A 2005 Gallup poll revealed that 37% of Americans believe houses can be haunted and 21% believe they can personally communicate with the dead.
In a 2009 Pew Research Center survey, it was discovered that 29% of the American population believes they have been in touch with the dead. Among those who identify as Christians, the percentage was the exact same! 18% of Americans claim to have had a ghostly experience (17% among Christians).
In light of such results, is the Church ready to respond to an increasing population that embraces a paranormal worldview? This is a drastic shift from countering the typical Atheistic naturalism. There is a cultural shift occurring in which the non-religious are open to a reality that exists beyond our natural world. However, are Christians prepared to address the many facets of this growing belief system and fascination with the spirit world?
In the first Reconnect Halloween Special, Andy interviews Daniel Jenkins, a Christian paranormal investigator. Daniel has been on 1000s of “ghost-hunts” as a member of a Christian paranormal investigation team. As a Christian team interacting with non-Christian investigators and scared home-owners who thought their homes were haunted, Daniel and his team were able to share the hope of the Gospel, give explanations to what was being experienced, and personally pray for those who were scared and in need of God’s love and truth.
Questions Answered:
How did Daniel get involved in the paranormal world?
What makes a Christian paranormal team different from any other team?
What does the typical investigation consists of?
Is there usually a natural explanation found through the investigations?
What has Daniel experienced that couldn’t be explained naturally?
What does the Bible say concerning ghosts? Are they just demons, or could they be the spirits of the dead?
How has Daniel been able to share the Gospel through his involvement in paranormal investigations?
How has Daniel’s paranormal involvement been received by other Christians and his pastors?
Show Links:
Cris Putnam’s site: The Supernatural Worldview
Daniel Jenkins’ employer: Lutheran Hour Ministries
Men’s Network from Lutheran Hour Ministries
WhatDoesThisMean.Org: "Ghost Stories" by Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller
Jake Wells is a Flesh Pilot. He's a tattoo artist and a DIY RC POV Helocopter enthusiast.
Tattoos are taboo in most Christian circles. Jake is covered in them and he covers others with them too.
Remote controlled helicopters are a booming hobby, though a controversial one due to the fact that most people call them drones and some pilots fly them in illegal spaces or over private property while filming from them!
Despite the controversy, Jake uses his job as a tattoo artist to share the Gospel and he has been dubbed the "world's first RC (Remote Control) Christian Minister".
Andy interviews Jake to find out more about how he became a Christian and how he shares Christ through his work and hobbies in the hope that Jake's boldness to share the Gospel through his every day endeavors will excite others to do the same in their jobs and recreational pursuits.
Show Links:
Jake's Ministry Site - Flesh Pilot
Jake's Coptor Frames for Sale - Black Arm Workshop
VICE's Motherboard Article on Jake - "The Born-Again Christian Who Flies a Drone for God"
Nadov Assor's Documentary with Jake - "Lesson on Leaving Your Body"
We can approach a church service as our opportunity to serve the Lord through what we are doing during our gathering, or we can go to a church service with the expectation that we are going to be served by the Lord. We usually hold one approach as our predominant understanding of what is occurring when we gather. There is a church service order called the Divine Service. This is an order of service typically used within Lutheran traditions. Its name was mentioned in Episode 28, but not much was shared about what actually transpires in a Divine Service. So for this episode, Andy interviews Pastor Jaime Nava of Good Shepherd Lutheran in Yucaipa, CA, to learn more about what the Divine Service is and why Jaime thinks it is the best approach to sharing the Gospel during our church services.
Show Links:
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church - Yucaipa
Episode 28 of Reconnect which Sparked the need for this Episode
The Divine Service - An Explanation at Steadfast Lutherans
An Explanation of the Divine Service for Laypeople by Lutherans Online
Andy and Ben take a look at a video God or Absurdity posted that demonstrates what they call" an excellent summary of presuppositional apologetics".
The video is a splice of two episodes of "On the Box" featuring Mark Spence answering the question: "What is presuppositional apologetics and how is it used?" In the process of answering this question, Mark discredits the use of evidential apologetics. He does this because he says the nonbeliever will discredit all evidence that is presented for the existence of God.
Andy and Ben disagree with Mark Spence on some of his points about evidential apologetics and they agree with him on some of his points about presuppositional apologetics. Together, they make a case for using both presuppositional and evidential apologetics when sharing and defending the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Show Links:
God or Absurdity
"On the Box" Video on Presuppositional Apologetics
"Martyrs Read Joel Osteen Tweets" Video
God or Absurdity - "Other Religions" Page Featuring Contradict!