In this Season Three recap, Robert and Dominique reflect on the podcast’s original trajectory and significant transition following 10/7. Season Three’s guests walked our listeners through topics addressing antisemitism in the U.S., Hamas’s ideology, and the generational gap in support for Israel. One of our biggest takeaways is that perhaps more than ever, the need for Christian advocacy is being realized. But where do we start galvanizing Christian engagement, education, and activism? Join Robe...
Dec 26, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Season 3Ep. 17
We produced a movie. A few years ago, Philos partnered with Todd Morehead and Justin Kron to discover the human experiences and stories caught in the tension of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Hope in the Holy Land follows Todd’s journey through Israel and Palestine, where he explores the biblical, religious, and historical narratives that shape the beliefs on both sides of the conflict. Along the way, he discovers the painful struggles of Jews, Muslims, and Christians. The result is an enligh...
Dec 21, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Season 3Ep. 16
The strongest predictor of evangelicals' support for Israel in the U.S. is the age of the believer. After October 7, Harvard found that 45% of 18–24-year-olds side more with Hamas. Today, war views and attitudes towards Israel are defined by generations rather than religious beliefs or political parties. Motti Inbari and Kirill Bumin join Robert and Dominique to discuss their book, "Christian Zionism in the Twenty-First Century," and their findings on the growing generational divide supporting I...
Dec 13, 2023•59 min•Season 3Ep. 15
Mark Tooley is president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy and editor of IRD’s foreign policy and national security journal, Providence: A Journal of Christianity & American Foreign Policy . Mark joins Robert and Dominique to discuss the division in the United Methodist Church and the challenges Protestantism faces in an age of radical secularism.
Dec 06, 2023•50 min•Season 3Ep. 14
Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff joins Robert and Dominique to discuss his long naval career and eyewitness testimony of the October 23, 1983, Beirut attack. He tells of hope in the face of loss and the need to combat hate with compassion for all humanity. Rabbi Resnicoff reminds the audience that there is strength in diversity and encourages interfaith friendship to promote pluralism and respect for our neighbors and enemies. Rabbi Resnicoff is a retired U.S. Navy Chaplain who started his career in Vietn...
Nov 30, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Season 3Ep. 13
Dr. Nikos Michailidis is a social-cultural anthropologist; his work focuses on the history of the ancient Pontics and modern Greek culture. Nikos speaks with Robert and Dominique about the importance of art, literature, and language in preserving memory and transmitting culture. For the Pontic Greeks, music helped preserve their ethnic identity during Ottoman persecution and the brutality of Communism under Stalin. Nikos talks about the importance of music as a mechanism to preserve culture thro...
Nov 24, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Mary Margaret Olohan joins Robert and Dominique to reflect on the culture and analyze how recent protests and rallies following October 7th mirror the current political climate. Mary Margaret is a Senior Reporter at The Daily Signal where she covers the cultural and political stories of the moment through both video and print journalism.
Nov 21, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Gia Chacón is the founder of For the Martyrs, a Christian non-profit seeking to raise awareness about the crisis of Christian persecution, advocate for religious freedom, and aid victims of persecution worldwide. Gia speaks with Robert and Dominique about her work with the persecuted church and the crisis of Western Christianity. Gia reminds the audience about Israel’s importance as a safe haven for Christians in the Middle East who face persecution and forced migration from their ancient homela...
Nov 14, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Garrett Exner joins Robert and Dominique in analyzing the changing Middle Eastern landscape and Israel’s counter-offensive following the October 7th attack. Exner is the executive director of the Public Interest Fellowship in Washington, D.C. He previously served as a staffer to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), as a counterterrorism policy adviser in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and as a special operations officer in the Marine Corps with deployments to Iraq, North Africa, East Africa, and the S...
Nov 08, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Israeli journalist Emily Schrader joins The Deep Map to share her eyewitness account of the aftermath of Hamas’ October 7th terror attack. Covering a wide range of topics, from the Iranian regime’s support of terrorism to what it’s like working in a bomb shelter when the air raid sirens blare, Schrader delivers a heartfelt and clear testimony as to why Israel won’t back down — and why the West should stand up and lend greater support.
Nov 03, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 3Ep. 8
In this episode of The Deep Map, Robert and Dominique answer audience frequently asked questions and address media misinformation from a historic and Christian perspective.
Nov 01, 2023•57 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Hussein Aboubakr Mansour speaks with Robert Nicholson and co-host Dominique Hoffman to provide a unique Arab perspective to the conflict. The anti-Semitic rhetoric sweeping the West is all too familiar to Hussein, who grew up in Egypt during the Second Intifada. He is willing to say what most are not. Although uncomfortable for many, Mansou addresses the deep-rooted antisemitism of the Arab world. For the Arab world, the Palestinian question was never simply a geopolitical issue. “Free Palestine...
Oct 28, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, speaks with Robert and Dominique about developments in Israel. She discusses how events unfolded on October 7th, her work in helping the families of hostages, and the threat of Hamas to Israelis and Palestinians. Her message is clear: anti-Zionism is antisemitism. She is not only a government official but a mother whose heart hurts for her people and nation. Fleur has spent her career working with her Arab neighbors to promote pluralism in Jerusale...
Oct 23, 2023•36 min•Season 3Ep. 5
With violence against Jews surging 1200% since October 7th, this conversation with Jonathan Silver from the Tikvah Fund is more pertinent than ever. In this episode, Robert, Dominique, and Jonathan delve into the repercussions of the events on October 7th for American Jews. Jonathan candidly shares his feelings of isolation, sorrow, and bewilderment following the Hamas terrorist attack. He emphasizes that this tragic event will have a lasting impact on Jewish history. Jonathan also advocates for...
Oct 19, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 4
When Hamas carried out its campaign of terror on October 7th, many of us woke up to text messages blowing up our phones. For Andrew Doran, who was in Jerusalem when the attack started, the gravity of the situation on the ground was all that more real. Andrew, Director of Philos Catholic, talks with Robert and Dominique from Jerusalem about first-hand observations of Israel's collective trauma and move to support the war front. Andrew raises concerns over rising antisemitism, the Biden administra...
Oct 17, 2023•59 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Over the last week, news coverage and political commentators have rushed to make arguments of moral equivalence and proportionality to justify Hamas' terror attack and call for the restraint of the IDF within Gaza. What is the Christian response to political evil, and how does the Hebraic tradition inform concepts of war and justice? Robert and Dominique are joined by Marc LiVecche, McDonald Distinguished Scholar of Ethics, War, and Public Life at Providence Magazine . He is also a non-resident ...
Oct 13, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Season 3 kicks off much differently than we imagined...72 hours after Hamas invaded Israel, Robert is joined by Luke Moon and Dominique Hoffman to share reactions and new updates. Robert also shares context on the religious and cultural mindsets of Hamas and its members, while also shedding light on some of the recent polling from the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research .
Oct 10, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Your host, Robert Nicholson, gives insights into the original plan for Season 3 and why it’s changed now, given the current events in Israel.
Oct 09, 2023•4 min
Looking back on Season 2 of The Deep Map, Robert and his co-host Dominique Hoffman reflect on the rapid changes in the Near East even during the lifetime of the podcast. Diving deeper into the invisible factors driving those changes, they discuss the declining ability of the US to influence any of it. Is the West in decline? Where are our young people at in 2023? Will China take our place in the Near East? Why are Israel and other allies willing to entertain the idea? How should we, people of fa...
Jul 19, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Season 2Ep. 12
The role of religion and culture is the most overlooked yet most important dimension of Near Eastern affairs. In this episode, Robert talks with Philos Senior Research fellow and former State Department policy expert Andrew Doran about the way religion and politics manifests in advocacy for Eastern Christians and in issues related to Israel and antisemitism. Andrew Doran is the Director of Philos Catholic and a Senior Research Fellow at the Charles Malik Institute. Prior to joining Philos, he se...
Jun 05, 2023•44 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Black Christians in America have three homelands — a national homeland in the US, an ethnic homeland in Africa, and a spiritual homeland in Israel — but the distances and disparities between these places can create confusion. This week, Robert sits down with Krystal Bracy, the Director of Philos Black, to talk through Black identity in 2023 and how it relates to justice issues at home and abroad. What is the significance of the Black church to African-Americans? How do they think about Africa, A...
May 22, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 10
America is facing a crisis of faith; Latin America, meanwhile, is seeing revival. In one of the least reported phenomena of the 21 st century, evangelicalism has been sweeping the Spanish-speaking world and transforming its societies from the ground up — and not just its societies. In addition to the social effects of this revival are its political and geopolitical effects, as Latin American countries take a new interest in the land and people of Israel. This week, Robert sits down with Jesse Ro...
May 15, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 9
It is no secret that a liberal messianic approach to US foreign policy has fueled a number of unproductive wars over the years. But could our latest effort to defend Ukraine in the face of a Russian invasion actually be one of those wars? It's a question many Americans, both Democrat and Republican, are asking. With US aid to Ukraine nearing $100 billion -- and with thousands of nuclear warheads within arm's reach of Vladimir Putin's desk -- it's a good question. And it's one that got Florida go...
May 09, 2023•49 min•Season 2Ep. 8
It only takes one look at the news to see the disturbing state of Western civilization in 2023. Soaring levels of anxiety, a mental health crisis, and an epidemic of loneliness have exacerbated the crisis of identity that is eating our societies from within. Among the hardest hit are teenage girls, victims of both the old-line women's lib movement and third-wave feminist ideology that is pushing the definition of womanhood ever further from its biblical origins. To talk about these alarming tren...
May 01, 2023•52 min•Season 2Ep. 7
In a surprising turn of events, the Arab world looks ready to bring Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in from the cold after suspending him from the Arab League 12 years ago for his bloody crackdown on civilian protests in 2011. But why are US allies like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates suddenly extending the olive branch to the butcher of Damascus – and why now? How does all of this relate to the massive geopolitical realignment now sweeping the region, and what should the US do in res...
Apr 24, 2023•47 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Ninety-nine percent of the people who live in the Holy Land are Jewish or Muslim, as are 99 percent of the violent incidents that take place there. But what about the 1 percent who are Christian? What role do they play? To answer that question, Robert talks with his colleague and friend Khalil Sayegh, a Palestinian Christian from Gaza who recently finished five years with The Philos Project. In a heartfelt conversation that veers from analysis and debate to personal reflection, Robert and Khalil...
Apr 17, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 5
We would all like to see a secular, democratic Iran – but is it really possible in a place long governed by kings and strong men? How could democracy ever rise so long as the ayatollahs control the levers of state power? And are we sure the Iranian people even want it? In this episode, Robert sits with Philos Senior Research Fellow Farhad Rezaei to ask these questions in light of widespread protests sweeping the country since September 2022. Farhad, an outspoken critic of the regime and a politi...
Apr 10, 2023•49 min•Season 2Ep. 4
“Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief,” proclaims Article 18 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights. But while the Islamic Republic of Iran is party to the UNDHR, religious freedom inside the country is elusive and only partial at best. Of special concern is Iran’s total restriction on the changing of one’s religious belief and its policy that abandoning Islam is not just apostasy but betrayal of the bo...
Apr 03, 2023•53 min•Season 2Ep. 3
What on earth is happening in Israel right now? Widespread protests, political clashes, and rising violence in the West Bank paint a grim picture as the country approaches its 75 th anniversary. In this episode, Robert visits controversial Israeli scholar Benny Morris to talk about this chaotic moment in historical context, and specifically about the ongoing battle between Israel’s various tribes over the meaning and purpose of a Jewish state. Benny Morris is a journalist and historian of the Ar...
Mar 27, 2023•59 min•Season 2Ep. 2
The invasion of Iraq on March 30, 2003, initiated a sea change in U.S. foreign policy. In this first episode of season 2, Robert sits down with Darren Duke, a retired U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer who was on the ground and saw the War in Iraq firsthand. In a wide-ranging conversation, Darren reflects on the civilizational barriers of American soldiers fighting an Islamic insurgency, struggling to make sense of the cultural limits on their mission. Together, Robert and Darren reflect on ...
Mar 20, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 1
