The Holy Post

It's been 100 years since the Tulsa Massacre—a dark moment in American history most Americans know nothing about. Which makes Phil, Skye, and Christian wonder, what else don't we know? Wheaton College has removed the word "savages" from a plaque honoring martyred missionaries. Was the move a result of political correctness or just common decency? Then, Phil's recent tweet about racism and anti-rac...

Our society is more diverse than ever before yet ninety percent of churches in the U.S. remain mono-cultural. Derwin Gray says this isn't just a problem for the mission of the church, it's also a betrayal of the gospel itself. He talks with Skye about why he planted a multiethnic church, why so many church leaders resist this calling, and how a fundamental misunderstanding of the gospel is to blam...

Hold on to your bonnets, Holy Posters. Phil is joined by Kaitlyn Schiess and, while Skye's away, guest host Mike Erre to talk about the scandals and misogyny plaguing evangelicalism. Phil wonders—are these bugs or features? And is it possible to love evangelicals but hate evangelicalism? Kaitlyn and Mike also explain what keeps them committed to Jesus and his church amid so much mess. Then, Skye t...

It's increasingly difficult to have conversations with other Christians. Our families and congregations can't seem to agree even about basic facts, let alone the news or how we ought to respond to what's happening. So, we avoid talking about anything that might be controversial—which is pretty much everything today. What happened? How did we become so divided? The Holy Post crew talks about CT pre...

Rene Padilla died last week at 88, and you're probably thinking "Who's Rene Padilla?" Phil, Skye, and Christian discuss the huge influence he had on the global church and its mission, and why so many American Christians still feel a divide between saving souls and reforming society. Then, Skye talks to Scot McKnight about his new book, "A Church Called Tov," which he co-wrote with his daughter Lau...

In a recent editorial, David French asked whether the primary threat to the church comes from within or without? Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn discuss the question and whether the church is primarily for or against the world. Plus, why are so many Christian ministries focused on protecting kids? Is it related to our fixation on the danger of hell? Then, Skye talks with A.J. Swoboda about his new book "A...

There's a popular cliche among evangelicals—"The Bible says it. I believe it. That settles it." But is it really that simple? Not according to New Testament scholar, Dr. Timothy Gombis. Because we're not ancient Near Eastern people living in a desert, he says it's not possible to literally apply the Bible. Instead, any faithful Christian needs to learn how to improvise. Dr. Gombis talks with Skye...

Francis Chan says it's time for Christians to take Jesus' command about unity seriously. His new book, "Until Unity," outlines the biblical call to be one, and why we struggle to achieve it. Skye talks with Chan about what Christian unity looks like practically, the role of racism in keeping us apart, how a focus on church growth distracted Chan from seeking unity, and how to know when disunity is...

Our favorite Old Testament scholar is back to talk about the Book of Daniel. Dr. John Walton says the apocalyptic passages of Daniel—which deeply influenced those End Times charts popular among evangelicals—aren't really predictive of the future in the way we think. And the story of Daniel isn't necessarily a manual for how Christians ought to live in a post-Christian society. Prepare to have your...

Have you wondered why so many megachurch leaders have been embroiled in scandals, or why there are so many Christian celebrities today? It's not accidental. It's the predictable outcome of the systems behind much of popular consumer Christianity. In this special episode co-produced with the Love Thy Neighborhood podcast, Jesse Eubanks joins Skye to explore the way business interests and economics...

Is evangelical purity culture to blame for the murder of eight people at spas in Atlanta? Or is anti-Asian racism the cause? What about America's gun culture or mental illness? Phil, Skye, and Christian discuss the many facets of the tragedy and get vulnerable about their own history with evangelicalism's obsession with sex. Then, Skye talks with Richard Stearns, president emeritus of World Vision...

Recently author/professor Karen Swallow Prior was asked what she considered the biggest problem facing the church today, and answered, "an impoverished imagination." So Phil sat down with Karen to talk through what she means by that, and her belief that a lack of imagination-forming reading results in, among other things, our propensity to believe conspiracy theories and our extreme discomfort wit...

What is the greatest threat facing Christianity in the U.S. today? Socialism? Cancel culture? Wokeness? Not according to Dr. Russell Moore. He says it's "means-to-an-end-Christianity" which seeks to use Christ to achieve some other goal. This, he argues, is what's fueling everything from Christian nationalism to the cover up of sexual abuse in churches and ministries. Don't miss his wide-ranging c...

Filling his songs with faith and the theology of respected white leaders like John Piper and Tim Keller, Lecrae became a darling of white evangelicalism.  When he spoke out against racial injustice in 2017, all that began to change. Grammy-winning singer/songwriter, record producer and Christian activist Lecrae sits down with Phil to talk about being called "too Black," Fallkirk Center co-founder...

How do you know if you're a Christian nationalist? Kaitlyn Schiess is back with Phil and Skye to unpack Samuel Perry's top 10 indicators of Christian nationalism and they add a few of their own. They also discuss why there's so much overlap between Christian nationalism and Christian fundamentalism. Plus, Phil explains how the evolution of contemporary Christian music reveals what's happened to th...

Here we go again. The evangelical world is shocked by another leadership scandal. This time it's the report that famed apologist Ravi Zacharias sexually abused women for years before his death in 2020. Kaitlyn Schiess joins Phil and Skye to discuss the story, and why so many ministries fail to investigate their famous leaders or take abuse allegations seriously. Then, Skye talks with Charlie Dates...

Before the 2020 election, many self-identified "prophets" within the charismatic movement decalred God had revealed to them that Donald Trump would win. Millions of followers believed them. How are they now reconciling their divine revelations with reality? The Holy Post crew looks at another failed prophecy in the 1840s that changed American Christianity. Also this week, Phil deputizes Mike Erre...

Evangelicals used to believe the way to transform America was through revivalism. Increasingly, they now believe it's through revolution. Why are so many buying into Christian nationalism? What is it? And what can we do about those caught in this heretical gospel of political domination? Phil, Skye, and Christian discuss the issue. Also this week, Dr. Derwin Gray—former NFL player and lead pastor...

Was Donald Trump good or bad for the Republican Party? The GOP lost the presidency and the Senate, but in 2020 the party gain seats in the House and Trump also got more votes than any Republican candidate ever! Conservative columnist and veteran of three Republican administrations, Peter Wehner, joins Skye to talk about the future of the party after Trump, and why evangelicals are the group most e...

Jemar Tisby (The Color of Compromise) rejoins Phil to discuss his new book, How to Fight Racism. Actual, real steps to be part of the solution, not part of the problem! Plus David French posits that the American church has been infected with something called "Southern shame culture," which sends Phil on a journey into the "Lost Cause" narrative, confederate monuments, revisionist history and the o...

Everyone is trying to make sense of the attack on the Capitol last week by a violent pro-Trump mob displaying Christian symbols—including us! Kaitlyn Schiess joins Phil, Skye, and Christian to talk through the madness. Skye explains why this attack is fundamentally different from political violence in America's past. Phil worries about the loss of objective truth and why responses on Facebook are...

We're starting the new year with a look back. John Fea, history professor from Messiah College, author of "Believe Me: The Evangelical Road to Donald Trump," and the official historian of the Holy Post podcast, says 2020 was a year that "unveiled" the truth about American evangelicalism. He also explores how different court evangelicals have responded to Trump's loss, and what may happen next. Fea...

Recently, Young Earth Creation (YEC) champion Ken Ham took exception to Phil's statement that Ham "rejects mainstream science." In the flurry of social media activity that followed, a number of YEC experts took Phil to task, claiming he was wrong on several facts. Phil dug deeper and realized he WAS in fact wrong on a couple of things, but right on a bunch more. So this week Phil lays out what he...

Trump supporters who believe the election was stolen, including Eric Metaxas and the My Pillow Guy, marched on Washington D.C. to blow their horns and sell their merch. Notable was the absence of many of the President's evangelical allies. Why didn't they show? Influential black pastors are leaving the Southern Baptist Convention over their blanket opposition to Critical Race Theory. Given the SBC...