The gang’s all here! Phil, Skye, Christian, & Kaitlyn are all in the studio for the first time ever to record this very special episode of the Holy Post. They retell the show’s origin story dating all the way to Phil’s talkshow dreams in the 1980s, how that accidentally gave rise to VeggieTales, why Skye got roped into the scheme, how Christian went from TV producer to podcast co-host, and how Kaitlyn is leveraging her new Holy Post notoriety. The crew then countdown the Top 10 stories of the la...
Mar 16, 2022•2 hr 32 min
Some Southern Baptists say if Voddie Baucham becomes the next president of the SBC it will be a step toward racial reconciliation. When Phil disagreed in a tweet last weekend, it triggered a social media tsunami. He responds to the controversy. Then, the Holy Post crew discusses Jemar Tisby’s recent article about how the murder of Trayvon Martin ten years ago ended white evangelicalism’s efforts at racial reconciliation. But was the movement flawed from its beginning in the 1990s? Then, Skye has...
Mar 09, 2022•1 hr 27 min
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and the heroic resistance the Russian troops have encountered raises new questions about patriotism. When is love for our country godly, and when does it unknowingly lead to evil? Plus, a new study tries to define Christian nationalism, explain why Black and White Christian nationalists are so different, and advise how to prevent the heresy from spreading in churches. Then, David Kinnaman, President of the Barna Group, is back for another “Barna Brief.” His latest res...
Mar 02, 2022•1 hr 24 min
During the Cold War, conservatives prided themselves for their opposition to the Soviet Union and totalitarianism and blasted those who wavered as “un-American.” In the current crisis in Ukraine, however, we have seen some conservatives defending Putin and Russia. What happened? David French tries to explain why some Republicans and evangelicals foolishly see Putin as a hero and defender of Christendom. Then he discusses his recent article about the rise of Christian Nationalism. Why is it so ap...
Feb 25, 2022•1 hr 7 min
Why do black seminarians graduate with a lot more student debt than whites, and what does it mean for churches? A recent Gospel Coalition article by Alisa Childers argues that the word “deconstruction” is universally bad and should not be redeemed. Is she right or is it another example of Christians overreacting to a complicated issue? Then Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn take Childers’ online quiz to determine whether they are progressive Christians. Anglican priest and author Tish Harrison Warren talk...
Feb 23, 2022•2 hr 30 min
A scary number of Americans now say violence may be necessary to fix the country. A new report looks at what combination of beliefs cause a person to endorse political violence, and why it’s more common on the right. Then, in response to last week’s interview, Phil unpacks how our modern belief in human goodness explains the rise in authoritarianism and populism. And, why are U.S. Christians supporting the “Freedom Convoy” in Canada? A recent study from Barna found more than one-third of pastors...
Feb 16, 2022•2 hr 33 min
Should churches stop live-streaming their services and return to in-person worship? A recent editorial by Tish Harrison Warren has gotten a lot of negative reactions from chronically ill and disabled people who value online worship. What does the debate say about our theology of the church? ABC has suspended Whoopi Goldberg for her comments about race and the Holocaust. Is Judaism a race, a religion, an ethnicity, or something else? Some Christians are praising Stephen Colbert for talking about ...
Feb 09, 2022•2 hr 31 min
Jerry Falwell Jr. is doing damage control following his profile in Vanity Fair (discussed at length in last month’s French Friday episode). He’s even posted a statement of faith affirming his Christian beliefs. But does that make his behavior better or worse? And how does populism explain his criticism of “religious elites” while enjoying all the benefits of being a religious elite? Is Falwell the victim of nepotism, and should ministry be a family business? Then, a researcher argues that a toxi...
Feb 02, 2022•2 hr 32 min
He was the president of the largest Christian university and an influential political voice for millions of evangelicals. In a lengthy new Vanity Fair profile, however, Jerry Falwell Jr. now says he has contempt for “organized religion” and “religious elites.” David French and Skye Jethani discuss the shocking claims Falwell makes about Liberty University, how he lived a double life, and what his downfall says about American evangelicalism. Do Falwell and other disgraced leaders represent a bug ...
Jan 28, 2022•1 hr 7 min
A new study finds evangelicals see most thing in society in categories of good and evil while nonbelievers see more nuance. Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn discuss the implications. Bob Jones University has a fashion design department. What could possibly go wrong? Pretty much everything when a student discovered his androgynous Jesus coat was a fundamentalist fashion faux pas. Then, art historian Matthew Milliner talks about his new book “The Everlasting People: G.K. Chesterton and the First Nations.” ...
Jan 26, 2022•2 hr 31 min
To commemorate MLK Day, Phil asks Esau McCaulley if we’re making progress on race or if we’ve gone backwards in the last few years. His answer might surprise you. Skye then interviews Old Testament professor, David T. Lamb, about the updated version of his book, “God Behaving Badly: Is the God of the Old Testament Angry, Sexist and Racist?” Lamb argues that if read correctly, we’d discover the Old Testament is surprisingly progressive rather than barbaric. Also this week, controversy erupts as a...
Jan 19, 2022•1 hr 26 min
Last week, the country commemorated the one-year anniversary of the January 6th attack on the Capitol. Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn examine what’s changed, and what hasn’t, since the attack and what impact it’s had on both Christians and our culture. They also respond to Samuel Perry’s article about the way Christian Nationalism threatens democracy. Then, Skye talks to Australian theologian Michael Bird about the doctrine of biblical inerrancy. While Christians throughout the world affirm the Bible’s...
Jan 12, 2022•1 hr 28 min
Phil experienced a Twitter typhoon last week when he suggested “love your country” is not a Biblical command. The Holy Post crew unpacks the reactions and asks what separates godly and ungodly patriotism. Then, Skye talks to Christine Caine, founder of The A21 Campaign, about her experience of American evangelicalism as an Australian Pentecostal. With decades of experience in ministry around the world, and working against human trafficking in 14 countries, Caine says she was shocked by what she ...
Jan 05, 2022•1 hr 26 min
In a recent editorial, Kevin DeYoung took aim at Christian commentators, including David French, for criticizing the social and political hypocrisies within white evangelicalism. DeYoung says these necessary corrections are better left to pastors rather than “professional writers, academics, and full-time commentators.” David and Skye respond to DeYoung’s editorial by explaining the good, and bad, reasons so few pastors are speaking prophetically in America today. Then, they turn their attention...
Dec 31, 2021•1 hr 7 min
After the mess that was 2020, we had such high hopes for 2021. Were our expectations met? Phil and Skye look back on the year when the evangelical empire dug in its heels. Those opposed to #MeToo and Black Lives Matter responded by labeling empathy a sin. Voices advocating for women and people of color within the SBC left the denomination. The Salvation Army reversed course on racial sensitivity, and female scholars faced a backlash for exposing Christian nationalism and patriarchy. Will 2022 be...
Dec 29, 2021•1 hr 28 min
Last Sunday, the former president attended an advent service at First Baptist Church in Dallas. Some have called what unfolded an example of evangelicalism’s syncretism with conservative politics. Why aren’t more people bothered by it? Then, Don Jr. said if Christians want to take back America they need to ignore Jesus’ commands like “Turn the other cheek.” Kaitlyn says he’s right. Skye responds to listener feedback to his interview about Gen Z, and Phil reads listener comments about abortion. T...
Dec 22, 2021•1 hr 25 min
Everyone seems to be talking about “deconstructing” faith, but researcher Josh Packard says it’s better to describe young people as “unbundling” faith. He joins Skye for a conversation about Springtide Research Institute’s new report on the State of Religion and Young People, and why Gen Z has such a negative perception of the church and such an inflated view of themselves. Also this week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that could overturn Roe v. Wade . With some pro-life activ...
Dec 15, 2021•1 hr 26 min
A recent survey found that 49 percent of pastors reported conspiracy theories were spreading within their congregations. This is especially prevalent within evangelical communities. Although evangelicals are supposed to be known as people of the “good news”—which is what the word “evangelical” literally means—in many places they’ve become the largest consumers and spreaders of “fake news.” In this special episode co-produced with the Love Thy Neighborhood podcast, Skye Jethani and Jesse Eubanks ...
Dec 08, 2021•47 min
Today, privilege has become a dirty word that is automatically associated with sinfulness, but Dominique Gilliard, author of “Subversive Witness: Scripture’s Call to Leverage Privilege,” says it doesn’t have to be. He explores the many biblical characters who used their privilege redemptively rather than selfishly, and challenges us to rethink our assumptions about who is really privileged in our society. Also this week, a new study reveals how our preferred news source shapes our political and ...
Dec 01, 2021•2 hr 36 min
French Friday leaves the world of politics and theology behind to join David French and fellow nerd Skye Jethani for a journey through the pop-culture countryside of geekdom in a special episode. They begin with a breakdown of Dune, the film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel. Was it too faithful to the book? The dorky duo then debate why the Disney-era Star Wars sequel trilogy was a failure, but The Mandalorian series works brilliantly. They discuss the best movies in the Marvel...
Nov 26, 2021•52 min
In case you haven’t noticed, the evangelical movement in America is a mess. Some say we should let it all burn down. Others fiercely defend the historic and theological richness of the tradition. Dan Stringer says there’s a third option that is honest about evangelicalism’s failures, while also valuing its strengths. Kaitlyn interviews Stringer about his new book “Struggling with Evangelicalism: Why I Want to Leave and What It Takes to Stay.” Also this week, former Trump national security adviso...
Nov 24, 2021•2 hr 34 min
Are faith and science irreconcilable belief systems? Not according to Dr. Francis Collins, the Director of the National Institutes of Health and founder of BioLogos. He talks with Phil about his journey from atheism to faith, his role in overseeing the country’s response to Covid-19, and why America’s culture war is literally killing people. Collins also explains why the Covid vaccines are safe and should be embraced by Christians as an answer to prayer. Then, The Council for Biblical Manhood an...
Nov 17, 2021•1 hr 23 min
Why do we expect the Christian life to be easy when the Bible clearly says it will be a struggle? Starting with the wrong expectation, says John Mark Comer, makes us spiritually neurotic and causes more suffering than necessary. He talks with Skye about his new book, “Live No Lies,” why spiritual warfare isn’t what you’ve been taught, why information alone doesn’t change us, and what it means to really be people committed to the truth. Also this week, artificial intelligence is now offering very...
Nov 10, 2021•2 hr 31 min
What is Christianity’s contribution to history and has it been positive or negative? John Dickson says Christians should obey Jesus’ command to remove the plank from our own eye and admit the many ugly truths about church history. Only then will we be able to see clearly the parts of church history that conform to the way of Jesus. Skye talks to Dickson about his new book, “Bullies & Saints: An Honest Look at the Good and Evil of Christian History.” Also this week, a conspiracy filled speech by ...
Nov 03, 2021•1 hr 24 min
Recent polling has found that a majority of Trump voters (52%) and a significant number of Biden voters (41%) support breaking up the country. Has our animosity and disgust for each other made reconciliation impossible? Are we heading toward a national divorce? Skye Jethani and David French discuss his recent articles about the rise of malice in our political divisions and within the church. Why have so many evangelicals embraced anger as a virtue, and how has our pragmatic theology contributed ...
Oct 29, 2021•1 hr 9 min
Conservative evangelicals organized into a political movement in the 1970s in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize abortion. Or did they? Historian Randall Balmer argues this origin story for the Religious Right is a myth. He talks to Skye about the real origins of the movement and how it explains the current state of white evangelicalism. Also this week, we unpack Peter Wehner’s article in The Atlantic about the breaking apart of evangelicalism. Is the church a victim of media m...
Oct 27, 2021•2 hr 33 min
The prosperity gospel isn’t just about health and wealth. Historian Kate Bowler says pragmatic values, simple solutions, and the endless quest for self-improvement, have infected most of the church in subtle ways. Kaitlyn Schiess talks to Dr. Bowler about her own battle with cancer, and how it’s helped her move beyond cliches like “Everything happens for a reason,” to embrace the larger mystery of faith. Also this week, have elite evangelicals sold out to the mainstream media, or have populist e...
Oct 20, 2021•1 hr 29 min
This week is a special a double feature! First, Phil talks to Esau McCaulley about his recent NY Times editorial about President Biden’s vengeance against terrorists in Afghanistan. McCaulley asks why so few Christian politicians seem to have Christian instincts, and what role should forgiveness have in American foreign policy. Then, Skye interviews author and podcaster Jamie Ivey about her experience as a white mom raising black kids, how it’s changed her understanding of race, and why she no l...
Oct 13, 2021•2 hr 35 min
Friend of the show Derwin Gray has a new book! When did he have time to write it? We don’t know! But he also found time to sit down with Skye and talk about it. Derwin says the Lord’s Prayer isn’t just a prayer, but an entire catechism of faith, a lesson in communing with God, and a call for the people of God to engage in issues of justice. He unpacks it all with Skye. And did scientists find the biblical city of Sodom? Have psychologists found the number one predictor of atheism? And a new stud...
Oct 06, 2021•1 hr 22 min
Philip Yancey is one of the best-selling contemporary Christian authors, and his books helped millions find a more authentic faith long before “deconstruction” was a hashtag. His new memoir, “Where the Light Fell,” tells how he escaped the racist, fundamentalist Christianity of his youth, and his lifelong quest to find God’s grace in a world of suffering. Yancey also sympathizes with the ex-vangelical movement, and shares his concerns for the direction of the faith in America. Also this week, re...
Sep 29, 2021•2 hr 32 min
