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What happens when a pastor’s kid, Pentecostal preacher and student of early church history begins questioning everything he was taught about salvation, politics, capitalism and the gospel?
In Episode 96 of What the Hell Do I Know with JB, Jason sits down with Colten Barnaby, a writer and online creator known for exploring the complicated intersection of theology, politics, history and culture.
Colten grew up in a strict Oneness Holiness Pentecostal tradition in North Philadelphia. His family’s church served people experiencing homelessness, addiction, poverty and incarceration while also teaching an intense, highly specific formula for salvation.
He spoke in tongues as a child, interpreted messages in church and believed most Christians outside his tradition were lost. But when he attended Oral Roberts University and began studying biology, politics and early church history, the certainty of his childhood faith began to unravel.
Today, Colten describes himself as an agnostic Pentecostal with Eastern Orthodox proclivities. He is no longer confident that God exists, but he remains deeply shaped by Christianity and continues to cling to the beauty of the incarnation, the resurrection and the radical witness of the early church.
This conversation explores:
• Growing up in Oneness Holiness Pentecostalism
• Speaking in tongues and interpreting prophecy as a child
• The fear of hell and formula-based salvation
• How studying church history disrupted his certainty
• Carlton Pearson and the gospel of inclusion
• Christian universalism and salvation
• Why Colton still identifies as Pentecostal
• What it means to be an agnostic Christian
• The incarnation and why Colten still clings to Jesus
• Whether Christianity is compatible with capitalism
• Why the word “gospel” was originally political
• The early church sharing possessions and eliminating need
• Acts 2, Acts 4 and Christian economic community
• Socialism, communism and the kingdom of God
• Why Christians should not simply baptize Republican or Democratic politics
• Wealth, private property, generosity and costly grace
• Whether Christian faith should put us in conflict with the dominant culture
• Loving people who strongly disagree with us
• Why being open to people matters more than being open to ideas
Colten argues that Christians should not begin with a modern political ideology and then search Scripture for support. Instead, they should take seriously the teachings of Jesus, the prophets and the early church—and allow those teachings to challenge every political and economic system.
The early believers held possessions in common, sold property and distributed resources so there was not a needy person among them. Colten asks a difficult question: if the church’s current way of life never puts it in conflict with wealth, domination or empire, has it truly embraced the narrow and costly way of Jesus?
Follow Colten Barnaby on Instagram:
@coltenbarnaby
Read Colten’s work on Substack:
Kensington Cohen
Follow Jason Becker:
@_jason_becker
Learn more about Jason and Vintage Wisdom:
[www.vintagewisdom.org](http://www.vintagewisdom.org)
Special thanks to the sponsors who help make these conversations possible:
Floorzz
[www.floorzz.com](http://www.floorzz.com)
TruNorth Pest Control
[www.trunorthpest.com](http://www.trunorthpest.com)
Subscribe, leave a comment and share this episode with someone willing to wrestle honestly with faith, politics, wealth and the teachings of Jesus.
Do you believe the modern church’s relationship with money and political power reflects the early church?
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