Full Video Episodes

Ep. 30: Old Testament Conundrums II: Weird Prophet Stuff
November 23, 202300:59:57

Ep. 30: Old Testament Conundrums II: Weird Prophet Stuff

My friend Michael joins me again with some of his questions from the Old Testament prophets - why did they do and say some of the odd and strange things we read about and sometimes ask others to as well? We also dive back into the question of signs from God and spend some time discussing what Isaiah and others meant when referring to the "Day of the Lord". Have a question for a future episode? Leave it in the comment...

Ep.  29: The  Problem of Evil
October 18, 202300:40:21

Ep. 29: The Problem of Evil

Why does God allow so much evil and suffering in our world? If he is all powerful, all knowing, and as good as the Bible claims why doesn’t he put a stop to it? This is a serious problem that many people of faith struggle to make sense of and those outside of Christianity use as ammunition against it. Is there a logical way forward that doesn’t turn God into either an indifferent landlord who doesn’t care enough or w...

Ep. 28: Indoctrination and Wish Fulfillment
September 28, 202300:40:17

Ep. 28: Indoctrination and Wish Fulfillment

Do people only believe in a religion because it's what they were born into? Does something like Christianity only continue because it gets indoctrinated into children, who then mostly abandon it once they are old enough to think for themselves? And how should one respond to the claim that believing in God is just a form of wish fulfillment. We just "want" it to be true that we are not alone and death isn't the end, s...

Ep. 27: Aliens, Ghosts, & Arguments for God
September 14, 202300:43:19

Ep. 27: Aliens, Ghosts, & Arguments for God

Is the possible existence of aliens a problem for Christianity and something followers of Jesus should choose not to believe in? What about ghosts or other paranormal activity? Is there a “magic bullet” argument that works to prove the existence of God? Do all people even receive and think through evidence the same way? Or does making a case for God require many different ideas, often specific to the individual? And ...

Ep. 26: Old Testament Conundrums
August 18, 202301:01:16

Ep. 26: Old Testament Conundrums

Reading the Old Testament raises a LOT of questions for us. And often times, they are the kinds we’re almost uncomfortable even talking about because of how strange and unclear they seem. From the very high-level questions like does God cause evil? Does he change his mind, or has he himself changed over time? To more specific and out there ones like – did he really talk through a donkey, or did the ghost of the proph...

Ep. 25: Celibacy, Divorce, & the Gender of God
July 13, 202300:40:33

Ep. 25: Celibacy, Divorce, & the Gender of God

Why are priests required to be celibate and not marry? Are children of Christian parents automatically saved? Is God male or female..or both...or neither? And is ignorance bliss or should we always strive to be informed and get answers? In this episode of Like Stars, Pete works through some of your questions regarding faith and the Scripture, seeking God's wisdom for our lives. He examine the Catholic church's long h...

Ep.  24: Resurrection of Trust
June 15, 202300:45:12

Ep. 24: Resurrection of Trust

Can we trust the message of the Bible? How do we know that the people who wrote it were actually telling us the truth? In many ways, the answer to these questions all rise and fall on one pivotal issue - the resurrection of Jesus. For if it's not true that Jesus rose from the dead, the answer is plainly and unquestionably "no", we cannot - and should not - put any stock in the Bible whatsoever. It's entire premise is...

Is the Bible Accurate
June 13, 202300:48:48

Is the Bible Accurate

Can we trust the Bible? This is a hugely important question as it contains some pretty serious claims about the nature of truth, reality, and what is expected of our lives. It’s no wonder so much time and attention has been devoted to trying to argue that the Bible either is or is not historically reliable. So, which is it? In this Bonus Episode of a message I gave at Rise City Church, I tackle some of the biggest cl...

Reading Your Reviews (From Ep. 23)
May 28, 202300:03:41

Reading Your Reviews (From Ep. 23)

Hear what others are saying about the Like Stars Podcast, and why I have recently started therapy to deal with the pain

Ep. 23: God Blanket
May 26, 202300:33:28

Ep. 23: God Blanket

Most Christians tend to agree that swearing is on the “shalt not” list, but why does God seem to make such a big deal of the take-his-name-in-vain one? Of all the terrible things someone can say, why is that so offensive it got put into the top 3 of the 10 commandments? In this episode of the Like Stars Podcast, I show how this command actually has nothing to do with what we often refer to as cursing or swearing when...