Episode 86: Comedy, Social Media & Christian Culture with TikTok Creator Josh Benson

Laughter has been some of the best medicine for me over the past couple of years. One of the best sources, at times, has been TikTok, and one of the best accounts I've come across is that of Josh Benson — better known as @joshbensontherapper. While the rapping has taken a back seat for him in recent years, his comedy skits have taken off. He now has over 411,000 followers on the app.

Comedy can be a disarming way of entering into conversations about difficult topics, and that's what Josh does well, bringing awareness to some very real issues surrounding Christian culture and the Church. While I knew we would talk about comedy, his creative process and where his ideas come from, this conversation actually got pretty deep. We talk about what advice we would give to Christian creators who might deal with comparison and how to make sure your platform and message are always pointing toward God. We also waded into the waters of faith deconstruction and he shares how he handles sensitive topics and dealing with criticism.

Josh and another creator also sell some merch under the brand "Church Chad," which is a character you'll hear about in this conversation. You can check out their merch at churchchad.com.

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If you enjoyed this conversation, you'll probably enjoy these as well:

• Comedian and Podcaster Jake Triplett
• Comedian and Podcaster Brad Ellis