"In the end, Jesus proved that forgiveness is more powerful than punches and kicks. And in the end, love wins over hate." - Jared Neusch and Connor Shram in their book: Jesus vs. the Bad Guys

Our episode this week is with two dads, one a corn hole champion and Biblical scholar (Dr. Jared Neusch) and the other a comedian and change-maker (Connor Shram), both authors of a new book perfect for this time of year, Jesus Vs. the Bad Guys: a Story of Love and Forgiveness.

On this episode, we talk with Jared and Connor about reconsidering the Easter story in light of active peace-making and non-violence.

We chat through these questions:

1. How do we introduce children to the person of Jesus without reinforcing the fear-based, dualistic messages many of us were taught in high-control religious environments? (We are thinking of good guys vs bad guys here) Do you believe there are good guys and bad guys?

2. Why does it feel important to you that kids have a love of Scripture? What is it about Scripture that feels valuable to you?

3. Can the stories of Jesus’ arrest, conviction, and crucifixion be shared with young children in age-appropriate ways that honor both their emotional development and spiritual curiosity?

4. Your book emphasizes Jesus’ “weapons” of forgiveness, peacemaking, nonviolence, and love—how might these values challenge the cultural parenting norms we inherited from high-control religious systems?

Jared and Connor were gentle, wise, funny and so easy to talk with. We didn't want the conversation to end. If you have the desire to reconsider Easter this year and perhaps discover new ways to engage with your kids and this very complicated story, this podcast episode is for you.

You can find Jared here:

Instagram: @jaredneusch

You can find Connor here:

Instagram: @connorshram