When I Heard This - Podcast

Episode 184 - Marriage Was Never Just About Marriage

What if marriage was never primarily about marriage? Most people have opinions about marriage. Fewer people can explain what the Bible actually says it is. Somehow we've all inherited strong takes, relationship advice, and enough wedding industry content to last several lifetimes, but the foundational questions often get skipped. In this first episode of a new series, Nate and Dr. Joseph Tillman start at the beginning and ask the questions people assume everyone else already knows the answers to. What is marriage? Where does marriage first appear in Scripture? What is it meant to symbolize in Christianity? Are there distinct roles for men and women? Is Christian marriage fundamentally different from secular marriage? And did God's view of marriage change between the Old Testament and the New Testament? The conversation moves through biblical theology, church culture, relationships, covenant, symbolism, and the surprisingly complicated reality that one of the most discussed topics in Christianity is also one of the most misunderstood. Along the way, there are plenty of side comments, observations, and moments where serious theology collides with regular human confusion. As always, Nate and Dr. Joseph approach the discussion with honesty, curiosity, a little sarcasm, and a willingness to ask questions that many people think but rarely say out loud. Whether you're married, single, skeptical, Christian, or just trying to understand why marriage matters so much in faith conversations, this episode is a solid place to start. Follow or subscribe to the podcast 🔔 Rate or favorite the episode if it resonated 👍 Share the episode with someone who enjoys thoughtful conversations about faith, relationships, and culture 📤 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qYvdSr_-aqU Website: https://wheniheardthispodcast.com/link-in-bio/ Locals + X: @wheniheardthis Facebook + Instagram: @wheniheardthispodcast #ChristianPodcast #Marriage #BibleDiscussion #FaithAndCulture #Relationships #ChurchCulture

Episode 183 - Faith and Works Ended With Trust Issues

At some point this whole faith vs works conversation starts sounding like a group project where nobody knows how grading works. Can you get into heaven with faith but no works? Works but no faith? Are some churches accidentally turning Christianity into spiritual performance reviews? And how do you know your faith is actually faith and not just anxiety wearing Bible verses as camouflage? In the fifth and final episode of this series, Nate and Dr. Joseph Tillman get into the questions that quietly sit in the back of people’s minds during church sermons, worship songs, and late-night existential spirals. They talk about faith, salvation, denominations, motives, selfishness, heaven, works, and the weird pressure Christians sometimes feel to constantly prove they’re spiritually productive. The conversation keeps circling back to trust. Trusting God. Trusting your motives. Trusting that faith actually means something beyond just endlessly auditing yourself like a Christian IRS agent. There’s also a healthy amount of sarcasm, overthinking, and “wait hold on” moments because this show refuses to pretend faith conversations are always neat and polished. Nate and Dr. Joseph Tillman approach theology the same way most people actually process it: honestly, awkwardly, occasionally skeptically, and with enough humor to survive church culture without becoming unbearably weird about it. If this episode resonated with you: 🔔 Follow or subscribe for more conversations about faith, church culture, theology, and real-life questions 👍 Rate or favorite the episode if it hit a little too close to home 📤 Share this episode with someone who has ever overthought their own salvation at 1 AM Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pVWRm4RkFkY Website: https://wheniheardthispodcast.com/link-in-bio/ Locals + X: @wheniheardthis Facebook + Instagram: @wheniheardthispodcast #FaithAndWorks #ChristianPodcast #ChurchCulture #FaithQuestions #BibleDiscussion #Christianity

Episode 182 - Faith and Works Isn’t Graded on Effort

At what point does “doing good works” start sounding like a performance review nobody asked for? Episode 182 continues the ongoing discussion about faith and works according to scripture, except this time the conversation gets painfully close to the way people actually think about effort, productivity, church culture, and whether Christians secretly believe God is grading participation with a clipboard somewhere. Nate and Dr. Joseph Tillman talk through questions like whether it matters if you’re actually good at the work you’re doing, whether getting paid while doing good works somehow “cheapens” them, and whether works carried a different weight in the Old Testament compared to the New Testament. Which turns into a surprisingly honest conversation about motivation, intention, accountability, and the weird spiritual math people create for themselves. The episode also digs into how modern faith conversations sometimes sound less like scripture and more like corporate performance metrics with Bible verses attached. There’s sarcasm, pushback, uncomfortable observations, and multiple moments where the conversation feels way too relatable if you grew up around church culture. As always, Nate and Dr. Joseph Tillman approach the discussion in a way that feels thoughtful, grounded, and accessible whether you’re deeply involved in church, skeptical of organized religion, or somewhere in the middle trying to figure out why everyone talks like they already know the answer. Follow or subscribe to the podcast 🔔 Rate or favorite the episode if it resonated 👍 Share the episode with somebody who has absolutely wondered if faith is being graded on effort 📤 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mIL4JLh8hMc Website: https://wheniheardthispodcast.com/link-in-bio/ Locals + X: @wheniheardthis Facebook + Instagram: @wheniheardthispodcast #FaithAndWorks #ChristianPodcast #BibleDiscussion #ChurchCulture #FaithQuestions #PodcastDiscussion

Episode 181 - Doing “Good” Isn’t That Simple

If “doing good” is the goal… why does nobody agree on what that actually means? This episode takes the whole faith vs works conversation and makes it slightly more uncomfortable. Nate and Dr. Joseph Tillman dig into what scripture says about doing good, and why it’s not as clean or checklist-based as people want it to be. Is faith enough? Do your actions prove something? Or are we all just trying to reverse-engineer what God wants from us? They get into the questions that usually get vague answers. Is there a list of acceptable works somewhere? Are some “good” things actually missing the point? Do your actions need to directly benefit God, or is that not even how this works? And how often are you supposed to be doing all this before it turns into spiritual burnout? Nate and Dr. Joseph Tillman approach it like people who have heard all the polished answers and still aren’t fully buying them. The conversation is honest, a little sarcastic, and very aware of how confusing faith, works, and expectations can feel in real life. Follow or subscribe 🔔 for more conversations like this Rate or favorite 👍 if this one stuck with you Share 📤 with someone who’s also trying to figure this out Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Nhd-owq_HKA Website: https://wheniheardthispodcast.com/link-in-bio/ Locals + X: @wheniheardthis Facebook + Instagram: @wheniheardthispodcast #FaithVsWorks #ChristianPodcast #ChurchQuestions #BibleDiscussion #RealFaith #FaithTalk

Episode 180 - Faith Isn’t Just Something You “Have”

So… is faith something you have, or something you’re actually doing? Because those are two very different conversations. This episode keeps pushing past the surface-level “have faith” idea and starts asking what that even means according to scripture. Nate and Dr. Joseph Tillman get into how faith actually works, how you get it, and what you’re supposed to have faith in beyond just saying the word. They also get into the uncomfortable parts. Does faith come from God, or do you somehow create it yourself? Can faith grow, or is it just on or off? And what does it actually look like to live by faith instead of just talking about it like it’s a personality trait? It also raises a question most people skip. Was faith in the Old Testament the same as the New Testament, or are we blending things together and hoping it makes sense? Nate and Dr. Joseph Tillman keep the conversation honest, a little sarcastic, and grounded in real-life faith instead of polished answers. It feels less like a teaching and more like trying to figure out why something everyone talks about still feels unclear. Follow or subscribe to the podcast 🔔 Rate or favorite the episode if it resonated 👍 Share the episode with someone who would enjoy the conversation 📤 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZvPS0tdQpgQ Website: https://wheniheardthispodcast.com/link-in-bio/ Locals + X: @wheniheardthis Facebook + Instagram: @wheniheardthispodcast #FaithInTheBible #ChristianDiscussion #FaithQuestions #BibleStudy #ChristianPodcast