45 - Jesus did not Deconstruct

Listen in as Corey tries to answer  the most challenging question a Christian can ask. In 30 minutes.  

If we couldn't die, how would that change how we share the gospel? And even if we die, does the gospel remain relevant in the afterlife? In this episode, we'll take a look at evangelism's weird reliance upon death for its urgency, significance, and core message.

Mike texted me:  "How do you interpret Jesus' command to love your enemies?" Several long voice memos later, and we decided to schedule a date with some professional microphones and a competition Rubik's cube. This conversation dives into the depths of how we should understand Jesus' commands. Are they to be interpreted as wisdom or as black and white rules that must be kept under every circumstance? 

You are helping to run a ministry and you learn that one of the people you are trying to help has stolen all of the money that was donated to put him in school. That puts you in a weird spot. Do you let your donors know that their money was stolen? Or do you keep it a secret and press on, knowing that the secret is kept for the greater good?In this episode, we'll switch the perspective from those who need help to that of a helper who has learned of a secret and feels the tension both of speaking out and of keeping the secret for the sake of the ministry. 

We're called to suffer for Jesus, but how much is too much? How do we care for ourselves while also helping others? What do healthy boundaries look like and how do we balance sacrifice with self-care? 

Do the poor hurt those who are trying to help them because it's within their nature to hurt others? Do they lie, steal, or cause harm because they are inherently different? Or is it perhaps a bit more nuanced than that...Well, if you believe the latter then, congratulations, you're not racist. But the question remains... why would the poor sabotage an effort to improve their lives? If there isn't some intrinsic difference between us and them, why do they behave so differently? You might be surprised at how much wisdom can be derived from a marshmallow. That's not a typo. 

We love to talk about how to help the poor without hurting them, but it's not nearly as common to talk about how to help the poor without them hurting you. It happens more than you might think, and I have a lot of experience with it. But why do they do it? Why do they hurt people who just want to help them? And how can we protect ourselves and set boundaries to ensure that both the helpers and the helped maintain a healthy relationship? 

"If you left the church because you had a bad experience with people, you didn't have a relationship with God, you had a relationship with people." - A really dumb thing to sayLet's talk.

Post modernism, apologetics, suffering, doubt, the universe, a burrito advertisement, and a debate about the existence of God. Enjoy. 

It's often tempting to interpret Jesus through our own cultural lens. But taking an honest approach to who Jesus was will require exiting our culture and stepping into his... if that's even possible.