Why a Podcast?

I recently launched a podcast.  And I feel a need to talk about that for a minute for a few reasons.

First of all, I want you to subscribe to it.  There I said it, I want listeners.  Making a podcast is absolutely no fun and frankly it isn’t terribly motivating if no one is listening.

But I need to be honest, while I have thought about this for a long time a big part of me kept asking myself, “Jared, are you just doing this because you want people to hear your voice?”  I can’t lie, I am a prideful and arrogant soul.  Nothing makes me feel more superior than thinking that there are people out in internet land who like to hear what I have to say.  That is horrible.  I know.  It makes me feel dirty just typing those words out, but hey I keep saying I am a sinner, so I shouldn’t be surprised when pride rears its ugly, nasty head.  And to be honest I didn’t want to start a podcast simply to feed the pride monster.  So I didn’t.

But as I have watched the debates about policy issues rage throughout the last year or so, it has become increasingly clear to me that many people (Christians included) struggle to have what is called a “Biblical worldview.”  Everyone sees the world through a set of lenses.  It is a way of interpreting the world.  Let’s face it, there is a load of data out there and it grows exponentially thanks to the internet.  We need some way of interpreting all that data.  That method of interpretation is our worldview.

What informs our worldview?  It is a set of foundational beliefs.  These beliefs are formed a number of ways.  Through excessive media input, must see TV, podcasts, books, and way more.  Everything we put in our heads helps to build, establish and frame our worldview.  This is why a person who watches exclusively MSNBC will probably have a different worldview than someone who exclusively watches Fox News.  We can see these different world views in competition with one another when we scroll through Facebook and read comments.

My hope is not necessarily to challenge these world views (though if I don’t challenge both I may not be doing well) my hope to to help us understand and recapture a Biblical worldview.

In episode 1 I discuss a little bit of the history of a Biblical worldview and where I hope to go in subsequent episodes.  Then episode 2 diverges a little bit.  My plan is to post one weekly episode that deals at some length (hopefully no more than 20 minutes) with an issue in our world in an effort to develop a Biblical worldview.  Then once or twice a week I will post an additional much shorter episode that will encourage us to get into something called a catechism.  Catechisms are old and unfortunately dying documents that the church used for centuries to help people understand the faith they profess.  I find that in our modern era we are very rarely doing this.  And I think this is a bit tragic.

If you know me at all, you will probably know that I despise doing things by the book.  I don’t really like rules, and to do something just because “we do something” makes me die just a little bit inside.  But I am beginning to believe that by neglecting the catechisms the church is contributing to the epidemic of Biblical ignorance that this podcast is aimed at combatting.  Therefore, it would be arrogant and presumptuous of me to think that I can combat biblical illiteracy by merely talking about topics.  We will also be going back to the catechisms on a regular basis in this podcast.

Catechism episodes will be five minutes at the most.  This would be an ideal thing to pull out at the family dinner table and discuss.  If you don’t want to invite my voice to your family dinner table, I completely understand.  There are many times my family will agree with you.  But I would encourage you to get a catechism app on your phone and use that.  It is such a simple way to naturally discuss the things we believe.

Please feel free to contact me at anytime if something I have said is challenging, or if there is a topic you would like to address.  I also can tell you right off the bat that I will get things wrong sometimes, and I will say things the wrong way sometimes even when I am right.  So, while also learning a little bit, let’s also use this as an exercise in grace and communication.

You can get the podcast on iTunes or on the BismarckCC App, now go ahead and subscribe and check out the first couple episodes and let me know where I’m being a fool.