The Holy Post

It’s been 100 years since the Tulsa Massacre—a dark moment in American history most Americans know nothing about. Which makes Phil, Skye, and Christian wonder, what else don’t we know? Wheaton College has removed the word “savages” from a plaque honoring martyred missionaries. Was the move a result of political correctness or just common decency? Then, Phil’s recent tweet about racism and anti-racism went viral, leading him to ask—when did evangelicals become more committed to preserving the world rather than changing it? Plus, the tables get turned when Skye gets interviewed by Kaitlyn about his newest book “What if Jesus was serious about prayer?” He explains why being a “radical” Christian isn’t what you think, and how prayer is way bigger than just talking to God. Plus, lonely Japanese eels are looking for attention on the internet.

https://www.businessinsider.com/video-call-eels-tokyo-aquarium-so-they-dont-forget-people-2020-5

https://frenchpress.thedispatch.com/p/when-our-forefathers-fail

https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2021/march/wheaton-college-missionary-plaque-jim-elliot-waorani.html

https://twitter.com/philvischer/status/1398297373563133955

https://www.amazon.com/What-Jesus-Serious-About-Prayer/dp/0802424163

Direct download: HP459.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:20pm CDT

Our society is more diverse than ever before yet ninety percent of churches in the U.S. remain mono-cultural. Derwin Gray says this isn’t just a problem for the mission of the church, it’s also a betrayal of the gospel itself. He talks with Skye about why he planted a multiethnic church, why so many church leaders resist this calling, and how a fundamental misunderstanding of the gospel is to blame. Also this week, the military has admitted that UFOs are real but doesn’t say if they’re extraterrestrial. If there are aliens, what are the implications for Christian theology? Plus, a new study finds that in countries where Christianity enjoys political power more people abandon the faith. So why do evangelicals want to take back Washington? And Phil wonders if psychedelic cicadas prove the existence of God.

Book launch: https://www.facebook.com/groups/whatifjesuswasseriousaboutprayerlaunch/

UFOs: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ufo-military-intelligence-60-minutes-2021-05-16/

https://www.amazon.com/Liturgy-Politics-Spiritual-Formation-Neighbor/dp/0830848304/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+liturgy+of+politics&qid=1622046538&sr=8-1

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cicadas-fall-prey-drug-producing-fungus-makes-their-butts-fall-180977776/

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2021/may-web-only/christian-persecution-political-privilege-growth-decline.html?utm_medium=widgetsocia

lhttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08NCWHC1Q/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP7CFMIttGQ

 

Direct download: HP458.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:16pm CDT

Hold on to your bonnets, Holy Posters. Phil is joined by Kaitlyn Schiess and, while Skye’s away, guest host Mike Erre to talk about the scandals and misogyny plaguing evangelicalism. Phil wonders—are these bugs or features? And is it possible to love evangelicals but hate evangelicalism? Kaitlyn and Mike also explain what keeps them committed to Jesus and his church amid so much mess. Then, Skye talks to Baylor University history professor Beth Allison Barr about her new book, “The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth.” Barr explains why Paul’s writings about women are widely misread, how women have led throughout church history, and how the Reformation created the domesticated vision of womanhood still idealized by the church today. All of that, plus science can’t explain a sea worm’s perplexing number of posteriors.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/marine-worm-sprouts-hundreds-butts-180977715/

https://twitter.com/albertmohler/status/1391499883153080324

https://twitter.com/ostrachan/status/1391831083826696193

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/love-the-evangelical-hate-the-evangelicalism/id1523542249?i=1000521265414

https://www.amazon.com/Making-Biblical-Womanhood-Subjugation-Became/dp/1587434709/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Beth+Allison+barr&qid=1621441692&sr=8-2

https://www.patreon.com/posts/51444763

Direct download: ep457.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:00am CDT

It’s increasingly difficult to have conversations with other Christians. Our families and congregations can’t seem to agree even about basic facts, let alone the news or how we ought to respond to what’s happening. So, we avoid talking about anything that might be controversial—which is pretty much everything today. What happened? How did we become so divided? The Holy Post crew talks about CT president Tim Dalrymple’s recent article, “The Splintering of the Evangelical Soul,” and what is necessary to heal our divisions. Then, Bob Roberts—the most interesting evangelical in the world—joins Skye for a conversation about why it’s critical to have deep relationships with people of other faiths. Roberts says it’s transformed his own understanding of Christianity, and isolating our kids from the world will only guarantee they join it. Also this week, Joshes battle for supremacy in Nebraska.

https://thegirlwhoworefreedom.com/festivals/

https://news.yahoo.com/hundreds-people-named-josh-met-005228139.html

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2021/april-web-only/splintering-of-evangelical-soul.html

Direct download: HP456.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:54pm CDT

Rene Padilla died last week at 88, and you’re probably thinking “Who’s Rene Padilla?” Phil, Skye, and Christian discuss the huge influence he had on the global church and its mission, and why so many American Christians still feel a divide between saving souls and reforming society. Then, Skye talks to Scot McKnight about his new book, “A Church Called Tov,” which he co-wrote with his daughter Laura Barringer in the aftermath of the Willow Creek controversy and Bill Hybles’ abuse. McKnight defines what makes a church culture toxic, and why so many pastors are on the narcissism disorder spectrum. It’s an eye-opening conversation. Also this week—a Kickstarter campaign for a new Christian dating service, a church in an unexpected location launches “Drag Queen Sunday,” and the terrifying story of a man, a portable toilet, and a tree.

https://thegirlwhoworefreedom.com/festivals/

https://apnews.com/article/pennsylvania-gettysburg-69f03d57db0cb1e4b912b59ddce396dd

https://www.relevantmagazine.com/culture/tech-gaming/dominion-dating-is-the-christian-dating-site-for-men-who-think-a-womans-place-is-at-home-1/

https://religionnews.com/2021/04/15/first-drag-queen-certified-as-a-candidate-for-united-methodist-ministry-speaking-in-a-new-way-to-new-people/

https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2021/april/rene-padilla-died-integral-mission-latin-american-theology.html

https://lausanne.org/content/covenant/lausanne-covenant

https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Mission-Modern-World-Classics/dp/0830834117

Direct download: HP455.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:30am CDT

In a recent editorial, David French asked whether the primary threat to the church comes from within or without? Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn discuss the question and whether the church is primarily for or against the world. Plus, why are so many Christian ministries focused on protecting kids? Is it related to our fixation on the danger of hell? Then, Skye talks with A.J. Swoboda about his new book “After Doubt: How to Question Your Faith without Losing it.” He says a lot of people aren’t really deconstructing Christianity, but a false form of the faith that should be abandoned. And Swoboda explains the danger of a culture in which everything new is seen as superior. Also this week—the Colorado baker refuses to make a transgender cake, coyote pups, and screaming foxes.

https://www.denverpost.com/2021/03/23/colorado-baker-lawsuit-gender-transition-birthday-cake/

https://frenchpress.thedispatch.com/p/the-question-that-dictates-how-christians

https://dandarling.substack.com/p/in-here-out-there-on-assessing-spiritual

https://www.amazon.com/People-Truth-Worshipping-Community-Modern/dp/1579105602

https://www.amazon.com/After-Doubt-Question-without-Losing/dp/1587434512

https://www.patreon.com/posts/50587974

Direct download: HP454.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:51am CDT

There’s a popular cliche among evangelicals—“The Bible says it. I believe it. That settles it.” But is it really that simple? Not according to New Testament scholar, Dr. Timothy Gombis. Because we’re not ancient Near Eastern people living in a desert, he says it’s not possible to literally apply the Bible. Instead, any faithful Christian needs to learn how to improvise. Dr. Gombis talks with Skye about faithful improvisation, what cross-shaped cultural engagement looks like, and how idolatry destroys bodies. Also this week, Phil’s tweet about angry Christians using “table-flipping Jesus” to justify their bad behavior causes an uproar. Does the story mean it’s sometimes ok to be nasty and insult our enemies? Plus, Pat Robertson is “woke” on police violence, and a French pastry in a tree terrorizes Poland.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56757956

https://www.relevantmagazine.com/culture/tv/famed-broken-clock-pat-robertson-says-police-need-to-open-their-eyes-to-the-reality-of-police-brutality/


https://mirrorofjustice.blogs.com/mirrorofjustice/2021/04/bearing-witness-to-the-pain.html


https://twitter.com/philvischer/status/1381709523849773064


https://podcast.thedispatch.com/p/jesus-and-evangelical-politics/comments

https://www.amazon.com/Mark-Story-God-Bible-Commentary/dp/0310327156

Direct download: HP453_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:48am CDT

Francis Chan says it’s time for Christians to take Jesus’ command about unity seriously. His new book, “Until Unity,” outlines the biblical call to be one, and why we struggle to achieve it. Skye talks with Chan about what Christian unity looks like practically, the role of racism in keeping us apart, how a focus on church growth distracted Chan from seeking unity, and how to know when disunity is the only option. Also this week, a new study finds less than 50% of Americans are now members of a church for the first time in a century. Should secularists be rejoicing? Not necessarily, as some experts fear religious zeal is now shifting into politics. Plus, smuggling baby tortoises, Phil’s worried about a 3,000-year-old knife-wielding spider god, and a fecal fight between Godzilla and King Kong.

 

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/644356/godzilla-king-kong-whose-poops-would-be-bigger

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/30/world/galapagos-airport-tortoises-trnd/index.html

https://www.insider.com/japan-early-cherry-blossom-bloom-climate-change-2021-4

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mural-knife-wielding-spider-god-found-peru-180977360/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2021/03/29/church-membership-fallen-below-majority/

Direct download: HP452_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:30am CDT

Our favorite Old Testament scholar is back to talk about the Book of Daniel. Dr. John Walton says the apocalyptic passages of Daniel—which deeply influenced those End Times charts popular among evangelicals—aren’t really predictive of the future in the way we think. And the story of Daniel isn’t necessarily a manual for how Christians ought to live in a post-Christian society. Prepare to have your mind blown as you learn what apocalyptic visions in the Bible are really about. Also this week—how should Christians think about social welfare programs, slavery reparations, and guaranteed minimum income? Esau McCaulley brilliantly reframes the Easter story in light of the Black church’s experience. Plus, the excellence and etymology of Peeps.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/02/opinion/easter-celebration.html

https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-aud-nw-jesuits-racial-reconciliation-20210316-elgsyj3mlbbbvgkaoedktzlavi-story.html

https://www.amazon.com/Sum-Us-Everyone-Prosper-Together/dp/0525509569

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/evanston-illinois-becomes-first-u-s-city-pay-reparations-blacks-n1261791

https://www.npr.org/2021/03/04/973653719/california-program-giving-500-no-strings-attached-stipends-pays-off-study-finds

https://www.npr.org/2021/04/01/983405521/new-guaranteed-income-for-families-with-children-is-stunning-poverty-expert-says

Direct download: HP451_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:36am CDT

Have you wondered why so many megachurch leaders have been embroiled in scandals, or why there are so many Christian celebrities today? It’s not accidental. It’s the predictable outcome of the systems behind much of popular consumer Christianity. In this special episode co-produced with the Love Thy Neighborhood podcast, Jesse Eubanks joins Skye to explore the way business interests and economics have replaced Christian values to drive many parts of American evangelicalism. Featuring multiple interviews, investigative reporting, and commentary, this episode will pull back the curtain on the evangelical industrial complex.

Direct download: HP450.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:50am CDT