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Church is MessyChurch is messy podcast recorded at Autumn Ridge Church in Rochester, MN. Author: Rick Henderson and Svea Merry
Church is messy podcast recorded at Autumn Ridge Church in Rochester, MN Language: en Genres: Christianity, Religion, Religion & Spirituality Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Church Is Messy: Church in the Wild - Slavery and Singleness
Episode 142
Wednesday, 29 April, 2026
In this episode of Church Is Messy, Svea sits down with Pastor Caleb Smith to unpack a challenging passage from 1 Corinthians dealing with slavery, singleness, marriage, and what it means to find true security in Christ. Caleb reflects on the importance of reading Scripture in its original context, helping listeners understand the complexities of first-century slavery and Paul’s deeper message about resisting the temptation to build our identity and security on status, relationships, or life circumstances instead of Jesus. The conversation also becomes deeply personal as Caleb shares about the ongoing health challenges he’s been navigating over the past several months and how those struggles have forced him to wrestle with what it looks like to trust Jesus when life feels uncertain. Together, Caleb and Svea explore how following Jesus doesn’t mean using faith as an excuse for impulsive life changes, but learning to remain grounded in Christ’s presence and faithfulness no matter what season of life we’re walking through.Topics discussed in this episode:00:00 — Intro02:00 — Update on Caleb's health 05:18 — Approaching the passage (1 Corinthians 7) — slavery and singleness07:25 — First-century slavery vs. American slavery11:34 — How some have used Jesus/marriage/family as an institution of bias or oppression13:00 — The church's neglect of single people14:37 — Paul's core point: don't use Jesus as an excuse to change your circumstances 19:12 — Don't seek security in human institutions21:30 — Svea's personal story — her first husband's cancer death23:39 — Paul's authority and approach in 1 Corinthians 7:25–4025:00 — Caleb's personal application — finding security in Jesus through health challenges
