Jesus vs. America

America Idols Series: Comfort

In this episode, we dive into the growing trend of comfort, convenience, and entitlement within American Christian culture, particularly as it relates to the modern church experience. From coffee stations to children’s play areas and entertainment options, many churches in America offer a variety of amenities designed to make the experience as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. Join us as we explore how these conveniences might be contributing to a deeper cultural shift where churchgoers come to expect ease and entertainment, often prioritizing personal comfort over spiritual growth.

American Idols Series: Size

Americans are obsessed with size, the bigger the better.  In this episode,  we examine how this value seeps into the American church and influences the way we approach our faith.  We may not even notice how often we rely on size to make decisions or to determine the value of those things we engage with.  And when it comes to the church, while we can critique elements of both large and small churches, our main point is that we should put aside our bias towards size and look for better ways to evaluate the health of our churches. As one of the authors we cite has stated, our focus on size within the church has come at a significant price, and peeling apart the American culture’s obsession with size can help us see the cost it is having on our faith.

Predicting the U.S. Presidential Race: Did Any of Us Get it Right?

Ten days before the 2024 election, we sat down to predict who would win the presidential race and why we came to that conclusion. Now that the results are known, listen in as we discuss our thought process and the implications for both the country and the church.  As we head into the new year, we will be recording more episodes that examine how this election will impact the church and the spiritual lives of young adults, while this episode gave us the chance to put down a marker and to test our predictive abilities.

America Idols Series: Safety

Do American Christians worship the idol of safety?  In this episode, we look at how the value we place on safety starts to inform and shape our Christian practices in ways that may be counter to the way of Jesus.  Many of our cultural values, like safety, come from well intentioned desires. But when we place them as the ultimate value around which every other value is oriented, we end up with a compromised version of Christianity that is more American than the way of Jesus.

Can You Go on a Short Term Mission Trip without Doing Harm?

The popularity of short term missions continues to increase year after year, and for many it has become a regular part of our Christian practice.  And yet, there are so many ways in which our efforts can cause harm, not only to those with whom we visit, but even to the team that is making the effort.  In this episode we focus on the reasons why short term mission trips can be harmful and question whether the practice should continue.  We discuss examples of the ways this harm comes about and the American values and attitudes we inadvertently bring into short term missions.  We end the episode with helpful tips for those who wish to continue to engage with short term missions, referencing the book When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert, whose work we suggest should be a prerequisite for any short term team traveling domestically or internationally.