Is Joe Rogan's podcast becoming a platform for Christian truth?

Something beautiful is happening on "The Joe Rogan Experience."

One day after speaking with Bible scholar Wesley Huff for more than three hours, Joe Rogan released an interview with Hollywood legend Mel Gibson, a lifelong Catholic. During their conversation, Gibson discussed his forthcoming movie on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, a sequel to Gibson's blockbuster film "The Passion of the Christ."

The fruits of the woke experiment have been laid bare.

At one point, Rogan asked Gibson whether he believes the resurrection is a "real event," prompting an unequivocal response.

"I regard the Gospels as history," Gibson said. "It's verifiable history. Some people say, 'Well, it's a fairy tale. He never existed' — but he did. And there are other accounts, verifiable historical accounts outside the biblical ones, that also bear this up that yes, he did exist," Gibson said. "And the other aspect of that is that all the evangelists, the apostles, who went out there, every single one of those guys died rather than deny their belief, and nobody dies for a lie. Nobody. So that's part of what I'm doing — showing nobody dies for a lie.

"Who gets back up three days later after he gets murdered in public? Who gets back up under his own power? Buddha didn't do that s**t," Gibson said.

What Gibson said is true.

First, no legitimate historian doubts that Jesus existed or that he was crucified.

Second, non-Christian ancient writers — like Roman historian Tacitus and Jewish historian Josephus, among others — provide early corroboration to the fact that Jesus of Nazareth existed and was crucified.

Third, historians agree that some life-altering event happened to Jesus' disciples such that very shortly after Jesus' crucifixion, they went and proclaimed to the ends of the earth that Jesus was, in fact, the crucified Jewish messiah and was resurrected. Christians, of course, believe that "life-altering event" was the resurrection itself! And as Gibson highlighted, the disciples believed so strongly in the truth of Jesus and his resurrection that refused to deny it — even unto death.

The significance of what is happening on "The Joe Rogan Experience" cannot be understated.

Not only is Rogan broadcasting to his tens of millions of listeners truths about Jesus and Christianity via Huff and Gibson, but Rogan himself appears to be shifting his attitude toward Christianity.

In the early years of his podcast, Rogan repeatedly attacked Christianity and followers of Jesus.

In one clip, he outright calls Christians "dumb" and suggests anyone who adopts the Christian worldview is not intelligent. Rogan also promoted debunked claims about Christianity, has suggested Christianity is not evidence-based, and once even appeared to mock the resurrected Jesus as a "Jewish zombie" while referring to Christianity as "nonsense" and "old fairy tales."

But over the last several years, as he has spoken with Christians, Rogan appears to have softened his views or outright rejected his past positions altogether.

Now, Rogan acknowledges that "intelligent" people who dismiss Christianity and religion wholesale are misguided, telling Aaron Rodgers, "We need Jesus. I think for real." He even appeared to agree with Jordan Peterson's statement that the Bible is "way more true than just true," while appearing to soften his view in other interviews that Christianity and science are incompatible.

What is going on?

For years, Joe Rogan was known for his skepticism of religion and Christianity in particular. As older episodes of his podcast show, he regularly dismissed Christian truth claims and mocked followers of Jesus.

But his podcast — and Rogan himself — have clearly evolved. Now, Rogan listens to Christians and their claims about the world with openness and humility, often affirming their validity. In his conversation with Huff, for example, Rogan even acknowledged that Christianity "does work" and "is true."

On one hand, Rogan's attitude toward Christianity may be changing because he is interacting with intelligent Christians and articulate thinkers sympathetic to Jesus. These guests present Christianity not as a "fairy tale" and a blind religion that follows a "Jewish zombie," but they give intellectual weight to Christianity, showing how it is a religion rooted in history, truth, and reason. The result is that Christianity is presented as authentic and genuine, principles that Rogan values and respects.

On the other hand, Rogan is living through the same cultural moment that all of us are experiencing.

For decades, our culture has promoted secularism and post-modern progressivism as truth, producing a society of hyper-individualism and self-actualization. Anti-Christ progressivism promises the Kingdom of God — without God. Instead, every person gets to be their own god, deciding for themselves what is "good" and "evil."

But the fruits of the woke experiment have been laid bare. As Genesis 3 warns, when humans reject God and act like their own god, the result is chaos and destruction — and ultimately death.

Is Rogan on a journey that ends with him bowing his knee and confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord? Only time will tell. But what is clear is that Rogan is curious and open to Christianity. The result is that tens of millions of listeners — a significant number of whom are likely not Christian — are inadvertently being exposed to Christian truth.

In other words, faithful Christians are planting seeds, and we can trust God that his harvest will be bountiful.