I got several messages from straight listeners encouraging me to post my Pride Month podcast episode more broadly, but the reason I’m going ahead with this blog post, which I’ll share on social media, is because of a message I received from a follower of Jesus who is LGBTQ and is committed to the traditional interpretation of Scripture that sex and marriage is to be between a man and a woman. This listener has sacrificed and surrendered their own sexual behavior so that their life lines up with Scripture (if only more straight Christians would have this type of faith and obedience), yet still has been rejected and dehumanized by Christians. Here is an excerpt from what they wrote me:
Ep. 97: Jalen Seawright of Common Hymnal on Worship & Justice
Noah has a conversation with Jalen Seawright on worship and justice. This conversation is meant to help you think critically and come closer to the heart of God for worship and the oppressed.
Ep. 96: Drew Boa on Overcoming Porn and the Trauma We All Carry
Noah has a conversation with Drew Boa on the deep layers we need to address to overcome porn and unwanted sexual behavior. Within this, they discuss how trauma affects everyone, not just those with acute trauma experiences, and how this trauma leads us into our addictions and coping mechanisms.
Ep. 94: Preston Sprinkle on a Biblical Approach to American Politics
You may be in the tribe that tells you that Christianity and the Republican Party are one in the same. Or perhaps you are in the tribe that is a reaction to that approach, proclaiming that the policies of the Democrat Party are actually where Jesus would land. What if the Bible offers a very different approach to politics than the one most Christians today take? Preston Sprinkle explores this approach, comparing the United States to biblical Babylon, where God’s people lived in exile, and to biblical Rome, where Jesus walked and the first century church got its start.
Ep. 90: Juanita Rasmus on Learning to Live in the Unmerited Love of God
Noah and Pastor Juanita Rasmus have a conversation around how to live in the unmerited love of God when everything inside of us says we need to perform in order to be accepted. Juanita is the author of Learning to Be: Finding Your Center After the Bottom Falls Out and is a pastor who endured a 9-month crash following ministry burnout. Listen in to discover the freeing truths of Jesus’ love that she found at the bottom of the pit and learn the tools and rhythms you need to start experiencing this freedom here and now.
Ep. 89: Four Church Planters Talk Candidly About Church Health
Church planting pastors Cindy Riley, Josh Cramer, Laura Tarro, and Noah Filipiak have a raw conversation about the ups and downs of church planting.