Description

Description

Most people do not walk away from God because they stop believing. They walk away because the god they tried to control finally failed them.

In this episode, Jim sits down with Phill Tague, founding pastor of Ransom Church and author of Jesus Be the Centerfold: Choosing Covenant Faith Over Airbrushed Christianity, for a conversation about the difference between a curated, controllable faith and a covenant relationship with the real Jesus.

Phill explains why we “swipe right” on the parts of Jesus we like and “swipe left” on the parts we do not, how legalism can feel safe while quietly keeping you distant from God, and why the answer is not more checkboxes, but followership.

If you have ever felt like your faith is thin, confusing, or missing something, this episode will help you name what is happening and take one honest next step.

In This Episode, You Will Learn

• How people create “Jesus in their own image,” and why it collapses in hard seasons
• Why control is often the hidden engine underneath a curated faith
• How to spot selective surrender and soundbite theology
• Why legalism can feel safe, but still keeps you from the Father’s heart
• Covenant vs contract faith, and why “Lordship” is the missing step for many Christians
• How to tell conviction from shame (and why it matters)
• One practical first step for the overwhelmed: stop, get quiet, create margin

Time Stamps

00:00 Intro: The Jesus we imagine vs the real Jesus
00:40 Meet Phill Tague and Ransom Church
01:23 Book intro: Jesus Be the Centerfold
02:11 Worshiping an image of Jesus vs worshiping Jesus
03:30 What happens when we bend Jesus to our politics and preferences
04:12 “Swipe right” theology and why people lose faith
05:32 Control: trying to force life to go our way
07:24 Curated faith and “soundbite” Christianity
10:13 Legalism, safety, and the prodigal sons
12:28 Intimacy defined: fully known and still chosen
13:30 Covenant vs contract faith
16:10 Saved by grace, then living by works (the checkbox trap)
19:21 Conviction vs shame: “what you did” vs “who you are”
21:18 Fighting passivity and the noise of modern life
23:20 First step for the overwhelmed: stop, be still, create margin
26:26 Sabbath, sabbatical, and learning what “zero” feels like
28:19 Where to connect with Phill and get the study guide

Key Takeaways

• If your faith is built on a made-up version of God, hard seasons will expose it.
• Control looks spiritual until life stops cooperating.
• Soundbites can sound true while slowly forming a false Jesus.
• Covenant faith is not a contract. It is surrender.
• Conviction points to what you did. Shame attacks who you are.
• Sometimes the most spiritual first step is simply to stop and get quiet.

Connect with Phil Tague

🌐 Church: ransom.church
🌐 Website: philtag.com (book links + free study guide)

Connect with Jim

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