Tension

Did you know only 7% of people who had an abortion felt comfortable talking to *anyone* at church before making their decision? If that's not bad enough, only 3 in 10 believe the Church is a safe place to discuss pregnancy options (including parenting, abortion, and adoption).Why don't people who have had an abortion feel comfortable in the American Church? What is it about us that makes them feel unsafe?This week we continue our look at how Cultural Christianity is killing the American Church by discussing how the way we talk about abortion within the Church is hurting those who have been impacted by it the most.Articles we reference:https://www.focusonthefamily.com/pro-life/abortion/survey-women-go-silently-from-church-to-abortion-clinic/ https://deeperstill.org/roe-triggers/ __________________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: the song at the beginning and end of the episode is AI generated.

Here's a stat for you: since 2008, moderates have left the Southern Baptist Convention at a 40% higher rate than the overall decline of the SBC.This season we're looking at how cultural Christianity is killing the American Church. In this week's episode, we dive into how moderates - both politically and theologically - have been pushed out of the American Evangelical church.Articles we reference:https://www.prri.org/research/religious-change-in-america/https://www.graphsaboutreligion.com/p/the-state-of-the-southern-baptisthttps://www.graphsaboutreligion.com/p/southern-baptists-are-more-conservative__________________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: the song at the beginning and end of the episode is AI generated.

The American Church is in decline. Since 2013, the percentage of Americans claiming to be religiously unaffiliated has risen by 5%. During that same time, the percentage of Americans who said religion is either most important or among the most important things in their life dropped from 72% to 53%.So what's causing the decline?In the newest season of Tension, we make the argument that Cultural Christianity is what's killing the American Church. In this episode, we lay the groundwork for the next seven episodes where we'll discuss an element of Cultural Christianity each week and talk about how it's having negative impacts on the American Church.Articles we reference:https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-04-07/trump-s-brand-of-christian-conservatism-is-driving-people-from-churchhttps://www.prri.org/research/religious-change-in-america/__________________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: the song at the beginning and end of the episode is AI generated.

You've heard it said by Christian influencers and hyper partisans: you can't be a Christian and vote for a democrat.We don't agree with that. We believe the Gospel doesn't fit into one American political party and that Bible believing, Jesus loving people can disagree on how we apply our faith to government.In this episode, we walk through a Biblically focused grid to show how we came to the conclusion that we would be voting for certain democrats this fall. This episode is not to convince you that voting Democrat makes you more of a Christian or that voting Republican makes you less of a Christian. It's simply to show how an honest look at the Bible can result in different applications.NOTE: this episode was recorded before the assassination attempt of President Trump. That shouldn’t impact any of the content, but we wanted to clarify for anyone who may have wanted that context. __________________Timestamps:9:04 - We all negotiate our faith10:48 - Step 1: Determine what the role of government is from a biblical perspective.14:49 - Democracy and forms of government in the Bible18:14 - It is not your religious duty to vote31:55 - What does the Bible say about taxes?40:56 - Step 2: Determine the issues you believe most accomplishes the role of government.41:59 - Jonathan’s answer to what most accomplishes the role of government43:47 - Eric’s answer to what most accomplishes the role of government51:51 - Step 3: Determine which candidates align with your priorities to accomplish the role of government.1:00:18 - How the Bible says we should approach those with a different political preference__________________Andy Stanley sermon Eric references:https://youtu.be/vga6t63XGcQ?si=ph0X-HLuOOLWRmmD__________________Follow us on social:http://instagram.com/jonathan_caronehttp://instagram.com/ericw712Email us:Hello@TensionPodcast.com__________________Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.__________________The music in this episode was AI generated using Suno.com.

This one is either going to alienate all our viewers or finally give words to what many of you are feeling.Building on last week's episode about studying scripture in its original context, this week Jonathan shares his journey of how studying the pro-life scriptures he was taught growing up in their full context led him to becoming pro-choice. It's a nuanced conversation but one that feels culturally relevant for many of us trying to figure out how to apply our faith to the culture around us.__________________Follow us on social:http://instagram.com/jonathan_caronehttp://instagram.com/ericw712Email us:hello@tensionpodcast.com__________________Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.

Let us go ahead and say it up front: this one gyat a little thick on the back end. We may have packed in a little too much junk in the trunk.All booty puns aside - this week we're sitting down (sorry!) to talk about one of the biggest issues we face today: pulling scripture out of its original context to justify our personal preferences and beliefs.We use the click bait of the title to pull you in before shifting to a conversation we really think you'll enjoy.__________________Follow us on social:http://instagram.com/jonathan_caronehttp://instagram.com/ericw712Email us:hello@tensionpodcast.com__________________Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.

There's been a lot of talk recently about the femininity of the American church. In this week's episode of the podcast, we answer an important question a listener sent in:What the heck does Biblical masculinity look like?__________________Follow us on social:http://instagram.com/jonathan_caronehttp://instagram.com/ericw712Email us:hello@tensionpodcast.com__________________Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.

Why is it so dang hard for people to love their neighbor? It seems like on of Jesus's easiest commands. But if 'love your neighbor' is so easy, why do we suck at it so often?This week we look at two ends of the pendulum for why it's hard to love our neighbor and try to find a way to get better at it.Article referenced in the show__________________Follow us on social:http://instagram.com/jonathan_caronehttp://instagram.com/ericw712__________________Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.