#103. How a Pastor Views Church Hurt, Do We Have Free Will, and Is God Really Dead? — James Lee

This week’s guest is James Lee. James is a Christian philosopher, a college pastor at Youngnak LA, and a lecturer at Biola University. James has a graduate degree in pastoral care and counseling and a doctorate of ministry in integrative theology and philosophy.

You know that the reality is that our situations are not always good. The things that the church has done to people, it's tragic. I have a hard time believing that this is a reflection of who God is.

A lot of people and non believers view the Bible as a wisdom literature. What would you say to them in terms of the perspective? I'd love to engage in conversation. Not necessarily to force someone to believe, but just to talk about some things that maybe make sense.

A lot of people are disheartened by a bad, quote unquote, therapist experience. I empathize because I've had a bad therapist myself. I don't want people to lose faith in church or in pastors because of a negative counseling session.

As an authority figure in the church, I can't help but just to say I apologize to anyone that's had that bad experience. For a lot of people that are still struggling too, it might be really hard to give church another chance. But in terms of giving church and pastors another chance, I would really say don't rush.

The theme is be gracious with yourself and your own timeline, because everyone has different timelines. Give yourself the time to heal first. The suffering is ubiquitous, whether you're in church or outside of church. But self grace is really important.