Joe Asbridge, Friends of Forest Fisk
Channel: Forest Fisk
Date: 2021-04-18

I have a friend who... just wanted to talk. So enjoy this conversation. It’s mostly about how Joe Asbridge became disillusioned with American Evangelical Christianity(*). He is still spiritually active, but doesn’t label himself anything. If you enjoy deep conversations with no real conclusions, then enjoy this. 


*I personally believe American Evangelicalism is not a healthy breed of Christianity. And no, I don’t dig into what is a better alternative in this video, and I’d rather not argue with trolls on the Internet, so just scroll on if you would rather argue.￼ Thank you!


00:00 - Forest’s introduction of Joe
02:12 - Joe talks about his career resettling refugees
04:32 - We talk about our lives a bit
07:39 - Joe talks about how he was raised
10:48 - How Joe started to doubt because of some Christian music lyrics
16:32 - …and maybe his looks and personality didn’t help him stay in the church
17:28 - Joe’s test of faith. His Abraham sacrificing Isaac test
23:12 - Joe comes to the realization that American Christianity is counter to the gospel *surprise
28:23 - I describe my own Abraham/Isaac moment(s)
36:37 - Touching on the dangers of mixing OCD/anxiety and a “Divine Calling”
40:55 - How the year 2021 was “the end of the world” for his understanding of Christianity
44:50 - Joe is into meditation as a way to practice his spirituality, and why
54:54 - Joe describes a really cool and trippy meditation experience
1:09:47 - I recall a personal surreal meditation experience
1:13:22 - My mother says I look more like the Devil
1:15:17 - Wrap up with no conclusions


References mentioned in the interview: 


“Some Kind of Zombie”, by Audio Adrenaline, https://youtu.be/XO9admUIRHM


“You Take My Rights Away”, by Skillet, https://youtu.be/0zjm0M9XwZM


Kenton Lee, the man, the myth, the legend. You can read the article about him here: https://www.awesomeinventions.com/the-shoe-that-grows-5-sizes/ or stalk him on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/kentonarthurlee 


Dr. Tom Oord talks about Open Theology. For a video I took about his theology (and one of his books called "God Can't" you can check it out at https://youtu.be/merEf4M7beI