686: Shootings, Single Fathers, & the Shadow Side of Ambition with Miroslav Volf
Release Date: 09/10/2025
695: Analyzing the Blue Wave & Why the Church Still Matters with Carmen Joy Imes
The Holy Post
The Democratic Party swept the off-cycle elections last week, but this isn’t the first blue wave we’ve seen in the Trump era. Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn discuss what it means and the significance of New York City electing a Muslim, democratic socialist as mayor. Does Mamdani represent the death of New York, and possibly America, as one Baptist leader claims? Old Testament scholar Carmen Imes is back to discuss why she hasn’t given up on the church, and we shouldn’t either. Her new book is “Becoming God’s Family: Why the Church Still Matters.” Also this week—how social media is...
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French Friday: The Nazi Rot on the Right
The Holy Post
Open Nazi rhetoric is gaining traction on the right, and the response from conservative institutions has been inconsistent at best. Skye and David trace the roots of the problem, the incentives that fueled it, and the late-breaking backlash that may signal a tipping point. They also look at ICE’s increasingly aggressive “Kavanaugh stops,” the risks of expanding executive power, and why election integrity could be threatened when extremism and state authority begin to reinforce each other. Want the full episode? Go to The SkyePod feed to hear it now!
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694: Why Don’t We Take Church Unity Seriously? with N.T. Wright
The Holy Post
A new survey finds that moderately religious Americans are the most likely to say that they see dead people. Which raises a question—why are the non-religious and the very religious less likely to report encounters with the departed? New York Times columnist Ezra Klein says that by over-emphasizing inclusivity, the Democratic Party has ironically become less inclusive. And Ryan Burge looks at the numbers behind the party’s growing “God problem.” Will the Democrats ever figure out how to compete against MAGA? New Testament scholar N.T. Wright is back to discuss his latest book, “The...
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693: Holy Post LIVE from Chicago 2025
The Holy Post
This week is Halloween, and on this special episode recorded with a live audience, the Holy Post hosts discuss why our culture isn’t afraid of monsters and demons anymore. How did all of our pop culture heroes and villains become morally ambiguous? Also, would communal living solve our loneliness epidemic? Kaitlyn is all for it, but Skye isn’t so sure. Also this week—audience Q&A, Phil, Skye, Kaitlyn, and Esau play a game of true confessions, and Phil’s favorite news segment comes full circle. Holy Post Plus: Ad-Free Version of this Episode: Bonus Question: 0:00 -...
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692: Vertical vs. Horizontal Morality & Rediscovering Confession with Jamin Goggin
The Holy Post
A recent article tries to explain why so many politically active Christians behave unchristianly in the public square by differentiating “vertical” and “horizontal” sources of morality. The Holy Post crew examines the argument and finds it weak. Has MAGA ignited a revival in the U.S.? David French says we may be confusing a political revolution for a spiritual revival. Jamin Goggin joins Skye to discuss recovering the practice of confession in our churches. Goggin says it should start with pastors. Also this week—man does not live by 1200-year-old bread alone. 0:00 - Show...
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691: The Antichrist, Illiberalism, & Why Gen Z Accepts Political Violence with Elizabeth Neumann
The Holy Post
In a series of invitation-only, off-the-record lectures about Christianity, technology billionaire Peter Thiel said the antichrist is trying to regulate technology and billionaires. Which raises the question—Why do we always remake Christ in our image and the antichrist in our enemies’? Gen Z is making conservative Christianity more angry, intolerant, and illiberal. What’s fueling the younger generation's interest in religious fundamentalism? Counter-terrorism expert Elizabeth Neumann is back to discuss the rising acceptance of political violence among young adults and why she expects...
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690: Flying Bishops, Evangelical Ignorance, & Slow Theology with A.J. Swoboda & Nijay Gupta
The Holy Post
For the first time ever, the U.K. has appointed a woman as the Archbishop of Canterbury to lead the global Anglican Communion. Kaitlyn, Skye, and Mike Erre discuss the implications of appointment and how Anglicans use “flying bishops” to maintain unity over divisive theological issues. Are there lessons here for other divided Christian communities? The latest “State of Theology” report shows a shocking number of evangelicals hold contradictory beliefs. Why are evangelical churches so bad at teaching the Bible and theology? Kaitlyn talks with A.J. Swoboda and Nijay Gupta, co-authors of...
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689: The Rapture, Repentance, & Redefining the Good Life with Grace Hamman
The Holy Post
After a South African pastor claimed that Christ would come for his church on September 23, TikTok became rapture obsessed. Mike Erre joins Skye and Kaitlyn to discuss our ongoing fixation with this bad theology, why people get caught up in rapture predictions, and how it damages the credibility of the faith. Kaitlyn talks to Medieval scholar, Grace Hamman, about her new book, “Asks of Old Paths.” Hamman says Medieval literature is rich in wisdom for modern Christians on how to define a good life, using the language of virtues and vices. Also this week—a secular writer examines the...
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688: The MAGA Contradiction & Educational Injustice with Terence Lester
The Holy Post
The memorial service for Charlie Kirk revealed a deep contradiction with the MAGA movement. Kirk’s widow was cheered when she forgave his assassin and modeled Jesus’ command to love your enemies. But the crowd also cheered when Stephen Miller and President Trump dehumanized their opponents and expressed hatred for their enemies. Esau McCaulley joins Phil and Skye to discuss the tension between Christian love and pagan power. Also this week, Dr. Terence Lester tells his inspiring story in his new book, “From Dropout to Doctorate,” and how he’s working both spiritually and systemically...
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687: Charlie Kirk & the Conflict Entrepreneurs
The Holy Post
Last week, a gunman in Utah killed Charlie Kirk on a college campus. Rather than uniting the country against political violence, Kirk’s assassination has only made divisions wider. Some on the left celebrated his death, saying he reaped what he sowed, while some on the right, including the President, are calling for retribution against all leftists. One of the few voices trying to lower the temperature has been Utah’s Republican governor, Spencer Cox, who lamented the polarizing influence of social media and the “conflict entrepreneurs who benefit from radicalizing us.” Phil offers his...
info_outlineFollowing the school shooting in Minneapolis, The Christian Post has offered a definitive answer for why these massacres keep happening and why gun restrictions won’t work—people are evil. But why don’t politically conservative Christians apply this logic to any other issues? Surprising new data show that more young men than women want to be parents one day, and there’s a growing trend of single men becoming fathers by choice. What does this reveal about our society and the breakdown of dating and marriage? Theologian and best-selling author, Miroslav Volf, discusses his new book, “The Cost of Ambition.” He says our culture of competition is damaging, and too many Christians ignore what the Bible says about the dangers of ambition. Also this week, Phil brings us news from the glowing future.
Holy Post Plus:
Hills to Die On:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/138522925/
Ad-Free Version of this Episode:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/138531923/
0:00 - Show Starts
2:05 - Theme Song
2:30 - Sponsor - Glorify - Sign up for the #1 Christian Daily Devotional App to help you stay focused on God. Go to https://glorify-app.com/en/HOLYPOST to download the app today!
3:35 - 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.
5:12 - News of the Glowing Future
11:58 - Mass Shootings and the Evils of Man
20:28- Is This an Argument for Antinomianism?
33:34 - Single Fathers by Choice?
50:35 - Sponsor - Student Life Application Study Bible - A study guide, using the New Living Translation, made specifically to bring the Bible to life for students! Go to https://www.SLASB.com
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52:52 - 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!
54:00 - Interview
57:06 - America and Competition
1:01:23 - Superiority vs. Excellence
1:13:28 - Nothing Out of Selfish Ambition
1:23:25 - End Credits
Links Mentioned in News Segment:
Glowing succulent plants!
Christian Post’s Take on Minneapolis Shooting:
Single Fathers by Choice:
Other Resources:
The Cost of Ambition: How Striving to Be Better Than Others Makes us Worse (Why Ambition Is at Odds with the Christian Faith) (Theology for the Life of the World) by Miroslav Volf: https://a.co/d/gZnFRX7
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