The Holy Post

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.

Direct download: 172_ThrowBack.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:27am CST

Which religious group is the most educated?  Are Americans more divided than ever before?  When did “self-fulfillment” become our new religion?  Leading Christian pollster David Kinnaman joins us for this year-end podcast to talk about trends shaping the culture and the church.  (Plus his new book, Barna Trends 2017.)

Direct download: 232_Final.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am CST

Most modern worship songs focus on God or me.  (Or God AND me.)  Is there anything else we should be covering when we worship God?  Former Mars Hill and Willow Creek worship pastor Aaron Niequist joins the podcast to talk about his adventures in seeking a bigger vision of what worship can be.

Direct download: 231_Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am CST

Podcast co-host Skye Jethani and Josh Lindsay are launching a new podcast about movies, so with Skye off in India, Phil and Christian sit down with Josh to talk movies and the new podcast!

Direct download: 230_Final.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am CST

Future grandpa Phil had to skedaddle off to Minnesota... So here's a throwback! Way back! All the way to 2014!

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.

Direct download: 229_Final.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am CST

Evangelical Pastor/Researcher/Commentator Ed Stetzer drops in for a very lively discussion of the impact of the recent election on the church, what we’ve learned about evangelical values, and whether the term “evangelical” has - or hasn’t - outlived its usefulness.  Fun, fun, fun on the podcast!!

Direct download: 228_Final_REV1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:19pm CST

Popular author and preacher Francis Chan walked away from his megachurch to try something completely different - a series of tiny house churches in inner city San Francisco.  Why the change?  And what can we learn from his big experiment in going “small?”  This week on the podcast with Francis Chan - is the future of the church tiny??

Direct download: 227_Final.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am CST

We're giving everyone access to the live streaming Q&A the gang did recently to discuss the election and other Patreon subscriber questions. These events happen every month, so sign up at www.Patreon.com/PhilVischer and join in live next month!

Direct download: Final_226.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am CST

Currently 1 out of 5 human beings revere a certain religious book, and it isn’t the Bible.  Religious scholar and author Mark Robert Anderson talks us through the Qur’an… what is it?  How do Christian approach it, and why does it matter?  Plus Christian has gone crazy for the Cubbies and everyone is sweating the upcoming election!

Direct download: 225_Final.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am CST

Jesus had to "die for our sins,” right?  But what does that actually mean?  We mess up, God gets mad, so someone needs to pay for our sin or we can't go to heaven when we die?  But what if our ultimate problem isn’t sin, and what if our ultimate goal isn’t heaven??  Egads!! World-renowned theologian N.T. Wright joins Phil and Skye to talk about his new book - The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus’s Crucifixion.  No biggie… just the absolute heart and soul of the Christian faith!!

Direct download: 224_Final.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:55pm CST

What really birthed the religious right?  Why have black and white Christians swapped political parties over the last 60 years?  Based on a class he’s teaching, co-host Skye Jethani takes us deep into the surprising history of 20th century Christian political involvement.  It’s a fascinating journey you won’t want to miss!

Direct download: 223_Final.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am CST

Why are young people leaving the church and what are some churches doing that is helping them stay?  Is it all about “hipping up” our churches with coffee bars and skinny jeans, or is it something deeper?  Fuller Youth Institute director Kara Powell returns to the podcast to discuss her new book, Growing Young, and the surprising answers to one of our thorniest problems.

Direct download: Podcast222_Final.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am CST

Is the church in America obsessed with success?  Do we sacrifice genuine growth to avoid failure?  Pastor/author J.R. Briggs joins Phil and Skye to discuss the idolatry of success and his own journey in learning how to “fail well."

Direct download: Podcast221_Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:00am CST

Does the way we do church effectively make disciples? New research says “not so much.” So what do we do? Speaker, author,  and theologian Preston Sprinkle is back on the show to talk about new models for church and why we need them. What could church be? What SHOULD church be? This week on the podcast!

Direct download: Podcast220_Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:05pm CST

A Bible translation is frozen in time. Modern technology unlocks a scroll. Christian media is more popular than you might think. And a new survey shows Christians are bad at guessing which behaviors make our neighbors uncomfortable. This week on the podcast!

Direct download: Episode_219-_Bible_Translations_Christian_Radio__Praying_for_Atheists.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:40am CST

Everyone’s favorite band-made-up-of-Christians-that-isn't-a-Christian-band U2 turns the big 4-0; an atheist mentalist successfully replicates “faith healing” in a London stage show; British radio host Justin Brierley returns to the podcast to talk news from across the pond. This week on the podcast!

Direct download: Podcast_218_Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:36pm CST

Phil has a bone to pick! A hot new book encouraging Christians to “chase their dreams” drives Phil crazy and he just can’t stop talking about it. It’s a full-on rant! And all because Benaiah killed a lion (it will make sense after you listen). This week on the podcast!

Direct download: 217_Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:15pm CST

It’s time to slow things down a bit as we’re joined by Christian writer, speaker and spiritual director Jan Johnson for a discussion of right brain Christianity, meditation and her new book, Meeting God in Scripture - A Hands-on Guide to Lectio Divina.

Direct download: 216_Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:30pm CST

What events would bring the most people back to church? Which celebrity has Rick Warren’s book helped now? Are American Christians “persecuted” in their own special way? Are astronauts too boring for reality TV? And what failure of the church might be driving people to Donald Trump? Christianity Today editor Katelyn Beaty joins Skye and Phil to run through a grab bag of issues in this particularly nutty installment of the podcast!

Direct download: Podcast_EP215_Audio_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:45am CST

What can we learn from this crazy year in American politics? Is it ever appropriate for Christians to vote “none of the above?” How do our various Christian traditions shape our views of church and state? Author and political science professor Amy Black joins the gang for a rousing discussion - this week on the podcast!

Direct download: Podcast_EP214_Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:17pm CST

Bibles have changed radically in the last 200 years as publishers have added more and more features and launched countless variations. But is this a good thing? Author Glenn Paauw believes our modernistic changes have radically altered the way we engage with Scripture, and not for the better. It's a fascinating conversation inspired by his new book, Saving the Bible From Ourselves

Direct download: Podcast_EP213_Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:49pm CST

Democrats are talking about God and faith at their convention while the Republican candidate neglects the almighty in his acceptance speech and says absolutely nothing about abortion. What bizarro universe is this?? Plus, tips for surviving the election season, and listener questions for Skye about the nature of church. Today on the podcast!

Direct download: Podcast_EP212_Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:55pm CST

Do churches put too little emphasis on what we actually do 9-5? Phil and Skye broadcast from a lodge at beautiful Lake Okoboji in northwest Iowa in front of a crowd of Iowan pastors! They’re joined by Kansas City pastor Tom Nelson, author of Work Matters, for a far-ranging discussion on the Godly call of all work and the damage done by a false sacred/secular divide and the separation of Sunday morning from Monday morning. This week on the podcast!

Direct download: Podcast_211_Mixdown_1_01.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:26pm CST

Author, speaker and wonderfully-named Christian thinker Preston Sprinkle joins the crew to continue the conversation about what the New Testament does and doesn’t say about Hell. Plus we discuss Preston’s new book on discipleship in the church and a poll showing stark differences in views of our presidential candidates between white and black Christians in America. Another fun week on the podcast!

Direct download: Podcast_EP210_Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:32pm CST

Alcohol and the church - now that hipster evangelicals have left teetotaling behind, is alcohol a growing risk for evangelical leaders? Plus Andy Crouch says “the culture” doesn’t actually exist. And Katelyn Beaty tells us about her new book, “A Woman’s Place.” Skye asks if it’s a cookbook. Katelyn hits him on the head. This week on the podcast!

Direct download: Podcast_EP209_Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:12pm CST

What’s Hell? No, seriously - what is it and why doesn’t it show up in the Old Testament? Is it different than Hades? Sheol? Gehenna? OT scholar Dr. John Walton is back to talk about everyone’s favorite place of eternal torment. This week on the podcast!

Direct download: Podcast_EP208_Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:31pm CST

Phil and the gang are out on vacation, so we’re repeating a classic episode. A discussion with Old Testament scholar and friend of the show Dr. John Walton about his book – “The Lost World of Adam and Eve.” Were Adam and Eve real people? Were they created immortal? And what’s with that crazy “No really – God made you from my rib” story? Worth a second listen! 

Direct download: Podcast_EP146_Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:12pm CST

No one seems to agree on anything anymore in America. Law professor and author John Inazu joins Phil and Skye to talk about living Christianly in a pluralistic society, and his new book, “Confident Pluralism.

Direct download: Podcast_EP207_Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am CST

There are more refugees in the world now than at any other time in history. World Relief’s Matthew Soerens joins us to talk about the crisis, the politics, and what we as the church can do about it.

Direct download: Podcast_EP206_Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:24pm CST

Devotions! The kind you might have in the morning! Or not. Phil, Skye and Christian talk about daily devotions - what they do, what works for them, what might work for you, too. Also, Mel Gibson is back, Baptists forget who they are, and adult baby diapers. Not adult diapers. Baby diapers. For adults. Yeah, we don’t get it either.

Direct download: Podcast_EP205_Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:32pm CST

Gorillas in Cincinnati! Atheists Find God! Christian music is relentlessly happy! Katelyn Beatty joins the podcast to talk through apes, atheists, and much, much more.

Direct download: Podcast_EP204Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:38pm CST

Phil and Skye are rejoined by old friend Drew Dyck for a lively discussion on the latest twists in the bathroom wars; whether or not American democracy is collapsing, and cheese. Yes, that’s right. Cheese. This week on the podcast!

Direct download: PVPodcast203Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:21pm CST

Documentary Filmmaker Nathan Clarke joins the gang to talk about producing his short film “Bono and Eugene Peterson: The Psalms,” a beautifully shot account of the unlikely friendship between the 83 year-old Christian author and the U2 frontman.

Direct download: Podcast_EP202.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:12pm CST

Russell Moore is President of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention (I’m tired just from typing that) and - as of last week - a new “Enemy-of-the-Trump.” Phil and Skye talk to Dr. Moore about religious liberty and the thrill of being attacked by the Great Orange One on Twitter!

Direct download: Podcast201Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:41pm CST

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!

Direct download: PV_PODCAST_200_AUDIO.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:10pm CST

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!

Direct download: Podcast_EP199_Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:15pm CST

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!

Direct download: Podcast198_Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:26pm CST

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!

Direct download: Podcast_EP197_Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:35pm CST

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!

Direct download: Podcast_EP196_audio01.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:45pm CST

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.

Direct download: Podcast_EP195_Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:39pm CST

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!

Direct download: PV_Podcast_194_Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:48pm CST

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!

Direct download: Podcast_EP193_Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:07pm CST

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!

Direct download: Podcast_EP192_Audio_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:59pm CST

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.

Direct download: Podcast_EP191_Audio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:56pm CST

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.

Direct download: Podcast_EP190_Audio_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:36pm CST

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.

Direct download: PV_Podcast_EP189.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:25am CST

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!

Direct download: PV_Podcast_EP188.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:42pm CST

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)

Direct download: PV_Podcast_EP187.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:32am CST

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)

Direct download: PV_Podcast_EP186.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:44am CST

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)

Direct download: PV_Podcast_EP185.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:27am CST

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)

Direct download: PV_Podcast_EP184.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:11am CST

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!

Direct download: PV_Podcast_EP183.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:05am CST

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