The Holy Post

Jesus had to "die for our sins,” right?  But what does that actually mean?  We mess up, God gets mad, so someone needs to pay for our sin or we can't go to heaven when we die?  But what if our ultimate problem isn’t sin, and what if our ultimate goal isn’t heaven??  Egads!! World-renowned theologian N.T. Wright joins Phil and Skye to talk about his new book - The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus’s Crucifixion.  No biggie… just the absolute heart and soul of the Christian faith!!

Christian Taylor joins for a captivating exploration of the religious right's history. They discuss how black and white Christians have shifted political allegiances over the decades. The conversation highlights pivotal moments like the Scopes Monkey Trial and the implications of desegregation, revealing the complex evolution of evangelical identities. Listeners will be intrigued by the contrasting approaches of influential figures, as well as the younger generation's more compassionate and less partisan perspective on politics.

Why are young people leaving the church and what are some churches doing that is helping them stay?  Is it all about “hipping up” our churches with coffee bars and skinny jeans, or is it something deeper?  Fuller Youth Institute director Kara Powell returns to the podcast to discuss her new book, Growing Young, and the surprising answers to one of our thorniest problems.

Is the church in America obsessed with success?  Do we sacrifice genuine growth to avoid failure?  Pastor/author J.R. Briggs joins Phil and Skye to discuss the idolatry of success and his own journey in learning how to “fail well."

Does the way we do church effectively make disciples? New research says “not so much.” So what do we do? Speaker, author,  and theologian Preston Sprinkle is back on the show to talk about new models for church and why we need them. What could church be? What SHOULD church be? This week on the podcast!

A Bible translation is frozen in time. Modern technology unlocks a scroll. Christian media is more popular than you might think. And a new survey shows Christians are bad at guessing which behaviors make our neighbors uncomfortable. This week on the podcast!

Everyone’s favorite band-made-up-of-Christians-that-isn't-a-Christian-band U2 turns the big 4-0; an atheist mentalist successfully replicates “faith healing” in a London stage show; British radio host Justin Brierley returns to the podcast to talk news from across the pond. This week on the podcast!

Phil has a bone to pick! A hot new book encouraging Christians to “chase their dreams” drives Phil crazy and he just can’t stop talking about it. It’s a full-on rant! And all because Benaiah killed a lion (it will make sense after you listen). This week on the podcast!

It’s time to slow things down a bit as we’re joined by Christian writer, speaker and spiritual director Jan Johnson for a discussion of right brain Christianity, meditation and her new book, Meeting God in Scripture - A Hands-on Guide to Lectio Divina.

What events would bring the most people back to church? Which celebrity has Rick Warren’s book helped now? Are American Christians “persecuted” in their own special way? Are astronauts too boring for reality TV? And what failure of the church might be driving people to Donald Trump? Christianity Today editor Katelyn Beaty joins Skye and Phil to run through a grab bag of issues in this particularly nutty installment of the podcast!