Joe Rogan, noted podcaster, UFC commentator and host of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” said on a recent podcast episode that he enjoys going to church, admires Jesus Christ and appreciates the benefits of faith.
Rogan’s Comments
Rogan made the comments in an interview with professed agnostic Konstantin Kisin, and Francis Foster, hosts of the “Triggernometry” podcast.
“I’ve started going to church every now and again,” Kisin shared with Rogan.
“Do you enjoy it?” Rogan asked.
“I love it,” Kisin replied. “I do.”
This prompted Rogan to add, “I do too. It’s a bunch of people who are going to make their lives better. They’re trying to be a better person.”
“The place I go to, they read and analyze passages in the Bible. I’m really interested in what these people were trying to say.”
Rogan questioned the reasoning of self-professed intellectuals who scoff at the Christian faith and dismiss it as a “fairy tale.”
“There’s a lot of, like, atheists and secular people that just like to dismiss Christianity as being foolish. You know, ‘It’s just fairy tales.’ I hear that amongst, you know, self-professed intelligent people, like, ‘It’s a fairy tale,’” Rogan said.
“Like, I don’t know if that’s true. I think there’s more to it. I think it’s history, but I think it’s a confusing history. … [But] I think there’s something to what [the biblical authors were] saying.”
Rogan also noted the evidence for the historicity of Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection:
“Like, it’s a fascinating story,” Rogan added.
Rogan first revealed in June 2025 that he had begun attending a Christian church, which he described as “very nice.”
“They’re all just trying to be better people,” Rogan said. “It’s a good vibe.”
Why Church?
It can only be a very good thing that Kisin and Rogan have started attending church, where the Bible is read and taught. The development indicates they’re on a spiritual journey, seeking the Lord. We should pray for them both to acknowledge Christ as Lord and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 2:38). For we know that Christ loves everyone and draws all men to Himself (John 12:32).
But there’s another important lesson we can take away from his comments.
Have you ever heard someone say they no longer attend a particular church because they “just weren’t being fed”?
Have you ever heard someone ask a fellow believer, after attending a Sunday morning service, “How did you like it?” or “How was church?” perhaps unintentionally suggesting the value of the morning’s service is dependent upon the congregant’s feelings and preferences.
It’s important that Christians know they don’t primarily attend church to enjoy or “get something” from it. If we did, one may as well attend a Jewish Shabbat Service, a Muslim Jum’ah (Friday prayer) or a Buddhist liturgy, if a person “enjoys” it.
To be sure, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying or liking the church you attend. But pleasure and enjoyment are not good measures of truth, nor are they our reason for attending church in the first place.
Friedrich Schleiermacher, the 19th century German Reformed theologian, often called the “Father of Modern Liberal Theology,” suggested that men find God, primarily, through their feelings and emotions – not through the Church, Scripture or public divine revelation.
Religious piety begins with a personal “feeling of absolute dependence,” he wrote. We must feel dependent upon God and “turn from everything usually reckoned religion, and fix [our] regard on the inward emotions and dispositions, as all utterances and acts of inspired men direct.”
Such a perspective robs the Gospel of its power. It exchanges real Christianity, in which God has divinely revealed Truth in a public fashion (i.e. through Scripture and His incarnate Son) with essential doctrines, creeds and teachings on faith and morals, for personal and private feelings and sensations.
J. Gresham Machen, the 19th century Presbyterian minister, critiqued liberal Protestantism. In his book Christianity and Liberalism, he wrote,
In this way, Christians should not make decisions based solely on our feelings or emotions. Rather, Christians follow Christ at all costs, even embracing suffering when necessary, often exchanging pleasure and enjoyment for the way of the cross.
“I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8, ESV).
So, why do we attend church? Here are two reasons.
First, through church we are brought into deeper communion with God who loves us.
The cross of Christ reminds us that (contra American consumerism) there are things worth doing that involve suffering and pain.
H. Richard Niebuhr was a 20th century protestant minister and ethicist. In his work The Kingdom of God in America, he critiqued liberal protestant Christianity for teaching that “A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgement through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.”
If we attend a church service and hear a sermon in which we are convicted of sin, challenged to confess, and prompted to repent, such an encounter may not be enjoyable. But that doesn’t make it any less important or good.
Second, Christians attend church because, as created human beings, our worship is something we owe to God. In both the Old (Exodus 20:8-11) and New Testaments (Hebrews 10:25), followers of the true God are commanded to give the Lord the worship that is due to Him alone.
In this way, we don’t attend church primarily to exalt and please ourselves, but for love and worship of God. On Sunday, we praise God, glorify Him, commune with Christ, learn from His Word and allow Him to work in us. “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30, ESV).
So, the next time you attend church, it’s ok to have a good time. But remember, you’re not there just for yourself, but for God – to give Him the honor and glory He is due, and to ask for His grace to conform our lives to Christ.
“To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Timothy 1:17, ESV).
Konstantin Kisin is featured in Truth Rising, a crucial new documentary produced by Focus on the Family in association with The Colson Center. The film examines the crisis Western civilization faces and offers clarity, courage, and a Christ-centered path forward. You can watch Truth Rising for free.
To speak with a family help specialist or request resources, please call us at 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).
Related articles and resources:
Truth Rising
Why Church?
Konstantin Kisin: Where Agnostic and Christian Viewpoints Can Find Agreement
Joe Rogan: ‘Jesus Makes More Sense’
Joe Rogan Reflects Culture’s Uneven Search for Answers
Photo from Getty Images.
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Zachary Mettler
Zachary Mettler is a writer/analyst for the Daily Citizen at Focus on the Family. In his role, he writes about current political issues, U.S. history, political philosophy, and culture. Mettler earned his Bachelor’s degree from William Jessup University and is an alumnus of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation. In addition to the Daily Citizen, his written pieces have appeared in the Daily Wire, the Washington Times, the Washington Examiner, Newsweek, Townhall, the Daily Signal, the Christian Post, Charisma News and other outlets.
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