NASHVILLE (BP) – A relaunched and retooled podcast from the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) aims to help Southern Baptists think biblically about the world they face.
ERLC leadership believes the podcast will engage Southern Baptists with a tone of “empathy and encouragement.”
“At the heart of the ERLC is the desire to help Southern Baptists think biblically about complex cultural issues they are faced with daily,” said Lindsay Nicolet, ERLC editorial director and podcast host.
“It is our hope that this reformatted podcast will help our brothers and sisters live with confidence and courage as they seek to glorify God and bring the Gospel to their neighbors.”
New episodes of the podcast release every two weeks and are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify.
After a hiatus of several months, the podcast returned in early September. Episodes contain conversations with ERLC leadership and subject matter experts discussing a biblical approach to issues relating to marriage and family, life, religious liberty and human dignity.
The goal of the retooled podcast is to provide “brief, informed, practical and biblically-based answers to important cultural issues.”
Specifically, the first season of the podcast will primarily focus on the topic of gender and sexuality.
During the hiatus from the podcast, the ERLC conducted research and surveyed Southern Baptists across the country to listen and learn which issues or questions were at the forefront for pastors and churches. Gender and sexuality continued to be among the top issues mentioned.
“Among all the questions we get, this set of issues rises to the top,” Nicolet said during the first episode of the new season.
“In a culture that has redefined marriage, thinks being male or female is something that can be changed and has no boundaries regarding sexuality, we want to equip you to be confident about what the Bible says and how to live that out,” she continued.
“At the ERLC, we believe the Bible teaches that God designed our sexuality on purpose, and that He instituted boundaries for our good and His glory. He created us male and female, established the institution of marriage between one man and one woman, designed sexual intimacy for marriage alone and is glorified when we live as the men and women He has created us to be, whether single or married.”
Gender and Sexuality topics discussed so far in the season include:
- What it means to be made in the image of God
- How the fall affects our perception of ourselves and God
- How to live out counter cultural beliefs about gender and sexuality
- The history of the sexual revolution and the role it played in where we are today as a society
Experts speaking into these questions include Jason Thacker, assistant professor of philosophy and ethics at Boyce College and director of the ERLC’s research institute; Katie McCoy, author and director of women’s ministry for Texas Baptists (Baptist General Convention of Texas); and Christopher Yuan, writer, speaker and creator of The Holy Sexuality Project, which provides discipleship resources on sexuality for teens and children.
The podcast also takes a break from the series on sexuality and gender for two special episodes about the ERLC’s public policy work in D.C. and the Israel-Hamas war
During the former, ERLC Policy manager Hannah Daniel and ERLC President Brent Leatherwood discuss the what, how and why of the organization’s advocacy in D.C.
“We speak both for and from our churches,” Leatherwood said during the episode. “We can only effectively speak in the public square for our churches if we are actually operating and working alongside and serving our churches. It is from that service that we’re rendering to our churches, that we’re able to effectively speak on the issues of the day.”
The latter included a discussion and explanation of the conflict and a conversation with Leatherwood about the recently released Evangelical Statement in Support of Israel and how Southern Baptists can continue to respond to these events.
In an effort to encourage audience engagement, the ERLC is asking listeners to email questions to [email protected].
Julie Masson, director of communications for the ERLC, said the ERLC’s mission is to speak both for and from Southern Baptist churches in the public square.
“We want to be a voice that represents the principles of our convention, as well as equipping our audience to think biblically about today’s cultural issues,” Masson said. “My hope is that the ERLC Podcast would be a valuable tool for Southern Baptists for years to come as we journey together through this chaotic culture and give listeners a reason for the hope that lies within us.”
(EDITOR’S NOTE – Timothy Cockes is a writer in Nashville.)
