673: The L.A. Protests & Becoming a Priest and Podcaster with Esau McCaulley
Release Date: 06/11/2025
674: Parades, Protests, and Habeas Corpus with Michael Bird
The Holy Post
It was a wild weekend. Donald Trump presided over a military parade on his birthday while an estimated 5 million Americans protested around the country. Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn discuss the optics of both events and ask, with America’s divided politics and media silos, is protesting still effective? They also unpack a new article by Abby McCloskey in CT that argues evangelicalism’s focus on a private, personalized faith undermines learning, curiosity, and exercising the mind. Then, theologian and Holy Post Pundit, Michael Bird, is back. He offers an outsider’s perspective on Trump’s...
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673: The L.A. Protests & Becoming a Priest and Podcaster with Esau McCaulley
The Holy Post
Protests in Los Angeles against the Trump administration’s immigration policies have turned violent, but will the images of vandalism and attacks on police actually help the President? And Phil asks if there is any way to prevent necessary mass protests from becoming violent. One of the most respected Bible scholars of the last century has passed away. Old Testament professor Walter Bruggemann contrasted the world’s vision of scarcity with God’s kingdom of abundance, but Kaitlyn thinks his understanding of exile is over-applied today. Skye talks with his Holy Post Media colleague, Esau...
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672: Gender Worship Wars & the Joy of Being Cultural Outsiders with Patrick Miller
The Holy Post
In the past, debates over worship styles were often marked by generational differences; however, a new article suggests that this is changing. For Gen Z, worship preferences may be dividing along gender lines instead. For younger Christians, is CCM from Venus and liturgy from Mars? Drew Dyck joins Skye and Kaitlyn to discuss the evidence, the implications, and the solution for the worship gender divide. Then, Kaitlyn interviews Patrick Miller about his new book with co-author Keith Simon, “Joyful Outsiders.” He says there are six different ways we can respond to the loss of Christian...
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671: Mailbag! God’s Pronouns, Project 2025, & Asking Jesus Into Your Heart
The Holy Post
Phil, Kaitlyn, and Skye respond to questions from the listeners, including whether lay people should go to seminary, how important is attending a church after being hurt by one, and whether Christians should make violent video games. They also venture into theological topics like what pronouns are appropriate for God, what doctrines do we emphasize too much, and why they all think telling kids to “ask Jesus into your heart” is a bad idea. The crew also revisits the topic of Project 2025 and whether they regret their dismissive opinions about it from before the election. Also this...
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670: The Nicene Creed is Cool Again & Reading the Bible like Dallas Willard with Dave Ripper
The Holy Post
Why are more churches rediscovering and reciting the Nicene Creed? And what can the ancient articulation of Christian belief offer the church in these divided times? Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn discuss the 1700th anniversary of the creed and its place in the modern church. The Bible is critical to our faith, but have we been taught to worship the Bible rather than the God of the Bible? Dave Ripper, the author of “Experiencing Scripture as a Disciple of Jesus,” explains how Dallas Willard engaged the Bible and how it can become a source of transformation, not just information. Also this week:...
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669: From Common Good to Culture War—Lessons from the Q Conference with Katelyn Beaty
The Holy Post
We have a pope and he’s American! Cardinal Robert Prevost from Chicago is now Pope Leo XIV, and his connection to The Holy Post is closer than anyone imagined. Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn discuss reactions to the new Pope and the significance of his name. Katelyn Beaty is back to discuss the evolution of the Q Conference, led by Gabe and Rebekah Lyons. Why has an event that started almost 20 years ago with a positive vision of Christian cultural engagement for the common good now shifted to embrace the culture war? And what does it reveal about larger changes within American evangelicalism? Also...
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668: Pope Donald, Human Flourishing, & the Pastor’s Wife with Beth Allison Barr
The Holy Post
The White House is facing backlash for posting an AI image of Donald Trump as the Pope. Was it a careless joke or a calculated distraction? The most extensive study of its kind finds that the world’s largest Muslim country far outranks the United States in human flourishing, and also explains why secular elites are discovering a new respect for religion. But is there more than a practical purpose behind faith? Historian Beth Allison Barr is back to discuss her latest book, “Becoming the Pastor’s Wife.” She says expectations for ministry spouses aren’t rooted in Scripture but in a...
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667: The Future of Faith in America with John Kasich
The Holy Post
A slate of new articles analyzes Pope Francis through America’s progressive-conservative polarization, but are they confusing political categories with theological ones? Surprising data show that Gen Z is returning to religion, and belief in an afterlife is on the rise, but what's the explanation? Are young people returning to the church to rebel against their secular parents? Former Ohio Governor John Kasich believes America is on the cusp of a spiritual revival, and his new book, “Heaven Help Us,” explores how religious institutions are leading the way. He talks to Skye about how God...
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666: Lessons from the Satanic Panic with Mike Cosper
The Holy Post
Pope Francis died on Monday. Will the Catholic Church continue to move in the direction of inclusion and reform, or will it elect a more traditional leader in reaction to the last papacy? Mike Cosper is back to talk about his new podcast from Christianity Today about the Satanic Panic, “Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.” In the 1980s and 90s, the FBI investigated 11,000 reports of satanic ritual abuse, but did not uncover a single credible story. So, why were parents throughout the country worried that heavy metal music, board games, and the Smurfs would lead their kids into devil-worshipping...
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665: Can Democrats Win Back Religious Voters? with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
The Holy Post
It’s Holy Week, and an article in the New York Times argues that Palm Sunday wasn’t a worship procession; it was a protest march. With that theme in mind, Christians held peaceful rallies over the weekend in Philadelphia and San Diego to protest inhumane immigration enforcement policies, including the order allowing government agents into churches during worship gatherings to arrest people. Skye talks to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) about how her faith informs her politics, what lessons the Democrats have learned from their losses in 2024, and why more religious Americans view her...
info_outlineProtests in Los Angeles against the Trump administration’s immigration policies have turned violent, but will the images of vandalism and attacks on police actually help the President? And Phil asks if there is any way to prevent necessary mass protests from becoming violent. One of the most respected Bible scholars of the last century has passed away. Old Testament professor Walter Bruggemann contrasted the world’s vision of scarcity with God’s kingdom of abundance, but Kaitlyn thinks his understanding of exile is over-applied today. Skye talks with his Holy Post Media colleague, Esau McCaulley, about his vocation as a priest, professor, and podcaster, and his desire to see Christianity applied to both the beauty and brokenness of the culture. Also this week—flying zebras and burning Waymos.
Holy Post Plus:
My Hill to Die On - Bidets:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/my-hill-to-die-130797571
Ad-Free Version of this Episode:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/131158009/
0:00 - Show Starts
4:30 - Theme Song
5:00 - Sponsor - Brooklyn Bedding - Brooklyn Bedding is offering up to 25% off sitewide for our listeners! Go to https://www.brooklynbedding.com/HOLYPOST
6:05 - Sponsor - Sundays Dog Food - Get 40% off your first order of Sundays. Go to https://www.SundaysForDogs.com/HOLYPOST or use code HOLYPOST at checkout.
7:20 - Runaway Ed the Zebra!
14:33 - LA Protests, Self-Driving Cars
20:30 - Is Violent Protest Inevitable?
30:38 - Walter Brueggemann’s Passing
34:22 - Kaitlyn’s Disagreement with Brueggemann
43:11 - Sponsor - Hiya Health - Go to https://www.hiyahealth.com/HOLYPOST to receive 50% off your first order
44:15 - Sponsor - BetterHelp - This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/HOLYPOST and get 10% off your first month
45:25 - Interview
47:32 - Why Esau’s an Anglican Priest
54:30 - Why Esau’s a Podcaster
1:04:20 - How Does Esau’s Brain Work?
1:12:38 - White Evangelicals Centering
1:19:45 - End Credits
Links from News Segment:
Pet Zebra Escaped!
https://apnews.com/article/runaway-pet-zebra-captured-tennessee-54669b2fc2c1dffb87a09f4081d6c135
Other Resources:
Check out The Esau McCaulley Podcast: https://pod.link/1770229436
Read the Introduction to Skye’s new book and sign up to Holy Post Plus to follow along as the book is written: holypost.com/book
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