The Holy Post

Phil and the gang are joined in studio by Aussie historian/theologian/apologist/former rocker John Dickson for a discussion of Christian culture in the US vs Australia and how to effectively engage the mainstream press, plus listeners chime in on the precise physiology of transgenderism! Hoo-boy!! It's a party for sure.

Time magazine says transgender issues are the next civil rights frontier, and the Southern Baptist Convention says, "No thanks!" Plus Christian groups get kicked off college campuses, and some lively feedback from last week's show!

To drink or not to drink - Christians and alcohol. Plus ... Time magazine wonders if it's safe to send our daughters to college, and Canada wonders if it's safe to let Christians educate lawyers. Crazy times indeed...

Unbelievable radio show host Justin Brierley stops by to discuss his recent debate between Peter Boghossian and Tim McGrew, and the ever-so-slippery concept of "faith." Plus, Phil has more medical fun and gains sympathy for the "average" woman!

Scientists campaign for more alien-hunting funds, Phil campaigns for arranged marriages and Skye campaigns for shorter sermons. Plus - guess which faith tradition has the hardest time retaining its children?? You'll never guess! So watch and/or listen to the show to find out!!

Lots going on this week! Updates on Rob Bell and Oprah. Plus Satanists are in - and then out - at Harvard, and Christian twin brothers are in - and then out - at HGTV. Oh, and Phil has a run-in with six hundred women, a Victorian hotel, and a bat. (Not the baseball kind.) It is truly a mad, mad world!

Do you picture God more like a tiger? Or a kitten playing the piano on the internet? Friend of the show Drew Dyck returns to talk about his new book, Yawning at Tigers, and our tendency in the church to domesticate God.

It's the 100th podcast! Phil and the gang celebrate by putting on party hats and answering your questions! Lots and LOTS of questions! Grab your own party hat and join in the fun...

British Prime Minister David Cameron and Louisiana try to out-Christian each other, and journalist Camerin Courtney joins the gang to discuss the state of Christians and all the Christiany movies we're supposed to really really like ("Heaven is for Real," "God's Not Dead") or really really hate ("Noah"). Can't we just go see the movies we WANT to see?

Special guest Andy Crouch from Christianity Today magazine joins the podcast today to talk about the latest Christianity Today cover story on N.T. Wright. Who is this bearded British theologian, and why is he having such a huge impact on the church?

A few months ago Phil reviewed the new book "A Manuel for Creating Atheists" by Dr. Peter Boghossian, and took issue with Bogghossian's definition of "faith." Numerous supporters of the book engaged the issue, and a lively debate continued online for more than a month. Several defenders challenged Phil to have the author on the podcast to explain his position, so this week Phil is joined by Dr. Peter Bogghossian himself for a lengthy but fascinating conversation about faith, knowledge, and the "reasonableness" (or lack thereof) of Christian belief. Can a creator of Christian vegetables and an atheist evangelist get along for an entire hour?? Tune in to find out!

The gang discusses World Vision's controversial new policy. Then, the day after the show is taped and in the can, World Vision changes back. Oops! No time to retape, so we're a little out of date. But we also have a lively discussion about Phil's favorite recent movies and Skye's theology of work. No podcast next week as everyone heads off for spring break!

Fred Phelps dies - will Westboro Baptist ratchet down the hate? And Phil interviews his new favorite radio personality from London, Justin Brierley, host of the wildly intelligent Unbelievable? Radio Show!

Stephen Colbert wades into the Ground Zero cross debate, and Phil's got a bone to pick with the new version of the old Carl Sagan mini-series, "Cosmos." Can't we cheer for science without jeering at religion?? Really??? Is it THAT hard?!?

Movies! Oscars! Dreams! Lip balm! And Skye gets called out by another Christian media outlet! Did he deserve it? Tune in and find out!

Wedding cakes for gay marriages and contraceptives for Christian craft stores. What would Jesus bake? And for whom? Religious liberty, artistic freedom, and ...the end of western civilization?!?

Do you prefer your movie Satans with or without eyebrows? And journalist and author Andy Crouch joins Skye and Phil to discuss remarkable new research showing a direct connection between healthy democracies and Protestant missionaries. What?? Pith helmets and Bibles saved the world?!? It was the BEGINNING of Western civilization!!

Is it wrong to go to church without your clothes on? Should more Christians be complaining about Cadillac's new TV ads? Do anachronistic camels disprove the book of Genesis? (If I had a nickel for every time I've said "anachronistic camels"...) You've got questions! We've got answers! This week on the podcast!

Super Bowl ads and Ham-on-Nye wrap-up. Pat Robertson says Ken Ham needs to give it a rest - surely a sign that the end of western civilization is upon us!!

Grammys, gay, Beyoncé, feminism, Ham on Nye. Say no more. Western civilization.

It's a book release party on the podcast! Skye's new book "Futureville" is out, and the ensuing discussion blows Christian's mind (Phil had already read the book, so his mind was pre-blown). Do we truly have a biblical understanding of the future? If we did, how would it change how we view our lives and our work here today? Don't miss it!

Phil's faith adventure continues as viewers write in with questions, and atheists respond. PLUS - ever wonder what the difference is between Christian radio in the US and the UK? It's significant! (And it doesn't make us Yanks look good...)

Phil describes his recent adventure in "Atheist-land!" A pastor decides to try atheism for a year, and is surprised to find hisdenomination doesn't want to keep paying his salary! And one of Christian's best friends stops by for a visit! Faith, fun and friends - all in one podcast!

Phil and the gang are back in the saddle for a new year! Christian had a BIG Christmas adventure, and became a Duck Dynasty stalker! Phil launches an online conversation with atheist author Peter Boghossian! The atheist church has a schism! Phil wonders what the difference is between "religion" and "philosphy?" And why on earth is Bill Nye the Science Guy headed for the Creation Museum? Clearly 2014 is already bringing us closer to the END OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION!

All heck breaks loose on Duck Dynasty! The Pope is Time's Man of the Year! Can Phil, Skye and Christian sort it all out? And then sum it up with a song?!? Tune in to this week's podcast and find out!!

How to make an atheist in five easy steps! (Okay, maybe not quite THAT simple.) Phil and the gang discuss Dr. Peter Boghossian's new book, A Manual for Creating Atheists. What does he get wrong? Even more importantly, what does he get RIGHT? Is faith a "flawed epistemology?" Is it an epistemology at all? The answer may determine the fate of western civilization as we know it!

Is the pope going out at night like Batman?? And then Phil leads Skye and recurring guest Drew Dyck on a wild trip through recent kids movies and how the portrayal of "magic" and the supernatural has shifted from Christian, to modern, to post-modern. And sometimes back again.

Fisticuffs in Wal-Mart and drag queens in the Macy's parade - this is not your grandfather's Thanksgiving! Then Skye and Phil settle in for a return visit with OT scholar Dr. John Walton about Genesis 1 and the "war" between science and the Bible, after which Phil discovers that making up songs is really hard when you're short on sleep!

Does God make atheists sweat?? Plus, guest Drew Dyck talks about his book, Generation Ex-Christian, and the reasons more and more Christian kids are walking away from their faith! Don't miss it! It may or may not have something to do with the end of Western Civilization as we know it!

A new TV show looks for "the meaning of life" in the scientific narrative, and Stephen Colbert points out the lunacy of their pursuit. Also, Phil and Skye dive into all the listener feedback from last week's podcast fun about gender, then even more fun with their ongoing discussion about the definition of the Gospel and the difficulty of sharing the Good News in an increasingly post-Christian West. Whee!!

Phil has an epiphany about western civilization - could Christianity have actually made the hyper-sexualization of women POSSIBLE?!? Skye and Christian are dumbstruck, but Phil presses on with his startling theory. And then Skye elaborates on the definition of "gospel," based on listener feedback from last week. Don't miss it! It's the most shocking podcast yet!

Britain is a nation of religious illiterates! Or so says the BBC. But what's the solution - religious instruction in public schools?? Then, in honor of Halloween, the gang discusses the peculiar evangelical outreach known as the "Hell House," and a pastor in hot water for building himself a 16,000 square foot house! (Wait - that last story isn't Halloween-related. Oh well. It's still a sure sign of ... THE END OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION!)

Religious billboard wars break out in Time Square! The group discusses two upcoming "Christian-ish" movies that have folks (and/or Phil) a bit concerned, and then talks through the moral, economic and spiritual implications of the collapsing interest of Japan's youth in ... um ... "physical contact" with the opposite sex. To put it another way, Japan is having no babies!! Is it Godzilla?!? Robots?!? And what does it mean for the future of (dum, dum, dum!) Western Civilization???

Phil goes to Disneyland while Skye goes to Vegas! Lively discussion ensues about gambling, Christian morality, and the ascendency of Halloween as Disney's new favorite holiday. Our friends at Hobby Lobby get into some hot Jewish water, and will OJ Simpson be America's next great televangelist??? It's surely the end of Western Civilization as we know it!

Phil discusses the "state of the art" of Christian billboards before explaining his new conclusion that life is like a moving sidewalk. THEN the gang launches into a fascinating discussion - based on Phil's great uncle Einer - about the "idolatry of family" within the evangelical church and whether it's EVER appropriate to leave your family to do God's work. Fun, fun, fun!!

Are Christians hypocritical in our approach to politics?? Is atheism the next "gay marriage?" Are atheist "churches" a GOOD thing for Christianity? And WHO doesn't like the new pope?? Anyone?? No one?? Listen to the audio! Or watch the video show! Hurry - before Western Civilization comes to an end!!

Watch your metaphors, Christians! We can be misunderstood! Phil tells the story of his great uncle Iner. If that isn't fun enough, Skye then explains the origins of evangelicalism and fundamentalism in America, and the gang discusses comedian Louis CK's recent musings about the "emptiness" inside all of us. Whee!!

Crazy evangelicals take over America! Book burnings and a civil "holy" war erupt! Yes, Phil actually took the time to read "Christian Nation: The Novel," and he's ready to give a full book report. What are those crazy Christians up to now?!?

Miley Cyrus watch! What's the latest?? Inquiring minds want to know! Then the gang discusses atheist protests of the Ground Zero Cross, a new novel about the "disaster" that would befall America if Christians got their way, and a lively debate about the underrepresentation of Christians in American media and what - if anything - can be done about it. It is clearly the end-of-you-know-what-as-we-know-it!

Phil declares America "officially" post-Christian. Skye uses big words to confuse him. Christian laughs at them both. Then we discuss a piece Skye wrote recently about the overuse of technology in schools that some people just didn't get. Mostly because he wrote it as a satire about smoking. Yeah. All this, and the end of Western Civilization!

Phil interviews Christian film executive Ben Howard (Facing the Giants, Fireproof, October Baby) to find out if there is, in fact, a Christian film business. Plus news about Miley Cyrus, life on Mars, and, of course, the end of Western civilization as we know it.

Moral decline and "hook-up" culture - debunked?? Parenting is hard, God doesn't want us to live in fear, and what on earth happened to the Iowa State Fair butter cow?!? It's the end of western civilization as we know it! This week on the podcast!

Duck Dynasty conquers America while Franklin Graham runs into trouble in Iceland. And then a lively discussion with Doug TenNapel (part 2) about the adventures of an outspoken Christian in a business that isn't at all fond of outspoken Christians. Are hillbillies the only ones allowed to believe in Jesus on TV? Can a famous evangelist's son actually hold to historical Christian teaching? In Iceland? What about a celebrated graphic novelist in Hollywood? All this and more on the podcast this week!

Singer/songwriter Sara Groves and her husband Troy join Phil and Skye on the podcast this week to talk about Sara's career, her thoughts about worship music and Christian radio, the church they just bought, and the one song she wishes she never wrote! Plus, Phil tries to play a really out-of-tune ukulele!

Censored hymns and Muslims writing books about Jesus - followed by part 1 of a 2-part interview with Christian comic artist, animator and creator of the classic video games Earthworm Jim and The Neverhood, Doug TenNapel.

Skye is back in town! We hear about his travels out west, then the group careens wildly through this week's stories about Christian movies, heaven, the end times, evangelistic atheists and, of course, gay rights. Buckle up for the ride!

It's bring your daughter to work day! Well, not really - but Phil does anyway. His 16 year-old daughter Sydney has just released an album of thoughtful, acoustic songs, and she visits the podcast to talk about it and play a few live! (Check out Sydney Vischer on iTunes or SydneyVischerMusic on Facebook to see the whole album.)

Join Phil this week for an indepth interview with a personal hero - groundbreaking Christian singer, songwriter, producer and filmmaker Steve Taylor. From "I Want to Be a Clone" to the Newsboys and Sixpense, to Blue Like Jazz the movie, Steve has pushed the Christian narrative in new and amazing directions for nearly 30 years. Don't miss the conversation!

Phil's brother Rob joins him on vacation for a discussion of Rob's new book on Martin Luther KIng Jr., as well as lively discussion about atheist monuments, DOMA, the Supreme Court and the ever-perplexing concept of religious freedom!

Skye goes on a cruise, Phil has an MRI, the Supreme Court ruffles some feathers and former Senator Rick Santorum - America's newest Christian movie mogul?!? Just another week on the Phil Vischer Podcast ...