Tension

It has been eight months since our last episode, and a lot has happened. Jonathan and Eric sit down to talk honestly about why the break happened, how the last year has shifted their relationship with the church, and why speaking about faith in public has felt heavier than ever.This conversation sits in the tension between loving the church and calling it out. We talk about grief, frustration, Christian nationalism, worship songs that hit different now, the fear of saying the wrong thing in the wrong place, and what it means to represent Jesus when the loudest voices in the American church feel so far from him.Most of all, we talk about the people who feel stuck in the middle. The ones who still believe in Jesus but do not recognize the version of Christianity around them. The ones trying to love their neighbors when their churches are cheering for ICE raids and political power. The ones who wonder if they are the only ones who feel this way.If that is you, this episode is for you. You are not alone.__________________Follow us on social:http://instagram.com/jonathan_caronehttp://instagram.com/ericw712https://www.threads.com/jonathan_caronehttps://www.threads.com/@ericw712__________________Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.

Less than 5% of podcasts make it to 100 episodes.So forgive us if we take a minute to celebrate getting to this milestone.In our super self-indulgent 100th episode, we take a look back at the impact our show has made in the lives of listeners over the last four years.__________________Follow us on social:http://instagram.com/jonathan_caronehttp://instagram.com/ericw712https://www.threads.net/@jonathan_caronehttps://www.threads.net/@ericw712__________________Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.AI notice: our outro was created with Suno using AIThe intro theme song is used with permission from the artist. It's High School by 90's Kids.

We truly believe Christians can follow Jesus together while disagreeing on how we apply our faith to politics. We even believe we can disagree with respect and dignity.But what's happening in our current culture is making it hard to love some of our neighbors around us.And while it's the politics that we see on the surface, it's the outright mean-spirited nature driving those politics and the rhetoric around them that makes it so hard to love those neighbors.This week we have an honest conversation about where we stand, why it's so hard to love them, and what it looks like moving forward in this climate.__________________Follow us on social:http://instagram.com/jonathan_caronehttp://instagram.com/ericw712https://www.threads.net/@jonathan_caronehttps://www.threads.net/@ericw712__________________Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.Our intro/outro music was created using AI.

If we're honest, Jesus didn't make this easy for us. There were things he did and didn't do that make following him harder. There are things he still does today that don't necessarily make sense or feel good.We're still going to choose to follow him despite those things, but if we're going to have an authentic relationship with him, we have to at least admit those things exist.__________________Follow us on social:http://instagram.com/jonathan_caronehttp://instagram.com/ericw712https://www.threads.net/@jonathan_caronehttps://www.threads.net@ericw712__________________Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.AI Notice - our intro/outro music was made by Suno using AI

We hear a lot about thoughts and prayers in our culture. But if we're honest, prayer alone isn't enough. The single biggest way God chooses to work on earth is through the action - alongside the prayers - of people.This week we talk about that reality along with how our prayer life should change the way we view the world as well as the things we care about.And we play this season's favorite game: What unChristian executive order or policy statement was said this week?!__________________Follow us on social:http://instagram.com/jonathan_caronehttp://instagram.com/ericw712https://www.threads.net/jonathan_caronehttps://www.threads.net/ericw712__________________Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.AI notice - our intro/outro was made with Suno using AI.

In the evangelical church - especially the version that's so overbearing today - we're taught we have to be in lock step with every position and not question any of them. After all, the Bible is clear about them all, right?!But that's not the way actual life and faith work.In reality, there are many theological positions I wish I was wrong about. In this episode, we get super honest – and only a little bit silly – about some of those positions.After all, faith is about trusting even when we don't get it, right? Jesus never said we had to like or agree with everything, only that we trust him.And we can trust him while hoping we're wrong.__________________Follow us on social:http://instagram.com/jonathan_caronehttp://instagram.com/ericw712https://www.threads.net/jonathan_caronehttps://www.threads.net/ericw712__________________Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.AI Notice - our intro/outro music is created by Suno using AI.

Heads up before you press play:If you’re currently processing the loss of a loved one, this episode might not be for you. To be completely transparent: this episode talks about death, dying, and losing family members. It also talks about the fears and anxieties we have around those issues as we grow older.The first 7-8 minutes or so includes some humor around death and dying, but if you can push past the immature bad jokes, there's also a really honest and candid conversation about how we know Heaven will be great, and we know one day with Jesus is better than 1,000 elsewhere, but if we're honest, we don't want to experience those things anytime soon.Hopefully you enjoy this week, but if it’s not for you, we totally get it and hope you’ll come back next week.PS - Jonathan is all good. Doc said it was mainly a formality and for genetic testing. __________________Follow us on social:http://instagram.com/jonathan_caronehttp://instagram.com/ericw712https://www.threads.net/@jonathan_caronehttps://www.threads.net/@ericw712__________________Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.AI Notice - our intro/outro is AI generated through Suno.

To kick off Season 12, we're introducing a series of honest conversations we think people are feeling but aren't having starting with a simple idea:I'd trust Jesus a lot more if it didn't require trusting other Christians.We know we haven't been hurt by Jesus, but many of us have been hurt by other Christians. Sometimes that hurt was intentional, but more often than not it's been unintentional because people are, well, people.__________________If you want to send in a story for our 100th episode, send them to hello@tensionpodcast.com or to Jonathan on Instagram (instagram.com/jonathan_carone).__________________Follow us on social:http://instagram.com/jonathan_caronehttp://instagram.com/ericw712https://www.threads.net/jonathan_caronehttps://www.threads.net/ericw712__________________Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.AI Notice - our intro/outro music was created using Suno.