The Holy Post

French Friday leaves the world of politics and theology behind to join David French and fellow nerd Skye Jethani for a journey through the pop-culture countryside of geekdom in a special episode. They begin with a breakdown of Dune, the film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel. Was it too faithful to the book? The dorky duo then debate why the Disney-era Star Wars sequel trilogy was a failure, but The Mandalorian series works brilliantly. They discuss the best movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and whether the future of the MCU is doomed. Then things heat up when French and Jethani cross streams as French argues that DC’s recent movies—including Justice League—are masterpieces, and Jethani disagrees. Which nerd will triumph? Listen to find out. PATREON BONUS: https://www.patreon.com/posts/58871092 0:00 Intro 1:21 Dune 12:54 Star Wars 28:32 Marvel 43:17 DC

In case you haven’t noticed, the evangelical movement in America is a mess. Some say we should let it all burn down. Others fiercely defend the historic and theological richness of the tradition. Dan Stringer says there’s a third option that is honest about evangelicalism’s failures, while also valuing its strengths. Kaitlyn interviews Stringer about his new book “Struggling with Evangelicalism: Why I Want to Leave and What It Takes to Stay.”  Also this week, former Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn says the U.S. should only allow one religion. Skye explains why the Pilgrims did not come to America for religious freedom, and Christian explores healthy and toxic patriotism. Then, what should we conclude from the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict? Plus, orcas are attacking yachts and Phil celebrates World Toilet Day. Thanks to the Grow Center for sponsoring this episode. More information about The Ray Bakke Certificate of Biblical and Entrepreneurial Thinking is available here: https://www.thegrowcenter.com News Segment 0:00 - Intro 04:07 - World Toilet Day12:28 Animal News: Orcas attacking yachts https://www.yachtingworld.com/cruising/orca-attacks-rudder-losses-and-damage-as-incidents-escalate-133968 18:43 - Michael Flynn says U.S. should mandate one religion https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnists/2021/11/20/michael-flynn-john-hagee-ed-stetzer-one-religion/8649034002/?gnt-cfr=1 42:45 - Kyle Rittenhouse verdict https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/11/kyle-rittenhouse-right-self-defense-role-model/620715/https://robertpjones.substack.com/p/free-as-f-kyle-rittenhouse-whiteness Interview w/ Dan Stringer “Struggling with Evangelicalism: Why I Want to Leave and What It Takes to Stay” - https://amzn.to/3FIPkyc 54:43 - Interview Start & Guest Background 59:55 - Shifting perspective on evangelicalism 01:04:13 - Importance of remembering our history/tradition 01:12:46 - Communal repentance https://urbana.org/message/litany 01:16:46 - Learning from each other 01:22:37 - Is this the moment for renewal? 01:27:06 - What next? Responding after pain The Holy Post is supported by our listeners. We may earn affiliate commissions through links listed here. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Are faith and science irreconcilable belief systems? Not according to Dr. Francis Collins, the Director of the National Institutes of Health and founder of BioLogos. He talks with Phil about his journey from atheism to faith, his role in overseeing the country’s response to Covid-19, and why America’s culture war is literally killing people. Collins also explains why the Covid vaccines are safe and should be embraced by Christians as an answer to prayer. Then, The Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood’s attack on a small Texas church backfires, leading to a conversation about God and gendered language. The editor of World Magazine leaves in protest as yet another evangelical institution takes a sharp turn to the right. Are we witnessing the final fury of a dying religious right? Plus, Phil was unknowingly on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. And, a meaningless archeological discovery in Michigan. News Segment: November livestream details [3:41] http://patreon.com/holypost Archaeological discovery in Michigan [5:21] https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/32486160/the-remarkable-story-man-found-162-bowling-balls-house Phil on the Late Show [12:24] Beth Allison Barr and our language for God [14:04] “The Making of Biblical Womanhood” - https://amzn.to/3oSOVm3 https://www.holypost.com/post/episode-457-paul-power-patriarchy-with-beth-allison-barr https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/how-gods-pronouns-and-the-cbmw-might-save-beth-allison-barrs-church/2021/11/11/07320aae-4337-11ec-9404-50a28a88b9cd_story.html Marvin Olasky and the struggle between evangelicals and fundamentalists [28:52] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/14/business/world-magazine-marvin-olasky-trump.html https://twitter.com/drantbradley/status/1460273263590916099 Interview with Francis Collins: Interview Start [49:28] “Language of God” book [52:20] https://amzn.to/3qGHG2P Response to objections after NIH nomination [55:19] Science and faith conflicts [57:20] COVID-19 responses and vaccines [1:00:05] Legacy as a visible scientist of faith [1:07:23] Culture wars and the pandemic [1:15:21] Other resources mentioned: Biologos: https://biologos.org The Holy Post is supported by our listeners. We may earn affiliate commissions through links listed here. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Why do we expect the Christian life to be easy when the Bible clearly says it will be a struggle? Starting with the wrong expectation, says John Mark Comer, makes us spiritually neurotic and causes more suffering than necessary. He talks with Skye about his new book, “Live No Lies,” why spiritual warfare isn’t what you’ve been taught, why information alone doesn’t change us, and what it means to really be people committed to the truth. Also this week, artificial intelligence is now offering very questionable ethical advice. Phil wonders what it means for self-driving cars. Two seminaries are suing the government over the Covid vaccine mandate, but is it really a question of religious liberty? New data says white evangelicals are those most likely to use violence to defend America, and those most likely to reject America’s founding ideal of pluralism. Does anyone else see a contradiction? Plus, skull-crushing wombat bums. News Segment: Deadly wombat butts [5:14] https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/nov/04/wombats-deadly-bums-how-they-use-their-skull-crushing-rumps-to-fight-play-and-flirt Ethical AI trained on Reddit [13:57] https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7dg8m/ethical-ai-trained-on-reddit-posts-said-genocide-is-okay-if-it-makes-people-happy “Drive Recklessly” short film - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S75Rfva9O8 Two evangelical seminaries sue to block vaccine mandates [27:32] https://religionnews.com/2021/11/05/two-prominent-evangelical-seminaries-sue-to-block-vaccine-mandates-southern-baptist-seminary-asbury/ Study: Most white evangelicals don’t want to live in a religiously diverse country [38:06]https://religionnews.com/2021/11/01/study-most-white-evangelicals-dont-want-to-live-in-a-religiously-diverse-country/ Holy Post Updates [48:40] Interview with John Mark Comer:“Live No Lies: Recognize and Resist the Three Enemies That Sabotage Your Peace”- https://amzn.to/3oh724y PATREON BONUS: https://www.patreon.com/posts/58518164/ Interview Start [51:05] Spiritual warfare and the spirituality of struggle [53:14] Truth and lies; desert fathers and mothers [1:00:09] Information alone vs. embodied spiritual formation [1:05:41] Mental maps and spiritual imagination [1:13:36] Conservative and progressive fundamentalism [1:24:14] Other books mentioned: “Water from a Deep Well” by Gerald L. Sittser - https://amzn.to/3kpBMPJ “The Road Less Traveled” by M. Scott Peck - https://amzn.to/3D5t4h4 “Where the Light Fell” by Philip Yancey - https://amzn.to/3mZAzjS The Holy Post is supported by our listeners. We may earn affiliate commissions through links listed here. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

What is Christianity’s contribution to history and has it been positive or negative? John Dickson says Christians should obey Jesus’ command to remove the plank from our own eye and admit the many ugly truths about church history. Only then will we be able to see clearly the parts of church history that conform to the way of Jesus. Skye talks to Dickson about his new book, “Bullies & Saints: An Honest Look at the Good and Evil of Christian History.” Also this week, a conspiracy filled speech by the actor who played Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ” has gone viral. Why are evangelicals more susceptible than others to such nonsense? And was Bonhoeffer right that stupidity is more dangerous than malice? Plus, why does the Bible forbid witchcraft? (Hint: it has nothing to do with patriarchy.) And, PETA is trying to change our language to protect the feelings of cows and chickens News Segment: Celebrating Halloween? [3:32] PETA urges MLB to change ‘bullpen’ term [8:10 ]https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/white-sox/peta-urges-mlb-change-bullpen-term-over-insensitivity-cows ‘Jewitches’ embracing both Judaism and witchcraft [12:20] https://religionnews.com/2021/10/25/how-some-jewitches-are-embracing-both-judaism-and-witchcraft/ Jim Caviezel quoting Bravehart at a QAnon conference [19:25] https://www.relevantmagazine.com/current/jim-caviezel-quoting-braveheart-at-a-qanon-conference-is-a-metaphor-for-american-christianity-if-there-ever-was-one-1/ https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/09/16/1035851/facebook-troll-farms-report-us-2020-election/ https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/8616320-stupidity-is-a-more-dangerous-enemy-of-the-good-than https://sproutsschools.com/bonhoeffers-theory-of-stupidity/ Interview with John Dickson: Bullies and Saints: An Honest Look at the Good and Evil of Christian History - https://amzn.to/2ZLgOE4 Centre for Public Christianity - https://www.publicchristianity.org Interview Start [48:06] Why church history? [49:31] Tribalism and the plank in our own eye [53:05] How do we explain Christians doing terrible things throughout history? [58:27] How to talk with people about church history [1:13:00] Is Christianity really still needed? [1:18:36] https://undeceptions.com/podcast/christian-revolution/ The Holy Post is supported by our listeners. We may earn affiliate commissions through links listed here. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Recent polling has found that a majority of Trump voters (52%) and a significant number of Biden voters (41%) support breaking up the country. Has our animosity and disgust for each other made reconciliation impossible? Are we heading toward a national divorce? Skye Jethani and David French discuss his recent articles about the rise of malice in our political divisions and within the church. Why have so many evangelicals embraced anger as a virtue, and how has our pragmatic theology contributed to the problem? Then, they debate the role of social media in the breakdown of national unity and the recent leak of the “Facebook Papers.” French is reluctant to blame social media companies for what is ultimately a problem with human hearts, while Skye says the tech giants must take more responsibility for the damage their platforms are inflicting. Malice and anger in political division [00:28] https://frenchpress.thedispatch.com/p/personal-harassment-is-spiraling https://frenchpress.thedispatch.com/p/jd-vance-and-the-great-challenge https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10050039/More-HALF-Trump-voters-want-red-states-secede-union.html Malice and anger in the church [20:34 ]Social media and the “Facebook Papers” [38:11] https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/10/facebook-papers-democracy-election-zuckerberg/620478/ https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-algorithm-change-zuckerberg-11631654215

Conservative evangelicals organized into a political movement in the 1970s in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize abortion. Or did they? Historian Randall Balmer argues this origin story for the Religious Right is a myth. He talks to Skye about the real origins of the movement and how it explains the current state of white evangelicalism. Also this week, we unpack Peter Wehner’s article in The Atlantic about the breaking apart of evangelicalism. Is the church a victim of media manipulation, or is evangelicalism reaping its own rotten fruit? Plus, lawsuits between believers, training Christians for hand-to-hand combat in vehicles, and Phil’s massive magical mushroom. News Segment: Phil’s mushroom [2:47] Christians training in hand-to-hand combat [8:39] https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article255162407.html Mike Stone suing Russell Moore [13:14] https://religionnews.com/2021/10/20/mike-stone-files-lawsuit-sbc-rival-russell-moore-defamation-erlc-trump-abuse/ https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/church-state-and-the-future-of-evangelicalism/ “The Evangelical Church is Breaking Apart” [28:01] https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/10/evangelical-trump-christians-politics/620469/ https://www.holypost.com/post/episode-441-biden-s-inauguration-the-future-of-the-republican-party-with-peter-wehner Interview with Randall Balmer: PATREON BONUS: https://www.patreon.com/posts/57900540 “Bad Faith: Race and the Rise of the Religious Right” - https://amzn.to/3btjt7D Interview Start [52:40] Context for approaching this study [54:23] What is the myth? [59:59] Effects of dispensational premillennialism on social engagement [1:11:37] Emergence of Religious Right in the North/Midwest [1:19:35] Why do these origins matter? [1:25:22] The Holy Post is supported by our listeners. We may earn affiliate commissions through links listed here. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

The prosperity gospel isn’t just about health and wealth. Historian Kate Bowler says pragmatic values, simple solutions, and the endless quest for self-improvement, have infected most of the church in subtle ways. Kaitlyn Schiess talks to Dr. Bowler about her own battle with cancer, and how it’s helped her move beyond cliches like “Everything happens for a reason,” to embrace the larger mystery of faith. Also this week, have elite evangelicals sold out to the mainstream media, or have populist evangelicals sold out to Trump voters? Everyone seems to be talking about the divide within evangelicalism, but is it really something new? The Holy Post crew looks at the arguments and how we could be seeing the latest version of a very old divide. Plus, Phil is fascinated by left-handed ghost squirrels. News Segment: Traveling with moss [1:38] Animal Facts [5:34] The divide within evangelicalism [14:40] https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/church-state-and-the-future-of-evangelicalism/ https://markgalli.substack.com/p/the-galli-report-100821 https://frenchpress.thedispatch.com/p/evangelical-elites-fighting-each https://www.firstthings.com/article/2021/11/the-failure-of-evangelical-elites Interview with Kate Bowler: Interview Start [52:19] “Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved” - https://amzn.to/3FYKLRj “No Cure for Being Human: (And Other Truths I Need to Hear)” - https://amzn.to/3C1jyuS Kate’s Story [55:57] “Blessed - A History of the American Prosperity Gospel” - https://amzn.to/2Z1aBD2“ No Cure for Being Human” Title [1:00:14] http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/14/opinion/sunday/death-the-prosperity-gospel-and-me.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=0 Certainty vs. faith[1:05:31] American pragmatism and “useful pain” [1:07:32] Understanding fear and living after crisis [1:11:24] Response and engagement with these books [1:18:57] https://katebowler.com/podcasts/ The miracle of moments [1:23:35] The Holy Post is supported by our listeners. We may earn affiliate commissions through links listed here. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

This week is a special a double feature! First, Phil talks to Esau McCaulley about his recent NY Times editorial about President Biden’s vengeance against terrorists in Afghanistan. McCaulley asks why so few Christian politicians seem to have Christian instincts, and what role should forgiveness have in American foreign policy. Then, Skye interviews author and podcaster Jamie Ivey about her experience as a white mom raising black kids, how it’s changed her understanding of race, and why she no longer believes love can solve every problem. Also this week—new polling indicates a frightening number of people on both the right and left want to disunite the country. Are we on a path toward civil war, and is social media to blame? News Segment Trump voters are worried about anti-white discrimination and think Christianity is under attack [4:00] https://news.yahoo.com/84-trump-voters-worry-discrimination-143538052.html https://twitter.com/robertpjones/status/1447601670595223557 People on the right and left wanting to disunite the country [15:10] https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10050039/More-HALF-Trump-voters-want-red-states-secede-union.html Interview w/ Esau McCaulley Interview Start: [25:41] “The Dangerous Politics of ‘We Will Not Forgive’” https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/19/opinion/revenge-forgiveness-terrorism-biden.html “Reading While Black” https://amzn.to/3lxPtx5 Interview with Jamie Ivey: The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey: https://www.jamieivey.com/podcast-2/ “God Made You to Be You” https://amzn.to/3BEHmnX Ivey Family Interview with Emmanuel Acho: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONTXrsvenUY Interview Start: [54:14] The decision to adopt [58:48] Jamie’s background [1:00:54] Parenting differently and the church’s response [1:08:54] Connecting kids with black heritage [1:19:50] Frustration and hope with the church [1:28:12] The Holy Post is supported by our listeners. We may earn affiliate commissions through links listed here. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Friend of the show Derwin Gray has a new book! When did he have time to write it? We don’t know! But he also found time to sit down with Skye and talk about it. Derwin says the Lord’s Prayer isn’t just a prayer, but an entire catechism of faith, a lesson in communing with God, and a call for the people of God to engage in issues of justice. He unpacks it all with Skye. And did scientists find the biblical city of Sodom? Have psychologists found the number one predictor of atheism? And a new study finds that young Brits are twice as likely to pray regularly than their elders! What’s up with that?? Mike Erre joins Kaitlyn and Phil to parse the news of the day on this week’s Holy Post! Did scientists find the biblical city of Sodom? [6:47] https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2021/september/sodom-meteor-biblical-archaeology-tall-el-hammam-airburst.html Predicting atheism in adulthood [20:50] https://www.psypost.org/2021/10/new-psychology-research-identifies-a-robust-predictor-of-atheism-in-adulthood-61921 Young people in the UK are twice as likely as older people to pray regularly [35:27] https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-58681075 Other links: Mike Erre’s podcast - https://voxologypodcast.com Interview with Derwin Gray “God, Do You Hear Me?” Lifeway: https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/god-do-you-hear-me-P005822396 Amazon: https://amzn.to/3my2Ooy Interview Start [50:12] Pastoral vision for prayer [54:54] The Lord’s Prayer as a mini catechism [1:00:28] The kingdom & loving our neighbor [1:09:21] Christ as the treasure [1:16:42] The Holy Post is supported by our listeners. We may earn affiliate commissions through links listed here. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.