603: The Politics of Fear & Rethinking the Cross with Brian Zahnd
Release Date: 02/07/2024
French Friday: Israel’s Error and College Protests
The Holy Post
The war in Gaza has carried on for longer than expected, and David French is starting to see parallels between Israel and the US military in the Iraq War—he thinks Israel could learn from what went wrong in Iraq. Then, David and Skye discuss the student protests and how universities are handling them—what’s civil disobedience and what’s lawlessness when it comes to protest? 0:00 - Theme Song 0:17 - Episode Starts 1:40 - America’s Mistake in Iraq 10:42 - Counter insurgency’s Importance 16:10 - Sponsor - AG1 - Heavily researched, thoroughly...
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614: The Rise of Raunchy Christians & Avoiding Civil War with Tracy McKenzie
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Previously puritanical evangelicals are increasingly embracing profanity and lewd content. A recent New York Times article explores possible explanations ranging from politics and the culture wars, to the internet and the decline of churches. Also, fewer people are reading books, and that’s a challenge for Christian traditions rooted in literacy, education, and the Bible. How do we make disciples in a post-literate culture? Then, more people are comparing our divisive culture to America just before the Civil War. Are we heading toward a national divorce—or worse? Historian Tracy McKenzie...
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613: Driscoll, Dawkins, & Political Discipleship with Curtis Chang
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Atheist Richard Dawkins has said he doesn’t believe one word of the Christian faith, but he now considers himself a “cultural Christian” and wants to defend the Christian values of his country against the influence of Islam and immigrants. Does this represent an alignment between the New Atheists and Christian Nationalists? Curtis Chang shares about “The After Party”—the new curriculum he’s developed with David French and Russel Moore to help Christians focus on hope and humility rather than partisanship. Also this week, Mark Driscoll gets booted from a men’s conference. And...
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612: The Religious Vacuum, Politics, & the Powers with N.T. Wright
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This week we’re discussing a series of articles exploring what we’re gaining and losing as fewer Americans are committed to religion and attending church. Even some non-believers are beginning to worry that the decline in religion may not be good for society, but does it also represent a new opportunity for the message of Christianity? Then, N.T. Wright is back to discuss his new book with co-author Michael Bird, “Jesus and the Powers.” While everyone knows mixing faith and politics can be dangerous, Wright says there’s also a danger when we refuse to mix them. He talks to Skye about...
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611: Trump’s Bible, Biden’s Easter, and Climate Change for Christians with Katharine Hayhoe
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The newest Holy Post team member, Esau McCaulley, joins Phil and Skye to discuss two stories that caused outrage from both ends of the political spectrum during Holy Week. Trump is selling an American flag-wrapped Bible, and the Biden administration honored “Transgender Visibility Day” on Easter. And why are Catholic Charities being attacked for helping immigrants? Then Skye talks to atmospheric scientist Katharine Hayhoe about how her evangelical faith led her to become a climate scientist. She says combating global warming is part of our call to love our neighbors and care for the least...
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French Friday: TikTok Ban & Who Should Hold the Reins of Social Media
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A recent bill to ban TikTok was passed in the House with bipartisan support. Skye talks with David French about the arguments for and against the bill, the likelihood of it passing the Senate, and why Trump claims China is America's biggest threat, and yet he still opposes the TikTok ban. Then, Skye and David break down two recent Supreme Court cases about social media content regulation. Should social media companies have complete control over what is posted on their platforms, and is it ok for the government to ask these companies to take down certain posts? Holy Post Plus - Getting Schooled...
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610: Learning to Disagree Respectfully with John Inazu
The Holy Post
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade almost two years ago, the debate about abortion has taken on new dimensions. Factions within the pro-life camp are now battling each other. Could they break apart the Religious Right? Then, Kaitlyn interviews professor of Law and Religion, John Inazu, about his new book, “Learning to Disagree.” He says our differences don’t have to become divisions, which is a timely message in an election year. Plus, is Indonesia hiding a secret island of Hobbits? And a new documentary asks if Jesus was a vegetarian? Holy Post Plus Getting Schooled -...
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609: Rebounding Pastors, Shifting Evangelicals, & Rethinking Christian Media with Jon Houghton
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After a number of difficult years and dismal statistics, a new report from Barna says pastors are on the mend. Another book about “ex-vangelicals” has been released. Does it have anything new to add to the conversation? And a record number of Latinos in the U.S. are leaving Catholicism to become Pentecostal evangelicals. What does it mean for the future of the church? Then, Holy Post Media’s CEO, Jon Houghton, joins Skye to discuss how he’s leading the organization, why Christian media needs to change, and the new projects launching this year. Plus, Wrinkle the duck, Albert the...
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608: Defining the Gospel & Who’s a “Real” Christian with Matthew Bates
The Holy Post
Earlier this year, John MacArthur said that Martin Luther King Jr. was “a nonbeliever who misrepresented everything about Christ and the gospel.” Last week, Justin Giboney responded with an article in CT explaining why MacArthur was wrong about MLK. This leads Phil, Kaitlyn, and Skye to ask when is it appropriate to define who is, and who is not, a true Christian, and what criteria should we use? Theologian Matthew Bates is back to discuss his new book, “Why the Gospel?” He defines six popular “malformed” gospels, and why bypassing the importance of Jesus’ kingship is dangerous...
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607: The Gift of Disillusionment with Mike Cosper
The Holy Post
CORRECTION - The initial audio file uploaded this morning was missing the last 10 minutes. If your phone automatically downloads the episode, remove the download and then redownload it, and that should take care of the issue. Sorry for the inconvenience! 607: Are you feeling disillusioned about your faith? About your church? You’re definitely not alone. Creator of “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill” podcast, Mike Cosper, is back to talk about his new book, “Land of My Sojourn,” and how he came to embrace disillusionment as a gift. Also this week, Mike Erre joins Phil and Skye to...
info_outlineWell, here we are again. The very same arguments that were rolled out by MAGA Christian leaders to justify supporting Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020 are back again in 2024. A new article in the Christian Post says America’s survival depends on Christians voting for Trump. Why do these fear tactics still work? Then, it’s true that all politicians lie, but PolitiFacts says Trump is a league of his own. And scientists explain why negative polarization in our politics may have evolutionary origins.
Then Skye interviews pastor and author, Brian Zahnd, about his new book, “The Wood Between the Worlds: A Poetic Theology of the Cross.” He draws from art, literature, movies, and music to help us see the many facets of what Jesus really accomplished on that old rugged cross. Also this week, an early church father liked big couches and he cannot lie.
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Bonus Interview with Brian Zahnd - https://www.patreon.com/posts/97918043/
0:00 - Intro
1:46 - Show Starts
2:33 - Theme Song
2:56- Sponsor - AG1 - Get your FREE 1 year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free travel packs with your first purchase, go to https://www.athleticgreens.com/HOLYPOST
4:15 - Sponsor - Sundays Dog Food - Get 35% off your first order of Sundays. Go to www.SundaysForDogs.com/HOLYPOST or use code HOLYPOST at checkout.
5:27 - Recapping the Liveshow
8:05 - News of the Butt
11:54 - Trump the Unreliable Watchman
28:18 - The Roots of Polarization
38:24 - Fatalism in America
47:53 - Sponsor - Songfinch - Go to https://www.songfinch.com/HOLYPOST and start your song – after you purchase, you’ll be prompted to add Spotify Streaming for your original song for FREE! That’s a $50 value!
48:53 - Sponsor - Better Help - Get 10% off your first month at www.betterhelp.com/holypost
50:35 - Interview with Brian Zahnd
53:41 - Brian Zahnd’s Background
58:53 - America as a Religion
1:04:50 - Poetic Theology of the Cross
1:15:50 - The Paganization of the Cross
1:31:20 - End Credits
Links Mentioned in News Segment
With Desantis Out, Can a Christian Support Donald Trump?
https://www.christianpost.com/voices/with-desantis-out-can-a-christian-support-donald-trump.html
What Politifact Learned in 1,000 Fact Checks of Donald Trump
Science is Revealing Why American Politics Are So Insanely Polarized
https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2024/01/20/polarization-science-evolution-psychology/
America’s Lack of Faith in Our Collective Power is a Bigger Problem Than Trump
Additional Resources:
The Wood Between the Worlds: A Poetic Theology of the Cross https://a.co/d/4reF5UX
Holy Post website: https://www.holypost.com/
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Holy Post Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/holypost
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