What happens to morality when the old rules no longer work?

For many of us raised in Evangelical or fundamentalist Christianity, ethics once felt clear: follow God’s commands, trust the Bible, and do the right thing. But when that framework begins to fall apart, moral decision-making can suddenly feel confusing ... even frightening.

In this episode of the What If Project, I’m joined by Dr. Scott Gelfand, author of Thinking Ethically: A Handbook for Making Moral Choices, to explore what it means to think ethically after certainty and obedience.

We talk about why moral choices so often live in gray areas, how ethical frameworks can help, how we (as a whole) are much more similar than we are different, and how the Political System we have built thrives when we are divided.

This conversation is especially for those navigating deconstruction or life after faith — and who are trying to rebuild a moral framework rooted in humility, compassion, and responsibility.

What if ethics isn’t about the certainty of one side being right and the other being wrong, but about learning how to live well together in the gray?

SHOW NOTES:

SCOTT GELFAND: https://scottgelfand.com

THINKING ETHICALLY: https://amzn.to/4tmx4UZ

MY NEW BOOK: https://a.co/d/fsUTllj

ART STUDIO: https://www.whatifproject.net/art

EBAY ART: https://www.ebay.com/usr/what_if_project

SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.whatifproject.net/support

(**NOTE: these show notes contain Amazon affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something I may earn a small commission)

This week we are talking to Michael Leach. Michael served as Assistant to the Head Coach for the Chicago Bears, managed Labor Operations at NFL Headquarters, and become the first ever Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for the White House under President Joe Biden. He recently released a wonderful book called "Faith Over Fear: Harnessing Resilience in the Face of Uncertainty" and he's joined us today to talk about it. We talk about the fear that comes with major life changes, navigating the complexities of childhood wounds, and how we can be a people who pursue unity without sacrificing our values.

SHOW NOTES:

MICHAEL LEACH: http://mrmichaelleach.com

FAITH OVER FEAR: https://www.myfaithoverfear.com

MY NEW BOOK: https://a.co/d/fsUTllj

ART STUDIO: https://www.whatifproject.net/art

EBAY ART: https://www.ebay.com/usr/what_if_project

SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.whatifproject.net/support

This week NT Wright joins me to explore the vision behind his new book, God’s Homecoming: The Forgotten Promise of Future Renewal.

Many of us were raised with an end-times story that was focused on escape—going to heaven when we die, the rapture, and the destruction of the world.

BUT.

What if that was never the Christian hope?

In this conversation, NT Wright challenges fear-based eschatology and invites us into a different future: not leaving creation behind, but God renewing it. We talk about heaven, resurrection, new creation, and what the Bible actually says about the end times.

We also explore how this vision of hope speaks to real-world issues like political polarization, anxiety around "end times", and healing from evangelical and fundamentalist Christianity.

Are you deconstructing, rethinking faith, or searching for a way to imagine God without fear? This episode is for you!

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why “going to heaven when you die” became the dominant story
• What the Bible says about resurrection and new creation
• How fear-based end-times theology shaped evangelical Christianity
• What God’s “homecoming” means for how we live now

(**Below are Amazon affiliate links. If you use these links to buy the product I may earn a small commission)

SHOW NOTES:

NT WRIGHT: https://ntwrightpage.com

GOD'S HOMECOMING: https://amzn.to/3M01bAC

MY NEW BOOK: https://a.co/d/fsUTllj

ART STUDIO: https://www.whatifproject.net/art

EBAY ART: https://www.ebay.com/usr/what_if_project

SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.whatifproject.net/support