This Is What the Gospel Sounds Like: A Podcast on K-Pop Demon Hunters

What happens when music becomes a weapon? In this episode of This Is What the Gospel Sounds Like, Sarah Crowder and Andrew Jones return to K-Pop Demon Hunters to explore one of the film’s most powerful themes: the power of song. From HUNTR/X using music to strengthen the Honmoon to the Saja Boys using catchy songs to draw people away, the movie reminds us that words matter. Music can carry truth, shape devotion, and lodge ideas deep in our hearts. Sarah and Andy connect that theme to Scripture, from the trumpets of Jericho and Gideon to Paul’s description of the Word of God as the “sword of the Spirit.” They also explore the Psalms as songs, the early church’s practice of singing Scripture, and why Christians continue to gather together and sing. But what if you are not a singer? What if singing in church makes you uncomfortable? The answer is not shame or performance. Your voice is welcome, and so is your listening. The power is not in how beautifully we sing, but in the Word God gives us. The goal is simple: let the Gospel become sticky. Let God’s promises settle into your ears, your memory, and your heart so deeply that you carry them with you long after the music stops. Plus, Andy introduces the big idea behind his three-book series on reading the Bible, resisting Satan’s lies, and learning to pray: a spirituality centered not on producing more for God, but on receiving what God gives. Because the Christian life is not ultimately about our performance. It begins with receiving the gifts and promises of Jesus.

What ties together reading the Bible, resisting the lies of Satan, and learning to pray? In this bonus preview of Episode 23, Sarah Crowder asks Andrew Jones to summarize the big idea behind his 10 Things trilogy: Ten Questions to Ask Every Time You Read the Bible, Ten Lies Satan Loves to Tell, and Ten Treasures of Learning to Pray. Andy describes the thread running through all three books as receptive spirituality, a Christian life centered less on what we accomplish for God and more on receiving what God is already doing, giving, and speaking through His Word. It is a short introduction to the conversation coming in Episode 23 of This Is What the Gospel Sounds Like, and a preview of Andy’s upcoming visit with students at Faith Lutheran.

What do we do with shame, especially when our instinct is to hide? In this episode of This Is What the Gospel Sounds Like, Sarah Crowder and Pastor Andy Jones return to KPop Demon Hunters to talk about Rumi, Jinu, guilt, shame, and the powerful movement from isolation into community. Sarah and Andy explore the difference between guilt and shame, how culture shapes the way we experience honor and shame, and why Scripture gives us something better than simply trying to cover up the things we are afraid for others to see. From Psalm 32 to the robe of Christ’s righteousness, the Gospel gives a different kind of covering: Jesus forgives, restores, and promises that the evil and brokenness of this world will not have the final word. They also talk about why shame often drives people into isolation, why trusted community matters, and the beautiful gift Christians can give one another by speaking Christ’s promises aloud: You are loved. You are forgiven. You are not alone. 📚 Books by Andy Jones • Ten Questions to Ask Every Time You Read the Bible • Ten Lies Satan Loves to Tell • Ten Treasures of Learning to Pray 📖 Book mentioned in this episode Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O’Brien 🎙️ This Is What the Gospel Sounds Like is a KPop Demon Hunters fan podcast looking for Gospel handles in the movie’s songs, characters, stories, and themes, asking again and again: What does the good news of Jesus sound like here?

Welcome to Season 2 of This Is What the Gospel Sounds Like! After a year of conversations about movies, music, theology, and grace, Sarah Crowder and Pastor Andy Jones are back with a big theme running through KPop Demon Hunters: grief. From Rumi’s mother and her fear of losing her voice, to the grief of changing identities, broken relationships, death, and even the loss of a beloved pet, Sarah and Andy talk about why Christians don't have to hide sorrow or apologize for tears. Jesus wept, too. And grief does not get the last word. Romans 8, John 3:16, and the biblical promise of new creation give us something much better than vague comfort: God loves His world, Christ has come to redeem it, and creation itself waits for restoration. So what does the Gospel sound like when you're grieving? It sounds like permission to mourn, people who will sit beside you, and the promise that Jesus is making all things new. Read more from Andy: Bible Curious, his weekly Substack exploring Scripture, theology, and the questions worth asking.

August 20 is the Release Date of Andrew Jones' Book! Get it today! Search "10 Treasures of Learning to Pray." This episode begins with one of K-Pop Demon Hunters’ most underrated characters: Sussie the three-eyed magpie. Teacher Sarah Crowder and Pastor and Author Andy Jones explore Sussie’s place alongside Derpy, the Korean folklore behind the tiger and magpie, and a fascinating folktale that might even give us a clue about where Rumi and Jinu’s story could go next. Then the birds lead somewhere unexpected. From the dove at Jesus’ baptism to God gathering His people under His wings, from eagles carrying God’s people to freedom to Jesus reminding us that our Father cares even for the sparrows, Scripture is full of birds. Sarah and Andy consider how these images point us toward God’s protection, provision, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promises will not leave us alone. And maybe that is why morning birdsong feels so hopeful. In the darkness, a song begins. A new day is coming. So the next time you see Sussie, a sparrow outside your window, or hear birds singing before sunrise, perhaps you can remember: Christ has not left you alone. You are cared for. You are gathered under His wings. And the Spirit is still at work, pointing you again to Jesus. That’s what the Gospel sounds like.