The Holy Post

Kansas City Chiefs Kicker, Harrison Butker, recently gave a controversial commencement address at Benedictine College where he drew on some popular conservative talking points about Pride Month, Covid 19 policies, and the calling of women in the home. Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn discuss the problems they had with the speech, as well as their frustrations with some of the criticism of the speech, and h...

A new iPad advertisement showing musical instruments and art supplies being crushed by a hydraulic press has triggered a backlash against Apple and provoked a wider discussion about the impact of technology on communities and creativity. Jonathan Haidt says religious kids have better mental health on average because they're connected to incarnate congregations, and the Catholic Church disciplines...

Phil is back! He gives an update about his family's harrowing medical emergency. Then, new data shows the Democratic Party's grip on Black Christians may be slipping. Esau McCaulley shares his take on the reason. Nancy French talks with Skye about the themes in her new memoir, "Ghosted," including church sexual abuse, political tribalism, trauma, and her miraculous experiences with God. Also this...

Swifties are celebrating the record-breaking release of two new albums, but some conservative Christians are not happy. They're accusing Taylor Swift of mocking Christianity and promoting witchcraft. Our resident Swiftie, Kaitlyn Schiess, explains the controversy. Then, former presidential speechwriter and contributor to The Atlantic, Pete Wehner, talks with Skye about the future of the Republican...

The war in Gaza has carried on for longer than expected, and David French is starting to see parallels between Israel and the US military in the Iraq War—he thinks Israel could learn from what went wrong in Iraq. Then, David and Skye discuss the student protests and how universities are handling them—what's civil disobedience and what's lawlessness when it comes to protest?   0:00 - Theme Song   0...

Previously puritanical evangelicals are increasingly embracing profanity and lewd content. A recent New York Times article explores possible explanations ranging from politics and the culture wars, to the internet and the decline of churches. Also, fewer people are reading books, and that's a challenge for Christian traditions rooted in literacy, education, and the Bible. How do we make disciples...

Atheist Richard Dawkins has said he doesn't believe one word of the Christian faith, but he now considers himself a "cultural Christian" and wants to defend the Christian values of his country against the influence of Islam and immigrants. Does this represent an alignment between the New Atheists and Christian Nationalists? Curtis Chang shares about "The After Party"—the new curriculum he's develo...

This week we're discussing a series of articles exploring what we're gaining and losing as fewer Americans are committed to religion and attending church. Even some non-believers are beginning to worry that the decline in religion may not be good for society, but does it also represent a new opportunity for the message of Christianity? Then, N.T. Wright is back to discuss his new book with co-auth...

The newest Holy Post team member, Esau McCaulley, joins Phil and Skye to discuss two stories that caused outrage from both ends of the political spectrum during Holy Week. Trump is selling an American flag-wrapped Bible, and the Biden administration honored "Transgender Visibility Day" on Easter. And why are Catholic Charities being attacked for helping immigrants? Then Skye talks to atmospheric s...

A recent bill to ban TikTok was passed in the House with bipartisan support. Skye talks with David French about the arguments for and against the bill, the likelihood of it passing the Senate, and why Trump claims China is America's biggest threat, and yet he still opposes the TikTok ban. Then, Skye and David break down two recent Supreme Court cases about social media content regulation. Should s...

Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade almost two years ago, the debate about abortion has taken on new dimensions. Factions within the pro-life camp are now battling each other. Could they break apart the Religious Right? Then, Kaitlyn interviews professor of Law and Religion, John Inazu, about his new book, "Learning to Disagree." He says our differences don't have to become divisions, wh...

After a number of difficult years and dismal statistics, a new report from Barna says pastors are on the mend. Another book about "ex-vangelicals" has been released. Does it have anything new to add to the conversation? And a record number of Latinos in the U.S. are leaving Catholicism to become Pentecostal evangelicals. What does it mean for the future of the church? Then, Holy Post Media's CEO,...

Earlier this year, John MacArthur said that Martin Luther King Jr. was "a nonbeliever who misrepresented everything about Christ and the gospel." Last week, Justin Giboney responded with an article in CT explaining why MacArthur was wrong about MLK. This leads Phil, Kaitlyn, and Skye to ask when is it appropriate to define who is, and who is not, a true Christian, and what criteria should we use?...

CORRECTION - The initial audio file uploaded this morning was missing the last 10 minutes. If your phone automatically downloads the episode, remove the download and then redownload it, and that should take care of the issue. Sorry for the inconvenience! 607: Are you feeling disillusioned about your faith? About your church? You're definitely not alone. Creator of "The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill"...

Last week the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos created for in-vitro fertilization have the legal status of children, essentially ending all IVF treatments in the state. Some are applauding the ruling as both a morally and theologically consistent affirmation of human life. But others, including some Christians, are saying the pro-life movement is taking things too far. Then, how do...

David and Skye discuss the upcoming primary election—if most people agree that Biden is too old to hold office, why hasn't he stepped down? Would a different vice president give voters more confidence? Pastors, doctors, and politicians are routinely threatened with physical violence by MAGA—is this our fault for not standing up publicly against this behavior?   0:00 - Theme Song   0:18 - Episode S...

A new book argues that the rise and decline of the Contemporary Christian Music industry helps explain the political idolatry of many Christians, and Karen Swallow Prior says the biblical manhood industry is a scam. These stories lead Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn to discuss whether American evangelicalism is defined more by consumer markets than by theology. Angie Weszely, the CEO of ProGrace, is back...

The "He Gets Us" campaign ran a Super Bowl ad showing culture war combatants washing each other's feet. It has conservative Christians upset and non-Christians confused. Phil, Kaitlyn, and Skye react to the ad and unpack the many ways we misunderstand the meaning of Jesus washing his disciples' feet. Then, New Testament professor Nijay Gupta is back to discuss his new book "Strange Religion" about...

Well, here we are again. The very same arguments that were rolled out by MAGA Christian leaders to justify supporting Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020 are back again in 2024. A new article in the Christian Post says America's survival depends on Christians voting for Trump. Why do these fear tactics still work? Then, it's true that all politicians lie, but PolitiFacts says Trump is a league of his ow...

A new documentary hits theaters on February 16 about Christian Nationalism called God and Country. It features Phil and Skye, and many other Holy Post contributors. The executive producer of the movie is legendary actor, producer, and director, Rob Reiner, who's created classics like The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, and A Few Good Men. Reiner is a well-known supporter of progressive polit...

Lately, there's been lots of talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)—sometimes as a virtuous initiative and sometimes as a boogeyman. Even Elon Musk weighed in, presenting it as a threat to our safety. Is this just another baseless moral panic? What are the potential pitfalls of DEI? David French joins Skye Jethani to discuss the issue. Plus, David French introduces, "The After Party," a...

Evangelical voters have long supported Republican candidates, but who identifies as an evangelical Christian has changed over the years. A recent article written in The New York Times by Ruth Graham and Charles Homans argues that Trump is attracting a different kind of evangelical - one who loves their country and believes in God, but doesn't actually go to church. Katelyn Beaty joins Phil and Kai...

It's been nearly a decade since Donald Trump descended on his golden escalator and turned conventional wisdom about evangelical political values upside-down. Bonnie Kristian has a new article arguing that the only one's still fighting about whether or not to support him are the "evangelical elites," but for average evangelicals the debate about Trump is over. John Mark Comer is back to discuss his...

As Christianity declines in cultural influence what is taking its place? A recent article in The Atlantic written by Rabbi David Wolpe argues that paganism is on the rise, but it takes different forms on the cultural left and right. Mike Erre joins Phil and Skye to discuss the trend and why it may actually be good news for the church. Then, professor Scot McKnight returns to talk about his new tra...

Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn begin the new year by answering listener questions. They address how to make important decisions from picking a church to picking a candidate. If you disagree with a worship song in a church gathering should you still sing it? They share some of their favorite movies with redemptive themes, what alternative careers they've considered, and how they maintain relationships wit...