Feb
2
YouTube Channels I Enjoy and You Might, Too: Bible & Religion
A few more YouTube recommendations for you…
Readers may remember that last Fall I wrote two posts in which I shared YouTube channels that I enjoy watching on topics of “Science & Tech” and “Politics & Culture”. This third post rounds out the main topics covered in this blog with “Bible & Religion”. Of course, there is sometimes overlap with the other topics, but I think I kept the channels in the proper categories. I also wanted to note that it isn’t easy to find “Christian” preachers/teachers/apologists on YouTube whose material is orthodox, generally reliable, understandable, and taught/argued in a winsome manner. But, over the past few years I have found a few gems…
As is the case for “Science & Tech” and “Politics & Culture”, perhaps my primary video/podcast resources for “Bible & Religion” topics are ones that I do not usually watch on YouTube. Stand to Reason (Greg Koukl et al.) has their regular podcast (twice a week), one or two weekly episodes of #STRask, and occasionally a “Red Pen Logic” video. These can be viewed at STR.org. Alpha & Omega Ministries with James R. White typically puts out two podcasts per week (“The Dividing Line”, 1-2 hrs. apiece) at AOMin.org, even when White is on the road giving talks/classes, sermons, and doing debates. You can also watch them on YouTube, but a few have been removed over the years when YT censors didn’t like what they said. Both STR and AOMin discuss things like Christian doctrine, Bible questions, Bible textual criticism, apologetics, other religions/worldviews, socio-political/cultural issues & events, etc. Another of White’s specialties is “church history”. Both shows occasionally interview people, as well.
OK, so what do I watch on YouTube (when I have the time) for “Bible & religion” content?
The one I have spent the most time on is “DiscipleDojo” with James-Michael “JM” Smith, who is both a Bible teacher and a Brazilian jiu jitsu instructor for children. Smith likens Christian discipleship to martial arts training (big surprise!), thus the “dojo” metaphor. Smith comes from a Wesleyan-flavored Methodist background, whereas I lean more toward Reformed Baptist, so we differ on certain teachings. But, we agree on the essentials, and I greatly appreciate his efforts to understand other positions so that he can fairly represent them in discussions and reviews. One of his specialties on his channel is reviewing Study Bibles of (almost) all types. (I think he’s done over 100.) He also occasionally reviews commentaries and other books. He has experts on to discuss the subject of their expertise (and sometimes a book they just published). And he tackles common questions and various other Bible-related topics. Whether I fully agree with him on a topic or not, I find him fair, engaging, and quite informative.
I began watching Melissa Dougherty’s content at least a year ago, maybe two. Not only do I find her background as “an ex-New Thoughter (with a little Ex New Ager sprinkled in)” very interesting, she is very “real” and I love her wit, as well. I don’t know if she has a regular schedule, but as she puts it: “You’ll find a mixed bag of Jesus, theology, very okay satire, Christian apologetics, and cultural topics from a Christian perspective here on my channel.” Plus some of that New Thought / New Age stuff, which she just published a book about. Most of her regular videos run, say, 30 min. to an hour; she also has shorter clips (5-10 min.) and longer videos (1.5-2 hrs.).
As per Mark Ward of “Ward on Words” (formerly just “Mark Ward”), he tries to put out “New videos every Thursday if I can hack it. I talk about English Bible translations — and why it’s a blessing to have so many! I explain why they exist and why they differ — when, occasionally, they do.” Up until 2025, he used to focus mostly on the KJV translation and countering the claims of KJV Onlyists and similar positions. But, he is shifting focus on his channel to cover more topics (and produce online courses) that utilize his seminary and linguistic training, as well as his expertise in Logos software. (Meanwhile, he needs more web-design work to support his family.) I have very much enjoyed Mark’s fair and gracious approach to addressing the KJV Only stuff and associated word studies, and I look forward to seeing how he grows his channel!
JM, Melissa, and Mark have been the ones whose content I have seen and listened to the most and have been enjoying the longest. But, I have become aware of and subscribed to a couple more in the past few months that I want to mention.
“Ready to Harvest” is a channel where a young man named Joshua with a penchant for research and summarization presents the fruits of his studies on the many, many Christian/”Christian” denominations. Sometimes he focuses on the history and doctrines of a single denomination, and sometimes he compares two or more. Other times, he picks a theological topic (e.g., the Rapture, baptism, tongues) and examines/compares the views on that particular teaching that are held by certain denominations or traditions. He also answers questions like “Why did DenomX split from DenomY?” You get the idea. Most videos run about 10-40 min. in length.
Shortly before the recent hubbub around his “debate” with Billy Carson and subsequent appearance on the Joe Rogan show, I discovered the apologetics work of “Wes Huff”. When not pursuing his PhD and participating in public dialogues on interfaith issues (and occasionally spending time with his family), Wes posts YouTube videos discussing matters of Christian doctrine, apologetics, biblical manuscripts and text criticism, and other religions. He does lots of mini-videos (~1-8 min.), but others range from 20 min. to over an hour. I am impressed with not only the breadth and depth of his knowledge in these areas but also his winsome manner. I look forward to consuming more of his YT content.
There are three more channels that I enjoy watching from time to time and want to recommend. “The BEAT by Allen Parr” (Biblical Encouragement And Truth = The B.E.A.T.) is an online video ministry dedicated to communicating God’s word in a creative, practical and easy-to-watch format. Subject matter ranges from false teachers to common Bible questions, from book reviews to interviews. I discovered “Justin Peters Ministries” a few years ago when investigating faith healers and other Word of Faith deception. His main focus is examining and refuting the teaching and practices of such people. I have also watched a handful of videos from “Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey”, where she analyzes culture, news, theology and politics from a Christian, conservative perspective. She also often satirizes politicians, the media and trends in popular culture. The “Alisa Childers” channel is yet another that looks promising and I hope to find time to sample more of.
If you have a favorite YouTube resource for Bible teaching, apologetics, church history, text criticism, etc., go ahead and share in the comments below. Otoh, if you check out one or more of my recommendations above and enjoy it, please let us know that, as well. 🙂
