The Holy Post

Immediately after President Biden announced his college loan forgiveness plan Christians started debating it. Some are arguing that debt forgiveness is deeply biblical, while others say it's completely immoral. Who's right? Or, are both sides missing the point? Then, Phil is still processing the last French Friday episode about why so many politically active evangelicals see policy goals as absolu...

In a recent article, Russell Moore lamented the captivity of evangelicals to conspiracy theories and political radicalization, but he argued "the problem is not in the pulpit" and "the problem isn't primarily in the pews either." Instead, he believes the radicalization is happening outside the church. David French and Skye Jethani agree that radicalization is happing outside the church, but say th...

Evangelicals are no longer the largest religious group in the South. Russell Moore says they've been replaced by a dangerous new kind of southern secularism. These MAGA-vangelicals don't attend church, don't follow the moral teachings of the Bible, and are fixated on politics and conspiracy theories but still call themselves "Christians." What role does the church have in mitigating the danger of...

What does it mean to see others as image-bearers of God? How is this warped by American individualism? And what happens to justice when we abandon God for idols—false images of God? Based on the book Inalienable by Eric Costanzo, Daniel Yang, and Matthew Soerens, in this episode Skye Jethani (co-host of The Holy Post) talks to Sri Lankan Christian leader Vinoth Ramachandra about the intersection o...

For centuries Americans have valued their liberty, but a growing number of conservatives are now saying cherished values like the freedom of speech, religion, and the press have allowed progressive beliefs to destroy the culture. In response, some Republicans and conservative Christian thinkers argue it's time to abandon these failed American ideals and copy the fascist, illiberal strategies of le...

What's the correct definition of "woke"? What do Christians in the global south think about sexuality and gender? Biblically, when does life begin? When was America a Christian nation? In this special episode, Phil and Skye respond to voicemails left by Holy Post listeners. Some are serious and others are silly. Plus, additional thoughts about the conservative movement from Episode 519. And, Phil...

For decades, political strategists spoke about the "God gap" in which white religious believers were more Republican and white non-believers more Democratic. Recent data shows a new God gap emerging within the Democratic Party. David French explains how secular white progressives are now pushing religious Black and Latino voters out of the Democratic coalition. Then, Jethani and French explore how...

Phil has another "crazy theory," and Skye and Kaitlyn aren't sure what to make of it. What if 1964 is one of the hinge points in American history? 1964, as Phil explains, was the year a Catholic housewife from Illinois and a mid-tier movie star from Hollywood attempted to put an Arizonan libertarian in the White House. Their effort failed, but in the process did they actually plant the seeds that...

With Trump out of office and the pandemic restrictions eased, Christian Nationalists are looking for new causes to rally the MAGA faithful. The Holy Post crew looks at the latest stories from these holy trollers including Michael Flynn's incoherent argument that the Bible "wrote" most of the Constitution. A new exposé of MAGA worship leader Sean Feucht by Rolling Stone shows his ministry, which ha...

How big is the scope of the gospel? What does God's kingdom include? And what happens when we discover the American church isn't the center of it? Based on the book Inalienable  by Eric Costanzo, Daniel Yang, and Matthew Soerens, in this episode Skye Jethani (co-host of The Holy Post) talks to theologian and missiologist Dr. Ruth Padilla DeBorst. With extensive experience in the Latin American chu...

A network of global Christian churches have decided to combat climate change by divesting from gas and oil companies. But why aren't any Protestant American churches participating, and do climate activists care that efforts to replace fossil fuels disproportionately harm the poor? And a new article by Beth Allison Barr examines the difference between the political pro-life movement and the biblica...

Although the Religious Right is on a winning streak at the Supreme Court, data shows it's losing in the court of public opinion. Gallop reports more Americans than ever no longer believe in God, and only a minority of Americans share the political and cultural beliefs of conservative evangelicals. The Holy Post crew responds to a Jesuit priest's article wondering if overturning Roe was worth the c...

The Supreme Court has ruled that the state of Maine cannot exclude private schools from its voucher program simply because they are religious. David French explains the ruling and how it fits into decades of pro-religious liberty wins. Skye Jethani asks how the courts define "religion" and why secular philosophy has an unfair advantage in public schools. Then, the January 6th hearings are revealin...

A recent article in the Atlantic reveals how the political polarization in the United States is now tearing evangelical churches apart. And Marvin Olasky, the former editor of World Magazine, writes about the dramatic change he witnessed among evangelicals over his long career. Drawing from thousands of letters he received, Olasky concludes, "The Republican party platform has become more important...

Responses to the mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, have continued, and there's renewed hope for policy changes. This week, Jo Saxton joins Phil and Skye as a guest co-host to discuss a series of articles from African-American and global Christian leaders about the need to rethink both America's gun policies and the American church's gun culture. Then, BibleProject co-founders...

Christians who oppose more restrictive gun control policies say we have a God-given constitutional right to self-defense. But is there any evidence to back this claim? With Christian and Kaitlyn both in Europe, Phil and Skye invite Mike Erre from the Voxology podcast to fill the empty co-host chair. Mike looks at the biblical texts cited by gun advocates and says that even if self-defense can be j...

*Please be aware that this episode deals with sensitive topics, including suicide and child/adolescent mortality.* In the wake of the elementary school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, David French and Skye Jethani spend the whole episode debating what can be done to curb gun deaths in America. While they find some agreement around "Red Flag" laws and making gun owners liable for the misuse of their wea...

The United States has experienced another horrific school shooting, and the country is once again debating guns. Will this time be any different? Phil asks why the U.S. is incapable of passing sensible gun regulations like Australia did 25 years ago, and why do so many evangelicals support America's gun culture and the 2nd Amendment with religious-like devotion? Skye then interviews Andy Crouch ab...

0:00 - Intro 1:57 - Something Old - Josh's:  About a Boy 5:57 - Something Old - Skye's:  Patton 9:09 - Something New:  Operation Mincemeat 10:32 - Josh's Proposal "I propose Operation Mincemeat is a good example of using fiction to tell a true story." 16:11 - Skye's Proposal "This is another one of those movies that proves truth is stranger than fiction and sometimes even more compelling." 23:04 -...

The independent report about the cover-up of sexual abuse within the Southern Baptist Convention has been released, and it's far worse than anyone expected. What does it mean for the SBC and American evangelicalism in general? And Phil asks if there's a difference between engaging in godly cultural transformation and fighting a culture war. Was William Wilberforce a culture warrior? And when are w...

Despite the uproar over the leaked Supreme Court decision overturning Roe, it turns out 80 percent of Americans have a nuanced view of the issue. Phil, Skye, and Christian discuss responses to last week's show and ask why are we nuanced about some moral issues and absolutist about others. Then, conservative Christians are attacking Tim Keller for his winsome, non-partisan approach to Christianity....

The leak of a draft ruling by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v Wade has the entire country talking. Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn discuss the overreactions from both the Left and Right, speculate about what a post-Roe America might look like, examine the complicated history of abortion including why many evangelicals originally supported Roe but then dramatically flipped on the issue, and share their...

In the 1980s, Frank Peretti's best-selling novels about the spiritual war between angels and demons captivated evangelicals, but they also fostered a belief that anything out of step with conservative white Christianity was downright satanic. The podcast crew discuss their own experiences with Peretti's books and how they've shaped today's culture war—including a congresswoman's recent statement t...