Friday, October 17, 2014

Podcasting:
Would People Rather Listen Than Read?

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Just a short and sweet little message regarding Podcasting. I have only recently decided to look into Podcasting as a means of reaching more people. Of course I am not so deluded as to believe that my Podcasts will rocket to the top of the listening stack any more than my commentaries have, but the format does lend itself to a more dynamic presentation of essentially the same material.

On a semi-regular basis, four of us men gather together and discuss various issues on almost any subject you can think of. While this is not unusual – as most friends will converse while together, we try to frame our conversations around how we as Christians should deal with such topics AS Christians.  Should we preach to people what we have learned, or is the better tact to show people who Christ is in our actions and behavior? While the answer to that question may appear to be obvious to most people, do not be too quick to answer.

Our modern churches today are generally filled with two types of people: The teachers and the listeners. It is my opinion after many years of being in the church that neither side is particularly good at their “assigned” tasks. Lost in the tradition approach to a Christ-centered relationship is any real teaching of truth and relationship. Let me explain:

As I have pointed out in a recent commentary, our modern church has become more a place of inculcation rather than a place where we can worship with other believers and work to be a more effective face of Christ to our fellow man. We have constructed fiefdoms whereupon those who we deem unworthy are not welcome or even tolerated. Too harsh a conclusion? Perhaps in the specific, but I am speaking in general. Obviously there are many, many people who do great works towards the cause of Christ and it is unfortunate that they are overshadowed by the Likes of a John Hagee, a Tim LaHaye, a Joel Osteen, et al. These are people who either scare you to death, or water down the human experience to such a degree as to have made it irrelevant.  The one common thread is that they all make a ton of money doing it.

My commentaries represent just my opinions and can be rather lengthy. There are long stretches between these commentaries because I am doing research which is a long and arduous task; to the best of my ability, I want to disseminate truth rather than a lie. At any given moment, I will have two or three rough draft commentaries I am working on (in addition to my novels) which usually will be completed at the same time. I will then publish these commentaries as I complete them and then there will be another gulf as I write more. (Presently I am working on a commentary on the Book of Revelation – not an easy work)

The Podcasts which I am planning will be far more interactive and are designed with the listener in mind. Rather than just my opinion, you’ll get to hear the others who I bounce my various ideas off of. It is best that people not bunker themselves in an insular world and instead hold their views up to the light and correction of others. If we feel we cannot do that, perhaps the ideas are not as sound as we might like to believe. The Apostles did just this very thing. It lead to occasional arguments (Paul and Barnabus comes to mind), but it also lead to the truth which benefits all of us.

My vision for these Podcasts is initially as a round-table discussion which will last an hour twice a month. As we get into a rhythm and become more comfortable with this forum, that may lead to a weekly Podcast.  I would eventually like to have guests so that we aren’t merely existing in our own world. Mixing things up is good and it makes the time you spend listening to us entertaining as well as educational.

As a group, we are seeking to do something I don’t really see out there at present which is discuss Biblical matters orthodoxy regards as heretical. We seek to explain why just the converse it true and show how much of Christian orthodoxy really has resulted as a coordinated disinformation campaign by the enemy which stretches back  thousands of years. (Readers of my novel series will understand what I am talking about)

I will be spreading the word once the first Podcast is up and I encourage all to at the very least give it a listen. Whether you learn something useful, or regard us all as buffoons, let us know. I’ll be listing an email address for any questions or comments. Good and informative letters I will read on the air and hold open for discussion and comment. Thus if there are specific areas of theology you have been confused about and want an answer to regardless the subject, we’ll do our level best to give an answer with proper Christ-centered validation.

Thanks and now on with the show. Please stand by…