When I Heard This - Podcast

Episode 187 - Marriage Is Weirdly Hard To Define

Everybody talks about marriage like everyone knows what it is. Then somebody asks what actually makes two people married, and suddenly the room gets very quiet. In this episode, Nate and Dr. Joseph Tillman continue their series on marriage by tackling the surprisingly difficult question of what Christians actually mean when they talk about marriage. What steps are required? Is marriage primarily a church thing, a government thing, a covenant thing, or something else entirely? They also dig into the idea of being “ready” for marriage, why some churches require premarital counseling, and whether marriage really is the best environment for raising children. Along the way, they stumble into one of those thought experiments that sounds ridiculous until you realize nobody has a simple answer: if two people were stranded alone on an island, how would they become married according to God? As usual, Nate and Dr. Joseph Tillman approach the topic the way normal people actually discuss faith, relationships, church culture, and Christian marriage. The conversation mixes biblical perspectives, real-world experience, occasional sarcasm, and the uncomfortable realization that some of the most common Christian talking points are harder to define than people think. If you’ve ever wondered where dating ends, where marriage begins, and why Christians seem to debate the details endlessly, this episode is for you. 🔔 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/W46GQo68-v0 Website: https://wheniheardthispodcast.com/link-in-bio/ Locals + X: @wheniheardthis Facebook + Instagram: @wheniheardthispodcast #ChristianPodcast #Marriage #ChristianMarriage #FaithAndCulture #ChurchCulture #Relationships

Episode 186 - Marriage Is Having An Identity Crisis

What if the church has spent thousands of years talking about marriage... and we're still arguing over what it actually is? This week, the conversation gets even weirder. Nate and Dr. Joseph Tillman dive into one of Christianity's biggest identity crises: marriage. Is it a sacrament? A covenant? A contract? Why did Jesus never get married if marriage is supposed to be central to the Christian life? And why does the entire conversation seem to orbit around sex? They also get into the strange language Christians have normalized over the years, including the idea of being "married to God," why Catholic priests and lifelong singles sometimes use the same phrase, and how church culture ended up creating so many different versions of the same institution. Like always, the discussion bounces between biblical history, church tradition, modern culture, and the questions people usually think but don't say out loud. There's theology, there's history, and there's at least one moment where everyone involved has to stop and ask, "Wait... are we sure this isn't kind of weird?" Hosted by Nate and Dr. Joseph Tillman, When I Heard This is a podcast for people who are curious about faith but a little skeptical of polished church answers. The goal isn't to win an argument. It's to have the conversation most people avoid. 🔔 Follow or subscribe to the podcast if you enjoy honest conversations about faith and culture. 👍 Rate or favorite this episode if it made you think. 📤 Share it with someone who's ever wondered why church people say the things they say. Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/rSCswkb7LOc Website: https://wheniheardthispodcast.com/link-in-bio/ Locals + X: @wheniheardthis Facebook + Instagram: @wheniheardthispodcast #ChristianPodcast #Marriage #ChurchCulture #FaithAndCulture #BibleQuestions #WhenIHeardThis

Episode 185 - Marriage Lore Gets Unhinged Fast

Why does marriage in the Bible get weird so fast? The moment you start reading the Old Testament, you're hit with questions nobody seems eager to answer. Cousins marrying cousins. Multiple wives. Concubines. Arranged marriages. People getting married way younger than anyone is comfortable with today. And somehow livestock keeps showing up in the conversation. In this episode, we continue our series on marriage by tackling some of the most confusing, uncomfortable, and frequently misunderstood marriage practices found in Scripture. Why did these things happen? Were they commanded by God? Were they cultural? And what, if anything, are Christians supposed to do with these passages now? Along the way, the conversation wanders through biblical history, church assumptions, ancient culture, relationships, faith, and several moments where everyone collectively realizes the Bible contains stories that would absolutely break the internet if they happened today. Nate asks the questions most people are already thinking, while Dr. Joseph Tillman attempts to explain why ancient marriage customs were often far more complicated than modern readers expect. The result is an honest, funny, and occasionally uncomfortable discussion about marriage, Scripture, and the gap between what the Bible describes and what it actually teaches. 🔔 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, culture, and church life Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/FJJ9maCD3kY Website: https://wheniheardthispodcast.com/link-in-bio/ Locals + X: @wheniheardthis Facebook + Instagram: @wheniheardthispodcast #ChristianPodcast #MarriageInTheBible #BibleQuestions #FaithAndCulture #ChurchCulture #WhenIHeardThis

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