https://www.according2sam.comhttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i3Pz!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd0add253-daed-4b1b-bddc-e5eaa66cfeba_400x400.jpeghttps://www.according2sam.comSubstackFri, 01 May 2026 07:13:26 GMThttps://www.according2sam.com/p/simon-bar-jonahhttps://www.according2sam.com/p/simon-bar-jonahTue, 28 Apr 2026 02:58:35 GMTThe true identity of Jesus has been a subject of debate for over 2,000 years. His identity was debated even among those who lived during his ministry, listened to his teachings, and witnessed him perform miracles. Despite experiencing these events firsthand, not everyone agreed on who he was. Some even claimed that he performed miracles by the power of Beelzebub. Since Jesus walked the earth, a wide variety of beliefs about his identity have emerged. The Gnostics believed he was a phantom who never truly existed in human form. Islam teaches that he was a messenger and that he was never crucified or resurrected from the dead. How did the Apostle Peter answer the question of Jesus’s true identity, and how was his answer used to establish one of the most influential seats of power in human history? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #403.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/red-prayer-rughttps://www.according2sam.com/p/red-prayer-rugFri, 24 Apr 2026 21:32:01 GMTCharlie Kirk was an evangelical Christian and identified himself as such up until moments before he was assassinated. Speaking to the crowd at Utah Valley University just before the shot rang out, he said, “I’m an evangelical Christian… but I’m not one of those guys that hates on Mormons.” That was the last time he publicly described himself that way, though he had done so many times before. However, after his tragic death, several people began claiming that Kirk was in the process of converting to Catholicism. Candace Owens, for example, said he was attending Mass daily and praying the rosary, and she also claimed to know for a fact that he received a Catholic burial. She is not the only one to make such assertions. Why is there such a push to make people believe Charlie was converting to Catholicism, and is there any evidence that he actually was? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #402.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/universalismhttps://www.according2sam.com/p/universalismTue, 21 Apr 2026 02:05:25 GMTMany Catholics were surprised when the Pope called for unity between Christians and Muslims, especially at a time when Christians in some parts of the world face persecution by Muslims. The Pope did not merely call for tolerance or coexistence, but for communion—something that some conservative Catholics argued was at odds with Church doctrine. However, this criticism overlooks what the Church actually teaches. The Second Vatican Council states: “The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God...” This is the Catholic Church’s official teaching on its relationship with Muslims, and Pope Leo is in continuity with it, but is this teaching consistent with the Bible? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #401.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/communionhttps://www.according2sam.com/p/communionFri, 17 Apr 2026 22:06:43 GMTThe message of Christian–Muslim unification is emerging from many different directions, but it has not appeared out of nowhere. Pope Leo is currently touring Africa with the stated mission of improving relations between Christians and Muslims. During his visit to Algeria, he reiterated his belief that Christians and Muslims can live together and be friends. He also wrote on social media, “Communion between Christians and Muslims takes shape under the mantle of Our Lady of Africa.” However, Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, also promoted stronger ties between Christians and Muslims, inviting prominent Muslim leaders to the Vatican on several occasions before passing the keys to Prevost. Who else is advocating for Christian–Muslim unification, and why is this movement gaining so much momentum right now? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #400.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/profanehttps://www.according2sam.com/p/profaneTue, 14 Apr 2026 00:48:24 GMTThe decision to attack Iran has drawn widespread criticism, much of it directed at President Trump. Some critics argue that he was influenced by Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but ultimately, the decision was his alone. As Commander in Chief, he makes the final call—and he chose to proceed with the attack. That decision is now being second-guessed not only by Democrats, but also by prominent right-wing podcasters who supported him during his reelection campaign. In addition, Trump has faced criticism from Catholic bishops and Pope Leo, who have argued that the war is unjust. In response, the president has pushed back against his critics, including the podcasters and the pope. His remarks about Pope Leo, in particular, have sparked controversy, raising questions about whether his response crossed a line. Did it cross a line? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #399.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/american-popehttps://www.according2sam.com/p/american-popeFri, 10 Apr 2026 23:16:13 GMTWhen Bishop Robert Francis Prevost was selected as the new pope in May 2025, President Trump was just over 100 days into his second term. Many people believed Prevost’s selection was a response to Trump’s reelection, with the idea that an American pope might be better positioned to challenge an American president. Nearly a year into Pope Leo’s papacy, he has indeed taken positions that appear to challenge the president on several key issues. For example, he recently criticized the policy of attacking Iran, though he did not mention either the president or the conflict directly. Instead, he stated that Jesus does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war—an apparent reference that many interpreted as directed at Trump. Is the relationship between the first American pope and the president of the United States getting off to a rocky start? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #398.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/replacementshttps://www.according2sam.com/p/replacementsTue, 07 Apr 2026 03:01:31 GMTSupersessionism—the belief that Christians have replaced the Jewish people as the chosen people and heirs of God’s covenant—has a long history within the Catholic Church. Many early Church Fathers taught that Christianity had superseded Judaism and that the Church was the “new Israel.” For this reason, the doctrine is often referred to as “replacement theology,” reflecting the idea that the Church has taken the place of Israel. While highly controversial today, it was not always regarded as such. Among those commonly associated with this teaching are Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Origen, Augustine, and others. However, did the Apostles—who were themselves Jewish and the earliest followers of Jesus—teach that Christians replaced the Jewish people, or did they teach that the Body of Christ replaced the Temple? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #397.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/the-sequelhttps://www.according2sam.com/p/the-sequelTue, 31 Mar 2026 02:25:56 GMTThroughout the history of cinema, there have been a plethora of films about the life of Jesus. Among them, The Passion of the Christ, directed by Mel Gibson, stands at the pinnacle. The film focuses solely on the final hours of Jesus’ life on earth—his arrest, trial, and execution—along with the degradation and torture he endured in between. It was filmed in original Aramaic, and it is presented with the high drama that Gibson is known for producing. It is widely regarded as a masterpiece, but one criticism of the film is that it leaves the impression Jesus’ execution was a tragedy. Now, more than two decades later, Gibson is developing a follow-up project about events after the crucifixion. What are we likely to see in this sequel? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #396.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/paschahttps://www.according2sam.com/p/paschaFri, 27 Mar 2026 23:23:27 GMTEarly followers of Jesus Christ were all Jewish. It was Jews who first witnessed his miracles, and his audience for the Sermon on the Mount was entirely Jewish. Jews watched his crucifixion, and the first people he appeared to after his resurrection were also Jews. All of Jesus’s followers who received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost were Jewish, and as the Church grew and spread throughout the Roman Empire, it was largely Jewish believers who carried the message. They brought the teachings of Jesus across three continents, spreading them within Jewish communities throughout the diaspora. Given these origins, how did Christianity become separated from its Jewish roots, and how did the shift from celebrating Jesus’s resurrection during Passover to observing Easter contribute to that separation? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #395.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/imminent-threathttps://www.according2sam.com/p/imminent-threatTue, 24 Mar 2026 03:10:08 GMTJoe Kent, former Counterintelligence Director, recently resigned from his post, citing the military operation in Iran as his reason. In his resignation, he stated that he could not support “war in Iran,” arguing that Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States and suggesting that the conflict was driven by pressure from Israel. However, at the time of his statement, Iran had already been responsible for the deaths of seven Americans through missile and drone attacks, which raises questions about his assessment of the threat. His position also appears inconsistent with his previous social media posts and public statements, in which he acknowledged the dangers posed by Iran and its proxies. What level of threat—imminent or otherwise—did Iran pose to Americans that ultimately influenced President Trump’s decision to take action? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #394.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/bulls-eyehttps://www.according2sam.com/p/bulls-eyeSat, 21 Mar 2026 03:59:34 GMTWhen Iranian missile fragments recently landed on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, many interpreted it as a prophetic sign. The Christian publication ‘Charisma’ ran an article titled, “Iranian Missile Fragments Hit Temple Mount as Biblical Prophecy Accelerates: It’s Coming.” Other commentators also pontificated about the significance of missile debris falling in a region that has been under sustained attack for weeks. Some of these voices go further, expressing the belief that a future strike—potentially one that destroys the Al-Aqsa Mosque—could pave the way for the construction of a new Jewish Temple. They have been explicit in framing such a scenario. Who are the people promoting the idea of a missile strike on the Temple Mount, and is it a fringe idea or more widespread? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #393.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/the-usheringhttps://www.according2sam.com/p/the-usheringTue, 17 Mar 2026 02:54:17 GMTGreg Locke is an evangelical preacher and pastor of Global Vision Bible Church in Tennessee. He is a strong supporter of the nation of Israel and a self-proclaimed Christian Zionist. Recently, a video of Pastor Locke went viral showing him preaching a sermon at his church while wearing a tallit—a Jewish prayer shawl—with children behind him waving Israeli flags. In the sermon, he says that the nation of Israel should clear out the Temple Mount and “fire a big missile” to blow the Dome of the Rock off the mount “so we can get that Third Temple rebuilt and usher in the coming of Jesus.” Many people are sharing the video as an example of the extremism of Christian Zionism. Is this extreme, or is the idea of ushering in the coming of Jesus part of traditional Christian theology? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #392.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/ishmaelhttps://www.according2sam.com/p/ishmaelSat, 14 Mar 2026 00:19:39 GMTThe story of Hagar and Ishmael is told differently in Islam than it is in the Book of Genesis. Muslims believe that Hagar was Abraham’s wife and that, at God’s command, Abraham took Hagar and Ishmael to Mecca when Ishmael was a child. They believe that it was Ishmael, not Isaac, whom God commanded Abraham to take to Mount Moriah to be sacrificed, a location associated with the present-day Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Islamic tradition also teaches that Abraham later returned to Mecca and that he and his son Ishmael built the Kaaba, the holiest site in Islam to this day. Millions of Muslims make pilgrimages to Mecca each year based on this narrative of Hagar and Ishmael, which forms an important foundation of their faith. How do competing narratives about Abraham and his sons contribute to current unrest in the Middle East? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #391.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/religious-warhttps://www.according2sam.com/p/religious-warTue, 10 Mar 2026 03:50:57 GMTReports have surfaced claiming that U.S. military commanders have been invoking religious rhetoric when discussing objectives in the current conflict with Iran. A watchdog group called the Military Religious Freedom Foundation says it has received more than 200 complaints from service members across all branches of the armed forces, alleging that their commanders used Christian end-times prophecy and other biblical language when discussing missions in Iran. In one complaint, a senior officer allegedly told a commander to inform his troops that it was “all part of God’s divine plan,” specifically referencing passages from the Book of Revelation about “Armageddon.” Is this conflict being described in religious terms only by Americans, or are there other forces that also see it as a religious war? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #390.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/fight-for-israelhttps://www.according2sam.com/p/fight-for-israelSat, 07 Mar 2026 04:39:08 GMTThe belief that the United States launched an attack on Iran at the behest of Israel is widely shared, and a growing number of prominent figures are telling their large audiences that this is what happened. Megyn Kelly, for example, told her millions of listeners that the American soldiers killed by IRGC rockets died for Israel. Others have expressed similar sentiments, claiming that Israel controls the United States. These views appear on both the left and the right and seem to transcend traditional political affiliations. Recent statements by the Secretary of State and some members of Congress have made those who hold these beliefs more confident that they are correct. Senators claiming that it is a religious war and that the United States has a biblical obligation to support Israel have also added fuel to this narrative. What is this conflict with Iran really about? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #389.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/reverse-the-trendhttps://www.according2sam.com/p/reverse-the-trendTue, 03 Mar 2026 05:47:44 GMTThe United States and Israel have long been engaged in a shadow conflict with Iran, involving proxy forces and covert operations. Over the weekend, that conflict escalated into direct military strikes on Iranian targets, killing several senior officials. For years, war-hawks in Israel and the United States have advocated for stronger direct military action or regime change in Iran, and now they are getting what they have long wanted. Critics argue that President Donald Trump, who previously pledged to avoid new foreign wars, may be influenced by these hawks rather than what is best for the American people. What actually motivated his decision to authorize military action, and does this violate his commitment to pursue peace? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #388.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/antisemitismhttps://www.according2sam.com/p/antisemitismSat, 28 Feb 2026 00:35:58 GMTWhen Antiochus IV Epiphanes marched into Judea in 167 BC, laid siege to Jerusalem, and defiled the Temple, his actions sparked a revolt that is still commemorated today. The festival of Hanukkah—which means “dedication” and is celebrated for eight days each winter—marks this event. The Maccabees ultimately defeated the Seleucid forces, regained control of Judea, and cleansed and rededicated the Temple to Yahweh. Antiochus not only desecrated the Temple and humiliated the Jewish people, but he also persecuted and killed many of them. Although it may be tempting to describe Antiochus simply as an antisemite motivated by hatred of the Jews, that interpretation can be overly simplistic. What other factors might have motivated Antiochus to persecute the Jews, apart from antisemitism? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #387.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/british-mandatehttps://www.according2sam.com/p/british-mandateTue, 24 Feb 2026 02:28:11 GMTAfter the viral interview between Tucker Carlson and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, I realized that the major point of contention is not whether the nation of Israel should exist or whether the Jewish diaspora has a right to migrate there. Rather, the issue is where that right comes from. Carlson stated that he believes Israel should exist as a Jewish state, but he pressed Ambassador Huckabee on the source of that right. When Huckabee insisted that it comes from God and rests on a biblical mandate, Carlson strongly challenged his claims. He questioned the biblical borders, the ancestry of the settlers, and how we can know they are Abraham’s descendants, as the Bible describes. Ultimately, the debate raises a broader question: Why is the British Mandate a stronger argument than the biblical mandate for Israel’s right to exist? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #386.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/the-new-israelhttps://www.according2sam.com/p/the-new-israelSat, 21 Feb 2026 04:28:13 GMTFormer Miss California, Caroline Prejean Boller, has been in the news lately after she was removed from the White House's Religious Liberty Commission. During a recent meeting of the commission, Caroline engaged in heated debates with Jewish guests and other members. The confrontation centered around Zionism, antisemitism, and her question of whether not being a Zionist means one is an antisemite. The answer given was yes. Caroline, who was raised as an evangelical Christian but has since converted to Catholicism, said that response was anti-Catholic because Catholics do not embrace Zionism. In a later interview, she claimed that Catholic teaching holds that the Church is the New Israel. Is there a rise in opposition to Zionism among Catholics, and does Catholic teaching support it? The Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #385.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/syrian-warshttps://www.according2sam.com/p/syrian-warsTue, 17 Feb 2026 04:34:39 GMTThe Maccabean Revolt is one of the most important events in Jewish history. The Maccabees defeated the Seleucid Empire under Antiochus Epiphanes and established a new Jewish dynasty under Hasmonean rule. They took control of Jerusalem and rededicated the Temple after Antiochus defiled it with pagan gods and the blood of swine. This is commemorated each winter with the celebration of Hanukkah and the lighting of the menorah. However, there is much more to the story. The Seleucid Empire was far more powerful than the band of Jewish rebels who defeated it. They had more soldiers, better weapons, and cavalry with horses and elephants. How did the Syrian Wars weaken the Seleucid Empire and allow the Maccabees to win despite unfavorable odds? The Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #384.

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