659: The Root of Racism is Greed Not Hate with Malcolm Foley
The Holy Post
After a made-for-T.V. meltdown in the Oval Office between President Trump and President Zelensky of Ukraine, the administration cut all military aid to Ukraine and sided with Russia instead. Will this cause some evangelicals to rethink their support for Trump, and if so where will they go? Two popular Christian books are saying that empathy is manipulative at best, or downright sinful at worst. Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn examine their arguments. Most Christians probably believe that racism is rooted in hate or ignorance, but historian Malcolm Foley says it’s really all about greed. Until...
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French Friday: A Unified Theory of Trump
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In his first month in office, Donald Trump has broken international agreements with allies, ended all foreign aid, voted with America's enemies in the UN, posted a plan to turn Gaza into a Trump casino and resort, purged the Pentagon of military commanders, appointed podcasters and conspiracy theorists to his cabinet, and threatened to invade or annex Canada, Greenland, and Panama. David French and Skye Jethani discuss various theories to explain Trump's approach to governing, and find one model that makes a lot of sense in an article by Jonathan Rouch. Then they contrast it with what...
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658: Justice, Mercy, & Becoming Good News People with Derwin Gray
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Has Wheaton College, the flagship of evangelical higher ed, gone woke? Concerned parents and alumni have published a letter accusing the school of valuing diversity more than discipleship. Others have responded by defending Wheaton against the unfounded claims of the MAGA mob. What does the controversy reveal about the state of evangelicalism in the U.S.? A new piece by friend of the show, Karen Swallow Prior, explores the relationship between justice and mercy. Does emphasizing one value more than the other explain the rift in the American church? Derwin Gray is back to discuss his new book,...
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The SkyePod - SkyeDIVE: Worship & Justice
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Skye explains the strong biblical ties between two seemingly related concepts: worship and justice. Can you even have one without the other? Get the full episode by signing up for Holy Post Plus:
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657: The Government, God, & Grift with Katherine Stewart
The Holy Post
Since WWII, the United States has been actively engaged in foreign aid as part of its strategic foreign policy, and Christians of all theological and political views have broadly supported this effort. In the first month of the Trump administration, however, Christians on the far right have suddenly turned against international aid. What’s behind this change and are there parallels on the religious left? And what does it mean when MAGA Catholics are arguing directly with Pope Francis about immigrants, refugees, and the poor? Author and journalist, Katherine Stewart, has investigated the...
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656: Defunding USAID and Blue Like Jazz’s Gospel of Vibes with Ross Douthat
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The White House is defunding USAID, one of the largest distributors of foreign aid, and blaming it on wasteful spending—like a D.E.I musical in Ireland. But as Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn unpack, the real losers are Christian relief organizations like World Relief and Catholic Charities, which now face devastating budget cuts. Then, it’s been over 20 years since the release of Blue Like Jazz, the bestselling book that made faith feel cool. Did it offer a helpful critique of evangelicalism, or was this the beginning of the rise of vibes-based Christianity? Also, New York Times columnist Ross...
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655: What If Jesus Was Serious About Justice with Skye Jethani
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During a recent Fox News interview, Vice President J.D. Vance cited “an old school and very Christian concept” to justify rejecting refugees and ending international aid. Bishops from his own church disagreed. The Holy Post crew explores the concept Vance was citing, how he misunderstands it, and why his interpretation undermines the entire New Testament. Kaitlyn interviews Skye about his new book, “What If Jesus Was Serious About Justice?” They talk about the link between justice and worship, what it means to have a heart “far from God,” and why the doctrine of penal...
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French Friday: What Happened to Checks & Balances?
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David French brings us his thoughts on why the GOP is no longer the party of the Constitution. Have political party allegiances broken the system? What Constitutional guard rails can operate when people are worried about falling out of the President’s favor? Then, he talks about Carl Schmitt, a German political thinker who may have the key to understanding the difference between the politics we’re used to—and the emerging politics of the New Right. David French’s article on Schmittian politics: 0:00 - Theme Song 0:17 - Show Begins 2:11 - Tiktok—banned or...
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654: Inauguration Consternation & Respecting Refugees with Matthew Soerens
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The first week of the second Trump administration has seen refugees cut off and January 6th criminals cut loose. Franklin Graham declared in his inauguration prayer that God himself had chosen the President. The MAGA faithful applauded this mix of Christian faith and politics, but when Bishop Budde asked the President to “show mercy” to frightened people during her homily at the National Cathedral, she was accused of everything from political activism to witchcraft. Phil has a theory about what these two religious leaders at the inauguration reveal about the state of American Christianity....
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653: Character, Christian Colleges, & Why Trump Won with Robert P. Jones
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According to New York Times columnist, David Brooks, our society has given up on moral formation to focus instead on individual success and happiness. Can we recover a culture of shared virtue? Surprising new data shows that overall college enrollment is down, but Christian colleges and universities are growing. What’s the explanation? Then Robert P. Jones, from PRRI, is back to unpack the numbers from the presidential election. Why did more Latinos support Trump, and are Democrats learning the wrong lessons from their loss? Also this week—animals hold grudges. List of Ways to...
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:
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