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Christians are called to be salt and light. Here at Uncensored University we believe that means being present even in the political realm. Does that then mean a Christian should automatically be a Democrat, a Republican? Mark and I talk through the pros and cons of politcal party affiliation. We both explain our approach to political engagement: evil is real, so are evil people; it and those need to be kept in check, as a Christian matter. Discussing the GOP versus the Democrats we talk about economic classes, immigration, and the ever-present government hunger for power; and it is a hunger always cast in terms of doing still more good. Come and think with us about a Christian perspective on political engagement.

Introducing EZRA FRECH: "I Was Put on This Earth to Change the Way We See Disability" from On Purpose with Jay Shetty. Follow the show: On Purpose with Jay Shetty Ezra Frech shares the mindset, discipline, and determination that have shaped his career and led him to win two Paralympic gold medals. From turning heartbreak in Tokyo into motivation to using visualization and meditation to perform under pressure, Ezra reveals how he prepares for the biggest moments of his career. He also opens up about competing on Dancing With the Stars, breaking down misconceptions about disability, and founding Angel City Sports to make adaptive sports more accessible to the next generation. Instagram Teen Accounts: Built-in protections for teens. Learn More. At https://chase.com/sapphirereserve JAY'S DAILY WISDOM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX Join 900,000+ readers discovering how small daily shifts create big life change with my free newsletter. Subscribe here: https://news.jayshetty.me/subscribe Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast What We Discuss: 00:00 Introduction 01:20 "Pressure Doesn't Exist" 02:51 The Day Ezra Was Born 06:24 The 15-Hour Surgery At Age 3 11:15 The Kindergarten Letter 13:29 Learning To Handle The Stares 16:21 Overcoming Stigma And Bullying 23:18 Falling In Love With Sports 27:00 Changing Culture & Looking Ahead to LA 2028 31:09 Mentorship From Pau Gasol 33:56 A Message From Novak Djokovic 36:53 How Do You Define Confidence? 40:43 The Moment That Inspired His Paralympic Dream 44:35 Making Team USA At 14 48:41 How Running Blades Actually Work 52:09 Tokyo Heartbreak & "The Man In The Arena" 58:53 Visualizing Paris Gold Every Morning 01:04:50 Protecting His Good Leg 01:11:33 Winning Double Gold & The 20-Minute Rule 01:17:00 Meditation Under Pressure 01:20:34 A Lifelong Dream to Compete on Dancing With the Stars 01:24:14 Inside the Dancing With the Stars Family 01:27:19 Learning To Dance On A Blade 01:30:12 Pressure Is A Privilege 01:32:10 Making Adaptive Sports Mainstream 01:37:10 Ezra On Final 5 Episode Resources Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/ezrafrech/ TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@ezrafrech Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/teamezra05/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to [email protected].

This is the first in a series on Christians and politics I'll be doing with my friend Mark. Idaho, which has some of the most staunchly pro-life laws in the nation, presently has a proposition on the ballot to legalize abortion up to the moment just before viability. To discuss the topic, we read directly from the state's voter pamphlet to make known the arguments both for and against the proposition. Along the way we discuss things like, why is there such an impasse between the pro-life and pro-choice camps? Why has Christianity for two thousand years been staunchly pro-life? And, why do liberals and progressives prefer to use ambiguous language when it comes to abortion? Come and think with us through this never-ceasing crucial issue.

Since the October 7 attack Israel has been in the news. With the help of Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens there has been a fascinating turn against Israel inside the U.S. Even conservative pastors are joining the shift. So, in this cast o' the pod I discuss what is replacement theory—that the Church has replaced Israel as God's covenant people—and what is wrong with it from a biblical perspective. In the show's cultural-reflection I discuss recent fears about A.I. and delineate why I am now less concerned than I was a short time ago. Then, having just read two biographies of Karl Marx, I talk about what my big takeaways are for civilization. I never quite saw the mayhem for what it was until I read those two books. Come join me in thinking through life from a Christ-centered perspective.

Here's some uber common thinking: Jesus when he felt pain or frustration did that in his humanity, but when he drove out demons or raised Lazarus from the dead he did so in his divinity. It is a common question: Did Jesus do different things, and exercise his power, alternately in his humanity and/or his divinity? I work through what the Gospels in particular, and the New Testament more broadly, show us. In the show's cultural reflection I opine on the Lindsay Clancey case in Massachusetts. What did the law (not prosecutors, not defense team, not the judge) in Plymouth, MA, get wrong? How did that case impact me as a grandpa?

I asked my Patreon posse for their theological questions. Pastor Steve came back with a beaut: why is Jesus called the Word of God? This resolutely theological episode unpacks the answers to Steve's great question. We explore not only pre-existing Hebrew and Greek concepts—Yahweh dabar and Logos—but we see how Jesus both fulfilled and surpassed those. I used to teach my theology students, "Jesus is always what you think of him, but so much more." Along the way we clarify the differences between Jesus and the Gospel, Jesus and other supposedly divine messengers, the errors of both Liberal and Progressive Christians, and learn why Jesus is both mysteriously beautiful and beautifully mysterious!

What's wrong with Socialism-Communism? From a biblical perspective, much; both epistemologically and theologically. But to my delight and surprise Catholics were decrying the horrors of Soc-Com ideology two years before Karl Marx even published his Manifesto. Clear back in 1846 Pope Pius IX was both watching what was lurking over the horizon and sounding the alarm. Subsequent traditionally Catholic Popes and Priests also had much to say about what they were witnessing with the embodied presence of Soc-Com. I work through some of their warnings and critiques. In this show I also reflect in humor-splashed ways on the outcome of a recent college football game, address a now-established meme that Jesus didn't think he was divine, talk about ongoing social media shaddow-banning, and work through whether I am a Catholic-o-phile. Come think and laugh with me.

The Catholic Church, for some 150 years, warned of the dangers of Socialism-Communism. But today massive chunks of the global Church are sympathetic to the claims and aims of Socialism. So it's a natural question, can a Christian be a Socialist? In this episode I work through the value system of Socialism to compare and contrast it with the biblical portrayal of reality. Within all that, fundamental to the Socialist system is the elimination of the traditional family. Why? Why is that such a constant through Socialism's history? I also discuss things like: today's Christian Emo music, the mascot of my High School, and the importance of not only looking through one's worldview (field of perception) but of looking at it. It is good to know why one believes (1 Pet. 3:15). Midway through the pod I discuss a development in Los Angeles that helps us understand the Socialist economy. Oh, I also note what Karl Marx did with regard to his own maid; he, the great Robin Hood for the working man, was a less than stellar boss. Come think and laugh with me!

What is evil? I note what some heavyweight theologians and philosophers have said about evil. Classic answers include: evil is the physical world, ignorance, or something willed by God. In this theology and culture mashup I work through the question using Socialism-Marxism as a foil. With the rise in popularity of Socialism (even among purported believers) it is good to understand what generates evil, what is its root and foundation, and where evil is headed here in the early 21st century. To help make my points I cite Mike Judge's 2006 movie Idiocracy, but I also describe how Joseph Stalin had one of his former good Communist friends tortured in prison. Will the ideological madness slow down soon or will it keep spinning spinning spinning? Come think and laugh with me.

One used to see it on bumper-stickers, "Christianity is a relationship, not a religion." Why do Evangelicals sell it that way? More carefully, is that even true? In this cast o' the pod I define what the word religion means and explain why all Christians should, in fact, be proud to proclaim that following Jesus is, indeed, their religion, their rule of life. To make the point I note several ways by which we can make Christianity our rule of life. All of that is side "B" of the show. Side "A" is an unearthing of the whys and whats of our secular culture's take on religion. For at least 200 years Western culture has tried to diminish religion as the "private stuff" people privately believe in "they" heads. And frankly, we expect that from a culture that hates God. What we don't expect is that the church herself is pretty adept at cutting the branch she is sitting on out from beneath her. How so? I explain that and so much more.

Jesus was clear about the fount or root or heart of the Kingdom of God, but today's churches are not. In this episode I explain what Jesus taught and contrast that with so many confusions at work in our contemporary setting. In both halves of the show—culture and theology—I work through the epistemology of Neo-Marxism. I compare and contrast that epistemology with what Jesus, speaking to Pilate, said was his own epistemological frame. (Epistemology: the construction of knowledge; how we know; the tools we use to know.) What happens to nations when one tweaks the foundation? What happens to souls and families when the commitments of knowledge get warped? I work through those answers. Importantly, I also help my listeners understand why the American Church, including far too many Evangelical churches, have been captured by Neo-Marxist ways of being and evalutating. Come think and laugh with me!

It's not much discussed, but the state of our hearts is precious. In life we naturally guard what is precious: the homeland, our families and homes, our children and babies. But our culture does not emphasize protecting our hearts. In this episode I follow up on last week's show on Christian transformation and talk about simple, but wise, steps we can take to move toward Christ. Drawing on my award-winning dissertation I reference the wisdom of old-school Pentecostalism and Eastern Orthodox spiritualities. At the show's opening I work through the framework Pope Benedict 16 had with regard to the coming of anti-Christ. My listeners will be surprised at several of B16's prognostications; he was much aligned with Evangelicals on what and who anti-Christ will be. Come think and laugh with me.

Too much of Church history portrays becoming like Christ as a lifeless legalism; as though what the Lord only wants for us is that we sin less. For my PhD, when I compared Eastern Orthodoxy and Classical Pentecostalism, I found that they both believe (and teach, and model) that the Lord has still more for us when it comes to our own transformation into his image. More? Yes, like mission. God calls all of his own to the same mission, in different ways. And still more, God wants our selves to vibrate to the vibration of his eternally vibrating Holy Spirit. I explore all that in this uncorking of some theology. Also, during the show's opening cultural reflection, I comment on the historical and theological foolishness of the Democrat Socialists of America. Come laugh and think with me!

My own boyhood church was rather sectarian, parochial, separatist. My family was pretty much always ready to go to blows, internally and regarding those outside the family. As an ENTJ personality profile, my "J" is super strong; I don't like gaslighting, lying, or those who try to get-over on society. So why, against my own nature and upbringing, am I generous to believers who are not like me? I explain the three reasons for my understanding of and disposition toward Christians who are different from my own tradition. In the show's opening cultural segment I also remark on the recent DSA candidates and the heated energy behind them. Additionally, I crow about my recent prediction on Iran. Come wonder, laugh, and think with me.

Our culture despises judgment. But it's not just judgments in a legal setting that are so disdained, it is discrimination—choosing anything over anything else—that our culture finds disgusting. That attitude has crept into the Church. In this vivid episode I work through how it is that we should look forward to the day of our judgment! The cosmos itself eagerly anticipates God's final judgment day, the Day of the Lord. To make my case I work through both some of Jesus' own sayings and what the book of Revelation shows us about judgment. At the show's beginning I muse on the recent election of Democratic Socialists in New York. I also make a rare pastoral challenge to all my listeners. Here near the 4th of July, I muse on the glory of America's Independence Day. Come think, wonder, and worship with me.