The Holy Post

Just in time for the holidays, the Holy Post crew is answering another round of voicemails from our Patreon supporters. On this episode, Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn respond to listener questions about how much confidence to put in archeological evidence for the Bible, how did Christians interpret Revelation before the recent invention of "Left Behind" theology, when does satire and social media become...

The U.S. midterm elections were full of surprises. The Holy Post crew asks if the political side of the pro-life movement has hit a wall, and if the Republican Party is really moving on from Donald Trump. Then, new data shows a sharp rise among evangelicals who didn't attend college and who don't attend church identifying as Republicans. What does it mean? And a new book chronicles the rise of Cha...

With the midterm elections happening in the U.S., we've seen a rise in both hyperbolic political rhetoric and political violence. There's evidence that fewer Christians are willing to denounce the use of armed conflict to achieve political goals, with some even arguing America was founded on it. Are they right? Is there a Christian case for political violence? Then, Skye interviews Joe Leininger,...

Elon Musk announced his takeover of Twitter by carrying a porcelain sink into the headquarters. Will his plan to loosen restrictions on social media help or hurt the country? Archeologist have discovered a new way to verify events in the Old Testament, but Phil wonders if anyone really cares. And is it ever loving for Christians to mock their opponents? The gang examines six rules for Christian mo...

With the Dobbs decision earlier this year, the Supreme Court sent the issue of abortion back to the states, and divisions are opening up within the pro-life movement about what comes next. A very vocal faction calling themselves "abortion abolitionists" are arguing for a complete ban on abortion in all cases, including where the life of the mother is at risk, and the criminal prosecution of women...

Research finds many Americans are opposed to the gospel because they view Christians as hypocrites, but a new $100 million ad campaign hopes to reintroduce Jesus to the country. But does Jesus really have a PR problem, or does the church have a discipleship problem? Then, culture war issues are fracturing evangelical colleges into 5 distinct groups. What does it mean for the future of the church?...

Everyone is suddenly talking about Christian nationalism. Some on the political right are embracing the label, while others on the political left are condemning it. Bart Barber, the new president of the Southern Baptist Convention, was interviewed on  60 Minutes  this week to explain why Christian nationalism is fundamentally anti-Baptist. But Al Mohler, another influential SBC leader, is less eag...

Research now shows that people who constantly consume the news are three times more likely to hold incorrect perspectives than those who only consume news occasionally. How did the news business shift from reporting to distorting? Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn discuss a new article that blames comedian Jon Stewart and The Daily Show for unintentionally transforming the media into a "subscription-based n...

Were you an evangelical kid in the 1970s, 80s, or 90s? Then you may be suffering from the lingering affects of "rapture anxiety." Why did rapture theology feature so prominently in the American church, where did it come from, and why does it seem so bizarre to Christians today? Then, Russell Moore has a new article on the heresy of Christian Nationalism accusing it of doing to conservatives what t...

David French is in studio with Skye Jethani and Phil Vischer for a special edition of French Friday. First, they discuss new survey results showing most evangelicals hold shockingly heretical beliefs about the nature of Jesus, but they are absolutely clear about sexual ethics. What does it mean for evangelicalism to make doctrine optional and sexual purity essential? Then, comments from leading co...

A court has ruled that a Christian-owned business is not required to pay for health insurance that includes drugs to prevent HIV. Is the ruling a victory for religious liberty, or a case of Christians unfairly imposing their beliefs on others? In an effort to "bring God back into public schools" Taxes now requires schools to display "In God We Trust" signs. But what happens when the sign is in Ara...

The water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi, was foreseeable and preventable. Did white evangelicalism's anti-government attitude contribute to the catastrophe? Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson has yet another take on the evangelical infatuation with Trump. Do we need any more? And a recent article by theologian Kirsten Sanders says we've entered a new era of evangelicalism where online influ...

The Bible is one of God's most important gifts to his people. Through it we discover who he is and become equipped to follow him in the world. But rather than a source of unity, for many Christians the Bible is a point of conflict and division—especially when we fail to recognize the difference between the Bible and our cultural interpretation of the Bible. My guest today, Lanre Williams-Ayedun, s...

Historically, evangelicals have been the group of Americans most resistant to taking action against climate change. The National Association of Evangelicals hopes to change that. Phil, Christian and Skye discuss the NAE's new report and their attempt to ground environmental care in the biblical call to love your neighbor. Will it work? Then, the Most Interesting Evangelical in the World, Bob Rober...

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...