Fugelsang's wisdom and incisive understanding of Scripture and real life are a great treasure, and each time I watch his material I feel very affirmed in my own faith as a leftist Orthodox Christian.

I agree with Mr Fugelsang. If there is anything I can’t stand it what I call pseudo Christians. You know the type. The ones who spend all day Sunday in church and go to bible study yet are totally clueless when it comes to the teachings of Jesus. The ones that have no kindness and compassion in their hearts. My younger sister is one of those people I just described. I really like and agree with what he has to say. ✌️❤️

I was lucky enough to have a "progressive" teacher who was a nun. She actually took us as a class to a service at a synogogue, mosque, baptist, methodist, even Pentecostal (which actually scared the hootchimamas out of us) houses of worship. As an impressionable 12-year-old I was fascinated! She told us "It is only when you experience all that there is to offer that you can choose the right religion for you. The only wrong way to worship God is when you make your way the only way and force it on someone else. If Catholicism is right for you, you will return to it and value it more."

Hi! I grew up a Southern Baptist AND I’m a registered Democrat! If I had a dollar for every person (conservative) who tells me I can only be a Christian OR a Democrat-not both! 🤣 The thing is, I haven’t been involved with church in many years. Jesus Is my Lord & Savior & follow His teachings. Someone said to me last week they didn’t think I was religious because I vote as Democrat. I just look at them & smile. Who am I to judge? Vengeance belongs to the Lord. 😍

💕 I love him 💕

"Hating yourself is an insult to God." is perfect for me. I was suicidal, yet believed that being suicidal is spitting in God's face. Thus guilt and shame pulled me down further. Thank God that many people helped me climb out of the pit. This was a beautiful conversation. Thank you both.

I'm loving and resognating with the message that John is giving.

A disciple was hesitant to give man help, Christ said when someone asks for your coat give him your shirt also. My thoughts on all of this are simple. My grandfather told me when I was young, Simplicity is elegance. It is beautiful and in LOVE. No judgment you can't see their life or problems. You can't judge whether someone is worthy of money, or handouts. You give what you can and if you believe then God takes it from there.

I think this is the best video I have watched in the last 6 yrs. thank you. You both have a new fan.

I listened and appreciated this conversation

I was fortunate to know John Shelby Spong in the 90s when he was my bishop. I'm pleased but not surprised to hear you mention him, John. I love you on Steph. Stay well and keep doing what you do.

Great conversation. I love the thoughtfulness and compassion you guys have.

Love to all!!! Life is love❤️😍💖

Thank you for this, Mark. In a dark place & I’m surprised how this helped me. Things you said helped me as much as things John said. You seem like a lovely person. ♥️🙋‍♀️

Love the Fugelsang. I spent some time in China with Taoist monks and nuns and that is a good religion for women, you have the yin and yang balance. Everyone is equal.

Hang in there Mark Smeby. Communicating the actual "Good News" of Christ can't be messed up, and you'd never know that what you say here deeply moved someone, or opened someone's mind to truth. Helping people relate to Christ and see His spirit within themselves is beautiful, whether they run to be baptized or not.

I love this! I just came upon this gem. Thank you. ❤Your views about Jesus are how I view Jesus when I read the Bible. He was a progressive who taught about love and helping others. I don’t understand how many Fundamentalist Christians don’t see this and have created their own white Jesus who hates progressive views, women, people of color, LGBQT+, immigrants, etc. This is nothing like how he was portrayed in the Bible.

Good afternoon from the glorious SF Bay Area. Love, love, love, we're on the same team and it feels good to find others who grew up with Christianity and have moved on without throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I follow Jesus and his teachings, Jesus was not a Christian.

Freaking AWESOME interview. Thank you 😊 💓 ☺ 💗

Very, very good interview!

Just listening to the end part of this interview, John talks so much sense…and as the songwriter Larry Norman penned…What a mess the World is in , I wonder who began it, don’t ask me, I’m only visiting this Planet,. Cracking interview .

It's never crossed my mind to embrace authoritarianism (church)when life got difficult, but I pray to keep family and friends safe

Great interview

Wow!! Thanks Mark! I’ve also read the books you’ve named today and they all helped me to make sense of my relationship with Jesus!! It’s such a comfort to know I’m not alone!🙏🏻😍

Thank You for the help in giving John a platform to reach a larger audience. You also seam to be on a well adjusted path as well. Peace/JT

"The miracles in your scriptures are superstitious fairy tales,but the miracles in my scriptures are all literal truth". The majority of people have no more control over the faith they were brought up in than they do over what language they speak. I was a fundamentalist in my teens,had a painful crisis of faith at 21,then spent decades studying Comparative Religion. There's always a silly side to all religion, along side the deepest cravings of the human heart. I'm grateful for many religious people. Fanatics are who to beware of. John is one of the funniest AND smartest people on Earth,and I thoroughly enjoy how he defends Jesus' teaching while skewering fanatics. Too often it seems the quickest way to become everything Jesus preached against is to first become a Christian.

great interview - thanks

Leviticus sheesh 😂 you know how hard it is to stone all my neighbors mowing their lawns on the sabbath?!!

Mr. Fugelsang's joke about the Transitioning of Eve is great and I found another. The word spirit in Aramaic is female in gender, neutral in Greek, and masculine in Latin. The female spirit Christ blesses us with as a comforter becomes the part of God that got left behind to watch over and punish. Instead of the mother in whose arms we can feel safe, we get the carnival barkers mocking her by faking her gifts. I believe the one unpardonable sin is the mocking of the Holy Spirit. Oops.

ok, I'm almost 20 minutes into this. 2 things, 1. I really appreciate the fact that the host responded to some of the comments. I doubt that that will happen with my comments. {An aside, does youtube foster discussion or simply channel it?} 2. JF, I think, had the same epiphany that I have had and have on daily basis, the universe does not really care much about any of us or any one of us. It's just there/here doing its thing.

"we'll never know how many rapes, murders ..were prevented by the fear of hell" ! ! ! Quite the weakest argument for religion I've heard (lately). How many murdering raping humanists are there in the record?