649: The Christmas Story Facts & Fiction with Nijay Gupta
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Merry Christmas! In celebrity conversion news, Denzel Washington got baptized at his church in Harlem just days before his 70th birthday and became a licensed minister, and New York Times columnist, David Brooks, has written about his surprising journey from agnosticism to Christianity. What do these stories tell us about our culture’s ongoing hunger for God? On the other side, David French explains why some Christians now think cruelty is acceptable. New Testament scholar, Nijay Gupta, is back to talk about what the Gospels actually say about Jesus’ birth, and what our Christmas pageants...
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648: Hurt & Healed by the Church with Pricelis Perreaux-Dominguez
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A Catholic bishop, with a social media following second only to the Pope, is proving that dumbing down the faith is the wrong way to reach young adults. But is his celebrity status getting in the way? A new study finds the most generous people are also the most likely to consistently read the Bible. Kaitlyn talks to Pricelis Perreaux-Dominguez about telling the truth to the church out of love. Her new book, “Being a Sanctuary,” is honest about the harms many churches are causing, but also shows how the church is the key to healing. Also this week—rat race cars in Froot Loop land. ...
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647: The Death of Dating & Megachurch Anti-Racism with Hahrie Han
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More Americans than ever are single but they’re not happy about it. A new article in The Atlantic examines how the sexes are drifting apart, why more men are looking for a partner than women, and the side-effects of using an app rather than community to find a date. Then, political scientist Hahrie Han’s new book “Undivided” explores why the racial solidarity program at an evangelical megachurch was more successful than corporate DEI programs, and how that success created unexpected challenges for the predominantly white church. Also this week: the Swiss make an A.I. Jesus, and a...
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646: The Late Great Hal Lindsey & Writing Prayers with Douglas McKelvey
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Many ideas about the end times including the role of Israel, the mark of the beast, and the rapture became popular through Hal Lindsey’s best-selling book from the 1970s, “The Late Great Planet Earth.” Lindsay died last week at 95. We discuss his legacy and how his book is still shaping the American church long after most of its theology has been debunked. Then, Kaitlyn talks to Douglas McKelvey about his series of prayer books, “Every Moment Holy.” He explains the value of using written prayers and not just spontaneous ones, and how to find God in the ordinary activities of life....
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French Friday: "Nerdfest 2024"
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David French has finally watched Rings of Power season two—and he and Skye don’t quite have the same feelings about it. They compare it to House of the Dragon’s more cynical fantasy world—and why Dune is maybe closer to Tolkien than Martin. They also talk about the Penguin crime drama series, the upcoming Superman movie, and Silo. 0:00 - Theme Song 0:18 - Show Begins 1:16 - David’s Take on Rings of Power 5:40 - Skye’s Beef with Rings of Power 13:20 - House of the Dragon 21:52 - World War I 26:45 - Sponsor - Hiya Health - Go to...
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645: The Red Letter Legacy of Tony Campolo with Shane Claiborne
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Mike Erre joins Phil and Skye to discuss how to survive the holidays. What’s the best way to engage (or disengage) a contentious relative who wants to argue about politics, and how do we remain united as churches and families in these divided times? Professor, author, and preacher Tony Campolo died last week. Shane Claiborne returns to discuss his friendship with Campolo and his legacy of challenging the American church with the “red letters” of the Bible. Also this week—what’s the real goal behind protecting public nativity displays, and disappointed political witches. 0:00 -...
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644: Unplugging from Politics & the Real Meaning of Acts with N.T. Wright
The Holy Post
After an exhausting year of politics and the re-election of Donald Trump, what is a faithful way for Christians to navigate the next four years? Should we continue to immerse ourselves in political news, or is it better to disconnect from the media? And should Christians join the political fights online, or unplug to better serve our local communities? The Holy Post crew responds to articles by a number of Christians leaders addressing these questions. Then, New Testament scholar, N.T. Wright, is back to discuss the book of Acts. Wright says an understanding of ancient temples is the key to...
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643: How Trump Won the Election with David French
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It’s been a week since the election and why Americans voted to send Donald Trump back to the White House is beginning to come into focus. The entire Holy Post team—Phil, Skye, Kaitlyn, and Esau—is here to talk about why Trump won and how Harris lost. Was it the economy? Was it racism and misogyny? Was it identity politics or disinformation in the media? Everyone has a theory. Then New York Times columnist and Holy Post regular, David French, is back to give his take on the election. He explains why Kamala Harris’s decision to focus on abortion backfired, and why January 6 did...
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642: How the Friendship of Lewis & Tolkien Changed the World with John Hendrix
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The 2024 election is finally here. Who won? We don’t know because we recorded this episode on Monday. But we do know that MAGA men are not happy about their wives secretly voting for Kamala Harris. And a new study finds trust in American institutions—especially the media—continues to decline. Is there a way to reverse the trend? Then, to take an overdue break from politics, Skye talks to author and illustrator, John Hendrix, about his new graphic non-fiction book “The Mythmakers” about the remarkable friendship between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. It’s a fun conversation about...
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641: The Roots of Racial & Environmental Injustice with David Swanson
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With only a week before the presidential election, Phil and Kaitlyn are joined by Mike Erre to discuss Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden. Why do so many white evangelicals ignore the racism, misogyny, and dehumanizing rhetoric coming from the MAGA movement? It is really about supporting certain policies or the idolatry of power? Then, David Swanson is back to discuss his latest book, “Plundered: The Tangled Roots of Racial and Environmental Injustice.” Swanson says we will be compelled to engage both issues when we see their shared origin in the sin of greed. Also this week—the...
info_outlineSteve Bezner, a pastor in Houston, had a troubling realization—his people were being shaped more by social media, YouTube, and cable news than by the Bible, and their views of money, sex, and power looked more American than Christian. He talks with Kaitlyn about his new book, “Your Jesus Is Too American,” and how being more relational than organizational may be the first step toward healing our churches. Also this week, are American evangelicals going through the five stages of grief? If so, what does it mean to accept our loss of cultural influence? For the first time, new data says Gen Z men are more religious than Gen Z women. Why are young women leaving the church and why are young men coming? Plus, now even gorillas are addicted to smartphones.
0:00 - Intro
1:46 - Show Starts
2:52 - Theme Song
3:14 - Sponsor - Zondervan - The NIV, Upside-Down Kingdom Bible helps you flip earthly wisdom on its head - Go to https://www.upsidedownkingdombible.com
4:20 - Sponsor - BioLogos - Go to https://biologos.org/podcast/language-of-god/ and check out the Language of God podcast!
5:20 - Kohl’s Makes Decisions Easier
6:28 - Gorillas Getting Too Much Screentime at the Zoo!
11:42 - Accepting Lost Evangelical Influence
18:07 - Collaborating as Political Minorities
31:42 - Are Young Men Taking Over the Church?
51:39 - Sponsor - The National Association of Evangelicals - Listen to the Difficult to explore how Christians can become peacemakers. Go to https://www.nae.org/introduction-difficult-conversations-podcast-series/ to check it out!
53:37- Interview
59:10 - How We’ve Failed to Disciple People About Sex
1:06:48 - Prophetic Politics
1:13:50 - Church Pain
1:19:36 - Community Service in the Church
1:28:38 - End Credits
Links Mentioned in the News Segment:
Gorillas and Screen Time
https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/zoos-gorillas-screen-time-phones-videos-e88531a7
The Acceptance Stage of Lost Evangelical Influence
America’s Young Men Are Falling Even Further Behind
https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/young-american-men-lost-c1d799f7
Other resources:
Holy Post website: https://www.holypost.com/
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