Post-Season Interview with Mitchel Seed.
Intro Music
Outro Music
Fixing Christianity one dose at a time.
Post-Season Interview with Mitchel Seed.
Intro Music
Outro Music
Fixing Christianity one dose at a time.
Welcome to Christian Capsules. I'm your host, Mitchell Seed. Today I'm here to interview the creator of the Christian Capsules podcast, Jermaine Farrell. Welcome, Jermaine.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me. I appreciate it. Thank you.
Speaker 1:Can you please tell us a little bit more about yourself, kind of like do a little brief introduction.
Speaker 2:Yeah, sure, sure, my name is Jermaine Farrell. I am the creator of the podcast Christian Capsules. A little background about me. I go to a Baptist church here in North Carolina with my family. I am a Stephen Minister, a Liberty University alum. I used to teach youth for several years, and yeah, so and here I am now.
Speaker 1:So, jermaine, I know you do a few things We'll get into that in a bit, but tell us exactly what is Christian Capsule? What is that?
Speaker 2:Absolutely Christian Capsule is a podcast and each episode is representative by a or it resembles a capsule that you would get in a medicine bottle. You know, a capsule is the way you could take each end of the pill and you could pull it apart and there's stuff inside. You pour it out. But that's not how you take it. You take the capsule and then it's meant to dissolve quicker in your body than, I say, a tablet will normally do so. By nature of our podcast, each episode that we do is a dosage of medicine for Christianity and it's usually a topic on something the church needs to fix. So that's why the tagline Fixing Christianity, one Dose at a Time, because each capsule or each pill that you take from us is designed to work toward fixing Christianity. I hope that explains it pretty good.
Speaker 1:It does, it does. So you're kind of two seasons into this podcast or Capsules podcast. What exactly is the goal? I mean, you explained a little, you touched on it a little bit, but what's the ultimate goal with this podcast, when you're seeking to accomplish?
Speaker 2:The goal is kind of I don't know if it's like a goal per se I'm doing what I'm being told to do, I'm following God's word and I'm listening to the Holy Spirit. So I guess the goal is to do what God wants me to do. But I imagine that each of these capsules is to add a little bit more health to the church. The goal is if I had to narrow it down to that would be to repair the American church using one dose of our capsules at a time. It's to fix the things that is wrong and I'm trying to be careful without offending any particular religion or denomination.
Speaker 2:But there's a lot of things that the American church gets wrong and it's repetitive. So I'm trying to help fix that or repair that, and hopefully, by the end or whenever I'm done, other people will see what I'm doing and they will do it too, and that they're basically plugging the holes of a leaky dam and eventually, after the holes are all plugged, we should have a sturdy, solid foundation. I'm tired of seeing so many things wrong with the church and nobody cares and we're just going along with it and it keeps getting worse and worse and worse and there's nothing being done to fix it. Little things, but they add up and after a while we have what we are today big problems all over the place. So that's kind of the so-called goal.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you mentioned the church. Tell me more about that. You mentioned the church. Tell me more about that. Like, what actually fixing? What is it about churches that's wrong with our needs to be prepared? I mean, from what I can see, the Bible is still being taught in the church. As a matter of fact, the Bible is still the authority for what I can see. What do you mean by fixing it? Which wrong with it?
Speaker 2:That's a very good question and I appreciate this question because a lot of people ask me that what's wrong exactly? So, like I said earlier, there's many little things that add up. For one that stands out to me is Bible illiteracy. We did a capsule on that just recently, did a capsule on that just recently.
Speaker 2:Um, because people don't know their bible, they're easily duped, deceived. Um, they can't defend their faith. Apologetics basically apologetics just goes out the window. They're spreading more lies because they don't know, they're going by what they heard versus what the bible says, and that turns a lot of potential christians off or, you know, it kind of pushes people away. And then there's the uh, the anger of man versus the anger of god. Um, we're not working in God's will. We're using our personal anger to fight sin versus using what the Word of God says.
Speaker 2:There's other things like Sunday sermons. We're living off of Sunday sermons and I think that people don't also, they don't, they want to go to mission trips and want to do missions across the world because it looks good on social media. You know, I went here or it feels kind of good. It's a feel good thing I did this versus doing missions in your everyday life. If Christians did missions in their everyday life everybody did that, everybody worked toward doing Christianity in their everyday life, whatever job it is that you do or at home, if you're just a home person, or in sports or in school then American Christianity would be in so much of a better state. So there's tons of things wrong with the church, and I equivalent again it's like a dam that has holes in it. Some holes are bigger than others, but they need to be patched because right now you have a compromised surface. So those are the kind of things that the church as a whole needs to fix.
Speaker 2:And then bad doctrine. Add that upon what I've already listed, bad doctrine being taught, and by bad doctrine I mean improper teachings of the bible being perpetuated on and on and on and on, so so much that it becomes a myth. And I'll give you one example, or maybe a couple. One example saying that cleanliness is Close to godliness. My parents used to say that. They said it so much that I thought it was gospel. But it's not, I mean, because if that was the case, then I guess homeless people in the poor and the downtrodden and the dirty and whoever, I guess they would never get into heaven, right? Or God helps those who help themselves that famous one. Well, if we can help ourselves, what do we need God for? God helps us when we're weak, and that's when he is strong. So things like that we perpetuate over and over again.
Speaker 2:But those, let's be even into a bigger one, manipulating doctrine to say what we want it to say. For example, because of our Bible literacy and we don't know how to study the Bible, we turn text wrong. It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. This is what Jesus is talking about, right, when he actually was talking to a guy who couldn't give up his wealth, jesus asked him to give up his money and follow him. He didn't want to. So Jesus busts into that, saying he says it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, and everybody's thinking that the eye of a needle. And for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And everybody's thinking that the eye of the needle is a sewing needle. And it is not. It is a.
Speaker 2:In jerusalem they have pathways called needles in the innermost part of the temple and for you to get in through those. Your donkey, or whatever animal that you're using to carry your stuff, would get stuck in that needle, that pathway, that archway, and you would basically have to disrobe the donkey. You would take everything off, get the donkey through barely, then put everything back on the donkey again and that's the equivalent of a rich man going to the kingdom of heaven. Um, the rich man, because the riches have such an effect on him, it may be that he may have to disrobe himself of all the riches that he has. So his soul is pure enough to go him heaven. So that's again.
Speaker 2:That's one of those things that is misinterpreted. Because we don't know our bible we're bible illiterate. We don't know context. We don't know how to study historical, um, historical context, context for then, context for now, uh, meanings of things, checking the flow of a chapter or chapters, um, paying attention to who jesus is talking to there's a lot of things that go into studying the bible, um, and that is perpetuated on and on and on and on. There are many things like like the yolk people think it's the egg yolk and things like. There's a lot of things, um, so that's. Those are some of the things that American Christians have problems with, and there's many more, but that's what I mean about. Things need to be fixed. There's lots of things like that.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's something else. That's a lot Hold on hold on.
Speaker 2:I just want to say one more thing. I just want to say that because, yeah, you said, isn't the Bible taught in church? Is it the authority? Yeah, it's still there as the authority in most churches, but in a lot of churches it is not the authority. Man's doctrine has become the author authoritative uh thing. In the church it's. The bible has become a side, almost like a co-host, um, or in case of acting, you have a primary actor and you have a co-actor, um. So the bible is taking second fiddle to the doctrine of man, and jesus warned us against that many times by talking to the Pharisees about it. He says you know, he's telling the Pharisees. He said you've put doctrines of men, as you know, traditions of men, as doctrines of God, and that's a big no-no with God. You cannot teach precepts of men as doctrine of God and that's why you know why the Bible is still in church. In some ways it has become second fiddle.
Speaker 1:I'm sure you've been asked this many, many times with your gillings, with people on Reddit and groups and things like that, but I want to ask you what makes you the person to correct the many church-going Christians in America? Who are you to do this?
Speaker 2:Well, you wonder who I am? I'm nobody. I'm a nobody. I'm no better than anybody else in the world. Matter of fact, in many ways I'm worse. I was worse I too. I became a child of God, but I'm just, I'm nothing special.
Speaker 2:You know how people look up to the prophets in the Old Testament, like, wow, the prophets is that thing. But the prophets in the Old Testament did not think themselves to be anything special and, matter of fact, it was a burden to become a prophet. Because, well, one, they all were killed by their own people. Even jesus satisfies to that. Um. Two, they often lived terrible, just the lives were not great.
Speaker 2:So I'm not comparing myself to the prophet, I'm just saying when you're doing something for it's not a thing where you should be like, this is who I am, I'm like this. It's more or less. I'm just doing something because, one, the Lord asked me to do it and two, it needs to be done, even if the Lord didn't ask me to do it. The Holy Spirit inside me, it gets riled up when I hear things in a church, that's, they get it wrong and it's being taught over and over and over again and we see what's become of the world Because of that. So that's who I am. I'm a guy who said Like Isaiah did when the Lord asked him I think this is chapter 6 when the Lord asked him I think this is chapter 6, 5 or 6, when the Lord asked, who shall I send? And Isaiah said here I am, send me. That's what I am. Here I am, lord, send me. That's who I am.
Speaker 1:You seem to be targeting mainly American Christians, but why only them? Why let Christians say like in China, israel or Iran or places like that? Why only American Christians?
Speaker 2:Well, let me say this first the Christian capsule is not just for Americans. It could be for anybody, any place, anywhere, anytime. Just for Americans, it could be for anybody, any place, anywhere, anytime. If you see there is problems and a capsule addresses that, please use it to fix it. It doesn't matter where you're at.
Speaker 2:I chose to target American Christians because one I live in America and I can see the problem firsthand. Right, I can see the problem firsthand. I can see what it's done. I've lived long enough to know where we've come from the 70s to where we're at now. I've seen the decline of the american church in in certain areas. In certain ways it's grown um, but like the places like you listed, like, say, china or Iran or whatever, those guys over there they appreciate having Christianity in their country because they fight so hard to have it. They're under duress and it's a thing where they're trying to keep it from being taken away from them, so they value it more over there.
Speaker 2:Over here, we don't value Christianity. I'm not saying everyone. Of course there are some people that do. Of course, whenever I'm speaking, I'm speaking generally, not everyone. So there are some people that they do not, in America, appreciate what we have the grace that's been given us, appreciate what we have, the grace that's been given us, the abundancy of churches and ability that God gave us over here to be a beacon of light. They don't value that and because of that the laziness has crept in and the laziness has crept in. So then starts these holes in the dam because of the lack of value or the lack of appreciation for the grace that's been given us. So that's why I talk about christian, because we're. We're the one country that people used to look to us as a christian country, and I argue we even back then we wasn't really a holy Christian country, but we were seen as that, and now no one sees us as that. There's a reason for that and that's because American Christians are lackadaisical when it comes to their faith, or the faith should I say?
Speaker 2:If you had to pick one or two things that the American church gets wrong most of the time, or the most, or I should say, needs fixing the most. What would it be? Oh man, that is a great, great question. Let me think. So I don't want to limit this to one thing. I said almost a couple of things, right, I'm sorry. So one thing. The first thing would be Bible illiteracy or just Bible stupid. American Christians are Bible stupid. They don't know the Bible.
Speaker 1:I mean no verses verses.
Speaker 2:There's nothing. They don't know anything, basically, about their Bible and we barely and we have two Testaments, old and new testament and you barely can even get somebody to list, to quote me, a verse besides Jesus wept out of the New Testament. That's a big problem. But not just that. Living off of sunday sermons, that's another big problem, probably even more so than the bible literacy. Just living off sunday sermons, just thinking that all you have to do is go to church and listen to a sunday sermon and hope that that gets you by for the week, is insane. That's insanity, insanity.
Speaker 2:You wouldn't eat food like that, eat one meal on Sunday and then say I'm good for the week, or drink water one day like that. You wouldn't do that. You wouldn't work one day of the week and say, all right, my paycheck should be good before a week. I should be making money all week because I went on Sunday or Monday. So that's bad. But the third thing I would say is probably not doing enough with your daily life. Using that as a mission field. Those three things Bible literacy, living off Sunday sermons and using your day-to-day life as a mission field those are the three things that need fixing. If I had to pick it out out. Of all the things you do those things, you fix those things, they will lead to everything else kind of getting fixed.
Speaker 1:So this question kind of piggybacks off what you just said. These things are so messed up. What can be done to right this shit? I mean, besides this capsule that turned to it, what can the average person do, who's not you, to help right this shit?
Speaker 2:Well, I'm an average person too, so the average person is me and everybody else. But what can be done, basically, is each one, teach one the truth. Slide down the truth, slide down the truth. Teach it to your D groups, your connect groups, your Sunday school, your youth groups, sermons. Constantly teach the truth and have your people teach their people. Teach their people. That would right the ship. That would right the ship.
Speaker 1:I feel like we could talk all day, but I'm going to never. This is already getting long, so we're interviewing, so I'm going to just combine the two last questions into one what's up next for season three and what else do you have in the pipeline? What else is on the docket for 2020?
Speaker 2:Well, for season three, which will be sometime late next month. So I wanted to get into season two, but I never did get it in. But I want to do series Like three to four part series or things like for angels, for instance, angels and demons, religions series on religion that's coming up Islam, things like that. Judaism, jehovah's Witness, things like that. Um, judaism, uh, jehovah's witness, things like that. I want to get into series of things. Uh, another thing that's on for season three is um, more, more serious issues and more, more things that might seemingly offend people, but have I don't. They may seemingly offend people, but there is great merit to having this fixed. Um, I don't want to tip my hand right now, but there are some serious issues coming up. Uh, well, okay, I'll tell you what we'll talk about abortion, um, the lgbtq, that kind of stuff, like more of that kind of things. There's many more topics that I have, and I always start off with a list of things that I want for the season and some things don't make the cut. Well, the things that didn't make the cut in the previous season will get tacked on to the next season. So that's kind of how I work for seasons, and there's some surprises along the way.
Speaker 2:Also, what's in the pipeline? Well, the book Christian Capsule book, which comes out in midsummer that's being worked on right now currently. And Midsommar that's being worked on right now currently. And what that is? It's like the Christian Capsule podcast, but on steroids. It's expanded upon some of the topics that we talked about in the podcast, but other things that could not be, they're too long for a podcast format. Some teachable things, that's in the book. So there's a nonfiction, kind of a teaching book called Christian Capsules. Then, after that's released, fast forward about six or seven months and then there's a fiction work coming out. And that's all I'm going to say on that. There's a fiction book coming out, but that's down the line. So that's what's on for this year and, like I said, that fiction book may not even make it. I know it's not going to make it for this year. So that's down the line. So right now, keep going with the capsules and then release the capsule nonfiction so they can kind of pair with each other and that's pretty much it for 2024.
Speaker 1:Well, that's all I have for today. Thank you so much, Jermaine. I appreciate your time.
Speaker 2:You're welcome. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1:My name is Mitchell Seed and we'll talk to you guys next time.