Aaron
Salvato

In this episode, Aaron and Brian explore the way that postmodern thinking is currently effecting young people. As two former youth pastors, we have a huge heart for young people. They aren’t just the future of the church, they are the present. If you’re a young person between the middle school and college age listening to this, we appreciate you, and we are glad you are here. One of the biggest problems we’ve been seeing about postmodern philosophy is it’s assault on the concept of objective truth. The assertion that everyone can have their own truth, no matter what it is, as long as it doesn’t harm anyone. But that’s the problem. Lies do harm people. If you’re handed a glass of poison and told it’s water, that is a lie that will hurt you. As people who believe in both the concept of God-given morality and the problem of sin, we understand that it’s important to discuss how the concept of truth is deteriorating in our postmodern society. Today on the show we are going to watch some clips from a video from 2017 where a guy is on college campuses trying to see how far young people have slipped into postmodern thinking. Then we are going to talk about what it means for the church. We hope this conversation challenges you in your thinking and helps you consider other points of view.

We've got a special treat for you guys: Aaron has asked his old friend Mike Winger to come on and chat about the power and potential of doing ministry work online. Mike started out as a youth and assistant pastor at a local church, before God started leading him to a new mission field: the internet. Mike runs the theology and apologetics youtube ministry, Bible Thinker. For anyone looking to find ways to reach people for the Kingdom online, we know this episode will help encourage you as you work towards that goal!

Postmodernism may be today’s common thinking, but is that a good thing? In this episode, Brian and Aaron push past the facade of freedom postmodernism offers to explore some of its dangers. The second episode of this new miniseries begins with a quick recap on what postmodern thinking actually is, something that is not always easy to define. With that definition in mind, Aaron and Brian highlight the fact that some of postmodernism’s conclusions lead to scary places for Jesus followers and non-believers alike. We hope this episode puts words to things you may have felt before about postmodernism and helps you talk about it in a compassionate, helpful, Jesus-loving way!

Why are Millennials and GenZ kids who grew up in the Church leaving in droves? How can we reach people struggling with doubt and deconstruction? Evan Wickham, pastor of Park Hill Church in San Diego, has a lot of perspective to offer on this topic. Between his time as a youth pastor, traveling worship leader, and spending years pastoring in Portland (a culture hostile to the Christian faith), Evan has seen his fair share of doubt & deconstruction... as well as experiencing some himself. Evan shares his insight into how we can come out the other side of doubt and deconstruction with a positive attitude aiming to build the Church up, rather than tear it down, and how we can reach people who are currently struggling with their faith. He introduces a concept called "Spiritual Consent" that he has found helpful in ministering to people burned out and wounded by things they've experienced. We hope this conversation helps you in your walk with Christ and is a helpful resource to you as you make every effort to help others discover the Way of Jesus.

Click link to watch the sermon - People to Be Loved: Why Homosexuality Is Not Just an Issue: Christians who are confused by the homosexuality debate raging in the US are looking for resources that are based solidly on a deep study of what Scripture says about the issue. In People to Be Loved, Preston Sprinkle challenges those on all sides of the debate to consider what the Bible says and how we should approach the topic of homosexuality in light of it. In a manner that appeals to a scholarly and lay-audience alike, Preston takes on difficult questions such as how should the church treat people struggling with same-sex attraction? Is same-sex attraction a product of biological or societal factors or both? How should the church think about larger cultural issues, such as gay marriage, gay pride, and whether intolerance over LGBT amounts to racism? How (or if) Christians should do business with LGBT persons and supportive companies? Simply saying that the Bible condemns homosexuality is not accurate, nor is it enough to end the debate. Those holding a traditional view still struggle to reconcile the Bible’s prohibition of same-sex attraction with the message of radical, unconditional grace.

In this GoodLion midweek message Aaron shares with us about the evil twin brother of faith - doubt. Doubt is not a very fun topic to talk about because it's not something that's often very accepted at church... but it's something vitally important the church talks about and engages with. We need to see how Jesus responds to those who doubt. What better character to study on this topic than the man known as "doubting Thomas?"

In this episode Brian & Aaron begin to scratch the surface of a notoriously hard to define topic: postmodernism, specifically postmodern philosophy. While western culture has been in the grip of a postmodern movement and mood since the 1960s, many Christians struggle to identify what exactly postmodernism is, and why it presents a problem for the Church. In part one of a new miniseries, the guys jump headfirst into the discussion, doing their best to research, learn, and share their findings. They take a look at Modernism and how it led to Postmodernism, and discuss one of the core reasons this trajectory has created an obstacle for the Christian worldview, namely, the abandonment of the concept of objective truth. We hope this episode helps you think deeply as you follow Jesus in this current cultural moment!

In this BONUS episode Aaron & Brian square off to see who can fire off the most "Christainese" phrases in rapid succession.

Have you ever wondered if you are actually saved? if Jesus' work on the cross was enough to really save you? Have you ever been discouraged about how sometimes the Gospel can seem so complicated, and there seems to be a ton of hurdles you must clear before you can truly be saved? If you've wondered these things... this message is for you. Aaron takes a look at the Simple Gospel as taught by Paul in Galatians, and shows us how the Gospel frees us from the burden of trying to please others... and gives us freedom because of the reality that Christ has already done everything we need to be saved.

Abortion is a hot button topic that is often debated by both Christians and non Christians. Ryan Lynn (Founder of the Speak Life Collective) is here to challenge us on how we can think through this divisive topic as followers of Christ. In this discussion, Aaron and Brian dialogue with Ryan about the value of an unborn life, how to respond to those who hold pro-choice views, what it means to be pro-life, the ethics of abortion, how to get involved with this ideological battle as a peacemaker, how to show grace and compassion to women who've struggled through this issue, and how to hold boldly to your convictions while carrying those convictions with compassion. It's a great talk and we really hope it encourages and equips you to walk closely with Jesus as you engage the culture around you for the Kingdom of God.