Welcome back to Unpolished Faith! Today, we're diving into a topic that’s heavy but crucial: sexual abuse in the church. Today's episode is marked explicit. I promise it is not for potty language but for the weightiness of the subject matter. Sexual abuse isn't a new issue—it's one that, sadly, has been present throughout history. No space, not even the church, is immune.

How do we protect the vulnerable within our congregations? What steps can we take when abuse is discovered to help those who have been harmed? Has the corporate model of the church worsened this issue? And how has purity culture tangled our understanding of our bodies and worth? There are many questions Mary DeMuth and I answer in today's conversation, but the overarching question is: how should we, the body of Christ, respond to the sexual abuse crisis in the Church? One thing is sure- we must change the narrative about how we view and treat women and the vulnerable, both in our churches and in our modern culture.

**Today’s episode carries a trigger warning for trauma and sexual assault. The hard "r" word is mentioned several times. We don’t go into too much detail, but you may want to skip this episode if you are uncomfortable. Don't worry! You can jump back next week as we discuss singleness, seeking to answer the question: have we made an idol of marriage?

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The FAQs: Report Reveals Sexual Abuse Cover-Up by Southern Baptist Entity

Resource for Survivors: 21 Days- We Too

About Mary DeMuth

Has my political lean become my bow? I often wrestle with the tension between my political beliefs and my ultimate allegiance to King Jesus. It's a journey that's often easier said than done! I want to engage culture. I want to make a difference for Jesus. I desire unity, but sometimes it's difficult to hold that tension- especially in today's political culture. If you feel like that at all, this conversation is for you.

This week, I concluded my conversation with Joshua Ryan Butler. He shares practical tools that can help us engage our culture in a Christ-like way, and he draws inspiration from our Biblical heroes who navigated their political systems. This conversation is a powerful reminder that God is a redemptive God, intervening in our mess for our good and for His glory. Jesus is not only the ultimate party crasher; He is throwing a better party.

Remember to download and share this episode with a friend! Your feedback is invaluable to us. If the conversations that we are having have been helpful to you, let us know by leaving a review. We would love to hear from you!

Josh has also provided incredible resources, including the Christian Political Commitment and the Party Crasher Bible Study.

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Get Josh's Book, The Party Crasher: How Jesus Disrupts Politics as Usual and Redeems our Partisan Divide

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Party Crasher Bible Study

Christian Political Commitment

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA! As an amateur historian, any holiday centered around history is one of my favorites. So, in true American fashion, we are talking about the division we see in America today. I know we have friends listening from around the globe. Off the bat, you may not think this conversation is for you, but what we're talking about this week is looking for security in human institutions rather than God, leading to political idolatry. Josh is here to help us answer the question: Who Can Heal Our Partisan Divide?

We chatted for quite a bit, so this episode is a two-parter. This week, rather than rehashing which party is right, Josh and I break down the 4 (Wat 4? Yes 4!) political ideologies we see sweeping the globe today. Josh and I evaluate the core values of each party, ultimately finding Ecclesiastes to be true: God has indeed placed eternity in the hearts of man. Finally, we talk about his latest book, The Party Crasher: How Jesus Disrupts Politics as Usual and Redeems our Partisan Divide, an incredible book about political discipleship and how followers of Jesus can faithfully engage the political world around us.

Remember to download and share this episode with a friend! Your feedback is invaluable to us. If the conversations that we are having have been helpful to you, let us know by leaving a review. We would love to hear from you!

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Madi's Website

Connect with Josh

Get Josh's Book, The Party Crasher: How Jesus Disrupts Politics as Usual and Redeems our Partisan Divide

Josh's Website

About Josh

Joshua Ryan Butler is a pastor and the author of The Party Crasher, Beautiful Union, The Skeletons in God’s Closet, and The Pursuing God. Josh loves shifting paradigms to help people who wrestle with challenging Christian faith topics by confronting popular caricatures and replacing them with the beauty and power of the real thing. He and his wife, Holly, and their three children live in Portland, Oregon. They enjoy spending time with friends over great meals and exploring the scenic beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

Today is an exciting day over here at Unpolished Faith. Madi sits down to talk about her personal journey of working hard to reach goals, having paused dreams, and failing forward. Madi also discusses July updates for the podcast, who the guests are, and the conversations we're having!

To keep up with Madi as she navigates this season, be sure to follow her on Instagram.

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Unpolished Faith

Proverbs 6:6

Joshua Ryan Butler

Mary Demuth

Ryan Wekeman

During today's conversation on Unpolished Faith, I am joined by my friend, Abi Yarnell. Abi is in the middle of her doctoral program, studying to be a Christian counselor. We are just two girls who want to help our friends who are struggling. Too often, shame is attached to mental health and getting help that is needed. You won't find any of that here today. We don't have every answer, but in the age of social media, post-pandemic, this conversation needs to be had.

Join us as we talk through both Madi and Abi's mental health journeys, how spiritual health affects mental health, the over-spiritualization and the under-spiritualization of mental health, and what the church's, and lay Christian's, response should be to the mental health crisis.

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Today, we are joined by Tim Barnett. You may recognize his hat and red pen from the mega-TikTok account Original Mr. B. Tim is an apologist for Stand to Reason, an organization that trains Christians to think more clearly about their faith and make an even-handed, incisive, yet gracious defense for classical Christianity. Mr. B (Tim) uses his wicked smarts to defend the Christian faith and bring others to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. He is here at Unpolished Faith to help us answer the question: how can Christians defend their faith in an increasingly hostile culture?

Madi and Tim discuss deconstruction, doubt, and returning to biblical faith, all to equip you with a tool kit to engage your culture with the truth of Jesus Christ.

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Stand to Reason

Red Pen Logic

Tim's Book: The Deconstruction of Christianity: What It Is, Why It’s Destructive, and How to Respond

Expand your tool-kit: Tactics, Greg Koukl

Timecodes:

What are Apologetics? And why do we need them?

(22:30) What is deconstruction?

(25:30) Is doubt a bad thing?

(27:00) Can we ask hard questions?

(29:30) Returning to a Biblical faith

Today, we are joined by Ben Kirby, creator of the Instagram account @PreachersNSneakers and author of "PreachersNSneakers: Authenticity in an Age of For-Profit Faith and (Wannabe) Celebrities." Ben is helping us answer the question: should Pastors wear pricey clothes?

Although Ben's account highlights many celebrity pastors, this conversation reminds us that this question is truly a gut check for all who claim Jesus: Am I wearing what I am wearing for the approval of others? Am I only appealing to the lust of the eye and pride of life? Is what I am doing distracting from or diluting the message of the gospel?

Be encouraged, friends; this is not a “be poor for Jesus” discussion. Rather, this is a let’s “be more like Jesus” conversation!

Timecodes:

(7:00) What is Preachers N Sneakers, and how did it take off?

(9:59) The comments section of Preachers 'N' Sneakers

(10:20) What are we getting from wearing expensive clothing in the pulpit?

(11:15) Ben's dog also has an opinion about celebrity pastors and enters the chat...

(13:55) Should pastors ask for our money if they drive a Rolls Royce?

(16:20) At what point does the "celebritization" of the pastoral office become something we should be talking about?

(19:52) Are we causing our neighbor to sin by showing off our fancy clothes and apparel?

(21:50) What has capitalism done to the pulpit and the church?

(26:49) Have we idolized stuff, numbers, and access?

(33:17) Is the church hurt we've seen today because we've prioritized money, fame, and access?

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Ben signed books for us! YAY! Enter the giveaway, which ends June 15th, 2024. You could win a signed copy of PreachersNSneakers!

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Ben's Book: "PreachersNSneakers: Authenticity in an Age of For-Profit Faith and (Wannabe) Celebrities."

Hi friends! Welcome to the first episode with a guest in Season 2. Over the next few months, we will be answering uncomfortable questions that every Christian should be comfortable answering. We are answering one of the most Googled questions in the past ten years: "Do all good people go to Heaven?" My good friend and childhood Pastor, Kenny Chinn, and I have a conversation about the "otherness of God," salvation, and the criteria for entering heaven. Today you will be reminded that you too can enter the Holy of Holies because of Christ's sacrifice.

I am so grateful for how you have supported and shared the message of this podcast. My mission is to carve out a space that allows you to live free of perfectionism, legalism, and any other "ism." I am thrilled to be here and to share these conversations with you.

Thanks for listening and sharing these episodes with friends!

Also, looking for a fantastic worship song about the Holy of Holies? YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO THIS SONG!

k. Thanks bye- M

SHOW LINKS:

-Connect with Pastor Kenny Chinn

-Connect with Madi

-Understanding the Holiness of God: Leviticus (ESV)

-Understanding the Holiness of God: Deuteronomy (ESV)

-How Jesus Fulfilled the Law and Was the Perfect Sacrifice: John (ESV)

-How Jesus Changed Everything (ESV)

-The Bible Recap: Leviticus (ESV) (It's not every recap but a good place to start!)

-The Bible Recap: Deuteronomy (ESV) (Also a good place to start for Deuteronomy)

-Sin Is Serious Business

-The Sprinkling of the Blood - Charles Spurgeon Sermon

-5 Types of Offerings the Israelites Made

-Holier Than Thou: Jackie Hill Perry (Want to be more in love with God? Read this book)