The first episode of my new podcast, Reconstructing Faith, is now available. It deals with the church’s credibility crisis.
When we see leaders fall by the wayside either because of life or doctrine, the pain cuts in many directions all at once, with a lot of hurt left in the wake. The long-term effect of this kind of failure is a diminishing of the credibility of the church. Will God fail because of human weakness? No. But the church’s failures can become obstacles in the path of those who don’t yet know God or can cause believers to stumble in their faith. The spiritual fallout can be devastating.
In this episode, we address questions like:
- What has gone wrong?
- Should we care about what the world thinks of the church?
- Are many of these problems just overblown?
- What will it look like for us to begin the restoration and renewal process for our churches?
In weeks to come, we’ll examine the phenomenon of “deconstruction” and “deconversion,” the toxicity of social media, sex abuse in the church, chastity and “purity culture,” abuses of pastoral authority, and the American Dream, as well as current conversations about race and how Christians should engage in politics.
You can also find a discussion guide, in case you want to listen with friends and colleagues and have some conversations about this week’s episode.
I hope you’ll join me on this journey and consider what you can contribute to the task of restoring and rebuilding the church’s witness so the world would experience the majesty of Jesus. You can subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Google, Stitcher, and Spotify.
