The Holy Post

In a new article in The Atlantic, David Brooks asks how America became so mean. He says moral formation used to be a key part of social, religious, and educational structures in the country, but after World War II communal virtues were abandoned for an individualistic and therapeutic model. Simply put, we stopped teaching people how to be good. But what's missing from Brooks' solution? A popular p...

A new survey of worship leaders finds that four megachurches have cornered the worship music market. Should we care who is writing the songs we sing in church, and what gets lost when market forces influence local ministries? A sermon clip has gone viral showing a megachurch pastor scolding people who arrive late or leave early because they are treating the "church like it's a religious show inste...

A new chatbot based on OpenAI claims to have a "biblical worldview" and invites users to ask questions directly to the Apostle Paul. Is this a helpful tool, or another step closer to replacing Christian community with artificial intelligence? Then, a new article in The Atlantic says 40 million Americans have stopped attending church because our culture is addicted to work and no longer values comm...

The presidential campaign of Ron Desantis recently fired a young communications staffer who created and posted a video celebrating fascism. It turns out the man has a history of engagement with racist, misogynist leaders of the Alt-Right movement. David French explains why so many conservative young men are being drawn to the Alt-Right, and how they are now occupying more influential roles within...

Hollywood is struggling. Fewer people are going to theaters, but this week saw the opening of two huge movies including Barbie. Can the movie revive Hollywood, or will its social commentary drive more Americans away? Florida's anti-woke policy is now revising how its public schools teach history by saying enslaved people benefited from the skills they learned. What's really behind the move to down...

The feminist movement has made significant advances in the last 50 years, but data indicates men are falling behind. Fewer men then women are graduating from college, deaths of despair are highest among men, and the phrase "toxic masculinity" is ubiquitous in the culture. Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn discuss Christine Emba's new article seeking a positive vision for masculinity and why it's elusive to...

The Supreme Court has released two highly anticipated and controversial rulings about race, sexual identity, and discrimination. First, colleges and universities may no longer give preferential status to applicants based on their race. Is the end of affirmative action really the catastrophe some are claiming? And a web designer will not be required by law to create websites for same-sex weddings....

Throughout the Bible, God's people are commanded to show hospitality to strangers. But Christian Nationalists unhappy about the number of immigrants in the U.S. are redefining biblical hospitality and twisting the words of Jesus to justify the deportation of millions. What does their inversion of biblical teachings reveal about the Christian Nationalist agenda? Then, pastor, political science prof...

An Air Force veteran recently came forward with whistleblower allegations that the U.S. government has possession of extra-terrestrial vehicles, more reports of UAPs (unidentified arial phenomena) have been declassified, and senators, former CIA directors, and even former President Obama are speaking publicly about UFOs. Self-identified "nerds" David French and Skye Jethani debate the evidence tha...

- It's been one year since the Dobbs decision by the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade. What have we learned, who has benefitted politically, and has it really reduced the abortion rate? Do television shows that focus on individual heroes and violent solutions to problems cultivate authoritarian beliefs? A new study finds a link between how much TV a person watches and how they vote. A spokesper...

Christians in Germany are using ChatGPT to create liturgies and even preach sermons. Is the rise of AI different from previous technologies, and how should the church respond? Meanwhile, the South Baptists voted overwhelmingly to prohibit women from being pastors and banned any churches that disagree. How did an issue that even John Piper argued was not essential in 1991 become grounds for excommu...

Two events have our attention. First, a new documentary about reality TV's Dugger family is exposing the ugly side of the Christian fundamentalism, patriarchy, and legalism taught by Bill Gothard's ministry. And, Christian broadcaster and pillar of the Religious Right, Pat Robertson, died this week at 93. Was there a link between the popularity of Gothard and Robertson for a whole generation of Am...

Bud Light, Target, Kohls, Chick-Fil-A—the list of companies and brands being boycotted by Christians keeps getting longer. Now there are even calls to boycott the hit streaming series about Jesus, "The Chosen." When are boycotts justified, when are they just performative, and is there any escape from the purity death spiral they create? Then, Skye talks to Pastor Brenda Quinn and author Richard Fo...

Phil's file of Christian Nationalism stories has gotten full, so we're covering a number of them this week. We explore the beliefs of early Christian Nationalists from the 1920s, how modern Christian Nationalism can't shake its racist roots, and why it's gaining popularity with some followers of Reformed theology. Skye explains what Christian Nationalism shares in common with the Prosperity Gospel...

David French has just returned from Ukraine where he saw the devastating impact of the Russian invasion. He talks to Skye about the resilience of the Ukrainian people, the need for more American support, and how a Trump victory in 2024 is part of Putin's war plan. Then, the Supreme Court appears likely to rule against colleges and universities that consider race in the admission process. What are...

 Influential pastor, author, and apologist, Tim Keller, passed away last week. We reflect on Keller's ministry and wonder who is filling the shoes of the Christian giants we've lost. A new book about poverty says that the U.S. spends more on welfare than any other country except France, but the majority goes to help the wealthy and middle-class rather than the poor. Why aren't we doing more to end...

Ethicist, David Gushee, says we are seeing the emergence of a new kind of loveless Christianity. But those who practice it say their anger, culture warring, and pursuit of power are actually how they're loving their neighbors. Then, Skye talks to actor Rainn Wilson, best known as Dwight Schrute from "The Office," about religious pluralism, spiritual narcissism, why Hollywood misrepresents Christia...

How did a theological system that rejected Christian participation in politics eventually give birth to the Religious Right? Phil talks to historian Daniel Hummel about the spread of rapture theology in the 20th century, why it spawned so many conspiracies, the legacy of the Left Behind books, and why rapture theology remains so popular despite being rejected by nearly every evangelical seminary....

Many Christians in America simply assume that Jesus could return at any moment, that believers will be raptured in the twinkling of an eye, that the state of Israel has a special role in the End Times, and that the church should just save souls and stay out of politics. In Part 1 of an interview about this new book, historian Daniel G. Hummel explains to Phil how this rapture theology isn't rooted...

From Harvard Law School to The New York Times, David French has repeatedly found himself in communities where secular progressivism is the majority view, and where his Christian beliefs face suspicion, ridicule, or even hostility. Skye Jethani asks French how he's learned to not just survive in these post-Christian enclaves, but actually thrive. What mistakes did he make? How did he successfully b...

After admitting it broadcast election lies and conspiracies, and paying $787 million in damages, Fox News has fired its most popular host. Does this signal a change at the cable news network? An online chatbot says Christianity gives it hope. Are we witnessing the first A.I. convert? Then, more innocent people are being shot by fearful gun owners who "feel threatened." Is this the inevitable outco...

From the Jesus Movement in the 1970s, through the Religious Right in the 1980s, the rise of New Calvinism in the 1990s, and the MAGA movement today, as a Christian kid in the suburbs and then a political journalist in Washington, Jon Ward has had a front seat to the most significant characters and events in American evangelicalism. He talks with Skye about his new autobiography, "Testimony," and w...

Protests have continued after last month's school shooting in Nashville, including in the Tennessee state legislature where the majority Republicans expelled two Democrats after their protests broke the rules of decorum. What was really accomplished by this extreme response, and what's really behind the rise of retaliation politics? Then, Skye talks to Alan Noble about his new book, "On Getting Ou...

Description: Immediately after last week's school shooting in Nashville, opportunists used it to advance their favorite culture war narratives. Why does this happen after every tragedy, and why are we more likely to empathize with victims we identify closely with? Then, what impact will Donald Trump's indictment have on the 2024 presidential race? Are his evangelical supporters finally ready to mo...

It's becoming increasingly clear that parental rights is poised to be a significant issue in the 2024 election, particularly as it relates to transgenderism and gender-affirming healthcare. Skye Jethani talks to David French about his recent editorial that provoked a backlash from both ends of the political spectrum. French explains why recent efforts in California and Texas, which take opposite p...