The Holy Post

Since the 2016 election the statistic that a record-breaking 81% of white evangelicals voted for Trump has been widely cited. But is it correct? Katelyn Beaty is back to unpack new research done by Lifeway and the Billy Graham Center on the issue, but does it really “debunk” the 81% stat? And why did so many white evangelicals pick Trump? Hint—it wasn’t because of abortion. Plus, Phil and Skye discuss why some Christian prayers are really incantations, and the risk of death by selfie.

Much of the Evangelical Industrial Complex has been created to make Christianity relevant, acceptable, and attractive to our consumer culture. Author and missional expert, Michael Frost, says this is a mistake. Instead, we should be emphasizing our faith’s weirdness and call more Christians to be eccentric—literally “off center.” Also this week: Phil and Skye take on “The Good Place,” a TV show about heaven without God or religion, the UK’s Supreme Court rules in favor of a Christian baker, and (fake) butt news from a Hawaiian seal hospital. 

The gang’s all here for a potluck episode. Drug News: A restaurant in Maine has mercy on lobsters by getting them high on marijuana before boiling them alive, and Coca-Cola plans to sell marijuana infused drinks. #MeToo News: Beth Moore confronts the misogyny within evangelicalism and pays the price. Political News: Liberty University produces a film about a “prophet” claiming Trump will launch Nuremberg-style trials in the U.S. against liberal Satanists, and research shows evangelicals who attend church regularly are more politically moderate. Plus, Phil, Skye, and Christian answer your mailbag questions.

Human dignity is one of Christianity’s greatest gifts to the world, says author Daniel Darling. His new book pushes Christians to think beyond the “us vs them” tribalism of our culture, and calls us back to a prophetic posture of defending what’s right even when it means supporting the other political party. He talks with Skye about why churches have abandoned discipleship to the news media, and how short-term wins for Christians in Washington may lead to long-term losses. Also this week, there may be new evidence for the exodus, and why are millennial marriages so much stronger than those of older generations? Plus, Phil wants to create a “kindhearted terrorist organization” to stop Japanese blood babies, and is Christian becoming a Nazi sympathizer?

Americans love freedom. We sing about it, demand it, and fight for it. But what exactly is it? Os Guinness says we’ve become confused about what freedom really means and argues our un-American and unbiblical vision of freedom may be our undoing. Phil and Skye discuss what it means for America to be a “potluck nation,” and what happens if someone brings poisoned chicken salad. Plus, how have corporations redefined Americans’ understanding of happiness? Get your star-spangled snorkel, it’s a deep dive into America’s values. 

Why did a pastor in Alabama cut up his Nikes during a worship service? Drew Dyck is back with Skye to talk about the controversy over Nike’s Colin Kaepernick ad, and why Americans now look to corporations rather than churches for moral guidance. Phil explores the resurgence of Black cinema, kindergarten pole dancers in China, and why sperm counts have plunged 60 percent. Plus, Phil and Skye plot a publicity stunt to become married Catholic priests.

What is the relationship between the gospel and social justice? Some Christians are stirring controversy with a new statement arguing curing social ills is a distraction from the church’s core mission to save souls. Dr. Russell Moore is back to discuss why this topic is rooted in America’s history of racism, and why those on the extreme right and the extreme left both get it wrong. Plus, millennial evangelicals are rejecting the Christian nationalism of their parents. And why are churches in Montreal in love with cheeses but not Jesus?

Many Christians have elevated knowledge as the key to personal transformation which is why we’ve made sermons the center of many church gatherings. Aaron Niequist is back to challenge that assumption in favor of a practice-based faith. As a worship leader and liturgist, Niequist has discovered that transformation takes more than knowledge, and worship is more than celebration. Plus, Mike Pence offers NASA a space sermon, Phil found an atheist professor who says religion is good, and Christian slept in a Nazi bunker.

Our culture is rapidly losing it’s spiritual vocabulary. Words like grace, virtue, sin, and righteousness have fallen out of use. Why does it matter? Because language shapes the way our brains work and how we see the world. Author and journalist Jonathan Merritt is back to discuss his new book about learning to use God language again. Plus, why are people getting plastic surgery to resemble Snapchat filters, and Phil is worried the world is running out of Japanese people.

Did God predestine every individual for eternal paradise or punishment before time began? It’s one of the most confusing doctrines of Christianity, but pastor, podcaster, and proud Buckeye Mike Erre is here to help us make sense of predestination. The problem, he says, isn’t the doctrine itself or the Bible, but our modern, individualistic way of reading it. Plus, a shark named Helen was stolen in Texas, manna is from Iran not heaven, and a survey by Captain Obvious finds non-religious people don’t talk about religion.