558: Saddleback vs the SBC & Misusing the Marriage Metaphor with Beth Felker Jones & Amy Peeler
Release Date: 03/29/2023
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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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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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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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...
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A recent article in The Atlantic argues that we should stop using the label “Christian nationalism” to criticize the religious right because both conservatives and progressives throughout American history have been motivated by Christian faith. Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn discuss what the article gets right and why we need to keep talking about the danger of Christian nationalism. Phil wonders why Catholic leaders are outspoken in their criticism of the Iran war, while fewer evangelical leaders are speaking up. Kaitlyn talks with Amar Peterman about his book, Becoming Neighbors: The Common...
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Do you remember the children’s book, “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”? That title also sums up what most Americans think about Trump’s new war with Iran. Kaitlyn explains why the war is immoral based on Christian theology, Phil channels Ezra Klein to define America’s new “heads on pikes” foreign policy, and Skye says the war fits Donald Trump’s long pattern of laziness and impatience. Then, Preston Sprinkle is back to discuss his latest book, “From Genesis to Junia,” about his journey to determine what the Bible really says about women in...
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The U.S. launched a military strike on Iran and President Trump is framing it in moral terms. Phil, Kaitlyn, and Katelyn Beaty discuss the administration’s shifting justifications for war, and why Christians should be cautious of language that makes it easier to dehumanize enemies. Then, they turn to the mass shooting in Austin and the predictable scramble to turn tragedy into political leverage. Kaitlyn interviews Carrie McKean about why distrust in public health and debates over immigration are often more complicated than our partisan categories allow. Also this week, don’t take selfies...
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Many of our political leaders invoke the Bible, but Rabbi Shai Held says many don’t understand one of its most important commands. Rabbi Held argues that Scripture’s call to love immigrants was a “moral revolution” and says the mistreatment of immigrants is an abomination in God’s eyes. Skye interviews Father James Martin about his new memoir, “Work in Progress,” about his journey from the business world to the priesthood. They also discuss the link between Jesuit spirituality and Protestant theology, and they get nerdy about Jesus and temple theology. Also this week—the rise...
info_outlineDescription: Rick Warren, the founder and former pastor of Saddleback Church, is speaking out after his church was ejected from the Southern Baptist Convention for ordaining women. Phil explains how the SBC went from being accepting of female leaders, to opposing them, to kicking out churches that depart even slightly on the issue. Then, Kaitlyn talks with Dr. Beth Felker Jones and Dr. Amy Peeler about Joshua Butler’s controversial article comparing the gospel to marital sex. They explain what his article gets fundamentally wrong about the New Testament’s marriage metaphor. Plus, a new study finds evangelicals are the least liked religious group in America, except by evangelicals who think they’re great. And someone is anonymously leaving their mark on Broadway.
Patreon Bonus: Bonus Interview with Beth Felker Jones & Amy Peeler
https://www.patreon.com/posts/80671682
Patreon Bonus: Listener Question
https://www.patreon.com/posts/80671892
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0:00 - Intro
2:45 - Theme Song
3:55 - News of the Butt
9:03 - Evangelicals loved by Evangelicals, but not anyone else
14:14 - SBC history around women ordination
26:49 - Denny Burke’s response to Rick Warren
46:14 - Guest Interview - Beth Felker Jones & Amy Peeler
53:47 - Can marriage and sex point us to God?
59:29 - Interpreting the marriage metaphor in Ephesians 5
1::03:11 - Flaws of the giver, receiver framework
1:18:59 - End Credits
Links mentioned in news segment:
Fan poops in aisle near Hillary and Chelsea Clinton at Broadway show
https://pagesix.com/2023/03/20/fan-poops-in-aisle-near-hillary-and-chelsea-clinton-at-show/
Evangelicals Are the Most Beloved US Faith Group Among Evangelicals
The Southern Baptist Convention’s coming ‘Great Ejection’ https://religionnews.com/2023/03/22/the-southern-baptist-conventions-coming-great-ejection/
Rick Warren Has Done the SBC a Great Service
https://www.dennyburk.com/rick-warren-has-done-the-sbc-a-great-service/
Other resources:
The Bible’s Marriage Metaphor Doesn’t Belong In the Bedroom by Amy Peeler
Protestant bodies, Protestant bedrooms, & our furious need for a theology thereof by Beth Felker Jones
https://bethfelkerjones.substack.com/p/protestant-bodies-protestant-bedrooms
Faithful: A Theology of Sex by Beth Felker Jones
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