This week on Ask the Pastor features a conversation between Pastor J.D. Greear and Dr. Jason Thacker. Dr. Thacker serves as an assistant professor of philosophy and ethics at Boyce College and Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He also is a senior fellow in bioethics and director of the research institute at The Ethics and Religious Liberty…

This week on Ask the Pastor features a conversation between Pastor J.D. Greear and Ben Watson. Watson is a former NFL tight end as well as a writer, speaker, and activist. He is a college football studio analyst with the SEC Network, and he serves as VP of Strategic Relationships with the Human Coalition, one of the largest pro-life and pro-women’s…

Ask the Pastor is continuing our Gospel & Politics series. This week features a conversation between Pastor J.D. Greear and Dr. Ed Stetzer. Stetzer is a leading thinker in his field and has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches; trained pastors and church planters on six continents; earned two master’s degrees and two doctorates. A glimpse in…

This week’s Ask the Pastor episode kicks off our brand new series, Gospel & Politics. This series will feature Pastor J.D. with other respected leaders talking about how we can integrate both the gospel and politics into our lives this election season. A glimpse inside this episode: Secular beliefs often have Christian foundations, and Christians s…

In this final edition of Ask the Pastor’s Greatest Hits, Pastor J.D. talks about the pain of unanswered prayer and the realities of prayer for the Christian. A glimpse inside this episode: This is a tricky question. I’ve often heard that behind every question is a questioner. When we’re dealing with unanswered prayer, the Bible has a lot to say. Bu…

Unbroken: Psalm 34:15-22 by Charissa Clark HowePor Charissa Clark Howe

Sermon from Center Presbyterian Church.Por Charissa Clark Howe

In this edition of Ask the Pastor’s Greatest Hits, Pastor J.D. shares how God called him to the mission field before calling him to be a pastor of a church that sends and supplies the mission field in extravagant ways. A glimpse inside this episode: When God called me to be a pastor, he did so by first calling me to the mission field. I spent the f…

In this edition of Ask the Pastor’s Greatest Hits, Pastor J.D. talks how to live in the world but not of the world. A glimpse inside this episode: Who do you feel the closest kinship with? Who do you spend most of your time with? The lesson from Lot’s life is that you have to make up your mind from the beginning: Who do you really want to be? If it…

In this edition of Ask the Pastor’s Greatest Hits, Pastor J.D. talks about whether the legal use of marijuana is wise or helpful for Christians. A glimpse inside this episode: In the past, this was an easy enough question, because marijuana was illegal. It wasn’t a “gray area” for Christians. The drug was illegal, so it was off-limits to those who …

In this edition of Ask the Pastor’s Greatest Hits, Pastor J.D. shares four important things to keep in mind when responding to instances of sexual abuse. A glimpse into this episode: This is an extremely important question, so much so that after becoming SBC president, the first thing I did was appoint a Sexual Abuse Advisory Group to lead our deno…

In this edition of Ask the Pastor’s Greatest Hits, Pastor J.D. talks about some key advantages and disadvantages to each type of schooling and how Scripture guides our decision-making. A glimpse inside this episode: My friend Joby Martin says if you want some entertainment, get a home-school mama and a public school mama together and ask what the b…

Preached July 28, 2024First Presbyterian Church of PittsburghMark 6:30-34, 53-56Por Charissa Clark Howe

Show Notes: The answer to this question comes from the lips of Jesus, the most compassionate person ever to live. Marriage is a covenant you make with your spouse before God. God created it in Genesis 2 as a union where two literally become one, and death is the only thing that can dissolve that covenant (with a couple of death-related exceptions w…

Sermon from Amos 7 preached on July 14, 2024 at Third Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh the day after Trump was shot.Por Charissa Clark Howe

Show Notes: We should be as intentional with our families as we are with our jobs. There is a sense that, on one level, I as a parent affect the faith journey of my kids. But on another level, there is a limit to the responsibility parents have for the choices our kids make. God has made them as individuals. A lot of godly parents will have a child…

Pastor J.D. answers a question about what it really means to be a Christian. Show Notes: Everyone has a different assumption of what it means to be a Christian. In the Western world, a lot of people have the assumption that if you’re not a Jew, not a Muslim, and not an atheist, you must be a Christian. Some people think it means a certain amount of…

Mark 5:21–43 (ESV)And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on …

This summer we are looking at some of the most popular Ask the Pastor episodes over the years. This week, Pastor J.D. answers the question of whether or not you can lose your salvation. Show Notes: At first glance, Hebrews 6 seems to say that not only can you lose your salvation, but once you do, you can never get it back! So what does it mean? Thi…

This summer we are looking at some of the most popular Ask the Pastor episodes over the years. This week, Pastor J.D. discusses Can a Christian Be Possessed by a Demon?. Show Notes: It depends on what you mean by “demon possessed.” It’s never used in the Greek language that I know of, and it’s not in the Bible. The word in the Bible is “demonized,”…

This summer we are looking at some of the most popular Ask the Pastor episodes over the years. This week, Pastor J.D. discusses how to honor a toxic parent. A glimpse inside this episode: This brings us to one of the “big 10” — the 10 Commandments. There are a couple of things to understand starting with the 10 commandments are divided into two sec…

This summer we are looking at some of the most popular Ask the Pastor episodes over the years. To start, Pastor J.D. discusses what’s important to keep in mind when it comes to leaving a church and choosing one. A glimpse inside this episode: The no-commitment consumer culture is not appropriate for the church. Consumer culture works for some thing…

Show Notes: Matt: J.D., as we’re recording gambling was just legalized in North Carolina this month, like it has been in 37 other states. That has us wondering – is gambling a sin? — J.D.: Some of our long-time listeners might remember us talking about this 2 years ago, but we thought given its popularity, we’d revisit it. So, look, the reality is …

Show Notes: Matt: J.D., some people feel like, because we have the Holy Spirit inside of us, we should never have some of these big, mental health struggles like depression or anxiety. The question is, can Christians be depressed? Or if someone is depressed, is that an indication that they’re not saved? — J.D.: Matt, that’s a heavy question. Let me…

Show Notes: Matt: J.D., is cremation (as opposed to burial in a casket) wrong? — J.D.: Well, this one’s actually a little more interesting than you might think. If you’ve never thought much about it, you probably (like most people) just think about the fact that when someone dies, they basically have two options—burial in a casket or by cremation, …

Show Notes: Matt: Welcome. J.D., here’s a softball… What are your thoughts on the 2024 election? It’s now officially decided through primary votes that we’ll have a re-match of Trump v. Biden in November. J.D.: We as the church didn’t respond well last time… we are getting a gracious mulligan I have a handful of pieces of counsel to that end, Let m…

Sermon preached at Sixth Presbyterian Church on April 28,2024.Por Charissa Clark Howe

Show Notes: Matt: Welcome. — Today we have a question today from someone who sent this in named Ronnie. She asked, “Is modesty a biblical virtue or is it a relic of the patriarchy?” J.D.: So for our listeners that are like, what’s really the question here behind the question? I grew up in the, the purity culture. Josh Harris was, wrote the famous b…