The Russell Moore Show

What are Christians to do when political or religious differences are harming—or even ending—their relationships? Why are so many modern people so deeply lonely? And what might it look like to live in peaceful community with people we see as enemies?On this episode of The Russell Moore Show, Peter Wehner, senior fellow at The Trinity Forum and a writer for The Atlantic and The New York Times, joins Moore to discuss friendship, loss, and conflict in today’s world. Wehner and Moore share reflections on their friend Michael Gerson, adviser and speechwriter to George W. Bush and then a Washington Post columnist and author, who recently passed away from cancer at the age of 58. Their insights into Gerson’s suffering, dignity, and civic work include godly ways of thinking about loneliness, friendship, and living in light of the gospel.Wehner and Moore also discuss the dangers of cynicism, the role of social media in political debate, and how gratitude and reconciliation can enhance our lives and relationships.Resources mentioned in this episode include: Peter Wehner, “My friend, Mike Gerson” and “The Evangelical Church is Breaking Apart” Yuval Levin, “Remembering My Friend Mike Gerson” David Brooks, The Second Mountain Jonathan Haidt, The Righteous Mind Amanda Ripley, High Conflict Click here for a trial membership at Christianity Today.“The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity TodayExecutive Producers: Erik Petrik, Russell Moore, and Mike CosperHost: Russell MooreProducer: Ashley HalesAssociate Producers: Abby Perry and Azurae PhelpsCT Administration: Christine KolbSocial Media: Kate LuckyDirector of Operations for CT Media: Matt StevensProduction Assistance: coreMEDIAAudio Engineer: Kevin DuthuCoordinator: Beth GrabenkortVideo Producer: John RolandTheme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Does social media make us meaner? How do we stay faithful to Jesus when we’re downright exhausted?Tune in for a discussion between Russell Moore and producer Ashley Hales that covers these questions and more. The topics on this episode of The Russell Moore Show range from the recent mayhem on Twitter to Russell’s favorite Christmas present as a child.The listener questions covered in this episode include: How might Christians think about social media in terms of discipleship in the church and the home? What does Christian perseverance look like during this post-pandemic moment in time? What are the dangers of becoming numb to toxic politics? How can pastors and mature believers engage with “radicalized” young men? Resources mentioned include Radical by David Platt and The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch.Russell Moore is Christianity Today’s editor in chief and the director of the Public Theology Project.Ashley Hales is the producer of The Russell Moore Show, the founder of Willowbrae Institute, and an author. Find out more at aahales.com.Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.com.“The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity TodayExecutive Producers: Erik Petrik, Russell Moore, and Mike CosperHost: Russell MooreProducer: Ashley HalesAssociate Producers: Abby Perry and Azurae PhelpsCT Administration: Christine KolbSocial Media: Kate LuckyDirector of Operations for CT Media: Matt StevensProduction Assistance: coreMEDIAAudio Engineer: Kevin DuthuCoordinator: Beth GrabenkortVideo Producer: John RolandTheme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What does it mean to forgive? Is it just a matter of forgetting and moving on? How do justice, vengeance, and accountability factor into the equation?On this episode of The Russell Moore Show, pastor and author Tim Keller and Russell discuss the "thorny," as Keller refers to it, topic of forgiveness. They talk about the biblical approach to forgiveness and how to understand the subject theologically. And they consider the role of forgiveness in real-life circumstances, ranging from the idea of forgiving oneself to what it means to forgive in situations of abuse.For more on the subject, check out Keller's latest book, Forgive: Why Should I and How Can I?Resources mentioned in this episode include: Timothy Keller, Forgive  Wendell Berry, The Need to Be Whole Miroslav Volf, Exclusion and Embrace David Powlison, Good and Angry Jonathan Rausch, The Constitution of Knowledge Yuval Levin, A Time to Build “The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity Today Chief Creative Officer: Erik Petrik Executive Producer and Host: Russell Moore Producer: Ashley Hales Director of Podcasts: Mike Cosper Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens Production Assistance: CoreMedia Coordinator: Beth Grabenkort Producer and Audio Mixing: Kevin Duthu Associate Producer: Abby Perry Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How should Christians vote when none of the candidates embody a Christian ethic? What is the difference between patriotism and Christian Nationalism? Where is God when we pray on behalf of a loved one's mental health yet they still die by suicide?These are some of the questions that Russell Moore answers on this post-Election Day episode of The Russell Moore Show. Tune in for thoughtful responses to questions such as: What's the process by which Christians should decide how to cast their ballots? What is the definition of Christian Nationalism and what does it look like to respond to it? How do we keep praying when it seems like God didn't hear us crying out over something as heartbreaking as a loved one's mental health and eventual suicide? How can we forgive someone when we don't understand how they could do what they did, or when there is no possibility of earthly reconciliation? On this episode, Russell Moore is joined by new producer Ashley Hales, who holds a PhD in English literature from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. With her husband, she is the co-founder of The Willowbrae Institute, a new think tank researching the intersection of Christianity and the common good in America. She hosts a podcast and is the author most recently of A Spacious Life. Find out more at aahales.com.Future listener question episodes will include topics like marriage, the role of the church in addressing cultural topics, and spiritual abuse.Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.com.“The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity TodayChief Creative Officer: Erik PetrikExecutive Producer and Host: Russell MooreProducer: Ashley HalesDirector of Podcasts: Mike CosperDirector of Operations for CT Media: Matt StevensProduction Assistance: CoreMediaCoordinator: Beth GrabenkortProducer and Audio Mixing: Kevin DuthuAssociate Producer: Abby PerryTheme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“We’re learning what she meant to us by having to cope with her absence.”So says Sam Allberry, British author, speaker, pastor, and apologist as he reflects on the death of Queen Elizabeth II during this week’s episode of The Russell Moore Show. Allberry and Moore talk about the role the queen filled in the British and global imaginations, what it means for the Elizabethan age to end, and the type of leadership the queen embodied.They also discuss the Church of England, trends in American and British Christianity, and interdependence in the global church.“The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity TodayChief Creative Officer: Erik PetrikExecutive Producer and Host: Russell MooreDirector of Podcasts: Mike CosperProduction Assistance: CoreMediaCoordinator: Beth GrabenkortProducer and Audio Mixing: Kevin DuthuAssociate Producer: Abby PerryTheme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When people think of Bill McKibben, they likely think of issues like environmentalism and climate change. As Russell Moore points out in this episode, it may seem like a surprise that McKibben’s latest book is titled The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at His Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened.But, as Moore points out, McKibben has long been pondering the cultural influences that shape suburbia and those who grew up within it. And if there’s ever been a time to talk about the ways that the individualism that’s highly prized in suburbia affects Christians in America, it’s now.Tune into this episode for a discussion between two men who do not always agree yet respect each other’s intellectual positions and work. McKibben and Moore discuss the influence of the past on the present, how comfortability affects Christian formation, and the importance of solidarity. Their discussion touches on history, science, philosophy, theology, and politics—and how the gospel affects it all.“The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity TodayChief Creative Officer: Erik PetrikExecutive Producer and Host: Russell MooreDirector of Podcasts: Mike CosperProduction Assistance: CoreMediaCoordinator: Beth GrabenkortProducer and Audio Mixing: Kevin DuthuAssociate Producer: Abby PerryTheme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How can pro-life Christians engage in meaningful conversations about abortion with their pro-choice friends? Is attending church online equivalent to sitting in the sanctuary on a Sunday morning? And what is Russell Moore’s new book about?Russell Moore responds to all of these questions and more on this episode of The Russell Moore Show. Listen in for nuanced answers to listener inquiries such as: How should pro-life Christians respond when pro-choice friends say the pro-life position is only religious and therefore shouldn’t be imposed on anyone else? What can women who have had abortions, or men who have empowered them, do if they are struggling with an ongoing sense of guilt? How should Christians act when a coworker exhibits narcissistic behaviors? What are the differences between Calvinism and Arminianism, and how important are they? Is it okay for introverts who are drained by the work week to watch church online instead of attending in person? Future listener question episodes will include topics like grandparenting, retirement, and heaven.Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.com.“The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity TodayChief Creative Officer: Erik PetrikExecutive Producer and Host: Russell MooreDirector of Podcasts: Mike CosperProduction Assistance: CoreMediaCoordinator: Beth GrabenkortProducer and Audio Mixing: Kevin DuthuAssociate Producer: Abby PerryTheme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this special episode of The Russell Moore Show, author and professor Stephen Prothero discusses the overturn of Roe v. Wade and what it may mean for the United States.Moore and Prothero talk about potential implications for other legislation like Obergefell. They consider the potential effects of the Roe v. Wade overturn on America’s culture wars. Listeners may appreciate their conversation on talking about abortion with someone who holds a different opinion, and what it may look like to have a reasoned, productive dialogue on the subject.“The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity TodayChief Creative Officer: Erik PetrikExecutive Producer and Host: Russell MooreDirector of Podcasts: Mike CosperProduction Assistance: CoreMediaCoordinator: Beth GrabenkortProducer and Audio Mixing: Kevin DuthuAssociate Producer: Abby PerryTheme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Author and pastor Scott Sauls knows what it’s like to be his own worst critic.“Even if we’re being unfairly critiqued, there’s usually at least a kernel of truth in there somewhere that gets under our skin and bothers us,” Sauls says on this episode of The Russell Moore Show.Those kernels of truth can lead to guilt and shame. And, as Sauls says, “We have done things that render us guilty.” But we also have a victorious Savior who “accomplished a satisfactory victory” for us.Sauls and Moore talk about regrets, grace, seasons of suffering, and clinging to the gospel. They discuss the range of the human experience—everything from freedom and joy to guilt, shame, anxiety, and depression—and the God who draws near to us.Sauls’ new book is called Beautiful People Don't Just Happen: How God Redeems Regret, Hurt, and Fear in the Making of Better Humans.Sauls and Moore reference “The Catastrophe of Success” by Tennessee Williams, Moore’s recent episode with Arthur Brooks, and “Learning in War-time” by C. S. Lewis.Quotations mentioned in this episode include:“People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.” - Allen Raine, though often attributed to Thomas Merton“[Envy] consists in seeing things never in themselves, but only in their relations. … If you desire glory, you may envy Napoleon, but Napoleon envied Caesar, Caesar envied Alexander, and Alexander, I daresay, envied Hercules, who never existed.” – Bertrand Russell“Preach the gospel to yourself.” – concept by Martin Luther, quote by Jerry Bridges“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.” – Roy and Jane Nichols in Death: The Final Stage of Growth, compiled by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross“The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity TodayChief Creative Officer: Erik PetrikExecutive Producer and Host: Russell MooreDirector of Podcasts: Mike CosperProduction Assistance: CoreMediaCoordinator: Beth GrabenkortProducer and Audio Mixing: Kevin DuthuAssociate Producer: Abby PerryTheme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Humans are into rituals. Birth rituals, marriage rituals, naming rituals—each of these and more are integral to the lives of most people. One type of ritual, perhaps, is most common of all: death rituals.On this episode of The Russell Moore Show, author and professor Stephen Prothero joins Moore to discuss a sweeping change in death rituals: cremation's rapid rise in popularity. They talk about the theological and cultural implications of cremation, important questions to consider about how bodies are treated after death, and the role of the resurrection.“The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity Today Chief Creative Officer: Erik Petrik Executive Producer and Host: Russell Moore Director of Podcasts: Mike Cosper Production Assistance: CoreMedia Coordinator: Beth Grabenkort Producer and Audio Mixing: Kevin Duthu Associate Producer: Abby Perry Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices