17:17 Podcast

"Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated..." Wait, what?! How can a loving God hate someone? Does this mean that God chooses some for salvation and others for destruction? In today’s episode, Pastor Jackie and Pastor Derek talk through a controversial passage of Scripture (Romans 9) to try to understand how God can supposedly hate someone while loving another. Many doctrines have come out of thi...

Hunting season is upon us, but should Christians participate? Is it immoral to kill an animal, especially if it's not a threat to you? Are we dishonoring God by killing his creation? In today’s episode, Pastor Jackie and Pastor Derek talk through the morality of hunting as well as biblical examples of killing animals for food. We discuss immoral ways to hunt and look at why those should be av...

Capital campaigns, bake sales, church dinners, and Girl Scout cookie sales...how should churches navigate these things? Is it wrong to try to sell things in a church building while people are coming to worship? In today’s episode, Pastor Jackie and Pastor Derek answer a question from a church member about whether selling food/items in a church building is acceptable or not. Jesus has flipped table...

Should you get the sticker on your ID to be a donor? Is it a good way to love your neighbor, or is it mutilation of the body that God has given you? In today’s episode, Pastor Jackie and Pastor Derek talk through the practice of organ donation while living and after death and whether its something God would want us to do. The question comes from a youth student at RBC and we do our best through Sc...

Halloween is upon us which means tons of ads for horror movies! Are they as wicked as the fundamentalists say they are, or can Christians partake? In today’s episode, Pastor Jackie and Pastor Derek talk through the popularity of horror films today as well as what actually categorizes a movie as horror. From there, we look at intentions behind the movies and if (sometimes) good intentions can justi...

A war is happening in Israel, but is it our responsibility to care or do anything about it? What makes Israel so special today anyways? In today’s episode, Pastor Jackie and Pastor Derek talk through what’s happening in Israel right now and how Christians should view this ongoing war. We look back at God’s history with Israel and the covenant He made with them that still holds true today. We also...

Does God make distinctions in our sins? We know that our world views wrongdoing differently, but does God? In today’s episode, Pastor Jackie and Pastor Derek talk through Scriptures regarding a variety of sins and how God views them. As we dig deeper into the Scripture, we find that God has a very clear view on many different sins, as well as different punishments according to the offense committe...

Suit and tie or t shirt? Slacks or jeans? Dressy or casual? In today’s episode, Pastor Jackie and Pastor Derek talk about how a person ought to dress for church. There are a lot of beliefs around this topic, often rooted in culture and tradition. Our goal is to look through Scripture and see if there are any laws that we should be dogmatic about and other principles to follow. Our hope is that as...

How many trips to the buffet is too many? Can I enjoy Thanksgiving without sinning?! In today’s episode, Pastor Jackie and Pastor Derek talk through the often ignored sin of gluttony. We’ve talked about this topic before, but decided to dive in deeper to talk through some of the misconceptions. We dig through Scriptures that talk about this sin and bring out practical application today. Our hope i...

An age old question that most people wrestle with, especially while seeing advertisements for legal sports betting and huge casinos everywhere. Is gambling wrong?  In today’s episode, Pastor Jackie and Pastor Derek talk about the idea of gambling, its history, and what activities actually qualify as gambling. We talk through principles n Scripture about gambling and money management, as well as lo...

If God is all-powerful, why let the Enemy continue to torment believers on earth? Shouldn’t be just be done with him so we can enjoy heaven sooner? In today’s episode, Pastor Jackie and Pastor Derek seek to answer a listener question regarding the existence of Satan and why he is still allowed to have dominion on this earth. Satan has brought so much evil and pain to our earth, so why would God st...

666. Tattoo? Microchip? Covid Vaccine?! What is the Mark of the Beast mentioned in Revelation? Is it coming in our lifetime? In today’s episode, Pastor Jackie and Pastor Derek seek to answer a listener question regarding some of the confusion around the book of Revelation, specifically regarding the beasts mentioned and the Mark that comes as a result. Should Christians fear getting the mark of th...

Are the 10 Commandments all that really matter? Do they even matter for us now that we are under grace as believers? What happens if we break them? In today’s episode, Pastor Jackie and Pastor Derek seek to answer a listener question by reading through the 10 Commandments and looking at the consequences of not abiding by them. From there, we break down how Christians living under the law of grace...

Where did the false gods of the Bible even come from? Who invented them and why does it matter? Do they have any power? In today’s episode, Pastor Jackie and Pastor Derek seek to answer a listener question by looking at the history of most of the false gods mentioned in the Bible. In this episode, we find an interesting origin for each of them that stems back to one chapter in Scripture. We also d...

Public, Private, or Homeschool? Which one is the right choice? Are any of them wrong? In today’s episode, Pastor Jackie and Pastor Derek seek to answer the question of whether or not Christians should send their children to public school. We’ve heard of some of the agendas being pushed in public schools, but how much validity is there to those claims? Shouldn’t Christian kids go to public school s...

If Christians are supposed to store up treasures in heaven, is saving for retirement acceptable? Is it wise to save for something we might never see? In today’s episode, Pastor Derek has on guest, Jordan Rossler, to talk through the concept of retirement and what it means for the believer. We look at some different Scriptures that talk about money and how we ought to handle it and the ways that Ch...

Can some people have more treasures in heaven than others? How is it perfect if its a different experience for some based on actions here on earth? Does this mean we can lose treasures in heaven? In today’s episode, Pastor Jackie and Pastor Derek follow up on a question about gaining inheritance in heaven by talking through the concept of storing up treasures in heaven and what that actually looks...

Are the kingdom of God and heaven the same thing? Does it equate to salvation? If we are saved by grace, how do we reconcile Scriptures that say some types of sins will leave us without a pass into the kingdom of God? In today’s episode, Pastor Jackie and Pastor Derek answer a listener question by talking through what exactly the Kingdom of God is. We dig through Old and New Testament Scriptures t...

Are you a racist if you have the wrong stance on Affirmative Action? What exactly is it anyways and how should Christians view this topic? In today’s episode, Pastor Jackie and Pastor Derek talk through Affirmative Action based on a recent Supreme Court case to help Christians navigate through what exactly Affirmative Action is, why it started, the ramifications of it, and, most importantly, what...

Some of the most popular Christian worship songs seem awesome, but they're produced by artists with sketchy beliefs. A couple of those artists are from Hillsong and Bethel church. Should churches be singing songs from places that we disagree with theologically? In today’s episode, Pastor Jackie and Pastor Derek talk through a listener's question to seek to perspective to the debate about...

One of the few things that gives hope to someone who has lost a loved one is that they will see them again in heaven. Will the relationship be the same though, or will it look different? Will we keep the same relationships in heaven that we had on earth? In today’s episode, Pastor Jackie and Pastor Derek talk through a listener's question to seek to bring some clarity to this question. Althou...

How can a land of so many religions be considered "Christian?" Was America ever a Christian nation? If so, what has changed?  In today’s episode, Pastor Jackie and Pastor Derek look at the history of America and its founders to try to decipher whether or not America was ever a Christian nation. From there, we look at popular laws and worldviews held by Americans and compare them to Scrip...

It's the summer months and everyone is itching to get outside and to the beach for some sun...but with that comes a lot of skin and even more debate as to how people should dress. What is modesty and is it important or is it overemphasized? In today’s episode, Pastor Jackie and his wife, Carina, talk through the concept of modesty and how Christians ought to show (or not show) their bodies. T...

Ugh, taxes. One of the things that the average person can agree with anyone else on is disdain for taxes. Some think we should tax the rich more, others think we should have a flat tax, and some even believe we shouldn't have taxes at all. Is taxation theft? In today’s episode, Pastor Jackie and Pastor Derek look at a story of a disagreement between Paul and Barnabas and look at what we can l...

People disagree on all sorts of things. Is it okay to agree to disagree? What exactly does that mean and is it the right thing to do? In today’s episode, Pastor Jackie and Pastor Derek look at a story of a disagreement between Paul and Barnabas and look at what we can learn from that and apply to our world today where Christians disagree on all sorts of things, some significant and some not so sig...