Is Joe Rogan an unlikely ally for the Church?

I know people are in a tizzy over a couple of Rogan's podcasts with two doctors and their divergent views on Covid, but more interesting to me was Rogan's interview with Peterson.

Everyone seems to be losing their minds over Joe Rogan’s interview of Dr. Jordan Peterson. Most people either have complete disdain for Rogan or the deepest admiration, and the same thing goes for Peterson — lately, social media is flooded with both. Like them or not, Rogan is one of the most influential entertainers of our day, and Peterson is arguably one of the most influential intellectuals of the day. So I was pleasantly surprised by one of their topics during their 4 hour and 13 minute interview.

We easily ignore the wackadoodle street corner preacher rambling on through his bullhorn, but if Rogan and Peterson weren’t so wildly popular I doubt this particular episode (No. 1769) would have garnered so much attention.

Remember, Spotify has handsomely rewarded Rogan for his popularity with a $100 million contract.

Watching this episode I noticed how a lethargic Rogan was slouched forward with huge bags under his eyes, looking like a high school wrestling coach who drank watered down coffee after a weekend at regionals. Peterson carried himself with pained looks, forced smiles and utilized “jazz hands’’ too often. Fidgeting around he looked like he wanted Rogan’s acceptance and approval more than Rogan wanted to give it. Actually, Rogan gave the impression he didn’t even want to be there — if you’ve seen his podcast before you’d agree it wasn’t spectacular. It was a rather lackluster performance on Rogan’s part.

The major critique by Rogan’s and Peterson’s naysayers is the massive amount of alleged “misinformation” being bantered about during their interview. Notice, their critics aren’t insisting that Rogan and Peterson are lying; it’s “misinformation.”

Why misinformation? Why is that the word of choice these days for people we don’t trust or disagree with?

You can’t go around and claim that there is no such thing as absolute truth or that truth can’t be known, or claim the truth is a social construct, etc., and also say that Rogan and Peterson are pedaling false information that isn’t true. You can’t complain about bending the truth if you diligently deny the existence of truth that corresponds to reality. Therefore you employ the phrase “misinformation.”

This is the result when culture tries to emasculate truth. How is this significant for us?

Jesus claimed He was the Way, the Truth, and the Life. God’s word is true. God’s people believe truth to be a vital part of the Christian belief system, and truth has been under attack for over a generation. Do you see now why cultural talking heads can’t say people like Peterson or Rogan are liars or are offering false information. It has to be couched cryptically in the meaningless phrase “misinformation.”

Peterson and Rogan had several “sacred cows” they wanted to turn into gourmet burgers, which I could take or leave, but the greatest reason I’m excited about this interview is that Peterson brings up the Bible with an audience of tens of millions of people listening in. Raising the topic of the Bible like this opens up wonderful opportunities for believers to talk about our faith.

Remember these are two of the most influential voices in today’s culture sitting down for an informal interview with tens of millions of people paying attention to their conversation, and Peterson defends the veracity of the Bible! It’s an amazing event, opening many opportunities for us to elaborate on the truth of the Bible, and point people to Jesus.

When was the last time you heard any celebrity or culturally influential person bring up the Bible with a positive light? Therefore I was captivated when Peterson highlighted the absolute significance of the Bible’s influence on all of today’s literature and how we think about life and truth.

Peterson described how the Bible is the foundational and fundamental document for all of Western civilization. He accurately elaborated on how the Bible isn’t simply a single book like the Book of John but a library, a collection of books. Peterson directed and redirected the conversation to point out and clarify that he defended the Bible, affirming the Bible as the source of wisdom and truth — this type of approval and endorsement of the Bible and truth is unheard of in our postmodern relativistic culture. It’s no wonder people are ripping Peterson to shreds and exerting such efforts to discredit him.

These recent attacks on Rogan’s podcast really come down to who controls the flow and the content of the information that’s disseminated. It’s a power play. Why should this be on our radar? How we disseminate information is at stake.

Critics who would like to silence Rogan or Peterson usually end up being silenced or discredited shortly, and rightly so. Not because either Rogan or Peterson is an absolute expert in his field, but these are two of the most influential voices who are rare because they believe there is truth and people should be able to say what they think is true. They are rare because they are defending the right to truth in a world that has tried its best to jettison truth for far too long.

The church needs defenders of truth now more than ever. Without truth, it’s hard to say all roads don’t lead to Rome, or that what Jesus claimed about this life and the next is true for all people.

Originally published in the Kingsport Times News:

https://www.timesnews.net/news/faith/the-church-needs-defenders-of-truth/article_6c90abe6-6f04-11ec-8433-4f16d7fe28b5.html 

Can you afford the high-price of fitting in? The real cost of peer pressure

Peer pressure. Remember how we used to warn our children about its dangers or how we’d scold them for caving to peer pressure? Just look at us now.

The ugly truth is, peer pressure is pervasive. Actually, most churches aren’t free from its entanglements either. For example, while churches certainly depend on your generosity, passing an offering plate during the worship service sure feels like peer pressure. This is benign compared to what else is going on these days.

Consider the depths to which peer pressure has influenced us over the past few years: Which comedians you can/cannot laugh at. Which musicians you can/cannot listen to. Which actors and actresses are/are not acceptable. Which candidate you should/shouldn’t vote for. Which scientists you can/cannot challenge/question.

We are seeing too many people stigmatized simply because they disagree with whatever is culturally acceptable for the day, while others who are grasping for power are forbidding discussions over several vital contemporary topics. If this goes on much further, I literally see book burnings in our future.

The problem with caving to peer pressure is that we begin to parrot positions we actually distrust or disagree with. Like the old saying, “All it takes for evil to win is for good people to do nothing,” we find ourselves complicit in perpetuating deception. We are allowing dishonesty to rule the day if we comply with positions we never actually agreed with. This seems to break one of the Ten Commandments, something about “Thou shalt not lie ...”

Truth, facts, rational/logical thinking, these all go by the wayside whenever we allow peer pressure and groupthink to rule over us. We are allowing the loudest voices to steamroll over our better judgments. Somehow, a minority has been allowed to amplify their message, and in order to experience unity or gain acceptance, many of us have complied with ideas that deep down inside we disagree with.

Why? Many of us are scared. We are afraid to offend. We are afraid of conflict. We are afraid to rock the boat. Most of all, we fear retribution. This isn’t how we were meant to live.

We are to live courageously. “Do not fear” is the most repeated phrase in the Bible — it’s recorded at least 365 times in Scripture. How does peer pressure work? Mainly though fear. Fear of being left out. Fear of humiliation. Fear of rejection. Therefore, whenever fear is the driving factor, as believers we ought to be suspicious, take notice, and be cautious. This is especially true when fear is what’s driving the peer pressure itself.

It is unhealthy to shame and bully people into submission. Guilt, shame and embarrassment are horrible motivators. Action based on the goal of avoiding the judgmental misgivings of others is what textbook manipulation looks like, but that’s how peer pressure operates.

What is on the line, presently? For starters we are in danger of arrested development — no one grows or matures in an echo chamber. Also, many of our freedoms — the freedom of expression, the freedom to choose for ourselves and our freedom to express our individual identities — are all at risk.

Worst of all, we are at risk of losing our integrity.

Dear friends, we serve a mighty God. Let us start this New Year with integrity and may we live courageously.

  Published in the Kingsport Times-News: https://www.timesnews.net/news/faith/peer-pressure-is-pervasive-even-in-churches/article_89816122-5916-11ec-8dc2-1bc4e50fadcd.html

Cancel Culture, censorship, religious freedom, and the spirit-crushing powershift happening right now

All people of every background deserve respect, dignity and the right to voice their opinions — but differing opinions require a two-way street too. One of the greatest traits we hold as Americans is the freedom to dialogue, to differ, to debate. It’s interesting though, how certain dissenting views are being threatened, bullied and silenced. For example, certain expressions of Judeo-Christian religions, conservative political views, and time-tested traditional views on family values are being removed, blocked and scrubbed from social media and the internet as if they never existed.

There seems to be a power shift regarding what and who is influencing our culture. I do not understand why a mere fraction, an extremely small percentage, the slightest margin of our population, a minuscule group compared to the whole, is being allowed to redefine what the bulk of us believe about the use of gender pronouns, faith, values and morals. Why do the fringes get to define the center for the rest of us?

Cultural boycotts are not new, but they seem to be picking up steam over the past few years. Perhaps you’ve heard about the recent controversies over several of Dr. Seuss’ books, cartoon characters such as Pepé Le Pew, and Disney classics like “Peter Pan” and “Dumbo.” Even common brand names have been besieged, like Aunt Jemima or the image of the American Indian girl on the Land O’ Lakes, which are all being removed. The popular term is “cancel culture.”

It’s one thing to withdraw your support or participation. It’s another to vilify and try to destroy another because you disagree with them, and that is where cancel culture often leads.

It’s not just cartoon characters and product labels under siege. People who are not in line with the mainstream media and much of Hollywood are being punished or ostracized for the crime of being “offensive.”

Is this “cancel culture” a fad, will it work and to what ends, and why don’t more people speak up against it? If a position or stance is deemed offensive, does that give a select few the right to ban it for the rest of us? How long until they try to cancel the Bible for what it says about morality, family and the idea that biologically there are only two genders? How long until verses like Isaiah 5:20, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” are categorized as hate speech?

The Equality Act (basically an amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964) which passed in the House last month could be setting a dangerous precedent, overriding the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. Apparently this new law could prevent churches from interpreting and communicating what they believe Scripture to say without the threat of repercussions. For example, according to the Equality Act, if a biological male identifies as a female, he has government protection to use the women’s restroom in your church. This is insanity. How did we ever get to this place?

Discrimination based on someone’s race or religion is wrong, but you can’t force a Jewish deli to serve barbecued pork either. There has to be some balance and common sense that we all can apply. If your goal is to gain acceptance or approval for your alternative lifestyles, silencing your dissenters won’t accomplish it.

Click here to see the original article posted in the TimesNews