The Holy Post

Headlines erupted when an evangelical megachurch gave a standing ovation to a pastor who confessed to sexual misconduct with a teenager. Are evangelicals really that out of touch with the #MeToo movement? Guest Katelyn Beaty brings clarity and wisdom to the conversation. Plus, Botox for camels, the spread of Islam, and a brief history of chain migration.

Should cannabis churches that claim marijuana is a sacrament be protected by the law? Why are megachurches so white, almost all led by men, and very unclear about their stance on LGBTs? Phil, Skye, and Christian unpack new research. Plus, Skye discusses what the "wall of separation" between church and state really means.

Christian is back with Phil and Skye to discuss new research that says evangelicals aren't as anti-science as we've been led to believe. Plus, Phil discovers something disturbing about avocados. Skye then interviews journalist Jonathan Merritt about the biggest stories of 2017—including the growing number of evangelical leaders now affirming same-sex marriage and the split between elite and populi...

Too much artistic expression in America lives at the extremes - either completely secular or overwhelmingly, explicitly Christian.  What about stories from the middle? Stories iIlluminated by the Christian narrative without being so, you know, "Christiany?"  Singer/songwriter/author Andrew Peterson and his producing partner Chris Wall join Phil and Skye to talk about Peterson's Wingfeather Saga fa...

What exactly are "vampire churches," and why does Skye believe they're sucking the life out of American Christianity?  How can "effectiveness" and "ambition" be the enemies of ministry?  And why can't Phil stop talking about turtles??  Phil and Skye discuss Skye's new book, Immeasurable.  And turtles.  This week on the podcast! (Due to a technical glitch, there is no video on YouTube this week.  T...

It's a pre-Thanksgiving mailbag podcast, as the gang sits down to answer your questions.  From favorite Thanksgiving foods to thoughts about guns in church and the "Mike Pence Rule."  Plus… is Phil ready to give up on the label "evangelical," or is he still holding onto hope??  Grab a turkey leg and listen in!

Irish composer Keith Getty has been writing modern hymns like "In Christ Alone" for two decades, and now he's written - wait for it - a BOOK!  About singing!  Keith joins Phil and Skye on the podcast to talk worship music, singing together, and how to stay focused on God when everyone around you wants another HIT worship song.  PLUS - Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Louis C.K.  Hollywood has been...

We've all heard the stats about kids leaving the faith when they head for college - but why? And what would have made their faith more "sticky?" Has anyone done any actual research on this? Kara Powell has! Fuller Youth Institute Executive Director Kara Powell joins the gang to discuss her research and her book - Sticky Faith!

10 kids, no TV, no cell phone, no internet.  Life with the Amish?  A zombie apocalypse?  Nope - just another day in the life of Read Schuchardt, a professor of media ecology who definitely practices what he preaches!  Plus, Phil and Skye discuss a new "giant sucking sound" in American demographics and Phil, yet again, attempts to convince us we really, REALLY don't want to live on Mars.  This week...

So… Phil and a Croatian Protestant theologian walk into a bar….  Oh, you've heard that one?  Author/theologian/Yale professor Miroslav Volf sits down with Phil to talk about Christians in culture and his new book Public Faith in Action: How to Engage with Commitment, Conviction, and Courage.  What follows is a fascinating conversation about Volf's arguments for religion in a globalized world, plus...

Phil and Skye sit down with N.T. Wright for a fun and fascinating conversation with the world-renowned author and theologian.  What does Wright think of the North American church?  Why do modern gender issues remind him of ancient Gnosticism?  Why is Phil singing show tunes to a famous theologian?  What would Wright put on a billboard if he could require everyone to read one message?  What is it h...

Phil interviews film producer Todd Komarnicki of acclaimed Elf fame about his experience as a Christian in Hollywood. This week on the podcast!

Liz Dong is two things that usually don't go together - an undocumented immigrant AND an evangelical Christian.  She's also a immigrant advocate with World Relief, as well as a member of the Evangelical Immigration Table.  Having read a piece she wrote for Time Magazine, we invited Liz to stop by the studio and talk about her life story and the issues involving DACA, immigration and the church.  P...

It's a potluck podcast!  Christians predict the world will end… last Saturday?  Plus, the story of two committed Christians in the NFL, both philanthropically active, both known for taking a knee on the field.  Yet one is a hero and the other a villain.  We're talking about Tim Tebow and Colin Kaepernick, and it's a fascinating study of what the American Church values today.  Oh yeah… and the Swis...

Do we spend too much time trying to know about God, and too little time actually getting to know God?  Author, pastor and spiritual director Jared Patrick Boyd joins the show to talk about experiencing God through the practice of "Imaginative Prayer."  Plus, Christian is back from France and Phil's got a bone to pick with an Emmy award-winning show.  This week on the podcast!

Do Muslims and Christians worship the same God?  What are our differences?  What do we have in common?  Author Carl Medearis has been working and living among Muslims in some of the most dangerous places on earth for the last 25 years, and joins the podcast to tell us what he's learned.  Plus… white Christians are now a minority in America, and Phil and Skye discuss "The Nashville Statement."  Thi...

Raising healthy, happy, godly kids isn't easy.  This week we asked you for your parenting questions, and invited family ministry expert Elizabeth Smith to join Phil to come up with answers!

Slavery ended in America with the stroke of a pen in 1865, but the 13th Amendment didn't end institutional racism.  Not even close.  Phil and his law professor brother Rob recently taught a class that touched on the Black Lives Matter movement, asking and attempting to answer the question, "Why so angry?  Isn't racism over?"  Sure, the 19th century was tough. But what's happened since then?  Phil...

Are movies a form of prayer?  Josh Larsen, film critic and host of NPR's Filmspotting radio show and podcast, joins the gang to talk movies and his new book, Movies Are Prayers, where he looks at movies and finds in them classic forms of Christian prayer.  Also - thoughts about Charlottesville, race, and in the words of one social critic, "What's wrong with white Christians?"  This week on the pod...

Do you know how to see?  Really?  And how does "seeing" affect our faith?  Best-selling author James Gilmore (The Experience Economy) swings by to talk about his new book,  Look: A Practical Guide to Improving Your Observational Skills .  Plus, the wedding of the future probably won't be in a church, and may involve more than two people.  And science disproves the Bible yet again!  Or not.  This w...

What do you mean my church can't raise my kids for me??  Family ministry expert Rob Rienow joins Phil and Skye to talk about the importance of discipling kids at home, and gives practical advice for doing just that.  Plus, what do Richard Dawkins and The Bible Answer Man have in common?  They've been DE-PLATFORMED!  And a new theory suggests our increasing political extremism may be caused - at le...

Enjoy this throwback episode of the crew spending the afternoon with the NY Times bestselling author Eric Metaxas, author of Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet Spy.

Is technology making it harder for kids to grow into healthy adults?  Is there anything we can do about it?  Author, thinker Andy Crouch stops by to talk about his new book, The Tech-Wise Family, detailing the impact technology is having on American families and what we as parents can do about it.  PLUS - Social media messes up Eugene Peterson's week, and, it's finally happened!  Video games are m...

It's a potluck podcast!  A new religion is born in Louisville!  Grizzly bears may be saved by… religious liberty laws??  Hobby Lobby makes an Indiana Jones-style mess, and, in a world where robots and automation are reducing the economic value and employability of millions of regular people, how should the church respond??

The Luis Palau Association has shared the good news with a billion people around the world, mostly through Billy Graham-style crusades.  Starting in 2008, association president Kevin Palau set out to reimagine the traditional crusade for a new generation, dubbing it "Festival 2.0," and focusing on innovative citywide service initiatives that bring churches together with municipal governments to so...