96: Religion vs. Relationship: Why Christian Nationalism (and Other “Religions”) Miss the Gospel

Todd, Laura, and Kelly dig into the core difference between religion (me telling God how He should be satisfied) and relationship (loving God as He has revealed Himself in Christ). Using Cain as a template, we compare today’s movements—Christian Nationalism, New Age “spiritual but not religious,” Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormon cosmology, and Baha’i universalism—and show how each subtly re-centers the self or earthly power instead of the Kingdom Jesus describes. We talk idols of comfort, identity politics on both the left and right, why you can’t enforce the Kingdom of God “at the barrel of a gun,” and how believers can anchor identity in Christ rather than culture. It’s frank, a little spicy (sorry, patchouli), and aimed at helping honest seekers move from pageantry to personhood with Jesus. If you’ve felt the tug of “this seems close, but not quite right,” this episode is your map out. You’ll hear about: Cain as the pattern for man-made religion Why Christian Nationalism confuses Christ’s Kingdom with state power New Age subjectivism and the “co-creator” trap JW, LDS, and Baha’i claims in light of Jesus’ exclusivity Finding your identity in Christ amid cultural pressure New here? Welcome—this show exists to untangle theology and expose the cultural/occult seepage that passes for “Christian” in 2025, so you can actually walk with Jesus. References Scripture (themes mentioned or discussed) Genesis 4 – Cain’s offering and the heart of man-made worship Judges 7 – God’s “foolish” means (Gideon’s reduction) to display His sufficiency John 18:36 – “My kingdom is not of this world” John 16:33 – Expect tribulation in the world 1 John 2:15–17 – Do not love the world Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3 – Identity in Christ Revelation 13; 17–18 – Warnings about beastly power/religion and empire People/Groups Mentioned Jehovah’s Witnesses (144,000; Christ as created) Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (exaltation/cosmology) Baha’i Faith (religious universalism; Rainn Wilson noted publicly as Baha’i) Christian Nationalism (movement critique)