Faith and Culture Now: Recent Episodes
Dr. Scott Shiffer
At faith and culture now we discuss various topics of importance in our culture from a Christian perspective in order to help people think and live more Christianly.
In this episode, Scott, Randall, and Scott discuss problems that arise when we uses phrases like "the Bible clearly says..."
In this episode, Scott and Randall discuss various issues surrounding the nature of prayer.
In this episode, Scott S., Christine, and Scott H. discuss the firing of Tucker Carlson, James Corden leaving his talk show, and changes to classic remakes like Peter Pan and the Little Mermaid.
In this episode Scott, Jilian and Steve discuss the Atonement of Christ and recent challenges to the necessity of Jesus' death on the Cross.
In this episode, Scott speaks with Dave Capozzi about what it was like to leave the faith while in Seminary and to walk away from ministry.
In this episode, Scott and Randall discuss the political climate in the US and Iran in light of how God works through Christians to share the Gospel in times of struggle and persecution.
In this episode, Scott speaks with Josh K., a former pastor who has deconstructed from church, but who still sees himself as a person of faith. This is the first in a short series of guest this Spring who will be talking about their decisions to leave the church.
In this episode, Scott and Erin talk with Jacki C. King about her book, The Calling of Eve: How Women in the Bible Inspire Women in the Church. On the podcast we discuss how women are valued in the Bible, gifted as leaders, how God calls women into service, and how to encourages women in the church and recognize their contributions to ministry.
In this episode, Scott and Jilian discuss Bible translations, textual criticism, and why we can still trust God's Word.
In this episode, Scott talks with Randall and Erin about the disconnect between biblical scholarship and common practices in the church and about the importance of oversight and having proper qualifications to teach others through published writings.
In this episode, Scott S. talks with Christine and Scott H. about several mega churches that have been in the news lately for various reasons and how Christians should think about and respond to the issues at hand. We ask the question, how much room for different beliefs should there be before a group is reprimanded for their actions?
In this episode, Scott talks with Randall and Erin about the concept of church, parenting, and indoctrinating children. What are we gonna say about it? Listen and find out.
In this episode, Scott talks with Jilian and Steve about the He Gets Us ad campaign as well as the revival happening at Asbury University.
In this episode, Scott S. talks with Christine and Scott H. about issues surrounding churches and money.
In this episode, Scott talks with Pastor Steve Heyduck about Methodist history, traditions, and distinctives,
In this episode, Scott, Randall and Erin discuss difficult issues in the OT related to violence, violent imagery, and the treatment of women.
In this episode, Scott, Jilian and Steve discuss issues related to synthetic biology including positive aspects, negative aspects, and areas of caution as it relates to ethics and faith.
In this episode, Scott S. and Scott H. talk about the hope we are to have in the Lord as it is juxtaposed to the idea of preaching a Gospel of fear as it relates to our world, politics, school, war, etc. The Scott's conclude that it is better to trust in Christ than to be anxious and better to place our faith in the Lord than to be scared to live out our faith boldly in our culture.
In this podcast, Scott speaks with Dave Lindberg about the traditions, beliefs, and practices of the Presbyterian Church of America.
In this episode, Scott, Randall, and Christine discuss Christmas traditions and practices.
In this episode, Scott S. and Scott H. discuss the positive and negative aspects of short term mission trips. They also discuss what is happening in Iran, persecution, and human rights.
In this episode, Scott speaks with Dr. Ed Johnson, pastor of Harvest Fellowship Baptist Church about the Baptist tradition and their distinctive beliefs.
In this episode, Scott and Randall discuss the importance of multi-cultural churches as well as how to treat people with love and respect now that the mid-term elections are over.
In this episode, Scott S. talks with Scott H. and Steve about why people are leaving the church today and how that relates to issues of free speech and cancel culture.
In this episode, Scott speaks with Rev. Dr. Helen Boursier about the PCUSA tradition, beliefs, practices, and worship.
Christine and Scott discuss the idea of creating Christian celebrities, using celebrities to try and promote Christ, and profiting off of celebs in the name of Jesus.
In this episode, Scott S. and Scott H. discuss creation and the natural world and how observation leads theistic people and atheistic people in very different directions.
In this episode Scott, Erin, and Randall discuss various issues related to celebrating Halloween and participating in different cultural traditions.
In this video, Scott speaks with Father James Yamauchi about the beliefs and traditions of the Catholic Church.
In this episode Scott and Christine discuss the positive aspects of humor, especially in light of bad situations. They also discuss how to know when something is not appropriate to joke about or is in bad taste.
In this episode, Scott talks with Erin and Steve about whether or not Biblical principles should be re-negotiated based on cultural acceptance and practices, the discipline of Matt Chandler and his pastoral behavior on social media, and the statements made by Al Mohler about Christians being ashamed for not voting or voting the wrong way.
In this episode, Scott speaks with Reverend Benjamin J. Dueholm about the history, traditions, and the distinctive marks of the Lutheran Tradition in the Christian Faith.
In this episode, Scott, Randall, and Scott H. discuss passages of Scripture that are ignored in chidlren's church, avoided from the Pulpit, or selectively ignored to promote a specific agenda.
In this episode Scott interviews Dean Robert Price of St. Matthew's Cathedral about the Anglican tradition and what distinguishing marks characterize that denominational leaning of the Christian faith.
In this episode, Scott and Erin discuss what we mean when we say that the Bible is God's Word, when we say that he inspired the writers of the text, and what we mean when we say that the Bible is without errors. We also discuss why we can trust that it is still God's Word even though it was edited some by the prophets in the Old Testament era. Scribal errors are explained and as well as ancient writing practices. Finally, we discuss how the Bible is translated and why it is important for new translations to consider the oldest manuscripts when determining the best readings.
In this episode, Scott, Scott, and Christine discuss matters of emotion as they relate to manipulation, evangelism, and losing a loved pet.
In this episode, Scott, Steve, and Randall discuss unity as it relates to evangelism, re-editing art after it is published, and re-defining terms to fit your agenda.
In this episode, Scott S., Christine, and Scott H. wrap up the series on the Worldview Driven Church. They share concluding thoughts and important themes throughout the series.
In this episode, Scott and Erin discuss the Biblical mandate to make disciples and how to do that from the perspective of creation, fall, and redemption.
In this episode, Scott and Hannah discuss the value of spiritual disciplines, growing in the faith, the nature of discipleship, and the value in developing one's spiritual life.
In this episode, Scott and Steve talk about God's calling on our lives and specifically his calling on our lives as it relates to work and careers outside the church.
In this episode Scott and Randall discuss the importance of community in the church and how the church should view its ministry to "strangers" in the community.
In this episode, Scott S. and Scott H. talk about the nature of preaching and the importance of preaching the whole of Scripture through the lens of Christ.
In this episode, Scott and Christine discuss the importance of Liturgy to worship. This includes focus on the communal aspects of worship as well as the participation of everyone in the worship service.
In this episode, Scott and Hannah discuss recovering eschatological purpose of the church, namely understanding our place in the process of redemption and the already-not-yet and how it relates to our hope in the Lord.
In this episode, Scott and Erin discuss how the church is to be properly seen as a continuation of Israel going back to Abraham and ultimately to the Garden. We also note that the Church is not merely a replacement of Israel.
In this episode, Scott and Christine discuss what encompasses the Kingdom of God and the importance of sharing that Kingdom with the world around us.
In this Episode, Steve and I discuss the importance of seeing value in the whole person. We discuss the problems of objectifying people or using them as a means to an end, as well as the problem with seeing people as just soul's trapped in a body.
In this episode, Scott and Randall talk about the need for churches to have proper teachings about the nature and character of God, the value of engaging all of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and the importance of seeing Christ as the redeemer of the cosmos and the fullness of deity.
In this new series, Scott S. and Scott H. discuss the Worldview Driven Church by Dr. David Naugle. They begin with several critiques of American Church culture and using Dr. Naugle's outline, they lay out the conversation for the coming parts in this study, including proper church beliefs regarding God, salvation, and the identity of the church, as well as proper practice including worship, preaching, fellowship, discipleship, and missions.
In this episode, Scott and Christine discuss the redeeming qualities of Encanto and Red on Disney.
Scott and Steve talk about the altercation between Will Smith and Chris Rock as well as what implications it has for our society.
In this episode, Randall and I discuss some of the ongoing issues regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In this episode, Scott and Michael discuss ways to use social media without letting it take over your life as well as how parents can model social media behaviors for the children.
In this episode, Scott S. and Scott H. discuss how events like the Olympics can simultaneously highlight the best aspects of the human experience and the worst aspects of it. Enjoy!!
In the last episode in this series, Scott and Steve offer concluding thoughts with regard to gender issues and Christianity.
In this episode, Scott and Christine discuss developing a stance on LGBTQQ+ issues in the church as well as determining how to educate church members about how the congregation is expected to deal with those issues as they relate to the church.
In this episode, Scott S. and Scott H. discuss interracial and inter-faith marriage in the Bible and in our society.
In this episode, Scott and Randall discuss the issues of polygamy and being a eunuch as they appear in the Bible.
In this episode, Scott and Steve discuss what the Bible teaches about marriage and the sacredness of the marriage covenant.
In this episode Scott S. and Scott H. talk about what the Bible says about sexual immorality.
In this episode, Scott and Christine discuss transgender issues as they relate to Christianity and society.
As we continue our series on Christianity and Gender Issues, in this episode, Randall and I discuss sexual laws and ethics in the Bible.
In this episode, I discuss the history of LGBTQ issues as they relate to different cultures leading to our culture and society today.
In this episode, Scott and Steve discuss the image of God in humanity and gender roles in the Bible.
In this episode we begin a new series discussing issues related to gender, sexuality, marriage, the Bible, and Christian Theology.
In this episode, Scott and Erin discuss raising children with special needs. I say part 3 on the podcast, but make no mistake, it is part 2.
In this episode Scott talks about some basic goals of parenting and some basics about raising children that are found in the Bible.
In this episode Scott and Randall discuss the historical Saint Nicholas as well as some other Christmas traditions.
In this episode Scott S. and Scott H. talk about Santa Claus and other traditions that we celebrate around the holidays.
Scott and Christine Talk about the Incarnation event, God inviting Mary and Joseph to be a part of his plan, and some things that are commonly misunderstood aspects of the Nativity.
In this episode Steve and I discuss the nature of worship and the importance of making God our communal focus when we meet together as a body of believers.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!! In this episode Randall and I discuss issues related to being thankful, showing gratitude, and investing in others.
In this episode I speak with Dr. Joseph Cathey about ancient warfare, political unrest, and understanding unrest in our culture today.
In this episode Scott and Christine discuss All Soul's Day, the Day of the Dead, and the importance of remembering those we have lost as well as embracing the hope of the resurrection. We also discuss the issue of sinning against others and the nature of harmful intentions.
In this episode, Steve and I bring concluding thoughts to the topics that surround the deconstruction movement in the church. In our congregations, we need to make sure people are being heard, their needs are being met, and their questions are being properly answered. We have a lot of work to do as we seek to move forward and become better equipped to not only minister to the needs of this generation, but also as we seek to do a better job of discipleship to our members, and as we seek to heal wounds that we have caused. We are all sinners in need of God's saving grace and we all have room to grow in our faith, devotion, and walk with the Lord.
In this episode, Scott H. and I discuss issues related to abusive theology and acts of cruelty that come from the church.
In this episode, Scott and Christine discuss the issue of inclusivism as it relates to Christ being the only path to salvation.
In this episode, Erin and I discuss LGBTQ+ issues as they relate to deconstruction in the conservative church.
In this episode, Scott and Erin discuss issues related to women in ministry. It is suggested that women have a seat at the table and be seen as an integral part of all ministry.
In this episode, I talk with Scott H. about the concept of following Christ, worshiping the Bible, and rightly understanding the Word of God.
In this episode, Randall and I discuss having to do damage control with congregations when pastors make false or inaccurate claims as well as ideas associated with proper missions work as opposed to viewing missions work as Americanizing other cultures.
In this episode, Scott and Steve talk about the anti-evangelical or exvangelical movement, explaining what it is and important terms to know when discussing it such as deconstruction, progressive Christian, etc. We also discuss the need of the church to listen to the critiques and challenges made by those leaving in order to learn from mistakes, clarify beliefs, and help reconstruct Christian practices from a Biblical perspective moving forward.
In this special episode of the FCN Podcast, Scott speaks with Dr. Matthew Baird about the importance of small churches, the blessings they are, and the way to think about spiritual growth in these congregations.
In the final episode about Purity Culture, Scott and Randall talk about issues related to human dignity and sexual abuses.
In this episode, Michael and I discuss how the church should properly teach about purity/sexual integrity.
In this episode Scott and Steve discuss further critiques of purity culture and introduce the concept of sexual integrity.
In this episode, Scott and Christine begin the discussion about what purity culture is, how it somehow went off track, and how the result has been traumatic and difficult for some who grew up in that culture.
In this episode Erin and Randall join me to discuss issues related to the child tax credit refunds hitting people's bank accounts until December, we discuss the idea of life out their and its bearing on the work of Christ, as well as what it means to say that God works out all things for the Good.
In this episode Dr. Lance Higginbotham and I discuss the importance of the Psalms and specifically of Imprecatory Psalms that deal with asking for God to bring about justice by stopping evil.
In this Special Episode of the Faith and Culture Now Podcast, I speak with Thomas Brandon who is working in the film industry and writing for the show Legacies on the CW and Netflix. We discuss the issue of faith in Hollywood as well as the importance of perseverance, work-ethic, and just being a blue color worker in an often glamorized field of work.
In this episode Scott and Michael discuss the problems with policing derogatory terms and the need for us to stop using some terms. They also discuss the importance and the pitfalls of having mountain top spiritual experiences such as youth camps or church retreats.
We are not promised a future, but we often live as if we have certainty that things will happen as we have planned. In this episode, Stephen Stanley and I discuss several issues surrounding the fact that we live in a world where things do not always go as planned including how we often do not understand why things are happening around us as they do, because we do not have all the details.
In this episode, Scott H. and I discuss the importance of viewing all the aspects of people in history as well as looking at modern news from multiple perspectives to get a better understanding of the truth.
In this episode Scott and Erin discuss stewardship of animal life once thought extinct, the case of a man on death row who has asked for a firing squad to end his life instead of lethal injection, and how Christians should respond when they work for companies that celebrate pride month.
In this episode I talk with Dr. Brian Franklin about the political buzz around Critical Race Theory and the proposed changes to Texas Education regarding how we teach history in our schools. We find that history is messy and while we can learn from it, we need not clean it up or ignore parts of it just because they are ugly.
In this episode, Scott talks with Scott Higginbotham and Michael Dennis about transparency, integrity, and honesty as it relates to App tracking data, caring for the world, and locating good resources for helping people read the Bible more accurately.
In this episode, Scott talks with James Crockett about personal identity, being a whole person, and compartmentalizing who we are in light of specific things about ourselves.
In this episode Scott talks with Dr. Damien Williams about his experiences in church planting and about what his church regularly does to meet the needs of their urban community.
What do the SBC views on women in ministry, the fighting in Jerusalem, and Personality Tests have in common? Listen to find out!! In this episode Scott talks with Erin Newton and Dr. Randall Worley.
In this episode, Scott talks with Dr. Christine Jones and Stephen Stanley about the Grammy awards, political privilege, and reverence towards God in worship and daily life.
In this special episode, Scott talks with Dr. Joseph Cathey about the phrases "sons of God" and "daughters of men" in the Hebrew Scriptures as they relate to the Great Flood.
Join Scott S., Scott H, and Randall W. as they discuss the value in the blues, creation care, and forgiveness leads to racial reconciliation.
In this episode Scott talks with Christine and Erin about the influence of Christian celebrities, the influence of good literature, and the influence and value of people with special needs.
In this episode Scott shares some basic principles for learning how to read the Bible more accurately and better understand the meaning in its pages.
In this special episode, Scott talks with Steven Stanley and Michael Dennis about decline in church memberships in America and the guilt and shame culture that is rampant in many churches. Michael shares his personal story of dealing with alcohol and depression and the healing that has begun through being brave enough to speak out about his struggles.
In this episode Scott talks with Christine and Scott H. about the importance of the portrayal of grief in WandaVision, the characteristics of "Christian" art, and a new album that hit the top of the iTunes Christian charts but that has more to do with doubt and struggle than with the normal milieu of CCM.
In this episode Scott talks with Bethany and Michael about the effects of Beth Moore leaving the SBC, women's roles in ministry in general, and about finding ways to bridge the racial divide in conservative Christianity.
In this episode Scott and Steve discuss how Christians should think about conspiracy theories and they discuss the concept of a simulated reality.
In this episode Scott talks with Randall Worley and Alex Mitchell about ethical responsibilities of social media platforms, the importance of viewing our walk with the Lord as relational not transactional, and the reason why it is unhealthy to create celebrities out of Christian leaders in the faith.
In this episode, Scott talks with Dr. Christine Hand Jones and Scott Higginbotham about why we love nostalgia, the need for a rightly ordered understanding of purity, and the need to trust God in the midst of a pandemic when it is easy to live in fear.
In this episode, Scott talks with Randall and Stephen about the changing shape of church attendance in light of COVID, issues surrounding our identity in light of God's redemptive plan and in light of spiritual community, and the issue of moral accountability and the natural consequences of our decisions.
In this episode, Scott talks with Michael and Alex about caring for creation, understanding what a testimony should be, and how the church can help people learn to share their struggles in order to be more authentic, grow together, and become stronger disciples.
In this episode Scott talks with Bethany and Scott H. about knowing our limits as Christians, taking time to rest, and learning to police our own behavior in social media.
In this episode Scott and Dr. Randall Worley discuss the divine favor of government, the reason we as Christians are to submit to the authority of government (even when governments are wicked or illegitimate), and how to move forward as believers in this tense political climate.
In this episode, Scott talks with Dr. Christine Hand Jones and Michael Dennis about making small changes to grow as a person, allowing art to help you process your emotions and world, and using films like "Soul" to find teachable moment with children.
In this episode Scott talks with Steve Stanley of FBC Krugerville and Alex Mitchell of Cinco Stones on YouTube about the post election political climate, focusing on Jesus and his birth at Christmas, and about the decision by WB to send all new release films directly to streaming and theaters in 2021.
In this video Scott speaks with Dr. Hunter about how to help those who are struggling with suicidal thoughts and feelings. They discuss making personal connections with people, getting help, gaining confidence, and finding purpose in life.
n this video Scott talks with Dr. Steve Hunter about trauma, addiction, anxiety, and the crushing weight that comes from the big lies leading people to view suicide as the only best option. Dr. Hunter shares his story of his attempted suicide as a high-school student.
Shelby shares her story of losing her father to suicide. Scott and Shelby talk about the importance of community in the grieving process.
Scott and Ross talk about music, the creative process, and the need to learn from perspectives that are different from your own. You can check out The Blood Orange Project here: https://www.thebloodorangeproject.com/ and you can check out his band A Red Arrow here: https://www.facebook.com/aredarrowband/
Scott and Jack discuss how to have civil disagreement in our conversations about politics. We also talk about how to become an informed voter, how to engage politics, and how to embrace your spiritual beliefs in the process.
Scott and Taylor talk about what churches and people can do to help the homeless. Taylor shares his story of graduating high school from a homeless shelter.
Scott and Time (of Aspis Consulting) talk about how technology can be a help and a hindrance to our children and teens. We discuss how to converse with your children about technology, how to recognize bullying, and how to help keep your kids safe from predators. Check out Tim's resources at : https://www.aspisconsulting.org/
Scott and Raynie talk about losing someone and the process of grief that comes with the loss. They specifically share about losing a friend who was murdered a number of years ago.
Scott and Barry talk about sexual abuse allegations in SBC churches, the need for victims to have a voice, and ways the church can do better with regard to preventing abuse.
Scott and Chidinma discuss the effects of domestic abuse, how to help someone who is being abused, and Chidinma shares her story about how she survived domestic abuse.
Scott and Josiah discuss the value of life as it relates to those without a voice. Josiah shares about how he survived an abortion, was adopted, and how he found peace in Christ.
Scott and Malcom discuss the value of human life from a biblical perspective, including how we are created in God's image, how all people should be treated with dignity and respect, and how all lives matter.
Scott and Alex discuss the struggles of addiction, how to help someone who is addicted, what to do if you are an addict, and Alex shares his story of overcoming his struggles.