Rethink Faith with Nelson Jackson III

Nelson Jackson III
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Religion & Spirituality

Many of the spiritual tools we inherited are breaking under the pressure of today’s reality. It is not that they were all false—but they may be wrong for you. To be who God called you to be, your faith must be your own—not inherited, but investigated. Rethink Faith with Nelson Jackson III is dedicated to separating what the Bible actually says from what we have been told it says. Faith is often filtered through two lenses:• Cultural Alterations: Changing the text to fit the times.• Traditional Interpretations: Twisting the text to fit the narrative. We are dedicated to the third option: Context. Join us for an honest investigation into history, original language, and authorial intent. We are here to help you trade a borrowed tradition for a biblical reality.

  1. 4d ago

    What If That Word From God Wasn’t From God? | Testing the Spirits

    “God told me” can be beautiful. It can also become dangerous when someone uses God’s name to pressure you, control you, silence your questions, or make their agenda sound like obedience. In this episode of Rethinking Faith, Nelson Jackson III looks at spiritual manipulation, Christian discernment, prophetic words, testing the spirits, and what Scripture actually says to do when someone claims, “God told me.” Because if God really said it, we should treat it with reverence. But if God did not say it, somebody put their words in God’s mouth. And attaching God’s name to a sentence does not remove your responsibility to test it. Paul tells the church in 1 Corinthians 14:29 to let prophets speak and then tells everyone else to weigh what was said. First John 4:1 says not to believe every spirit, but to test the spirits to see whether they are from God. Testing is not rebellion. Testing can be worship. This episode is not an argument that God does not speak. It is about taking God’s voice seriously enough to question whether every person who says “God told me” is actually representing Him. We walk through five biblical tests: Does it sound like Jesus? Can it be weighed? Does it build people up or break them down? What fruit does it produce? And is it confirming what God has already been forming, or conveniently appearing when someone needs leverage? We also talk about what happens when phrases like “God told me you should stay,” “God told me you should give,” “God told me you should submit,” or “God told me your questions are rebellion” become tools of spiritual pressure. You are allowed to slow down. You are allowed to test what was said. You are allowed to use Scripture, wisdom, community, discernment, and the character of Jesus. God does not need manipulation to produce obedience. And God does not need anyone to lie for Him. Be Part of the Conversation: Subscribe to the podcastFind weekly episodes on YouTube [LINK]Join our "Weekly Unlearning" newsletter for exclusive insights and reflections [LINK]

  2. Aug 22

    Did Christianity Make God Too Small?

    What if Christianity was never the box, but somewhere along the way, we turned our version of Christianity into one? In this episode of Rethink Faith, Nelson Jackson III explores how people in Scripture encountered God personally: Hagar as the God who sees, Abraham as the God who provides, Gideon as the God who brings peace, Moses as the God who sends and delivers, and David as the shepherd who cares for the overlooked. This is not an argument against truth, Scripture, theology, or tradition. It is a challenge to stop confusing someone else’s encounter with God for the entirety of who God is. If you have ever wondered whether the God you inherited is smaller than the God who actually exists, this conversation is for you. Still unlearning. Be Part of the Conversation: Subscribe to the podcastFind weekly episodes on YouTube [LINK]Join our "Weekly Unlearning" newsletter for exclusive insights and reflections [LINK]

  3. Aug 15

    You Were Never Supposed to Stay Alone With This: What 2 Corinthians 1:8 Says About Despair

    There is a kind of tired that sleep does not fix. You can still believe in God, go to work, answer messages, sit in church, and say the right things while quietly wondering how much longer you can keep doing this. In this episode of Rethinking Faith, Nelson Jackson III walks carefully through 2 Corinthians 1:8, where Paul says he experienced pressure far beyond his ability to endure and despaired of life itself. Paul’s words are not used here to diagnose him or turn him into a modern clinical case study. They give us language for a real human place: the place where the weight becomes too heavy, the next step disappears, and life begins to feel unbearable. Scripture does not avoid that place. It meets people there. This conversation also looks at Elijah in 1 Kings 19, the honest prayers of Psalms 13, 42, and 88, God’s closeness to the brokenhearted in Psalm 34, and Jesus asking His friends to remain near Him in Gethsemane. Together, these passages challenge the version of Christianity that makes hurting people feel guilty for not sounding victorious. Reaching the end of yourself does not mean you have reached the end of God. Needing practical help is not a spiritual failure. Therapy, medical care, prescribed medication, crisis support, food, sleep, safety planning, and the presence of trustworthy people are not less spiritual than prayer. Sometimes grace does not arrive as a dramatic breakthrough. Sometimes it looks like the next survivable hour. This episode is also for the person who loves someone in deep pain but does not know what to say. You do not have to debate their feelings, rush them into a testimony, or throw verses at the wound. You can begin with: “I am glad you told me.” “I am not leaving you alone with this.” “Are you safe right now?” “How can I help you reach someone who is trained for this?” Hope is not always a feeling. Sometimes hope is telling one safe person the truth. Sometimes it is making the call, accepting the ride, handing over what could be used for harm, or refusing to spend the darkest part of the night alone. You do not have to solve your entire life today. But you were never supposed to stay alone with the darkest part of it. If you are in immediate danger or believe you may harm yourself, contact emergency services or a crisis line now and go where another person can remain with you. In the United States, call or text 988. In the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland, call Samaritans free on 116 123. This episode is not a substitute for professional mental-health care. Be Part of the Conversation: Subscribe to the podcastFind weekly episodes on YouTube [LINK]Join our "Weekly Unlearning" newsletter for exclusive insights and reflections [LINK]

  4. Aug 8

    You Were Never Supposed to Carry This: What 1 Corinthians 10:13 Actually Means

    “God won’t give you more than you can handle” is one of the most repeated phrases in Christian culture—and one of the heaviest things someone can hear when life already feels unbearable. The saying is usually connected to 1 Corinthians 10:13. But Paul was not explaining every grief, trauma, abuse, mental health struggle, diagnosis, loss, or season of overwhelming pressure. He was talking about temptation. In this episode of Rethinking Faith, Nelson Jackson III examines what 1 Corinthians 10:13 actually means, why the familiar slogan is not what the verse says, and how a promise about temptation became a personality test for people in pain. Because once someone tells you God will never allow more than you can handle, suffering creates a second burden: “If God thinks I can handle this, why am I falling apart?” That is where comfort becomes pressure. This conversation returns 1 Corinthians 10:13 to its biblical context. Paul is warning the Corinthian church about idolatry, destructive desire, and the temptation to return to what once enslaved them. The promise is not that life will never exceed your capacity. The promise is that temptation does not get the final word and that God will provide a way out. Paul himself admitted in 2 Corinthians 1:8 that he experienced pressure far beyond his ability to endure. Galatians 6:2 tells believers to carry one another’s burdens. Matthew 11:28 presents Jesus inviting the weary and burdened to come to Him for rest. Together, those passages give us a fuller picture: Temptation is not trauma. Suffering is not sin. Grief is not weakness. Depression is not rebellion. Abuse is not a test you were assigned to endure quietly. If it is temptation, take the way out. If it is suffering, let someone help you carry it. If it is grief, do not rush the wound into a lesson. If it is harm, get safe. The verse is real. The slogan attached to it is wrong. And God is faithful even when you are not enough. Be Part of the Conversation: Subscribe to the podcastFind weekly episodes on YouTube [LINK]Join our "Weekly Unlearning" newsletter for exclusive insights and reflections [LINK]

  5. Aug 1

    You Were Never Supposed to Outsource This to AI

    Nearly half of practicing Christians say they would trust AI with their spiritual growth. Thirty-four percent say spiritual advice from AI can be as trustworthy as advice from a pastor. That should get our attention. But before we make this only a story about Christians trusting technology too much, we may need to ask what it reveals about the human leaders they were supposed to be able to trust. In this episode of Rethinking Faith, Nelson Jackson III examines AI for Bible study, AI and faith, biblical interpretation, Bible context, Christian discernment, and the difference between using artificial intelligence as a tool and allowing it to become a spiritual authority. This is not a message telling Christians to fear AI. AI can find a verse, compare translations, explain Greek and Hebrew words, summarize commentaries, organize research, and introduce interpretations we may not have considered. But a tool assists. An authority governs. There is a difference between asking AI, “Where does the Bible discuss this?” and asking it, “What is God telling me to do?” The episode explores why correct information is not always the same as understanding, how AI can reinforce theological assumptions we have never examined, and why something can possess enormous persuasive power without possessing God-given authority. It also asks a more uncomfortable question: Why does AI feel safer than a pastor to so many people? AI cannot become defensive, punish you for asking a difficult question, misuse your offering, or personally betray your trust. But it also cannot love you, remain faithful to you, embody Christian character, or take responsibility for what happens after you follow its advice. Safety is not authority. Power is not authority. Content is not context. Drawing from Genesis 1, 1 Timothy 3, Luke 10:19, and Romans 14:23, this conversation examines what it means to be made in the image of God, why spiritual leadership was meant to be embodied, and why faith cannot be reduced to receiving an answer that sounds biblical. AI may become one of the most useful Bible study tools we have ever possessed. But a helpful tool makes a poor god. AI can assist your understanding. It cannot know God for you. And you were never supposed to outsource your responsibility to discern. Be Part of the Conversation: Subscribe to the podcastFind weekly episodes on YouTube [LINK]Join our "Weekly Unlearning" newsletter for exclusive insights and reflections [LINK]

  6. Jul 25

    When Christian Leaders fall, what happens to your faith?

    What happens to your faith when a Christian leader falls and the church seems more committed to protecting the platform than caring for the people who were harmed? A leader fails. The apology avoids the truth. “Nobody is perfect” enters the conversation. Scripture gets used to shut down questions, and the people carrying the damage slowly disappear from view. That is how someone else’s failure can become your crisis of faith. In this episode of Rethinking Faith, Nelson Jackson III takes an honest look at church hurt, spiritual abuse, fallen Christian leaders, church scandals, accountability, and the difficult process of trusting God after the people who represented Him became unsafe. The conversation begins by separating four things Christian culture often merges: God, the gospel, the institution, and the leader. They may be connected, but they are not the same. A leader’s failure reveals something about the leader. A cover-up reveals something about the institution. Neither automatically means Jesus is false or that every experience you had with God was fake. We also examine why charisma is not character, how phrases such as “do not judge” and “touch not the Lord’s anointed” can be used to create spiritual fog, and what healthy accountability should actually include: truth, care for the harmed, independent investigation, appropriate consequences, and a culture that genuinely changes. This is not an episode about turning someone else’s collapse into gossip. It is about grief. Trust. Church hurt. Spiritual abuse recovery. Forgiveness without automatic restoration to power. Learning not to let the algorithm pastor your pain. And refusing to let cynicism become your new religion. Your faith can become less naive without becoming dead. It can become more honest without becoming cruel. And a failed shepherd does not get the final word on the Good Shepherd. Be Part of the Conversation: Subscribe to the podcastFind weekly episodes on YouTube [LINK]Join our "Weekly Unlearning" newsletter for exclusive insights and reflections [LINK]

  7. Jul 18

    Did God Tell You, Or Did The Algorithm Scare You?

    Have you ever opened YouTube looking for Christian encouragement and closed it feeling heavier, anxious, or spiritually responsible for something you were never actually called to carry? In this episode of Rethinking Faith, Nelson Jackson III asks a difficult question: did God tell you, or did the algorithm scare you? This conversation explores the world of Christian discernment content, prophecy updates, spiritual warfare warnings, end-times timelines, exposé videos, and the constant urgency that often follows them. Some warnings may be true. Some dangers may be real. But the deeper question is not only whether the information is accurate. The question is what that kind of content is forming in us. Using passages from Romans, 1 Corinthians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, 1 Thessalonians, Hebrews, and 1 Peter, this episode looks at the difference between biblical discernment and algorithm-driven anxiety. Paul warned about quarrels, controversies, slander, suspicion, and an unhealthy craving for debate long before those things became monetized content categories. Real discernment is not panic. It is not suspicion dressed up as faithfulness. It is not a constant need to expose, warn, react, and forward. Biblical testing is meant to help us hold fast to what is good. Grace produces rest. Conviction moves us toward God. Anxiety moves us in circles. So after all the warnings, updates, debates, and exposés, the question remains: What are you actually holding onto? And does it feel like grace, or does it feel like debt? Be Part of the Conversation: Subscribe to the podcastFind weekly episodes on YouTube [LINK]Join our "Weekly Unlearning" newsletter for exclusive insights and reflections [LINK]

  8. Jul 11

    Salvation Restored More Than Your Soul | Here’s What We’ve Been Missing

    Salvation is usually explained as something that happens to your soul. You are forgiven. Your relationship with God is restored. Heaven becomes your destination. But what if salvation restored more than that? What if it also reconnects you to the identity, purpose, and responsibility humanity was given before anything went wrong? Most of us were taught a version of faith focused on avoiding what is wrong and trying to do what is right. We learned about sin, forgiveness, and becoming better people. But we were rarely shown a clear picture of what our lives were originally designed for. That may be why so many people struggle to find their purpose. It is difficult to recognize your God given purpose when you were never given the full assignment. In this episode, Nelson Jackson III returns to Genesis 1:28 to rethink salvation, Christian purpose, biblical dominion, the creation mandate, and what it means to build a life around what God has genuinely entrusted to you. Be fruitful. Multiply. Fill. Subdue. Have dominion. This is not about becoming more religious, working harder, or building something impressive. It is about asking a more honest question. Are you building what was actually yours to build? Because you can be fruitful in the wrong field. Multiply the wrong seed. Fill a space that was never yours. You can even become successful and use that success as proof that you chose correctly. But success can confirm the machine without confirming the assignment. If you have been trying to understand your calling, find your purpose, or make sense of why the life you built still feels incomplete, this conversation is for you. Be Part of the Conversation: Subscribe to the podcastFind weekly episodes on YouTube [LINK]Join our "Weekly Unlearning" newsletter for exclusive insights and reflections [LINK]

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Many of the spiritual tools we inherited are breaking under the pressure of today’s reality. It is not that they were all false—but they may be wrong for you. To be who God called you to be, your faith must be your own—not inherited, but investigated. Rethink Faith with Nelson Jackson III is dedicated to separating what the Bible actually says from what we have been told it says. Faith is often filtered through two lenses:• Cultural Alterations: Changing the text to fit the times.• Traditional Interpretations: Twisting the text to fit the narrative. We are dedicated to the third option: Context. Join us for an honest investigation into history, original language, and authorial intent. We are here to help you trade a borrowed tradition for a biblical reality.

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