How a Podcast Ruined Me

There are certain defining events that change our perception of the world around us.  It could be the death of a loved one, the ending of a relationship, or the prognosis of a doctor.  Mine was a podcast.  Well, that and me leaving a career in ministry, but that’s a story for another post (and to ease your mind, no, I didn’t do anything immoral to get me fired.  I left on my own.)

During the week of October 11, 2016 I resigned from my role as a pastor; effectively ending my ministry career less than 5 years after it started, and listened to a podcast called “Choose Your Own Religion” in which my cousin, Tasha Courtney, was a guest. (Fair warning, the language in the podcast is NSFW.)  In that episode, I listened to someone who grew up in the same church as me, with the same belief system and values as me, describe a religion and a faith that was completely counter to everything that I knew to be true.  Instead of a God of love, I heard of a god of results.  Instead of a faith centered on community, I heard of a faith that isolates.  Instead of big faith, I heard of big budgets.  And if I believed in the god that she believed, then her claims would be right.  The problem was we believed in two different gods.  But how did that happen?

These events rattled me to my core.  I felt guilty and responsible that someone in my own family, whom I love very much, was not a part the Church I also love.  And as I struggled with and thought about Tasha, I realized that her story has become the norm.

According to a 2015 research study, Pew Research found that 35 percent of Millenials (ages 18-35) claim no religious affiliation (or “Nones”).  However, that same research group found that two-thirds (68% to be exact) of these “Nones” have a belief in God.  Like Tasha, they think that churches benefit society by strengthening community bonds and aiding the poor, they just don’t want to be a part of it.

Why?  Where has the Church gone wrong?  It’s like the “Nones” and the Church are in this awkward relationship and nobody wants to ask the question “Is it you or is it me?”  And like in every good relationship, both sides are the problem.

While Millenials by and large think the Church does good things, the Church has a major image problem.  Pew Research reports that, “Overwhelmingly, they [the “Nones”] think that [the Church] is too concerned with money and power, and too focused on rules and too involved in politics.”

Ouch!  The truth sucks sometimes.  While I desperately want everyone (especially those in my own generation) come to see the Church the way I see Her, I also can’t argue with their perception of Christianity today.  So, what are we supposed to do about it?

I believe that at the root of this problem is lack of information.  In general, people are not entirely sure why they believe what they believe.  We shape our belief system based upon what we grew up being told by our parents or pastors.  But, once that Sunday school faith hits the real world (or a professor in college) we begin to question everything we were taught.  At the same time, the Church has done a poor job of instilling and reminding us about the basic beliefs and history of Christianity.  How did Christianity get started (Hint: it wasn’t with Jesus)?  What did the first church actually look like?  Does that match with the way the church is run today?  What does it really mean to be a Christian?

So, this blog is my attempt at meeting you in the middle.  Whether you are a pastor, a regular church attender, or a “None”, this blog is for you.  I’m writing this for Christians on behalf of non-Christians to help explain Christianity.  It’s time to strip away our preconceptions from both sides of the debate, admit that we were both a little wrong about each other, and start over.  Let’s ask the honest questions, look for the honest answers, in the hope that by doing so we will finally begin to understand together what the 21^st century Church needs to do for the 21^st century.

This is the Christian Safe Zone.