Twenty-First Century Jesus

Latest Episodes:

Racial (In)justice? with Sean Palmer Aug 19, 2019

Show notes

"I actually think that President Trump got a bad rap in Charlottesville.” – Sean Palmer
Sean Palmer is the Teaching Pastor at Ecclesia Houston, one of America’s most innovative and vibrant multi-site churches. Sean co-hosts the “Not So Black and White” podcast, is the author of Unarmed Empire: In Search of Beloved Community and is a leading voice on how the church should deal with issues of race in the twenty-first century.

From police violence against unarmed youth to Colin Kaepernick taking a knee during the national anthem, Sean offers his thoughts on various issues related
to race and how the first-century Jesus would react to issues facing Americans of all backgrounds in the twenty-first century.

Here’s a somewhat surprising answer Sean gave when asked about President Trump not condemning white supremacists in Charlottesville: “I actually think
that President Trump got a bad rap in Charlottesville (referring to Trump’s comments that there were “very fine people on both sides” of the white supremacist march in 2017). If people read the entire statement, he does condemn white supremacists. It's later
on, in that press conference, when he's asked a question and says there were very fine people on both sides. ...There are a lot of other things that he has said and done throughout the years where people may choose or not choose to draw connections, but those
were two different statements. One was about the white supremacists and the other was about the other group of people, who may or may not have been there in support of the white supremacists. I just think that's a statement that needs a little bit more parsing
than it normally gets.”

The heartbeat behind the Twenty-First Century Jesus podcast are the questions: If Jesus were here today, what interesting people would He talk to, what
important conversations would He have, and what urgent causes would He care about? Sean Palmer would certainly be one of those interesting people, and the topic of race in America would be one He would have a conversation about.

Tackling Depression with Dr. Tom Whiteman Aug 19, 2019

Show notes

“It's all about what resources will help… bring you out of this funk.” – Dr. Tom Whiteman
Dr. Tom Whiteman is a Philadelphia-area psychologist and co-author of more than a dozen books, including, Starting Over, The Fresh Start Divorce Recovery Workbook, Stress Test, and Your Kids and Divorce.

In this interview, Tom explains the difference between general sadness and clinical depression, the correlation between being depressed and experiencing anxiety, why having a strong community is one of the most helpful aspects to your mental well-being, and when to know if you should consider taking medication.

When speaking about how to find help from a Christian perspective vs. a non-Christian one, Dr. Whiteman points out, “One of the reasons I started a Christian counseling agency was because I wanted to tap into people's resources. I would ask, ‘How important is your faith to you?’ And sometimes the answer was, ‘Well, you know, God is the center of my life.’ ‘Well, then let's talk about that. Let's start with that,’ if that's the source that you draw from, let's talk specifically about that. But I had clients who would say, ‘I don't want to talk about God.’ I'd say, ‘Okay, that's fine. Then let's talk about other resources,’ and they'd say, ‘Well, I live for my kids.’ ‘Okay. So, what kind of dad do you want to be? Do you want to be a dad who's a victim? And, you know, lays in bed on Saturday and doesn't do anything around the house? Or do you want to get up and show the kids that you're vibrant and you're capable?’ It's all about what resources will help, that you can tap into to help you bring you out of this funk.”

One of the main goals of the Twenty-First Century Jesus Podcast is to provide helpful resources for people at all different stages of life. Whether you’ve dealt with depression in the past, are dealing with it now, or know someone who is dealing with it currently, you’ll certainly find tremendous value by listening to Dr. Whiteman’s wisdom and advice.

Christian Cannabis with Craig Gross Aug 19, 2019

Show notes

“Weed is just a plant growing out of the ground. I don't need a prescription for that.” – Craig Gross

Craig Gross is the founder of XXXChurch.com and the new website ChristianCannabis.com, a site designed to start “A conversation that isn’t being had amongst believers who are both seeking to be faithful to
the word of God and interested in what, exactly, this whole ‘weed thing’ is all about.”

In this wide-ranging conversation, hear Craig share his history from founding
XXXChurch.com, how and why he first started using cannabis, his thoughts on how marijuana products compare to drinking alcohol, and much more.

One of Craig’s main challenges is whether marijuana should even be considered a “drug.” He argues, “We've been fed a bunch of lies… weed is a plant growing
out of the ground. I don't need a prescription for that. It's been there, and it's for us. And I think it's good. …It could be abused, just like we can eat too much of something from the Garden (of Eden). You’ve got to be responsible, and you’ve got to figure
out like, ‘What's your intent, and what are you searching for? What do you want to learn?’"

As with every episode of the Twenty-First Century Jesus Podcast, the goal is to have respectful and helpful conversations with people from all different
perspectives and walks of life. Ultimately, the question is: what would a first-century Jesus say to a twenty-first century world, and for the purposes of this specific discussion, what would he say to his followers about smoking marijuana?

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