3 Questions About New Churchgoer Joe Rogan

Is the world's biggest podcaster coming around?

The world’s biggest podcaster might be on his way to belief in Jesus Christ.

Joe Rogan began the year by having apologist Wesley Huff on his show, the Joe Rogan Experience, to discuss the historical evidence for Christianity. Then, in a May 7 episode, Rogan explained that between atheism’s great miracle of the Big Bang, and Christianity’s big miracle of the resurrection, “I’m sticking with Jesus.” Finally, just a few days ago, Huff reported that he can confirm Rogan has been consistently attending church services.

This comes as a pleasant surprise, as Rogan has long been skeptical of religion and theism.

His ideological journey about many things has been interesting to observe over the last few years, and one might say that a move toward Christianity was the logical next step. But going from non-religious to religious is, for many people, the hardest step of all. And yet, praise God, here we are.

As I saw the headlines, 3 questions immediately came to mind

First, would this have happened without the post-2020 resurgence in Christianity with a backbone?

It’s impossible to say for certain, but I think we can make a pretty solid educated guess. Rogan and many, many people like him have been on an ideological journey, especially since 2020. So many lies were foisted on the world, and so much evil has been forced to drop its mask, that many people have been on a desperate quest to find an answer to stand up against it.

With so many people looking for something solid, it’s a good thing the Bible provides the most solid religion of all. It’s a Christianity that tears down strongholds, arguments, and every lofty thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:5). But until recently, the true practice of what makes Christianity solid has been a fringe corner of Christianity.

When people are looking for a bulwark that can hold strong against the evil they see, a third-way, nice guy Christianity that compromises and seeks to appease modern sensibilities wouldn’t cut it. A Christianity that insists our ultimate purpose as the church is to support God’s actual people, Israel, wouldn’t cut it. A consumeristic Christianity that puts on feel-good worship services filled with self-esteem preaching rather than faithful studying the text of God’s Word wouldn’t cut it.

No, we don’t cater the message to the seeker. But when people are seeking something solid and genuinely, unquestionably good, and we have it, we should not be ashamed to give it to them.

Second, will Rogan be baptized in the churches of Christ?

I recognize this is a niche concern of mine, as nobody outside of the churches of Christ is asking this question, and many inside probably aren’t, either. But I think it says something that the answer is almost certainly no. Lutherans, Methodists, and plenty of others probably find themselves in the same place.

As I wrote last year, our impact is almost entirely confined to our own bubble and individual conversions.

Coincidentally, as I was thinking on how to write this post over the weekend, Phil Robertson of Duck Commander and Duck Dynasty fame died. As a successful businessman and reality TV star, he may have been the single most culturally known voice among the churches of Christ.*

In fact, Robertson was exactly the kind of recognizable face that it would take to put us in the kind of place to reach a Rogan and his audience. And he came to that level of influence almost entirely outside the four walls of a church building. Our one-track approach to outreach might need rethinking.

Building things that provide value creates opportunity. We’re not all going to be Phil Robertson or Wesley Huff, but the church needs to think about how we can position our productive, talented young men to make an impact outside of just going to preaching school and taking a pulpit.

Finally, do celebrity conversions count for more?

This isn’t a question I have, but I know it will be raised as we talk about someone like Rogan potentially coming to Christ.

In one sense, of course not—Rogan is no more deserving of our evangelistic efforts than Ronnie from Vicksburg, MS or Joao from Sao Paulo, Brazil or Mohammed from Medina, Saudi Arabia or anyone else.

In another sense, the Bible is not ignorant of hierarchy and influence. There’s a reason Jesus told His disciples they would speak before kings (Matthew 10:18), and the book of Acts depicted them doing precisely that (Acts 25). The Kings’ souls weren’t more valuable than others individually, but their potential to influence their people (as seen throughout the OT) is significant.

Rogan is not a king, of course, but an audience of 11 million people per episode is now on this journey of religious discovery with him. He brought Huff on to explain the historical foundations of Christianity. He laid out the case for the resurrection’s plausibility. That’s a big deal.

Beyond that, there are almost certainly people you know who listen to Rogan regularly—young people especially. The kinds of content he’s producing can help you and me be better evangelists thanks to the launching point for discussion that he’s creating. “Did you hear what Rogan said about the resurrection and the Big Bang?” It’s that easy.

So, once again, it’s things like this that should cause us to take stock of how we’re approaching the world. We should be taking every opportunity to evangelize individuals, for sure. But we should also be thinking big picture, too, and striving to make a cultural impact in a way that crosses the radar of seekers. Who knows how many people the next seeker who comes to Christ can turn around and reach?

I desire all to come to the knowledge of Christ and rejoice any time a lost one is found. But I also appreciate the potential good that can be done here, and I pray Joe Rogan’s journey continues all the way into the waters of baptism and out into the new life.

*Yes, I am aware of the doctrinal concerns with Robertson’s home church. They are aside from the point here.

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Notes

• Think Deeper Podcast this week: ‘The Sins of Men, the Sins of Women.’ You can listen and/or find the subscription links here

• The new book on Christian assurance is progressing nicely! Keep an eye out for chapter previews soon.

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