Podcast Summary: Was Jesus Actually PROGRESSIVE? (React to the Daily Show clip)

Podcast: Live Free with Josh Howerton
Host: Pastor Josh Howerton (Lakepointe Church)
Episode Date: December 31, 2025
Main Theme:
Pastor Josh Howerton critically analyzes a viral Daily Show segment featuring John Fugelsang, who contends that Jesus’s teachings are inherently progressive. Pastor Josh examines these claims, contrasting progressive interpretations of scripture with historic Christian theology, especially regarding the proper roles of individuals, the church, and the state.

Overview of the Episode

This episode addresses a recent viral Daily Show interview with John Fugelsang, author of "The Separation of Church and Hate," in which Fugelsang asserts that Jesus was progressive. Pastor Josh aims to equip Christians—especially in the lead-up to the political midterms—with biblical clarity to assess claims that "progress" means moving beyond historical Christian values. The discussion revolves around whether Jesus’s teachings align with modern progressive ideologies or have a different, scriptural context.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Danger of Misusing Scripture (00:37–02:30)

• Pastor Josh highlights how both “good guys” and “bad guys” use the Bible, often twisting it for various purposes (Satan in the garden, Pharisees, "super apostles").
  • Quote [01:09]: “The bad guys use the Bible almost as much as the good guys use the Bible.” — Josh Howerton
• Christians should "test everything and hold fast to what is good," emulating the Bereans who checked teachings against scripture.

2. Progressivism Defined and Its Tension with Biblical Morality (02:30–04:24)

• Progressivism is described as an ideology that aims to move "past" something, often historic Christian morality.
• Claims that nobody becomes progressively more progressive while also growing more theologically conservative.
  • Quote [03:23]: “Not all change is progress. Some things that the world calls progress, the Bible calls decay.” — Josh Howerton

3. Debate Over Matthew 25—Who is Jesus Talking To? (04:24–10:26)

• Fugelsang and the host use Matthew 25 ("I was a stranger and you took me in…") to argue for progressive, government-enforced social policies.
• Pastor Josh introduces "sphere sovereignty" as taught by Abraham Kuyper: God establishes three institutions (family, church, state), each with distinct biblical roles.
  • The state’s role: law, order, defense (Romans 13)
  • The church's/individual's role: charity, care for the poor
• Warns against conflating the roles of government and individuals.
  • Quote [09:20]: “What the Bible wants is big church, small government. The Bible doesn’t want small church, big government.” — Josh Howerton
• Critiques using taxation/government redistribution as a substitute for personal generosity.

4. Left-Coded vs. Right-Coded Christian Nationalism (10:26–13:19)

• Argues that when progressives want the government to enforce biblical justice, it’s “compassion,” but when conservatives do so (e.g., pro-life laws), it’s derided as “Christian nationalism.”
  • Quote [10:59]: “This is left-coded Christian nationalism.” — Josh Howerton

5. Selective Use of Jesus’s Words—Red Letter Christianity (13:19–14:28)

• Progressive Christians often focus on Jesus’s words (especially the Sermon on the Mount) while discarding less palatable teachings or the rest of scripture.
  • Quote [13:40]: “It’s an attempt to rescue Jesus from the other things the Bible says that they don’t like.” — Josh Howerton

6. Who Really Follows Jesus? Data and Fruit (14:28–17:39)

• Responds to the claim that progressives “follow” Jesus better than conservatives:
  • Statistically, conservative Christians are more personally generous (time, money, adoptions).
  • Emphasizes the distinction between individual behavior and voting for governmental enforcement of charity.
  • Quote [16:05]: “Conservative Christians adopt children at a rate almost three times higher than the national average.” — Josh Howerton

7. The Crusades and the Rewriting of Christian History (17:39–20:16)

• Rebuts the narrative that the Crusades are evidence of Christian warmongering.
  • Describes the Crusades as generally “just wars” and “defensive,” countering centuries of Islamic conquests.
  • Quote [18:36]: “One of the ways progressivism does this is it rewrites history with Christians as the bad guys as often as possible.” — Josh Howerton

8. Is Violence Ever Biblically Justified for Governments? (20:16–26:11)

• Analyzes Romans 13 and the doctrine of “bearing the sword” as a God-ordained function of governments (including the death penalty).
  • Progressivism, which assumes humans are basically good, tends to oppose police and militaries, favoring therapy and counseling.
  • Christianity recognizes “total depravity,” needing checks on evil through government force.
  • Quote [24:53]: “A biblical understanding of evil is that evil never stops itself, so it must be stopped.” — Josh Howerton

9. Selective Reframing of Jesus for Progressive Causes (26:30–28:11)

• Critiques Fugelsang’s statement about Jesus as “the original innocent brown-skinned man executed by the state,” noting that both sides selectively edit Jesus to support causes.
  • Emphasizes: Jesus is a Lord, not a mere mascot for any movement or ideology.
  • Quote [27:54]: “Jesus is a Lord. He is not a mascot.” — Josh Howerton

10. Shared Values and Real Opposition to Authoritarianism (28:11–28:44)

• Acknowledges Fugelsang’s accurate point: Jesus’s teachings do threaten authoritarian power.
• Pastor Josh closes by expressing mutual frustration at the misuse of Christian faith for political purposes—on both progressive and conservative sides.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• [01:09] Josh Howerton:
  "The bad guys use the Bible almost as much as the good guys use the Bible."

• [03:23] Josh Howerton:
  "Not all change is progress. Some things that the world calls progress, the Bible calls decay."

• [09:20] Josh Howerton:
  "What the Bible wants is big church, small government. The Bible doesn’t want small church, big government."

• [10:59] Josh Howerton:
  "This is left-coded Christian nationalism."

• [13:40] Josh Howerton:
  "It’s an attempt to rescue Jesus from the other things the Bible says that they don’t like."

• [16:05] Josh Howerton:
  "Conservative Christians adopt children at a rate almost three times higher than the national average."

• [18:36] Josh Howerton:
  "One of the ways progressivism does this is it rewrites history with Christians as the bad guys as often as possible."

• [24:53] Josh Howerton:
  "A biblical understanding of evil is that evil never stops itself, so it must be stopped."

• [27:54] Josh Howerton:
  "Jesus is a Lord. He is not a mascot."

Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:37–02:30 — Set-up: Why viral clips and progressive arguments matter
• 02:30–04:24 — Progressivism's definition and relationship with Christianity
• 04:24–10:26 — Matthew 25, sphere sovereignty, personal vs. government responsibility
• 10:26–13:19 — Christian nationalism: progressive vs conservative
• 13:19–14:28 — "Red Letter Christianity" and selective scripture
• 14:28–17:39 — Generosity: data vs. rhetoric
• 17:39–20:16 — The Crusades, revisionist history
• 20:16–26:11 — Just war, Romans 13, death penalty
• 26:30–28:11 — Jesus as progressive mascot vs. biblical Lord
• 28:11–28:44 — End reflections: opposing authoritarianism, faith as a cloaking device

Final Thoughts

Pastor Josh’s analysis is robust, urging listeners to “test everything” against the whole counsel of scripture rather than cultural talking points. He acknowledges real shortcomings within Christian practice but pushes back strongly against what he sees as scriptural or historical misrepresentations by progressives. Throughout, he calls for a biblically informed, discerning approach to Christian engagement in cultural and political matters.

For more resources or to dive deeper, visit Lakepointe Digital.

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