South Park Jesus: Examining Christianity's Broken Public Image
The Progressive Christians Podcast
Release Date: 08/01/2025
I Was A Christian Nationalist & Didn’t Know It w/ April Ajoy
The Progressive Christians Podcast
Have you ever wondered what motivates someone to become a Christian Nationalist and what it takes to recognize you're not truly practicing the teachings of Jesus and to leave high-control religion? Then this episode is just for you! We were joined by April Ajoy, author of Star Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding a True Faith, for a compelling discussion about her book, her role in the Amazon documentary Shiny, Happy People, and how we can help guide people who are questioning out of Christian Nationalism. Click on the link below to learn more about April's work, her...
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The Progressive Christians Podcast - Trailer
The Progressive Christians Podcast
The Progressive Christians Podcast - New Episodes Available Every Friday - On All Platforms We're the love your neighbor kind of Christians, not the storm the capitol kind. So, if you're curious about what a socially and politically progressive Christianity looks like, this podcast is for you! In each episode, we discuss politics, pop culture, and anything else we find interesting from the perspective of progressive Christianity. The Progressive Christians Podcast is a ministry of The Loft, a worship community of Westwood United Methodist Church.
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Seeing Jesus In A Queer Black Woman
The Progressive Christians Podcast
Cynthia Erivo's portrayal of Jesus in "Jesus Christ Superstar" at the Hollywood Bowl has been widely praised as powerful, transcendent, and unsurprisingly criticized by religious conservatives. How could a woman, and especially a Black queer woman, play the role of Jesus? Julia, Rev. Blair, and Everest were in attendance on opening night. In this episode, we discuss Erivo’s performance, the role of art in unsettling assumptions and critiquing power, and what it means to see the spark of the Divine in all of us. We end the episode by celebrating the one-year anniversary of our podcast. Thank...
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Israel, Gaza, & The Political Theology of Collective Punishment
The Progressive Christians Podcast
Are you struggling to reconcile your faith with the headlines about the human-made famine that is causing the deaths of innocent civilians in Gaza? You're not alone. All people of good conscience should feel unease. When Jesus wept, it was for the suffering of all humanity. What if we applied that same deep empathy to the heartbreaking crisis unfolding right now? In this episode, we are joined by Rev. Dr. Timothy Murphy, the senior pastor at Plymouth Congregational Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to discuss the war in Gaza, his hunger strike to raise awareness about the famine, and what...
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Who Wants To Be A Trad Wife? Deconstructing Gender Roles & Traditional Marriage
The Progressive Christians Podcast
What is biblical or traditional marriage, and how have Christian understandings of marriage been shaped by economics, politics, and faith? In this week's episode, we explore the rise of the Trad-Wife phenomenon and shed light on the propaganda that pushes this image of family life as normative. We conclude by re-examining our sacred texts to craft a vision of partnership that honors the sacred worth of human beings and the progressive values of relationality and freedom, without abandoning our faith. The Progressive Christians Podcast is a ministry of , a worship community of . If you have an...
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South Park Jesus: Examining Christianity's Broken Public Image
The Progressive Christians Podcast
Has Christianity lost its positive public perception? The season premiere of South Park revealed a lot about our current political and religious climate. Their portrayal of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount exposes the hypocrisy that an increasing number of non-religious people see within our tradition. In this week's episode, we discuss the declining public image of Christianity, the role evangelical, conservative, and mainline churches have played in speeding up that decline, and what Christians can do to start changing that perception one relationship at a time. The Progressive Christians...
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The Epstein Files, Trump, & Why This Matters To Conservative Christians
The Progressive Christians Podcast
What if the person you elected president to save the country from a global cabal of child sex-traffickers actually was a part of the cabal? At first glance, this question sounds strange. However, when you consider that a 2022 poll by PRRI revealed that 1 in 5 people and 1 in 4 Republicans believe the QAnon conspiracy theory that the government, media, and financial sector are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex-trafficking operation, then things begin to make a bit more sense. In this episode, we explore why the Epstein files matter to conservative...
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How Rapture Theology Influenced The Guadalupe River Flood Response
The Progressive Christians Podcast
If you thought the world was ending, how would you spend the last days of your life? While this may be a theoretical question that many of us can use to help discern what we believe are the most essential things in our lives, it is also a very pragmatic question for others. In this episode, we discuss how the eschatological belief in the Rapture has informed our governments' response to the Guadalupe River flood and how they are recruiting people to join ICE. The Progressive Christians Podcast is a ministry of The Loft, a worship community of Westwood United Methodist Church. If you have an...
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Debunking MAGA’s Biblical Argument Against A Government Social Safety Net
The Progressive Christians Podcast
A few weeks ago, at a Bible study on Capitol Hill titled “God’s Design for a Societal Safety Net,” political conservative and Christian pastor Ralph Drollinger argued that the New Testament never discusses governments helping people. He told the Senators that helping the truly needy is for individuals, then families, then the church, but not the government. With this, he morally justified the suffering of millions as a consequence of passing Trump’s new spending bill. In this episode, we discuss how the bill will impact healthcare and immigration, and we explain how the biblical...
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A Spirituality of Staying In A Culture Of Leaving
The Progressive Christians Podcast
Modern society tells us that we should constantly reinvent ourselves to stay interesting and that we should do whatever it takes to get wherever we want to go. In her book, Here: A Spirituality of Staying in a Culture of Leaving, Lydia Sohn argues for the opposite: stay. Stay and cultivate the immense potential and beauty that currently lies dormant within your circumstances. In this episode, we sit down with Lydia and discuss her book, the necessity of speaking to audiences across faith and spiritual traditions, and how sometimes stability requires a particular type of leaving. The...
info_outlineHas Christianity lost its positive public perception? The season premiere of South Park revealed a lot about our current political and religious climate. Their portrayal of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount exposes the hypocrisy that an increasing number of non-religious people see within our tradition. In this week's episode, we discuss the declining public image of Christianity, the role evangelical, conservative, and mainline churches have played in speeding up that decline, and what Christians can do to start changing that perception one relationship at a time.
The Progressive Christians Podcast is a ministry of The Loft, a worship community of Westwood United Methodist Church. If you have an idea for the show or want to connect with us, please email us at [email protected].
Show Notes:
- https://readingreligion.org/9781501122293/the-end-of-white-christian-america/
- https://southpark.cc.com/sites/hetrumpedus/index.html
- https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/religious-landscape-study-religions-role-in-public-life/
Chapters
0:00 - Intro
3:29 - Listener Review, Deconstruction
11:27 - Polling on Public Perception of Christianity
18:48 - South Park's Portrayal of Trump & Jesus
31:50 - Data On Why People Left The Church
35:50 - The Black Church Losing Trust Of The Black Community
39:00 - Progressive Visions For Improving The Image of Christianity
48:00 - Listener Question From Former MAGA Christian on LGBTQ
1:07:47 - Closing