I listened to a podcast recently about denying the credibility of the flat earth theory.

You might think that’s a no brainer since we already know the earth isn’t flat, but there are actually quite a few people out there who still believe it is. 

People with degrees who are rather brilliant biblical scholars.

What drew me in about this podcast wasn’t so much the subject itself (although debunking anything through a thorough reading and understanding of Scripture is exciting for me…I don’t get out much. And I’m totally fine with that), but how it was adeptly and graciously handled by the hosts.

I’m a big fan of Mike Winger. Of any Bible scholar I’ve listened to/read, I would say the way I process Biblical information is quite akin to his. He isn’t easily flustered. He doesn’t get all fire and brimstone on you. He’s simply a truth seeker who doesn’t forget our command to love others. And I think that’s really important. 

I’ve been on a journey of repentance. I think I’m always on a journey of repentance, and I think there’s many of us who are. I used to think once you became a Christian, it was a done deal. I had so much zeal and fervor seven years ago when I began following Christ, and I just assumed that my zeal and fervor would last forever. And it has, it’s just takes on a quieter presence nowadays. What I didn’t expect was how my sins would become more apparent every day, not to mention the uncomfortable feel of being human. But I know all of this is a reminder to keep my eyes on the cross. 

A lot of religions speak of enlightment and how we can all achieve some sort of magical spiritual goal that’s attainable if we do the work. But not Christianity, thankfully. There’s no work to be done because we are mere specks of dust without God’s breath coursing through us. We are subject to Him, to Jesus whether we want to admit it or not. Otherwise, wouldn’t every day turn out exactly as we had hoped?

Anyways, humility and graciousness are two things I know I could always use more of in my life. And the only solution is to remain close to Jesus. It also helps to hear those two qualities played out in real time, and this podcast does just that.

Mike and the hosts of Cultish, a Christian podcast that examines different “sects” of Christianity (mostly outliers) that aren’t truly biblical and the ways their leaders rework the Gospel to manipulate their followers (I recommend taking a listen), take on flat earth proponents in a way that is truth telling but empathetic. What we have to realize is that in a lot of situations, fellow Christians won’t believe the exact same things we do. But it’s our duty to be kind in our approach and to understand that these people are God’s children too. There’s a lot that will be revealed on the other side of this life, but in the meantime, we need to depend on God’s Word to guide us and the Holy Spirit to lead us in how we relate to one another.

I definitely recommend giving this podcast a listen. It gets into the metaphorical language woven throughout Scripture and reminds us that we can’t just take one verse and make it mean what we want. We have to look at how words and phrases are used elsewhere in the text to determine a more probable meaning. Otherwise, we’re making Scripture say what we feel it should say rather than letting it speak for itself.

I pray this conversation blesses you and is a reminder that truth in love is a call for all of us.