Conversations That Matter

In this News Roundup, Jon Harris covers the latest developments in American politics, the Christian church, and the broader cultural landscape. From the controversy surrounding YouTube’s copyright complaint against *All Are Not Welcome* to the biblical case for capital punishment, this episode examines the ideas and institutions shaping America’s future. Jon discusses the United Nations’ pandemic...

Why is Northern Ireland still comparatively Christian while the Republic of Ireland has seen such a dramatic collapse in Christian practice and cultural influence? I talk with Pastor @j_bambrick about conversion, discipleship, Christian institutions, free speech, Enoch Burke, and what Christians in America can learn from Ireland. 00:00 — Why Talk About Christianity Outside America? 01:28 — Meet Pa...

What did the Mexican-American War have to do with the Civil War, Manifest Destiny, Texas, California, and the modern American Southwest? Jon Harris sits down with Thomas Wayne Riley of the American Southwest Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about the Mexican-American War and the history that shaped the American Southwest. The discussion begins with the enormous territorial consequences of t...

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What happened to the Episcopal Church and America's Protestant establishment? In this conversation, we trace the transformation of the Episcopal Church and other mainline Protestant institutions, from their historic place in American religious life to the rise of theological liberalism, institutional gatekeeping, managerialism, and progressive politics. Our guest shares his own journey into An...

This week on the Conversations That Matter podcast, Jon Harris covers a wide-ranging news roundup touching on the Southern Baptist Convention, Christian persecution, the Catholic Church, the Christian Nationalism debate, Steve Lawson, and what Jon calls the “true culture of death.” Jon begins with a personal update following a house fire in his wife’s family, along with reflections on the recent R...

What actually makes someone a strong Christian? A viral post claimed that the strongest Christians watch Disney movies, avoid politics, wear bikinis, drink alcohol, shop at Target, and celebrate Halloween. The argument was that Christians who impose restrictions on these things are essentially modern Pharisees. There is an important truth here: Christians should not invent laws and impose them on...

The Democratic Party appears to be changing its tune on transgender athletes competing in women’s sports. Politicians including Gavin Newsom, Pete Buttigieg, and James Talarico have recently used the language of fairness and safety when discussing women’s sports. That represents a significant change from the rhetoric surrounding transgender rights and school sports during the Obama and Biden years...

Jon Harris sits down with William Wolfe of the Center for Baptist Leadership to discuss what has happened since Willie Rice became president of the SBC and what comes next. The conversation covers the Truth and Unity Amendment, the effort to prevent women from serving as pastors in the SBC, appointments to committees and trustee boards, financial transparency, restoring trust in the Cooperative Pr...

Dr. D. Millard Haskell joins Conversations That Matter to explain what happened to Christianity's influence in Canada and why Americans should pay attention. Haskell, a sociologist and author of Christ or Collapse: The Case Against Godless Government, argues that the evidence points toward the social benefits of traditional Christianity. His research led him from liberal Christianity toward a...

The 2026 midterms are approaching, and there is growing pressure on conservatives to sit out elections, reject Republican candidates, or pursue some kind of political accelerationism because Republicans have not accomplished everything conservatives hoped they would. In this episode of Conversations That Matter, I make the case for why Christian conservatives should generally vote Republican in th...

In this episode of Conversations That Matter, I examine the Presbyterian Church in America, Covenant College, and the broader question of whether Christian institutions are actually moving away from the ideas associated with the social justice movement or simply giving them new names. I begin with several pieces of evangelical news, including the latest Southern Baptist compensation data for pasto...

In this news roundup, I look at the controversy surrounding H-1B visas, the viral University of Texas football footage, and the argument over immigration, assimilation, race, culture, and the future of American identity. I also revisit the Lindsay Clancy jury and what the case reveals about the way people increasingly interpret moral questions through racial categories. Then we get to Tucker Carls...

Twenty-five years after September 11, 2001, what has happened to the country that came together in the aftermath of the attacks? In this episode of Conversations That Matter, Jon Harris reflects on his memories of 9/11 as a twelve-year-old living north of New York City, the fear and patriotism that followed, and the way the attacks transformed American politics and culture. He discusses the wars i...

Are white people really dying out? Is the West facing demographic collapse? And why are birth rates falling throughout the developed world? In this episode of Conversations That Matter, Jon Harris is joined by statistician William M. Briggs to examine the numbers behind population decline, fertility rates, demographic change, and the future of Western civilization. William Briggs discusses his exp...

In this episode of Conversations That Matter, Jon Harris tackles a wide-ranging news roundup touching on Christian persecution, the future of the American right, immigration, Islam, JD Vance, and the growing tensions within conservative politics. Jon begins with the 2026 Open Doors World Watch List and the persecution of Christians around the world, with particular attention to Nigeria and the que...

What is happening to American women? In this episode of Conversations That Matter, Jon Harris sits down with Bethany Miller to discuss the Lindsay Clancy case, toxic empathy, social media, the radicalization of Gen Z, and the growing divide between young men and women. The conversation begins with the surprising public response to the Lindsay Clancy trial and asks a larger question: Why are so man...

Scott Greer joins Conversations That Matter to explain the rise of the online right and how it transformed American conservatism. Drawing from his new book White Pill: The Online Right and the Making of Trump's America, Greer walks through the history of the alt-right, the rise of Donald Trump, the influence of Tucker Carlson and Charlie Kirk, the political upheavals of 2020, and the growing i...

The Curse of Ham is a theological idea that has been used throughout history in attempts to explain slavery, racial distinctions, and even racial hierarchy. But what does the biblical text actually say? In this episode of Conversations That Matter, Jon Harris examines Genesis 9 and the historical interpretations surrounding Ham and Canaan. Was Ham actually cursed? What was Ham's sin? Does the...

What is happening in the Christian world right now? In this news roundup, Jon Harris covers a wide range of stories affecting Christians, including the collapse of the G3 Church Network, Phil Johnson's recent comments on Christian nationalism, a controversial surrogacy battle, Skillet's decision to drop its opening act, the Protestant Accountability website, and the death of Dolly Parton....

A controversial family photo went viral on X, and the reaction exposed something deeper than an argument over adoption. Why were some people who consider themselves conservative accusing a Christian family of betraying their own race because they adopted two children? Why did people read sinister motives into an ordinary family photograph? And what does this reveal about the direction of the onlin...

This episode examines the controversy surrounding G3 Ministries, the allegations involving Pastor Tom Buck, the resignation of Ethan Jago, and the broader decline of a once influential institution within Reformed evangelicalism. The episode begins with audio from Pastor Matt Sykes of Praise Mill Baptist Church, the flagship church associated with G3 Ministries, discussing an impending article from...

In this News Roundup, Jon Harris examines the Florida gubernatorial Republican primary and what the results reveal about the growing disconnect between online political influence and actual voters. The conversation then moves beyond Florida to the condition of the Bible Belt, the decline of Southern culture, the rise of socialism within the Democratic Party, and the question of whether the Christi...

This week on Conversations That Matter, Jon Harris sits down with Troy Miller, president and CEO of the National Religious Broadcasters, for a wide-ranging conversation about the upcoming midterms and the role of Christian voters. Miller discusses the dynamics shaping the 2026 elections, the growing divisions on both the right and left, the changing priorities of Christian conservatives, and why m...

America is losing its hunters. The number of Americans who hunt has been declining for decades, and that trend raises questions that go far beyond hunting itself. What happens to conservation when fewer people hunt? What happens to our relationship with land, animals, food, and the outdoors? And what does the disappearance of hunting tell us about the broader changes taking place in American cultu...