your neighbors. [38:43.920 --> 38:45.120] Love your enemies. [38:45.120 --> 38:46.960] People are comfortable with those phrases. [38:46.960 --> 38:50.640] But Christians are not very comfortable with what that actually means. [38:51.600 --> 38:51.840] No. [38:52.080 --> 38:58.320] In the church, love has become domesticated, declawed, neutered. [38:59.200 --> 39:00.880] It's love light, diet love. [39:02.720 --> 39:11.040] Love that's been through the wash too many times, and has lost its original meaning and color and fit. [39:13.600 --> 39:16.240] As we look at this new year, what do we do? [39:17.680 --> 39:18.960] How do we step into this? [39:19.600 --> 39:22.720] I know it's easy to cast stones and say, hey, those guys aren't doing it. [39:22.720 --> 39:23.680] These people aren't doing it. [39:23.680 --> 39:24.080] Whatever. [39:24.080 --> 39:24.800] Whatever. [39:24.800 --> 39:26.800] Yeah, but screw all of them. [39:28.400 --> 39:33.360] This conversation just comes down to me and you and what we truly care about. [39:36.800 --> 39:41.600] I think at the end of the day, love is about living authentically. [39:41.600 --> 39:52.240] And how do we reclaim this radical scandalous love in a world that desperately needs it, [39:52.240 --> 39:54.560] but hardly understands it? [39:56.320 --> 39:58.560] I think we have to start by getting real. [39:59.520 --> 40:06.480] We have to embrace love as a verb, an action word, and not just a feeling. [40:06.480 --> 40:16.400] We need to have a love that acts, a love that moves, a love that steps into the mess and complexity [40:19.360 --> 40:20.320] of human life. [40:21.120 --> 40:25.520] And like I mentioned before in the show, in the messiness of real human relationships. [40:28.480 --> 40:34.560] And that love in those messy situations chooses to act for the good of the other, [40:35.200 --> 40:37.600] every single time. [40:40.480 --> 40:46.400] We embody this love and the everyday small choices that we make. [40:47.760 --> 40:53.440] Choosing to listen, like to really listen to somebody with a different viewpoint. [40:55.680 --> 40:59.200] And getting rid of that need to win an argument [40:59.200 --> 41:06.400] in order to understand someone else and affirm their humanity. [41:08.640 --> 41:15.680] It's about choosing to give, not just from our excesses, but also from our substance. [41:17.920 --> 41:22.480] Sacrificing something we love for someone we're called to love. [41:23.440 --> 41:34.240] It's choosing to stand up, to speak out, and to step in, where we see injustice, even and [41:34.240 --> 41:41.520] especially when it's uncomfortable and inconvenient and costly. [41:44.480 --> 41:50.800] And in the insanity of the world today, this kind of love is not just nice. [41:51.760 --> 41:53.120] It's necessary. [41:54.560 --> 42:04.960] It's the antidote to polarization, the divisions, the isolation that is plaguing and so rampant [42:04.960 --> 42:06.560] in our culture and society. [42:08.240 --> 42:13.120] This kind of love builds bridges where there's walls, it lights candles in dark corners. [42:15.040 --> 42:18.560] It can be the most powerful force of change in the universe. [42:19.520 --> 42:28.480] Because the point of this kind of love is that it transforms the recipient and the giver. [42:32.960 --> 42:35.440] And don't get me wrong, this is not an easy thing to do. [42:36.560 --> 42:40.560] This is an uncomfortable love that we're talking about here. [42:42.800 --> 42:46.400] So descending into this year, as we seek to find hope, [42:47.200 --> 42:53.280] as we seek to find new ways to make the world better, let's get uncomfortable people. [42:53.280 --> 42:54.640] Let's get radical. [42:55.600 --> 43:06.480] Let's love not in word or bumper sticker or t-shirt, but in actual truth and action. [43:08.560 --> 43:14.240] Because, in the end, that's the gospel according to snark. [43:14.720 --> 43:18.480] A call to love that's real, raw, and revolutionary. [43:19.200 --> 43:22.800] A love that acts, that sacrifices, and transforms. [43:23.520 --> 43:26.960] And that, my friends, is a love worth talking about, [43:26.960 --> 43:30.080] worth striving for, worth living out every single day. [43:32.080 --> 43:36.240] As we enter into this new year, which we're already well into, [43:39.040 --> 43:40.960] let's choose love. [43:40.960 --> 43:43.440] But I don't mean that in a pithy way. [43:44.560 --> 43:47.120] I mean it in a sacrificial, hard work kind of way. [43:48.000 --> 43:52.080] Because we're living in a world that's all kinds of f-dub. [43:54.480 --> 43:59.600] And I'd like to make it just a little less effort. [44:01.920 --> 44:02.880] Anyone else with me? [44:03.760 --> 44:06.880] Well, that's all I've got for this show. [44:06.880 --> 44:11.040] And before I send you off, just a reminder to share the show, subscribe, [44:11.040 --> 44:13.440] and give Snarky Faith a review over on Apple Podcast. [44:13.440 --> 44:15.280] It helps us to get the word out to new listeners. [44:16.160 --> 44:18.560] And a heartfelt thank you for being a part of the show, [44:18.560 --> 44:21.040] week after week, year after year. [44:21.760 --> 44:25.680] I appreciate you all for consistently coming back and putting up. [44:28.000 --> 44:31.200] And as I release you out into this wild, wide world, [44:32.480 --> 44:39.600] I send you out with the holiest amount of grace and snark and peace. [44:40.720 --> 44:41.680] I'm outta here. [44:42.640 --> 44:43.120] Peace. [44:44.800 --> 44:45.440] Be with you. [45:06.720 --> 45:10.880] This choir cast podcast is brought to you by the Wages of Grace, [45:11.200 --> 45:13.280] a novel by Brandon Dragan. [45:13.280 --> 45:17.120] What is the worst thing a person could do to you that you could still forgive? [45:18.000 --> 45:21.920] The Wages of Grace is the story of two immigrant brothers, [45:21.920 --> 45:23.520] Thierry and Marty Larocque. [45:24.160 --> 45:28.960] Driven apart by a shocking event in their past that still haunts them into their old age. [45:30.320 --> 45:32.800] Thierry and Hope were the fairytale couple, [45:32.800 --> 45:35.760] but while he was away fighting in the Second World War, [45:35.760 --> 45:39.040] Hope died in the most suspect of circumstances, [45:39.040 --> 45:43.200] and the last person to see her alive was Thierry's older brother Marty. [45:44.000 --> 45:48.400] For decades, Thierry has wrestled with the thought that his older brother [45:48.400 --> 45:50.960] is responsible for the loss of his one true love. [45:51.680 --> 45:55.200] And now, the brothers find their fates intertwined once more. [45:55.840 --> 45:57.920] This novel begs the question, [45:57.920 --> 46:00.400] is there any chasm that forgiveness cannot cross, [46:00.960 --> 46:03.360] and is there any wound that grace cannot heal? [46:04.080 --> 46:06.800] The Wages of Grace is available on Amazon, [46:06.800 --> 46:08.720] Audible, and everywhere books are sold. Transcription results written to '/home/forge/transcribe2.sonicengage.com/releases/20240202210301' directory
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