609: Rebounding Pastors, Shifting Evangelicals, & Rethinking Christian Media with Jon Houghton
Release Date: 03/20/2024
723: Pope Leo, A.I., & the Intimacy Economy plus a Guided Tour of HP+
The Holy Post
The Pope’s first encyclical about the importance of human dignity and the threat posed by A.I. is causing a stir. Some secular journalists are celebrating Leo’s moral clarity, while Trump administration officials are saying the Pope should stay in his lane. Historian Yuval Noah Harari has his own warning about A.I. and explains how we are moving from an “attention economy” into an “intimacy economy.” With the launch of Holy Post Media on Substack, Kaitlyn and Skye take you behind the paywall to sample everything offered by Holy Post Plus, including a daily devotional for people who...
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722: Colbert & the Problem of Public Faith plus Karen Swallow Prior
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Last week, Stephen Colbert ended his tenure as the host of The Late Show on CBS. Along with witty political commentary and comedy, Colbert was also open about his Catholicism at a time when many were growing skeptical of faith. Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn discuss Colbert, the criticism public Christians receive, and how to discern which examples of public faith to emulate. It’s graduation season, and Karen Swallow Prior is back to discuss her new book, “You Have a Calling.” She says our culture has narrowed our understanding of calling to paid work, but finding our calling is not a matter of...
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721: Easy Optimism vs Durable Hope with Sharon McMahon
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MAGA politicians, pastors, and influencers gathered on the National Mall this weekend to rededicate America to God. Unlike biblical ceremonies of rededication, however, this one included no repentance or lament. Elon Musk is upset that a black woman was cast as Helen of Troy in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film “The Odyssey.” Sharon McMahon is back to explain how political backlash and violent threats canceled her commencement speech at Utah Valley University, and why the message she planned to deliver is more relevant than ever. Also this week—religious skeptics used to ask, “Why do...
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720: The Casino-fication of the Church and Mark DeYmaz
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Online gambling is changing the way we watch sports. Rather than cheering for a team together, more people now focus on their individual prop bets. Russell Moore says the same thing is happening in the church as individual interests and personal goals are overshadowing our collective calling as Christ’s people. Mark DeYmaz talks with Skye about how the prayer of St. Francis has helped his church navigate racial, economic, and political divisions. Christian colleges say a provision in the Republicans’ Big Beautiful Bill is an “existential threat to the future of religious higher education...
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719: King Charles’ Christian Message plus Alan Noble
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King Charles III addressed Congress last week, citing his Christian faith as a foundation for pluralism and peace. President Trump, in contrast, gave a speech welcoming the King that referenced Christianity as a cultural identity requiring exclusion and protection. Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn unpack the two very different visions of faith. Alan Noble is back to discuss his new book, “To Live Well,” and why young people are looking for virtues that are grounded in something more than online influencer advice. Also this week: Was the shooter at the White House Correspondents' Dinner a devout...
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718: HOLY POST LIVE from Atlanta with Lecrae
The Holy Post
Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn hosted a live podcast recording in Atlanta on April 22. They were joined by Grammy-winning hip-hop artist Lecrae to discuss his journey through doubt and deconstruction toward a renewed faith in Christ. He shared what helped him through the dark season, and why he felt the need to abandon the “fraud” but not the “faith.” They also discussed the tenets of Just War Theory, innovative Chinese cars, and they responded to audience questions you won’t want to miss. Holy Post Plus: Ad-Free Version of this Episode: 0:00 - Show Starts 1:09 - Theme Song...
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717: The Parenting Prosperity Gospel with Kelsey Kramer McGinnis
The Holy Post
Anthropic has sought the help of Christian theologians to make Claude, their A.I. model, more ethical, but they are also meeting with representatives from other religious and philosophical traditions. Should this make us more optimistic about tech companies controlling the future? The Atlantic has a story about the popularity of John Mark Comer even among non-religious young adults. Is his advocacy of contemplative Christian practices the answer to digital secularism our culture has been searching for? Kelsey Kramer McGinnis, co-author of “The Myth of Good Christian Parenting,” talks with...
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716: The President vs. The Pope and Bri Stensrud
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It’s been another week of deranged comments and posts from the President. This time he has targeted Pope Leo by accusing him of being weak on crime and catering to the radical left. Mr. Trump followed up by posting an A.I. image of himself as Jesus. The outrage was swift, including from his own MAGA supporters, but are they actually to blame for his messianic self-image? On Palm Sunday, the Pope said Jesus does not hear the prayers of those who wage war. Most assume he was referring to the Secretary of Defense’s wrathful prayer for U.S. troops in Iran. Defenders of Pete Hegseth’s prayer...
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715: How MAGA Rewired Evangelical Morality with Peter Wehner
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We have a roundup of extravagant Easter celebrations, including helicopter egg drops, holy week drone shows, and skydiving bunnies. But what do these spectacles really achieve, and what do they communicate about the way of Jesus? Bible sales are breaking records. Is Donald Trump the reason? Conservative writer Peter Wehner, who worked for three Republican administrations, is back to explain how MAGA has rewired evangelical morality and what pastors should do about it. Also this week, the contrasting Easter messages of the Pope and the President. Holy Post Plus: Ad-Free Version of this...
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714: What's Driving the Surge of Catholic Converts? plus Gabriel Salguero
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Catholic bishops around the U.S. are reporting a dramatic increase in applications for church membership and a surge of new converts as Easter approaches. What’s driving this new interest in the Catholic Church, and why aren’t evangelical churches seeing a similar boom? Mike Erre joins Phil and Kaitlyn to discuss the trend. Gabriel Salguero is back to update Skye on the impact of immigration enforcement on Hispanic churches and communities. He shares about two evangelical pastors detained in ICE facilities, and why Latino voters are abandoning Donald Trump after giving him record support...
info_outlineAfter 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 alligator, and an "audacious scheme" with super sheep.
Genesis Explainer Video
Holy Post Plus
Getting Schooled - Macrina the Younger
https://www.patreon.com/posts/100424439/
0:00 - Intro
1:02 - Show Starts
2:10 - Theme Song
2:31 - 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
3:51 - Sponsor - Sundays Dog Food - Get 35% off your first order of Sundays. Go to www.SundaysForDogs.com/HOLYPOST or use code HOLYPOST at checkout.
5:03 - Petitions to Change News of the Butt
6:18 - Animal News, Wrinkle the Duck in a Buc-ee’s
10:16 - Animal News, Giant Blind Alligator Swims with Children
13:22 - Animal News, Montana Mountain King, the Giant Super-Sheep
20:25 - Are the Pastors Doing Better?
25:06 - The Exvangelicals
38:42 - Are New People Coming to Evangelicalism?
49:17 - Latinos Moving from Catholicism to Evangelicalism
54:56 - Sponsor - Blueland - Get 15% off your first order by going to Blueland dot com slash HOLYPOST
56:02 - Sponsor - Rocket Money - Find and cancel your old subscriptions with Rocket Money at https://www.rocketmoney.com/holypost
57:10 - Interview
59:12 - Why Did Jon Houghton Want to Join the Holy Post?
1:03:09 - Why Did We Hire Jon Houghton to Join the Holy Post?
1:10:05 - Why Are We a For-Profit Company?
1:18:37 - Directions for Projects Going Forward
1:22:36 - Kaitlyn Schiess’s New Show
1:34:49 - End Credits
Links Mentioned in the News Segment:
Duck Banned from Buc-ee’s
https://pethelpful.com/pet-news/man-banned-bucees-service-duck
Albert the Alligator Swam with Children and Was Seized by Authorities
Giant Sheep Clone, Montana Mountain King
https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/16/us/montana-sheep-wildlife-trafficking-charges-trnd/index.html
Hopeful Increase for Pastors
https://www.barna.com/research/hopeful-increases-pastors/
“Exvangelicals” Book
https://religionnews.com/2024/03/15/hurting-most-the-people-who-follow-the-rules/
Latinos Flock to Evangelicalism
https://www.thefp.com/p/latinos-are-flocking-to-evangelical?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Other resources:
Holy Post website: https://www.holypost.com/
Holy Post Plus: www.holypost.com/plus
Holy Post Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/holypost
Holy Post Merch Store: https://www.holypost.com/shop
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