Tension

In light of the Hillsong documentary, a listener reached out to us and asked how we should approach the music written from churches that ended up in scandal. Should we keep singing them in church? Is it okay to listen to them personally? Do we throw them out? Follow us on social: http://instagram.com/jonathan_carone http://instagram.com/ericw712 https://www.tiktok.com/@jonathan_carone https://www....

Summer starts next week. That means lake days, pool parties, and beach camps. And if you're a girl - it means you need to go out and buy a one-piece bathing suit. But guys can wear whatever they want because, y'know, girls aren't visual. Follow us on social: http://instagram.com/jonathan_carone http://instagram.com/ericw712 https://www.tiktok.com/@jonathan_carone https://www.tiktok.com/@ericw712 h...

It's 2022. With all the technological advances and decentralization, do we have to go to church anymore? What even defines 'church' at this point? Follow us on social: http://instagram.com/jonathan_carone http://instagram.com/ericw712 https://www.tiktok.com/@jonathan_carone https://www.tiktok.com/@ericw712 https://www.twitter.com/@jonathan_carone https://www.twitter.com/@ericw712 Show theme song:...

This feels like a strange question to ask in the fourth season of a podcast about youth group, but was youth group even good? Did its positives outweigh its negatives? If so many of us are having to unlearn youth group, should we even be having youth group? Follow us on social: http://instagram.com/jonathan_carone http://instagram.com/ericw712 https://www.tiktok.com/@jonathan_carone https://www.ti...

It's March. We're between seasons. Hang out with us for 30-minutes while we debate made up church brackets from the @ChristiansWhoCurseSometimes Instagram account. It's silly and goofy and, given everything else going on in the world, we could all use a laugh. Follow us on social: http://instagram.com/jonathan_carone http://instagram.com/ericw712 https://www.tiktok.com/@jonathan_carone https://www...

In our culture, we treat boys like perverts and girls like princesses. In doing that, we strip away their identity as humans and don't allow them to fully be what they were created to be. Plus, y'know, purity culture issues. Follow us on social: http://instagram.com/jonathan_carone http://instagram.com/ericw712 https://www.tiktok.com/@jonathan_carone https://www.tiktok.com/@businesscoacheric Show...

Today's episode was a hard one to record. Not because we were scared of being canceled by progressives or called heretics by conservatives, but because we want to make sure we're being loving and kind as we wrestle through our beliefs on a really complicated issue. We invite you to join us for a longer-than-normal conversation about homosexuality, how the church has handled it in the past, and how...

It started with I Kissed Dating Goodbye and went downhill from there. Ask anyone trying to date in their 30's and they'll tell you that yeah, what we taught about dating in youth group ended up with some pretty terrible results. This week we talk about why Christian dating is so stupid and how we can train the next generation to not be so awkward on the dating scene. Follow us on social: http://in...

It's February so like anything youth group related, we're kicking off four weeks of episodes centered around dating, relationships, and sex. This week we start with friendships and how we didn't teach kids how to be friends with the opposite sex, what that led to, and try to figure out how we do better moving forward. Follow us on social: http://instagram.com/jonathan_carone http://instagram.com/e...

We continue our discussion on doubts and deconstruction in the church. This week we shift our focus to where we go from here and ask if deconstruction is the best route to tackle our doubts or if there's a better way. Follow us on social: http://instagram.com/jonathan_carone http://instagram.com/ericw712 https://www.tiktok.com/@jonathan_carone https://www.tiktok.com/@businesscoacheric Show theme s...

There is a movement across the country where people are deconstructing the faith they were taught as kids. As a response to that, there have been some really at-best out of touch, at worst unsympathetic things said by church leaders and pastors about those deconstructing. This week is the first half of a two-part episode where we discuss doubts in our faith and how to approach them in a healthy wa...

Whether it was books about people who had gone to Heaven and come back to earth, weird paintings in church lobbies, or scary Carman music videos, youth group gave us a less-than-awesome view of Heaven and Hell. This week we talk about what those two things actually are and how having a good view of them can impact how you view your faith. Follow us on social: http://instagram.com/jonathan_carone h...

There’s a line between letting the Holy Spirit lead and emotionally manipulating people for a response. Where is that line? How do we determine if what we experienced was actually the Holy Spirit? We talk about the balance between emotions and discernment this week on Unlearning Youth Group. Follow us on social: http://instagram.com/jonathan_carone http://instagram.com/ericw712 https://www.tiktok....

Did you ever want to get a tattoo or dye your hair but were told your body is a temple and you couldn't do that? Was the person who told you that smoking or eating a Big Mac while saying it? This week we talk about the hypocrisy of how we viewed our body as a temple and what a better view of that looks like. Follow us on social: http://instagram.com/jonathan_carone http://instagram.com/ericw712 ht...

If you grew up in church, you were probably told to choose your friends wisely. While that's biblical and sound advice, it somehow turned into an us vs them mentality where we looked down on those who believed different than us. And maybe - just maybe - that's part of the reason we have so many of the issues we have in our culture today. Follow us on social: http://instagram.com/jonathan_carone ht...

Growing up, we emphasized testimonies and conversion stories that were gigantic transformations. But often times those stories were best case exaggerated, worst case lies. And they made church kids feel shame for not having a crazy conversion story. This week we talk about the mistakes we made and look at how we need to look at testimonies and stories moving forward. Follow us on social: http://in...

If you went on a foreign mission trip in youth group, chances are it was a glorified vacation with a little bit of serving. But is there a better way to approach mission trips than the way we did growing up? Is there a better way to use that money to help other people? This week we dive into those issues and try to unlearn some bad mission trip approaches so we can have healthier ones moving forwa...

Mental health wasn't something we talked about in youth group. We were made to feel Jesus was all we needed as if you couldn't be a Christian and struggle with your mental health. This week we talk about how that was wrong, try to find some good in that approach, and then talk about a healthier way to approach mental health moving forward. Follow us on social: http://instagram.com/jonathan_carone...

Growing up in youth group, we sexualized everything. Somehow girls' shoulders and belly buttons were too much for guys to handle. Instead of holding guys responsible for their thoughts, we blamed the girls for everything. This week we talk about all the fallout from the approach and try to figure out a better way moving forward. Follow us on social: http://instagram.com/jonathan_carone http://inst...

Have you ever been a part of a church or youth group that elevates one type of sin about everything else? They pick one thing and constantly talk about it while seemingly brushing off everything else. We talk about why that's bad, how we can't project our own struggles on other people, and how people experience life different than us. Follow us on social: http://instagram.com/jonathan_carone http:...

If you've ever been to church camp or on a church retreat, you know that on the last night before you go home, there are going to be tears. It's a ritual as old as time. This week we talk about why cry nights became predictable, what the good intentions were, and how we have a lasting relationship with Jesus long after Cry Night is over. Follow us on social: http://instagram.com/jonathan_carone ht...

We are back! Kinda. Next week we kick off Season 2 of Unlearning Youth Group. This episode talks about our favorite Season 1 moments and gives you a look at everything coming in Season 2. Follow us on social: http://instagram.com/jonathan_carone http://instagram.com/ericw712 https://www.tiktok.com/@jonathan_carone https://www.tiktok.com/@businesscoacheric Show theme song: High School - 90's Kids H...

As kids we were taught to think of things as black and white, right and wrong. But was that the best way to approach life? Was it even Biblical? In the Season 1 finale, we talk about how that was a bad lens to look at our faith through and how we can do better moving forward. Show theme song: High School by 90's Kids Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever lost friends because you changed churches? This week we talk about the weird tribalism of church youth group cliques, Jonathan getting doxxed at a baseball game, and how we create healthier friendships as adults. Show theme song: High School by 90's Kids Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everything in Youth Group was huge. This week had to be better than last week and we always had to one-up ourselves. That was fun - and it got a lot of kids to show up - but it led to some things we didn't mean for it to. From toxic leadership to not knowing how the Gospel applies to real life, there were some misses when it came to how we did things. This week we find the good pieces, dive into t...