Superstar podcast host Joe Rogan invited Christian apologist Wesley Huff onto his show, allowing the latter to take down Christian moralism and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Rogan has been considering the idea of religion for years and has hosted many prominent atheists on his platform. Not all that long ago, he would have scoffed at the basic claims of Christianity and the truths revealed in the Bible.
But in more recent years, he has started to see the objective value of Christianity in society. He may not believe the gospel, but like other prominent figures calling themselves cultural Christians, he sees how the darkness of our society makes the light of Christianity shine brighter.
Huff tried to explain why a figure like Jordan Peterson, who likewise sees Christianity for its moral elements but neglects the person and work of Jesus Christ, ultimately fails to appreciate the fullness of the gospel.
“I think he misses the forest for the trees,” Huff said of Peterson. “He sees Jesus as an archetype, and I don’t think actually even Jesus gives you an opportunity to see Him as the archetype.”
The apologist described how Peterson wrongly viewed “the concept of Jesus” as a mere moral example, adding that the more central reality is the “actual, flesh and blood, first-century itinerant Jewish preacher who was crucified and rose from the dead physically.”
Wesley Huff on Joe Rogan: “Jesus condemns moralism…if Jesus is nothing but a moral exemple, then you can save yourself and you don’t actually need a Savior.” pic.twitter.com/8f7WlaE088
— Protestia (@Protestia) January 7, 2025
“I actually think that Jesus condemns moralism,” Huff remarked. “If Jesus is nothing but a moral example, then you can save yourself, and you don’t actually need a Savior.”
Have you ever listened to or watched Joe Rogan?
That last line elicited a thoughtful “hmmmmmm” from Rogan as the concept clicked.
Huff described how Jesus constantly emphasized the actual spirit of the law while Jewish groups of his day emphasized mere outward compliance.
The Lord, for example, made clear during the Sermon on the Mount that the Ten Commandments address both outward evil behavior and evil intentions of the heart and that the Sabbath was not a mere regulation against work, but a system designed to bless the covenant people of God with rest and worship.
One very helpful example used by Huff played on how the Bible itself describes the law as a mirror to human behavior, showing our sinfulness and revealing our need to seek the cleansing offered by Christ alone.
“The law is like a mirror, it shows you how dirty you are,” Huff said, noting that Jesus would respond to those who try to clean themselves with a mirror: “You guys are trying to clean yourselves with a mirror. That’s stupid. If anything it’s going to make you more messy. Like, get in the shower!”
That analogy provoked another “ohhhhhh” from Rogan.
“If Jesus is a moral example, it actually misses what I think Jesus actually said about what his purpose was. In that, you can’t do enough to actually live up to the standard that God holds you to, and so if you keep striving, you’re actually going to wear yourself out and be exhausted,” Huff added.
Rogan, to the surprise of many, responded to that comment with two simple words that showed how much the concept had clicked for him.
“Like atheists,” Rogan said.
The increased warmness toward Christianity displayed here by Rogan shows how much the dissident conservative and libertarian cultures in the West are shifting away from the absurdities of secular atheism and toward the light of Christianity.
The simple, timeless, and glorious gospel of Jesus Christ receiving air time on the world’s biggest podcast could not be more encouraging.
Pray for Joe Rogan. Pray also for his listeners.
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