The Holy Post

This is it! The 200th episode! The one we've been waiting for for nearly, gosh, nearly 200 episodes! Phil and the gang answer tons of questions from listeners and viewers, plus a big announcement. Today on the podcast!

When people talk about "making America great again," what dothey really mean? It usually boils down to the state of the middleclass and the American Dream of living better than our parents.That in mind, Phil dives deep into the thorny, thorny problem ofthe American middle class. Plus, Bono has advice for Christiansongwriters. Today on the podcast!

With "Bathroom Bills" popping up in numerous states and religious liberty battles all over the news, it's time to dive into the deep end of our religiously litigious culture. Should Christian therapists be required to treat homosexuals? Does science curriculum undermine religious freedom? It's a nutty time to be alive, and we've got some thoughts (well, mostly Skye) this week on the podcast!

We live in an image-drenched culture. When is "breaking" culture a part of our Christian calling, and how does Christian faith equip us to subvert our image-saturated "Babylon?" Art historian Matthew Milliner joins Phil and Skye to talk art, consumerism, and "occupying the optocracy." This week on the podcast!

When is it okay for Christians to disobey the government? Sure, Martin Luther King did it right. But how about Kim Davis? Christianity Today managing editor Katelyn Beaty joins Skye and Phil to discuss civil disobedience. Plus the "Fighting Missionary" gets put on the shelf in Washington State. This week on the podcast!

Is atheism a religion? Blogger and YouTube personality Hemant Mehta, better known as "the friendly atheist," joins Phil, Skye and Christian to dissect some common claims about our non-believing neighbors. Plus Skye gets "profiled" at Disney World.

It's a very Jedi Easter in Wisconsin. Charging money for prayers can get you in trouble, plus popular Christian cliches we find all over the church but nowhere in the Bible. This week on the podcast!

How can a boat demonstrate the limits of democracy? Disney films promote the message that poverty is "just fine." Plus does Trumpalooza reveal the real problems in the evangelical church? And what, if anything, can we do about it? This week on the podcast!

New research by the Barna Group shows that Americans in increasing numbers view Christianity as unbeneficial and even dangerous to society. Barna president David Kinnaman and Q conference founder Gabe Lyons join Phil and Skye to discuss their new book - Good Faith: Being A Christian When Society Thinks You’re Irrelevant and Extreme. Plus reaction to recent Trump rally violence and the rise of American demagoguery. What fun!

Did Christians make Trump? Is the religious right dead? Is the evangelical church splitting in two? A bizarre electoral season has the media - and evangelical leaders - desperately seeking answers.

Interpreting the Old Testament is easy, right? We just read our English translations, knowing that they say exactly what the original Hebrew said. Right? Dr. John Walton’s son Jonathan joins Phil and Christian to describe the work involved in digging into the original language as he and his father strive for the most accurate interpretation possible. Plus, Phil describes his fun fun trip to the National Religious Broadcasters convention.

Are America’s “best days” behind us? What makes some areas better at improving the lives of poor kids than others? Plus - capital punishment and the church, and the dangers of praying for atheists in England.

Is God a genocidal maniac?? OT scholar Dr. John Walton is back on the show, this time to decipher the OT’s stories of Israel’s apparent genocidal rampages against the Canaanites and others. Are we worshipping a lunatic? Or are we missing something in these stories? Fun for the whole family!

How many Christians pray for the Super Bowl? Which Super Bowl ad offended abortion rights advocates? Plus - what do Americans like to give up for Lent and does it do any good? (Audio Only)

Politicians talk about faith, pharmacists and Noah’s Ark builders fight for religious freedom, and Skye explains how “Christianism” could kill the evangelical movement. (And Phil gets to say “Bebbington’s Quadrilateral” one more time!) (Audio Only)

Why are British pastors growing beards? Why can’t Muslims play chess? Why are all the space aliens dead? Why are there seven buckets of evangelicals? (And which bucket likes Donald Trump??) You’ve got questions - we’ve got answers! Sort of. (Audio Only)

King Hezekiah lives! Satan moves to Fox! Subways go “pants optional!” Plus Skye has some thoughts about Martin Luther King and the American church today. This week on the podcast! (Audio only)

This week’s podcast is audio only as we kick off a year sprinting toward the presidential election … While some believe the Republican party is in trouble, others believe the Democrats are facing even bigger, issues. Join Phil and the gang for a fascinating conversation about education, equality and politics in America!

Santa Claus is coming, Wheaton College is in hot water and Jerry Falwell Jr. is packing heat! Just another culture wars Christmas in America!

Racial justice, protest, and the role of the church. Chicago pastor Charlie Dates joins Phil and the gang to talk about race and the church!

Phil and Skye react to the Planned Parenthood shooting and protests against police violence in Chicago, plus the age-old question of “What is a religion?” has one women successfully wearing a spaghetti strainer on her head for her driver’s license picture! This week on the podcast!

Everybody’s outraged! Trump is mad at Starbucks for those darn cups! Liberals are mad at Raven-Symoné for eating a sandwich! Students are mad at their schools for… well, for just about everything! And Skye says what we really need is a little more “grit.” This week on the podcast!

Phil and the gang react to the attacks in Paris, plus theories about the relationship between violence and religion, and a new - yet very old - religion is becoming the "religion of choice" for white supremacists.

Boycotting Starbucks and "buycotting" Chick-fil-A ... plus a new study shows that religious kids are cruel, heartless jerks and we should all be atheists. This week on the podcast!

Which age group is most concerned about religious freedom in America? How many Americans want Judeo-Christian values favored above other views? Barna Research president David Kinnaman joins the gang to discuss the surprising findings of his latest study!

Halloween gets thrown out of school, presidential candidates get invited to church, and Oprah makes a show to promote her version of "faith." (And tries to explain it to Stephen Colbert!)

New examples of religious people behaving poorly in not one but THREE major faiths! Gallup looks at the future of religion in America, and Skye thinks the church needs help thinking about work! This week on the podcast!

Audio only podcast ... Listener feedback from last week’s show, plus who are the happiest parents? And is your Christian school filled with Muslim students? You must be in the UK!

Muslim imams and evangelical pastors camping together on a dude ranch in Texas?? Some kind of bizarre reality show coming to cable this Fall? Nope! It’s the real life work of Texas megachurch pastor Bob Roberts - who joins us on the podcast to describe his unlikely and somewhat controversial role as a bridge between conservative Christian leaders and their Muslim counterparts.

We’ve all heard the stats about kids leaving the faith when they head for college - but why? And what would have made their faith more “sticky?” Has anyone done any actual research on this? Kara Powell has! Fuller Youth Institute Executive Director Kara Powell joins the gang to discuss her research and her book - Sticky Faith!

Drew Dyck is back in town and joins Phil and Skye for a lively discussion about presidential debates (crazy), theology in Christian movies (weak) and beer in church (sinful?). And absolutely ZERO conversation about toplessness! (Amen!)

Several news stories drag Phil and the gang back into discussions of male and female toplessness YET AGAIN. (Thanks, Time Magazine and French feminists!) Then attentions are turned to topics of science! Should all scientists be “militant athiests?” Does faith in science fill the same emotional needs as religious faith? This week on the podcast!

After two weeks of modesty mayhem, Phil attempts to wrap-up the discussion once and for all with some thoughts that hit him while he was (immodestly) taking a shower. Plus - that lady in Kentucky who is in jail for… you know… “the gays.” This week on the podcast!

Listeners get to chime in! Last week's stories led to lots of interesting conversation about modesty, mega-pastors and Muslim prayer rooms, so Phil reads your comments and the gang discusses! What fun!

Gender "neutrality" on display in the streets of New York and the aisles of Target ... Christian hospitality put to the test at Orlando International Airport ... John Oliver "discovers" shady televangelists in America! What does it all mean??? Is it the END OF ... (well, you know.)

Phil and the gang are joined by Sam Larson, the son of a regular listener and one of two finalists on the History Channel survival show "Alone." Sam talks about his experience on the show and the spiritual impact of 40+ days in the wilderness alone.

Can an atheist play football? Can a Christian back Donald Trump? Can Rob Bell still hold our attention? Plus, Skye riles up some listeners! This week on the podcast!

Skye and Phil are joined by legal expert (and Phil’s brother) Rob Vischer, and singer/songwriter Jimmy Needham for an audio-only episode recorded in Arnold’s Park, Iowa. Law! Politics! Religion! Live music! This week on the podcast!

Do all dogs really go to heaven? Why is there a 2000 pound, 9 foot tall Baphomet in Detroit? And does our reliance on laws to control behavior spell - THE END OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION AS WE KNOW IT???

Greece is a mess! China is in trouble! Disney sacrifices it's values! Franklin Graham is at it again! And don't get us started about Donald Trump! It's a mad, mad, mad world!

Dr. John Walton returns to the show to continue our prior conversation (#146) about Adam and Eve, based on his new book, “The Lost World of Adam and Eve!”

Big news! Big news! Skye Jethani actually went to see some movies! Oh yeah - and the Supreme Court made a decision about something or other. Much discussion ensues, this week on the podcast!

What do Franklin Graham, Tony Campolo, Tim Keller and the nation of Ireland have in common? They’ve all taken bold stands on same-sex marriage in the last month. From wholeheartedly embrace to all-out boycott, Phil and the gang talk through wildly varied responses to the same question.

Christian’s back from France! And dinosaurs stomp the box office, leading Phil to speculate about the growing influence of China on Hollywood blockbusters and how Hollywood, once the biggest proponent of “the American Way,” must cater more and more to sensitivities - and censors - of the the world’s fastest growing film market.

Phil and Skye are joined by Mississippi geometry teacher and atheist blogger Neil Carter ("Godless in Dixie") to hear his journey from evangelical to atheist and his experience rejecting faith in the heart of the "Christian South."

Tomorrowland and Mad Max and feminism and gender-neutral underwear. Need we say more??

Listener feedback on “modesty.” Is Phil a voice of reason? Or just another crabby old white guy pining for the past?? Plus Phil and Skye discuss the decline in self-identifying “Christians” in America. Bad? Good? Indifferent? This week on the podcast!

Phil finds connections between events in Waco, TX and the Billboard Music Awards, then guest Jim Walton joins the gang to discuss observations from 35 years in youth ministry plus his new work as an online apologist at the3rdchoice.org!

Is modern worship music contrived? Formulaic? Manipulative? NYC worship leader and indie/alt/liturgical artist David Gungor (The Brilliance) joins the gang for a lively discussion about the state of corporate worship in America!

Are Christians leaving the faith “in droves?” Should Christians provoke? And the gang discusses Nate Fleming’s “40 days of nothing but Christian media” experiment!