Joe Rogan Couldn't Ignore What Matthew McConaughey Said About God

[00:00:00]Matthew McConna accidentally summed up one of America's biggest spiritual problems. And he did it in three words.

[00:00:09]Forget the author. Because we still want commandments like do not murder, do not steal, don't lie. We just don't want God telling us to do it. But Joe Rogan raises a pretty legitimate concern that Christians need to take seriously. So, is the problem really the ten commandments or is the problem the God who gave them? Listen to how McConna frames the question.

[00:00:38]>> Now, my question then goes to this. Is there anyone in the Ten Commandments that you or anyone disagrees with or is your problem that it's an it's can be considered an oppressive author?

[00:00:50]>> James Tarico explained it to me. Um, he's a Texas representative who's also in seminary. He's a very religious man and he opposes it and he's a Democrat.

[00:01:00]And um he said essentially there's two very wealthy men who are um they're Christian fundamentalists where they want to replace all the funding for public schools and put in private Christian. They want a theocracy in Texas essentially. So he was explaining that this is like a step on the way towards that that he finds would actually in his in his belief repel people from Christianity instead of bring them to him by forcing this in classrooms forcing in your face you'll actually cause more young people to reject Christianity. I don't know if he's correct or not >> and you know that really is kind of the heart of the matter. Does anybody actually believe that children need more murder, more lying, more jealousy, more adultery? Of course not. Almost everyone agrees that children need more of a moral foundation. And that feels especially urgent today. Kids are ultimately surrounded with more voices than any generation before them. All of them are telling them what to desire, what to believe, and really who they need to become. Follow your heart. Live your truth. Don't let anyone tell you what's right for you. But what happens when your heart wants something that's destructive? What happens when my truth harms you? I think McConna sees the instability of that logic. I mean, everyone, and especially young people, need something more than feelings and trends and whatever's popular online this week. But Rogan sees another danger of that.

[00:02:49]>> The the the the the Ten Commandments in the schools. What do you think about that?

[00:02:54]>> I don't like it.

[00:02:55]>> Why?

[00:02:56]>> Well, I think the Ten Commandments are very interesting. I think mandating it in classrooms, in public schools. The problem with that is like, >> yeah, >> what about the Muslims? What about the Buddhists? What about the Hindus? What about what about all the other religions that exist? Like, >> and you can say, oh, this is a Christian.

[00:03:17]>> Can it say, >> okay, well, then you have a wall of religious texts in your your high school.

[00:03:23]>> I don't think Christians should brush that point to the side. A government that's powerful enough to promote your religion today may be powerful enough to promote someone else's religion tomorrow. And the reality is that Christianity has never been something that you can force into anyone's heart.

[00:03:42]You can hang the Ten Commandments on a wall. You can make students read them.

[00:03:48]You can even punish people for breaking certain rules. But none of that can make someone love God. And when Christianity is mainly presented as a political weapon, something that's imposed by the people in power, it can cause people to reject faith without even understanding the gospel. So Rogan raises a pretty fair political question. Should the government ever enforce one religion in public schools? But I think that still leaves us with an even deeper question.

[00:04:20]Where does moral authority come from?

[00:04:24]Why should we tell the truth when lying might benefit me? Why should I remain faithful when unfaithfulness feels exciting? And why should I stop coveting when nearly every advertisement, every social media platform essentially profits by making me dissatisfied and wanting something better? But then we see Rogan and McConna agreeing that the Ten Commandments do contain wisdom.

[00:04:52]Listen to this part.

[00:04:53]>> You shall not make the name of the Lord your God in vain.

[00:04:58]>> Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Honor your father or mother.

[00:05:02]That's a solid one. You shall not murder. Great advice.

[00:05:05]>> You shall not commit adultery.

[00:05:06]Definitely don't do that. You shall not steal. Definitely don't do that. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Don't lie.

[00:05:13]>> You shall not covet. Yeah, boy.

[00:05:16]>> Those are all pretty solid >> covet. We can use number 10 a lot right now. Boy, we love comparison.

[00:05:20]>> Well, that's interesting.

[00:05:21]>> And the younger generation, >> full of covet.

[00:05:24]>> Yeah, problem.

[00:05:25]>> And there lies the tension. They both like the commandments, Joe and Matthew.

[00:05:31]They immediately can recognize that a society filled with murder and theft and dishonesty, adultery, unchecked jealousy, will eventually tear itself apart. But there's a massive difference between saying that they're useful principles and saying those are commands that came from the God who created me. A useful principle can be changed the second it becomes inconvenient. A command from God still holds authority even when we don't like it. Because everybody appreciates moral rules when those rules would restrain somebody else. Don't steal sounds great when somebody wants my property. And do not lie sounds great when somebody's deceiving me. Don't commit adultery sounds great when I'm the spouse that's being betrayed. But when God's law confronts something that I want to do, suddenly I and I think many of you start looking for exceptions. And that's exactly why the author matters tremendously. Once we remove him, the commandments become nothing more than a consensus document and consensus changes. We ultimately keep the rules that our culture approves of and we redefine the ones that make us uncomfortable and ultimately we ignore the ones that expose what's going on inside of us. Take coveting for example.

[00:06:58]Today, coveting can look like scrolling through somebody else's life, slowly becoming bitter because their body, marriage, house, car, vacation, or family doesn't look like yours. Social media doesn't just show us what people have. It social media can train us to feel like the things God has given us just aren't enough. And the scriptures don't merely say that that mentality is unhealthy. It actually calls it sin. And that alone carries a very different kind of authority. But then McConna says the line that reveals really the deepest problem in the entire conversation.

[00:07:40]>> What what is that? What's that simple sheet that's ingrained that that that our youth can go Yeah.

[00:07:47]>> Yeah.

[00:07:47]>> You can rely on that. Forget the author.

[00:07:50]Forget the author.

[00:07:51]>> Right. I I don't think you're going to do it with like a series of commandments.

[00:07:58]>> Let me be fair. I I understand what McConnA is trying to accomplish. He I think he wants to find common ground.

[00:08:06]He's essentially saying, even if we disagree about God, can't we agree that these principles are still good? And at one level, yes. Romans 2 says that the law of God is written on the human heart and that our conscience bears witness to it. And that means that Christians should never argue that atheists are incapable of recognizing moral truths or moral goods. People who reject God can still love their children. They can act generously. They can tell the truth and they can even recognize evil. The issue is not whether somebody can recognize a good command without acknowledging God.

[00:08:46]The issue here is what makes the command binding. especially when obeying it might cost us something. And you can not fully understand the Ten Commandments while simultaneously forgetting their author. Exodus 20 doesn't begin by simply saying, "Here are 10 helpful tips for a successful society." God begins by saying, "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt." Before God tells his people what to do, he reminds them of who he is and what he's done. The lawgiver is also their deliverer. These commandments come from a relationship and they ultimately reveal the character of God, the God who rescued his people and taught them how to live as a people that belonged to him. And Jesus during his ministry makes that connection clearer than ever. When Christ is asked, "What is the greatest commandment?" He begins with loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And then he says to love your neighbor as yourself. And sometimes we want to pull those two things apart. We want to love our neighbor without surrendering to God. But Jesus holds those two things together. Biblical morality, it's not about simply creating polite citizens.

[00:10:13]It's centrally about loving God and learning to love people because they were made by him. But there's even a deeper problem. Our greatest need is not more information about right and wrong.

[00:10:27]We regularly break moral rules that we already know. The law itself can reveal our sin, but it cannot transform our hearts. And that is exactly why Christianity is not simply another moral creed. Christ didn't come to simply tell bad people to try harder. He lived the life that we have failed to live. He died for the sins that we committed. And he rose again so that those who trust in him can be forgiven, reconciled to God, and made new. The Christian answer to moral chaos is not merely put more commandments on the walls. What it is, it's return to the God whose character those commandments reveal. So should Christians take Rogan's concern about government enforced religion seriously?

[00:11:21]Yes. But can we simply forget the author while applying the commandments? No.

[00:11:28]Because once the author is removed, we become the editors. And eventually, as history has shown us time and time again, we will rewrite every single command to fit what we already wanted to do. America doesn't merely need a better moral creed. What we do need to recognize is that right and wrong doesn't begin with us. And we need more than just rules to show us how far we've truly fallen. We ultimately need the Savior who forgives sinners and changes hearts. A commandment on the wall, it can tell you what's right, but only God can change the person looking at it. And if you've ever wanted help understanding your Bible and how to read it, watch the video on your screen next, and I'll show you some quick, easy steps on exactly how to read the Bible and to help you become biblically literate. I hope this helps and we'll see you in the next