Love God With Your Mind with JP Moreland

What if the best thing you can give your kids is not another lecture, but a better reason? Pastor Ed sits down with philosopher and theologian JP Moreland for a candid, practical conversation about fatherhood, discipleship, and Christian apologetics—the kind that helps real families handle real questions.

JP tells the story of meeting Jesus in college after hearing thoughtful evidence for Christianity, including the New Testament's historical reliability and the case for Christ’s resurrection. From there, we talk about why so many young people don’t just leave a church building, they leave the faith, and how “anti-intellectual” habits can quietly teach our sons and daughters that questions are dangerous. We argue for a better model: love God with all your mind, and let that shape the way you lead at home.

We cover moral relativism, the modern misuse of “tolerance”, and how to speak truth with compassion in tough conversations, including stories that show why listening often reveals the deeper wound underneath the debate. If you care about raising resilient kids, navigating college culture, and building a Christian worldview that actually holds up, this one is for you.

Subscribe for more, share this with a parent or grandparent who needs encouragement. For a free book download and information about personal coaching, visit www.thefatherdifference.com/links.

Transcript

What Kind Of Father Now

SPEAKER_00 0:00

What kind of father do you want to be? What kind of man do you want to become for your family and for yourself? If you've ever wondered how to step into the fullness of your role as a father, husband, and man of God, then you're in the right place. We're at the Father Difference. Our mission is to inspire and equip men to be the best fathers they can be. It's a powerful mission. And today, we're going to explore exactly how you can take steps toward that calling. Whether you're a father, a son, a husband, grandfather, single dad, stepfather, or just looking to grow. I believe God has something powerful for you today's method. Whether you're tuning in live or watching us later, we are so excited to have you here. If this is what you're looking for, then subscribe so you can turn on each week to the Father Difference Live. You can sign up below. And now your host, a husband, father, grandfather, author, and former NFL player, Pastor Ed McGlass.

SPEAKER_02 1:12

Welcome today to our show, Follow the Difference Podcast, JP Moreland. He's an accomplished writer, teacher, philosopher. I mean, so many different things, and I don't want to steal anything because God's got a whole list he's gonna stay over him when he stands before him in glory. But welcome, JP, to our podcast today.

SPEAKER_01 1:38

Well, Pastor Ed, my friend, it's always good to be with you. Thanks for inviting me.

JP Moreland Finds Real Faith

SPEAKER_02 1:43

Well, I just uh it's uh I get to sit right behind him in church. And he's got his Bible there, he's taking notes, he's getting ready to write and preach the next sermon. Next to the woman next to him who likes him. Because when your wife likes you, you have an amazing romance for a lifetime. And I got a woman too, her name's Jill, and she likes me. That still blows my mind every single day. So, JP, tell us a little bit about how you first encountered Jesus. And when God kind of positioned you in the space in education and philosophy and the scripture and all that to really teach on this subject. So when did you first meet Jesus?

SPEAKER_01 2:32

Well, I was born in 1948 in a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. And as I was growing up, I attended uh a liberal Methodist church, but none of us knew it was that, and I don't think they knew it was, but I was taught that Jesus was a mid uh Midwest conservative, and if you obey and do what he wants, you can go to heaven. And I I never heard the gospel, so I went to the University of Missouri and I did my doctor on my BBS in physical chemistry, and I actually got a full scholarship to do a doctorate at the University of Colorado in nuclear chemistry. But my junior year, some campus crusader crew fellows came by my fraternity house and they spoke on Jesus, liar, lord, or lunatic, and they gave evidence that Jesus Christ was who he claimed to be, and that the New Testament documents were historically reliable. Well, and I had never heard anybody give evidence for faith. I thought faith was just something you chose or you didn't choose.

SPEAKER_02 3:48

You kind of fall into faith like a whole, right?

SPEAKER_01 3:52

Exactly. And and and they were giving me evidence. So to make a long story short, I met with this staff fellow a few times and I had a lot of questions, and he gave me some books to read. And in November of 1968, my junior year, I became persuaded that this was very likely to be true. And I got on my knees and I said, Lord Jesus, I have been pulling for you, but I just had to know if all this was real. And I and I think it is, and so I want you to forgive my sins. Thank you for you died for me. And please come into my heart and make me the kind of person you want me to be. Well, I I I changed my life. I became a radical. It was in the 60s, and I'd get up on free speech platforms, and I didn't know what I was talking about, but I loved Jesus and I at least knew the gospel. Well, after I graduated in 1970, I went on staff with Crusader crew, and I served in Colorado and then in Vermont. And it became obvious to me, Ed, that the university was set against Christianity, and it's even worse today. But professors would how many of you believe in in Christianity? Well, you won't believe in it after this class is over with, things like that. So I began to lead people to Christ, and and they were getting battered by their professors, and they were asking me questions, and I didn't know what to say. So I said, get back to me next week. And I started reading but you know, books on what's called Christian apologetics, which is the ministry of loving people by giving reasons for your faith and answering their questions against the faith. So I I I began to realize that that we Bible-believing Christians did not have enough people standing up for him in the university context. And I felt called to do that. So I I did a teach him in theology and then an MA and a PhD in philosophy under the great Dallas Willard.

SPEAKER_02 6:08

And I'm my favorite guys in the whole world, too, by the way.

SPEAKER_01 6:12

Me too. And I've I've spoken on about 200 college campuses, 500 churches, and uh debated a number of times, and I and I have just found that the command to love your God with all your mind, soul, heart, and spirit, all of you is is important, but it includes loving God with your mind. With your mind we didn't know how to do that, and and there was nobody who was teaching us how to address uh the cult the ideas and the culture and to give give reasons why there's there's a better way, and and so my degree in philosophy uh gave me the training I needed to try to build up the church to think a little better and to know why they believed what they believed. And there was a Barna survey done years 10 or 15 years ago, and they found there were six reasons why uh uh the younger generation was not leaving the church but leaving the faith. Five of them had to do with the anti-intellectualism of the church. If you ask the question, people would say, You you you don't don't do that, you're doubting, you need to get in the word. That's right. You have a spirit of unbelief. Let's cast that out of you. Absolutely. Well, you think they want to ask the question again? No, yeah, and there were a number of things like that, and so I've been trying uh to I wrote the book Love Your God with All Your Mind as one attempt to try to give Christians something that will help them, and I've also pushed back against the unbelieving culture, and in that book, I've got a very brief case for God's existence and for the deity of Jesus, and that's been my calling all these years. I'm 78, and I'm just honored that God has has loved me and and and given me a ministry. That's that's all.

SPEAKER_02 8:32

Bob is a life coach, he's a brilliant man back, he lives in Florida, but they did a survey to determine the most influential time that a man has. What age group? And of course, you know, the world would think, oh yeah, when they're 20 or maybe their 30s. But the number one group that has the most impact are men between 70 and 85 years old. You're kidding. The second group are people from in 50s to 65, the third is 40s, the very last group is 20 to 30 somethings.

SPEAKER_01 9:18

Oh wow. That's amazing.

SPEAKER_02 9:22

I think it's because it's it's misunderstood for for guys like us as we get older. We think we gotta be young and virile and we gotta be slick and cool. But I found the complete opposite of that online, and I know you have with your students, that's why you have so much impact, is that they're they're desperate for a grandpa in your story that'll talk to them.

Teaching Kids Through Simple Questions

SPEAKER_01 9:50

Oh, well, my goodness. When I was a father and as a grandfather now, I have five grandchildren, two daughters, and and when my daughters were in elementary, middle, and high school, they had questions. And and their friends were were kind of making fun of their faith, and you know, why the Bible? You know, why not why not the Quran or something else? And they'd come running to me and I'd I'd I'd answer their questions. And I took doing the same thing for my grandchildren. And I and I, for example, I said one day, I said, Do you mom had set the table and it was really nice? And I said, Do you think that the wind blew in here and it just it just blew the dishes in the right place? They said, No, Dad, of course not. I said, Well, how did I get there? Mom put it up there. Oh, okay. Now I took them out in the backyard and we looked very carefully at a group of flowers, and I said, Do you know that there are people who think that the wind and just the the the the the processes of nature created these flowers? Does that make sense to you? Gosh, no, look at them. They're so there's they're so well put together and beautiful. I said, Well, if the dinner table had to be designed by somebody, don't you think these flowers were designed by somebody? Yeah. And I said, Well, it wasn't mom that designed the flowers, it was God, and that's one of the reasons we love him, because he designed us too. And he designed us to love him. So that would be an example of something.

SPEAKER_02 11:44

See, that's a holy nugget, my friend. Every grandpa out there that's watching, every parent, there there's there's something that happens when your children lets you in and trust you to ask questions.

SPEAKER_01 11:59

Oh, you bet. Oh, that's a good point.

SPEAKER_02 12:01

Versus, you know, I in the early days of being a dad, JP, I, you know, I was really good at sort of, okay, this is the way it is. I've been a pro-athlete, you gotta listen to me. And what I discovered was that my children, well, of course, my children were giving me the Southern California whatever, which I hated. Hated that face. And and and what they wanted is they wanted me to believe that they can figure this out. But they had questions that they were afraid to ask me because they thought I was going to give them a sermon.

SPEAKER_01 12:42

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 12:43

And so I my youngest son, who was, you know, 13 at the time, he came to me one day and says, Dad, could you help me with something? I said, What's that? He goes, you know, you you know a lot of stuff, Dad, and I appreciate that. But you know, I really need to be able to find this stuff out for myself, and I need you to believe that I can hear from God too, just like you. So would you ask me questions about how I'm doing and let me respond versus coming in and giving me a 10-minute sermon? And he was a smart ass too, because he would pull out a nickel and go, thank you very much for the sermon, Dad. And it'd help me get away from something I actually discovered, and you know this so well, you practice it, that Jesus was a master question ask.

SPEAKER_01 13:37

Oh my, yes, he was. And I what I have found is that we we do a fairly decent job in our churches and families helping our kids know what to believe and you know what Christianity, but we have not done a good job at teaching them why to believe it. Yes, and and honestly, they need that. Oh, that's so good, yeah, and and and so it's the privilege of pastors and grandparents and parents to do a little reading, and they they could read Love Your God with all your mind, but there are a lot of other good books, and just sort of get a little bit of knowledge about how to respond to people's questions. And boy, I'll tell you what, that I I have just found that young people that they could they hunger for this, but they don't actually know what they're hungering for because they haven't seen it. So that's that's my that's one of my passions, uh, Pastor Ed. I just as I pass away, I just would like to look back and to say I stood, I stood firmly. I I love Jesus with my tender heart and my emotions. I I think they're wonderful. I'm not against emotions, but you don't lead your life by them, you lead your life by by the mind, and and the scripture says, as a man thinketh so he is. And the word there is used for mind. Sometimes it's used for different parts of us, but I have found that to be true, and in even in mental health, one of the main things that psychologists and those who counsel uh will tell us is that they start by trying to help the patient rewire the way they think, yes, and and and and and the way they talk to themselves, and to put their emotions under under their thought, because emotions are not a very good guide to what's really out there, but trying to think about it carefully can bump you up against reality, and then you have to change. And that's that's what this is about, I think.

SPEAKER_02 16:04

Yeah, gosh, that's so so many great little nuggets. Okay, so I I got a question that I think with all this, it's like let's talk a little bit, because that little nugget you gave with your your son or your daughter. Daughters. Your son. No, my daughters. Your daughter. And so, and it was great, by the way. I've been texting back and forth with her. She is just what a jewel. What an absolute jewel. And so there's a lot, I I deal with a lot of moms. I give a show on Thursday, the the difference a mother makes makes, and I have the difference a father makes on Tuesday nights. Yes. And and moms, they're they they struggle with their kids because they feel like their kids never listen to them. Yes. And I help I help them learn how to get their kids first to forgive them so they can have access again to their heart. Yes. And so uh talk a little bit about a couple of uh practices or or things you've learned about talking to your children going up, because that I don't know, JP, that I've heard many people out there who don't do that. We just did a softball, a baseball game with my actually softball game with one of my granddaughters. And the coach of the other team, I was watching him with his girls. And every time they need to learn something, he would walk over to him, he would get down right at that level on his knees and put his hand on them and smile at them and teach them face to face. And I went over to him at the end. I said, I gotta tell you, I've seen a lot of coaches. I've been in the NFL, I've been, you know, in college and pee-wee football. I have never had a coach get at the same level as me and look me in the eye. I said, you're doing a great job. And this guy goes, Wow, no one's ever said that to me. I said, keep doing it. Keep doing it.

SPEAKER_01 18:12

Well, let me make two points just to reinforce what you've said. The first one is unfortunately, our society believes that women can't think, that women are are are the nurturers and they're emotional and so on. Now, that's a good thing, but fathers should be nurturing too. But that's not the point. The point is that as a result of that, the church has luncheons for the women and and and they do things, you know, I'm not making fun of this, but they'll do things like teach knitting classes for them and so on. But they don't they don't treat them like they're they have minds, and they need some instruction in those meetings. And so I just call on the church to begin to teach moms in in a maybe a special Sunday school class from some very basic books on how to defend the faith and explain to your kids why we believe in God or why we believe in the resurrection and and help equip women to do that because it is so important that mothers are able to communicate to their kids in a way they'll understand down at their level why we believe all this is true. And it's so important it isn't just dads, but moms can think just as well as dads, and and that we have neglected them in the training. So now what I would do is there are age-specific things that have been written for kids. William Lane Craig has published a group of of little booklets for kids in elementary school, and and and they're just really good. And and he's got a website, Reasonable Faith, and you could order those there if if you have younger grandkids or or kids. And then as they start getting into high school, Sean McDowell and a fellow named Brent Kunkel or Brett Kunkel, B-R-E-T-T, K-U-N-K-L e, both have nationally wide ministries to high school kids. And they both written things for their level. And you want to prepare these kids for life, but also for going to college, because if they go to a secular school, they're gonna they're they're gonna get their faith brutalized, and they they're gonna need to know something to be able to respond, even in their own mind. If they don't, if the professor is not open to people countering them, uh that's just very, very important. And if they go to a lot of the Christian colleges today, the vast majority of the Christian colleges have have moved left and they've become woke. And they really are not, they don't believe the Bible anymore. So you want to be really careful if you're if you're gonna send your son or daughter to a Christian college, that if you're visiting the campus, then you need to ask one of the people do do your faculty and does your catalog still affirm the reality of Adam and Eve that there was a genu an initial pair of human beings that fell and now the world has fallen. Do you do do you affirm that? And and what is your what is your view of the morality of homosexuality? Now I I believe that people that are homosexuals they need for us to love them and not just bully them. But but and I mean that sincerely what but one of the ways that you love people is that you you you tell them hard truth and but you want to do it in a loving way. But but that's an issue that that our Christian colleges are giving up on. So you want to you want to be wise when and ask around to find out what kind of a Christian college is this. And and and that'll save you a lot of nightmares.

SPEAKER_02 23:00

Boy that's that's so that's so true. You know that that whole whole issue of of you know gender confusion when when children are raised in homes when there's not a clear identity that they receive from their dad and their mom, they're going to go put one on themselves.

SPEAKER_01 23:21

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 23:21

They want to be seen and that's the devil's kind of setup and I've had I've had incredible encounters with uh I've done I I was a national speaker for a ministry that just reached out to men and women who thought they were gay and at the Billy Graham in Asheville the Billy Graham campus we had 650 gay men and women in a room and I talked about identity and invited them to get the identity that God wanted them for them. Yes. And we had 450 men and women leave the lifestyle and walk forward and repent.

Relativism Worldview And Moral Courage

SPEAKER_01 24:07

Well there you have it you but you gave them some things to really think about yeah that's that's what you do. But you know people today out in society and unfortunately our children grandchildren pick this up they're all kind of moral relativists well that's my truth and you have your truth I don't judge we all have our own truth well i i i was years ago I was in a very long line at 7 Eleven and I mean there must have been 12 people and so it was going to be a while. So the guy in front of me I started conversation with him and I said uh blah blah blah blah and I said well do you believe that there are moral absolutes that are true for everybody and and he said oh no I I would never want to impose my views on anybody else so I found out what he liked and he was really committed to the environment and so I said well I I don't know what you're going to think of me but once a month I've got a group of about five friends and we go get a a a big drum of sulfuric acid and one guy's got a boat and we go drive out into Lake Paris that's a lake out here and we dump the acid in the lake and we've taken a bet on how many fish will float to the surface and whoever gets closest to the number wins this little$20 kitty that we have and I said it is a blast and this guy was starting to turn red and I mean he was going to take my head off and I said you know I'm not an expert in body language but I think that you're you believe what we're doing is wrong. So the truth is you're a relativist in areas of your life you need to be like say your sex life but when it comes to things that you really value all of a sudden a moral absolutist comes out of the closet there are no relativists and you can find out by taking something that they highly value the environment or whatever it might be and treat it like it's relative and see what see what comes out it's like teeing off a golf ball in the shower it just comes right back at you.

SPEAKER_02 26:42

Yeah it yeah and it hit it hit you in the head 25 times well you know you it don't you think I mean it's a fascinating conversation than that what the church has done and what and what Christians have done is they reversed the great commitment and the great commandment. Yes they start out with love your neighbor as yourself our job is to love everybody not make anybody feel uncomfortable and then we can have our personal beliefs is love the Lord your God with all your heart mind soul and strength the problem is you can't do number one the right way without loving God with all your heart mind soul and strength that's oh you got it you're absolutely right that's the proper order and uh there there are so many things that result from from when the church has lost the value of of adding learning how to think as a Christian to learning how to be intimate with Jesus and and and feel deeply about him.

SPEAKER_01 27:56

It's all of the above but for some reason teaching people that loving God with your mind and learning a Christian worldview that's just a worldview is just your perspective on all the things that matter in life there's an atheist worldview and a communist worldview. There's a Christian worldview well what does it say what are some of the main things that we as Christians think and why do we think that way that will equip somebody not to be ashamed or fearful to raise the question of Christianity to their neighbors or the PTA meeting because courage according to 1 Peter 315 when they were being intimidated he said don't be afraid don't be afraid and don't let your heart be troubled but sanctify Christ as Lord in your life and always be ready to give an answer to someone who asks you for a reason why you believe what you do. And I found in any area life the more a person knows about it the more courage they have in talking about that subject whether you're a nurse or or whatever I wouldn't want to get up and talk about nursing. I don't know anything about it I'd I'd be afraid to talk about that but a nurse has courage to get up and say let me tell you some of the things that nurses need to do so if you want to be courageous you need to learn you need to first of all make it about the Lord sanctify him in your heart I told one guy there's only one way to God friend and he said well you're pretty arrogant for claiming that and I said hey I'm just the messenger if if you don't like it take it up with a big guy he's the one who said it that's right that's right yeah and and so that that's uh important to to have the courage that can come from not only sanctifying christ as your lord but being ready to give a reason an answer for you and and boy you look at the book of acts and besides signs and wonders they they Paul it says that and Paul persuaded them to become and he gives evidence for the resurrection and all kinds of things well we need to we need to imitate them boy it's that's so rich you know I you know one of the things that um has really helped me in my own story and sharing with Christ is that when when I when I discovered that my core identity is not football player yeah well no that's Christian that my core identity is just being a son that's right and I don't need them I don't need to use somebody to prove who I am right that's good work I can spend my life just being absolutely I mean someone asked me the other day because I I got to share Christ with three people two days ago and they got saved and they said well boy the gift of evangelism no no you see everybody wants to they want an automatic outcome if they step out in faith and do something.

SPEAKER_02 31:37

The reason that I share my faith is I am so grateful that he called my number and I got on the team that that's all I care about. I got my game jersey I got on the team and it's a it's a no-cut contract okay yeah that's right I don't always do good on the field no I get takes care of that's true we have a winning season Jesus is our quarterback and so we get we got nothing to worry about our job is to because and I know you've because you've been around Wimber many years like I have is that there's this place where if you'll step towards that person that's broken and you have this inkling of that God wants to do something with them, he'll fill in the gaps. Yes. He'll bring to your mind you know everything that Jesus has said to you because by the way I was teaching this the other night to my I have a group in Montana that I coach and and I said you know that scripture when Jesus said that he will bring to remembrance everything he said to you? Yes. How does he get it in there? You've got to grab your Bible every single day and you got to get it in there. That's right you got to open it. So you might know one verse well he'll bring that one verse up yeah you bet. But if you want to think and be able to give somebody a a re a compelling reason why Jesus is the only answer.

SPEAKER_01 33:12

Well look you said you're on the team you're a son and I know I've gotten to know you and I and I don't know one of the first things you did was start studying up as to why you believed this so you were equipped. That's what you did. Not all you did but that's certainly part of what you did and and and that's a that's a good role model and we're not I'm not asking people to be scholars and I know a stay-at-home mom with young kids doesn't have a lot of time to read they could listen to audio books but but we all in our station in life can learn why we believe what we believe as best we can and not compare ourselves with others because we have different places in life different callings but we're all called to know why we believe but it would be at different levels for for different people yeah that's so true.

SPEAKER_02 34:16

So in all the questions that you've been asked what's been some of the challenging questions that you answered for people that in a lot of ways you know people ask these in culture today yes and they think that they got a one up on Jesus what are some of those questions well I mean some people will ask you know what why do you believe in God?

SPEAKER_01 34:40

Science has disproved that God exists. And that's far from the truth and and I'll answer that people think that well the people that lived in Jesus' time were pretty superstitious and you know they they thought everything was a miracle and and I I go back on that and and explain that that is not in fact true and the people in those days were were really bright and and and the the apostles of Jesus learned as they went along and shared their their learning I think another question is why does God why if there's a good God why does he why is there so much evil in the world and then and then I think the one would be well two more the one would be how can you say there's only one way to God and and and that would be a question people why is there a hell uh and and the answer is well hell's a place for people who could not stand heaven what a great answer because people who want to be in heaven God will get away to them to to understand the gospel and so on. I think I think one of the big ones Ed is this whole idea of being tolerant you you you're not you christians aren't very tolerant. Yeah now now let me I'll answer that because there are two two kinds of tolerance that there's contemporary tolerance and then there's the older classical model of tolerance that was that's centuries old. Now to today the concept of tolerance is that if you're not tolerant you're not tolerating somebody if you tell them they're wrong and disagree with them.

SPEAKER_02 36:43

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 36:44

Okay well then that person is not being tolerant of me because they're telling me I'm wrong and they disagree with me. So they're not even practicing what they preach. But that's not the real tolerance the real classic view of tolerance went like this you start with the fact that I think that you are wrong about something very important and I'm right about it. But I will tolerate you in this sense you have the right to proclaim whatever it is you believe in this it's a free country you have the right to and to try to recruit people to your belief you have that right you also have a right to be treated kindly even though I completely disagree with you about something that really matters. This is not just a you know what kind of spices do you like in your salad? This is a big deal but if I tolerate you that means that I will not demean you I won't drive my car through your living room window. I'm gonna treat you with respect but I will tell you every time you speak in public I'm gonna be there and I'm gonna ask the first question I'll be kind about it it's gonna be a hard hitting question. So tolerance really means that you start off by saying look I don't agree with you and I think you're wrong.

SPEAKER_02 38:20

Then you've got something to tolerate that's exactly right that's exactly that's so good.

SPEAKER_01 38:28

So that's the kind of thing that we could we could learn and would help us.

SPEAKER_02 38:32

Yeah so it's like because a years ago it used to be well everybody can have their opinion okay great yeah right and we'll disagree to disagree exactly but now as no we we won't agree to disagree I'm going to ruin you yes if you don't believe the way I do. Yeah exactly oh boy you're right and then they project that upon Christians and say you know you you're basically saying that I shouldn't exist because of what you're saying. You know I don't I'm not saying that I'm my qu so I I well I try to as I'm sharing Christ with people I I listen I ask a lot of questions until they tell on how they're really doing yes that's good very see asking questions is so key. I had a I've we had uh neighbors who were next to me who two guys who were married and so they would bake cookies and bring them over and we were we were really nice to them yes of course and and then my daughter hit a golf ball up in the air and it went through the windshield of his oh no and we went over we're gonna pay for it he said oh don't worry about it and so we became better friends and one day I walked over and then and I said you know we've been neighbors for a while can I ask you a question like a pastor question he goes yeah what's that Padre have you figured out why you chose the life you're living you have rejection you have early disease that you might die from you get separated you know in in culture you have your own class and there's uh quite a bit of suffering because your lifestyle choice isn't monogamous guys are many kind of hood yes yes have you ever thought about that and he goes to tell you the truth let me let me tell you the reason I do this is that I hate my father and I there you have it right there and I said well tell me he said my father was a brutal southern man and used to beat me and all I wanted to was to be close to my dad and somehow when I'm with my partner I get the fatherly love I never got from my father well there you I that's a see that's so good that's a good approach it really and then I I I said to him I said so how do you handle that discontent in you and that this this this war that's in you I mean do you do you feel guilty? And he goes all the time well who's making you guilty is it Christians he goes no that's just politicians who want money from us I said well well how do you deal with that he goes well we pretty much smoke dope and drink so you medicate yourself so that maybe you can forget that's right the guilt that you feel and he says that's exactly right and I looked at him and I said you know my friend I know a guy who can take the guilt away with a prayer and he looks at me and he goes I know you're right Padre but I don't want to leave this life yet you know behind every every it's just one of the things the Lord's done in me and because I didn't start out wanting to talk to people that way I was sure raised by kind of a redneck dad you know and had these two neighbors next to me John and Jack and and I would you know and their their their kitchen window was right next to my study where I was working on sermons and you know my sermons would start out with compassion but then I jump right into Romans for the wrath I'm going to gets all unrighteousness you know oh boy it just you know I had this thing in me that I was taught and and and so I would even march around and try to you know plead the blood of Jesus which is stupid because we can't because it got poured out by God himself we can't touch it. And so anyway my heart was wrong my wife was even saying you know you're a little bit too aggressive and this I was young in the ministry and I got a knock on my door and it's one of my neighbors and his name's Jack and he goes uh Pastor Ed John is sick he's got AIDS and he's gonna die when he dies would you do my the memorial service and I mean to tell you I got confronted yes and I hit my knee and I said yes but first will you forgive me for not loving Yeah, right. Jesus has loved me.

Final Challenge Prayer And Next Steps

SPEAKER_01 44:02

Yes, and that's the way to do it. And when you said that this guy ultimately said, to be honest with you, I don't really want to change my lifestyle. That when I share Christ with people, and I sense they're a little bit liking what I'm saying. I I will ask this question. I will say, would you like for Christianity to be true? I know you don't think it is, and I understand that, but is this something you want to be true? Well, no, not really. Well, then I think what you need is a therapist or a spiritual director, not an apologist. Uh, because your problem is in your desires, it's not in your thinking. Your desires have kept you from thinking honestly about this question. Oh, that's good. And it is, and it's true. And by the way, you said that they project their stuff on Christians, and Christians are supposed to be the mean-spirited, highly judgmental. You know, there was there was a study done on the people who are pro-choice or pro-life, and they divided them into four groups: strongly pro-choice, mildly pro-choice, mildly pro-life, strongly pro-life. What they found was the further you went to strongly poor life, the kinder the people were to those who've had abortions. It was just the opposite of what people think. The thing that's so important to me, though, you know, as we whenever we close the show, is the thing I want people to take away, and I've said it, and you've said it many times, but you wouldn't think that you'd have to be an idiot to follow Jesus, would you? No, of course not. Jesus was the smartest man who ever lived. And please, our dear uh listeners and viewers, think carefully about our privilege of learning to love God with our minds. And that would include learning to know, it's not all of it, but learning to know why we believe what we believe. And we can help, we can help our children and grandchildren much more effectively if we'll take a little bit of time and start doing a little reading in this area, or go on on the internet and what is the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus? Just Google that and and read what they say.

SPEAKER_02 46:57

So that's right. Yeah, and if you're smart and you're listening, go on GROK, because I don't go to the chat GPT. I'm just too political, and go in there and and type in this question. What does JP Moreland think about this? Have you done that? I'm going to. Oh no. I've done I've done it for me. They um I have I have a devotional I've written, and so I when I'm writing my devotional, I go, so what does Ed Tan McGlassen write about this? And there it is.

SPEAKER_01 47:34

Unbelievable.

SPEAKER_02 47:35

Well, it just saves time, right? Yeah, you know, and so I'm still trying to convert the AI to Christ. So anyway.

SPEAKER_01 47:43

Keep it up, brother.

SPEAKER_02 47:48

It's been such a pleasure to be with you. I hope we could do this and and in the future, because I, you know, you have you have a lot of godly wisdom that's come from living a life and being faithful. Well, thank you. And and we need answers as parents. We do. And and I want to call it be glad to. That'd be awesome. And if you're a parent watching or a grandparent, we have a we we have this you you've probably aware of this, but there's the gigantic Facebook groups of grandparents who've been banned from their grandchildren. Oh, yes. Because they are conservative.

SPEAKER_01 48:29

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 48:31

And they love Jesus and they they more lean more towards the conservative side in their voting, and their children have forbidden them from contacting their grandchildren. And it's it's a huge problem.

SPEAKER_01 48:47

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 48:47

It's a huge problem. I have some dear friends who have a whole ministry uh doing that, and learning how to really cross that divide and to to really uh be able to give answers for children that are are sideways. Yes. And it's such an important thing today. And what you do, JP, and what you've done all these years, and you might be winding down the glory, okay? Or you're winding up the glory one day. But man, we sure love having you around and your sweet wife to keep sewing into us that teach us really how to be men and women who think, who live in gratitude, and who are ready to give an answer for what we believe.

SPEAKER_01 49:31

Thank you, my brother. I appreciate it. God bless you.

SPEAKER_02 49:34

You too. Well, what let's say a quick prayer for those that are out there. You get to pray for people who want to learn to really love God with other mind too. Go for it.

SPEAKER_01 49:45

Lord Jesus, we love our brothers and sisters in Christ, and we're all broken and fallen and need your mercy and grace. But I do pray that without any guilt at all, that your Holy Spirit would take what we've shared today and move on our audience to take the first two or three steps to informing themselves about why Christianity makes more sense than anything else, and learn how to give answers to their children, grandchildren, their neighbors, and others they meet. Thank you for Pastor Ed. What a dear friend he is, and bless his ministry in Jesus' name.

SPEAKER_02 50:34

Amen. Amen. Amen. That's thank you. I love that. You know, one of my favorite prayers with my kids is father, I don't know how to father them. You are the best father. Would you teach me how to father them the same way? Bless you, my friend. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 50:55

It's been if you've enjoyed what you've seen and heard today, and you want to know more about how to be the husband and father your family really needs, please go to the fatherdifference.com and click on the Fatherhood Academy and sign up today. It only takes one loving father to change the course of generations and one perfectly heavenly father to begin the process. May God bless you, and we look forward to seeing you in the Fatherhood Academy.