Biblical Confession vs. Soundbite Theology – Dr. Joel Meyer, 10/8/26 (2813)

Todd Wilkin (0:00)

God won't give you more than you can handle, you just have to have enough faith. God has a plan for you. Are these religious cliches scripturally sound? The Issues, Etc. Book of the Month for October is Soundbite Theology, How to Talk Like a Christian. It's published by Concordia Publishing House, their phone number 1-800-325-3040.

Or learn more about Soundbite Theology at issuesetc.org. The Issues, Etc. Book of the Month for October, Soundbite Theology, How to Talk Like a Christian.

Christians should always strive to use the language of Scripture. It is, after all, God's Word. It's the source of all teaching and practice. And to speak the way Scripture speaks is not only safe, it's also faithful. Now, sometimes these teachings of Scripture get boiled down to Soundbites. We have to make sure, though, that when we're boiling them down, we aren't distorting the original meaning.

Welcome back to Issues, Etc. I'm Todd Wilkin, joining us to talk about Biblical Confession vs. Soundbite Theology. Dr. Joel Meyer, he's pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Kingsland, Georgia. He's author of the Issues, Etc. book of the month for October, Soundbite Theology, How to Talk Like a Christian. Dr. Meyer, welcome.

Joel Meyer (1:29)

Thank you for having me.

Todd Wilkin (1:30)

What's the danger of reducing the truths of God's Word down to Soundbites?

Joel Meyer (1:37)

Well, that's a great question. I actually should be upfront that I'm not against Soundbites per se. So the project for this book all started when I was fresh out of the seminary. I completed a PhD in systematic theology, and I had to make a hospital visit to someone who was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. And when I got there, there was extended family there, and they were all throwing out Soundbites, you know, like, God won't give you more than you can handle, or the power of prayer. You just have to have enough faith, things like that.

And I realized there were bad Soundbites because they were all leading them to put their trust in themselves rather than in God. But I would have loved if they had good Soundbites at hand.

You know, something like, the buck stops with God, or, look, God has time and timing, or, who can separate us from the love of God? Now, that, of course, is a passage of Scripture, but I think Soundbites themselves aren't bad. It's a matter of using them appropriately, having good ones at hand, so that when we're in a situation like this, we can actually preach to ourselves, or preach to those we love who are suffering.

Todd Wilkin (2:53)

What do a lot of these theological Soundbites that we're going to discuss here, what do they have in common?

Joel Meyer (3:01)

I think that all the bad Soundbites are theology of glory.

And what I mean by that is, I would say there's a distinction between a theologian of glory and a theologian of the cross. We're all theologians of one sort or another. You know, life happens to us, and we can't help but start thinking about God.

But the question is, when we think about God, what is our pattern of thinking and what's our habit of believing? And I think the difference between a theologian of glory and a theologian of the cross is that a theologian of glory always thinks that Christianity is about personal success at one level or another. God is good, strong and beautiful, and God wants us to be like Him. And so the object of the Christian life is to live up to His standards or expectations.

And so if that's the way you're thinking about God and how God works, the problem with these soundbites is that Jesus just becomes instrumental to your personal success, and then you end up putting your trust in yourself rather than in God through Jesus Christ.

Todd Wilkin (4:11)

Let's deal with some of these soundbites one by one. You just have to have enough faith. What's wrong with that one?

Joel Meyer (4:18)

Yeah, this one I think actually has a good intention. So when I hear this one being spoken, it's usually when someone knows someone else who's suffering or anxious, and they just can't stop being fixated on the problem. And so in a way of encouragement, you might say to that person, well, you just have to have enough faith.

I think the Soundbite is trying to encourage the person to put their trust in God. You can trust in God.

But the problem with the Soundbite, then, is that it, of course, focuses on you. You just have to have enough faith. And so the person who's suffering has to not only go through the difficulty of whatever they're suffering, but now they also have to wonder if they're living up to God's expectations. Do I have enough faith? Is my faith strong enough? And that's really difficult when you go through difficult circumstances and you're having trouble believing because life is falling apart around you.