James Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, died this week. Critics are saying Dobson was the “godfather of child abuse,” while his fans are saying he belongs on the Mount Rushmore of evangelicalism. Who’s right? Phil, Skye, and Mike Erre discuss Dobson’s legacy and why the controversial conservative is secretly responsible for the creation of VeggieTales. Rising political social media star and Texas state representative, James Talarico, joins Skye to talk about his faith and what makes his frequent references to Christianity in his progressive politics different from the approach of Christian nationalists. Also this week—Cracker Barrel apologizes for changing its logo after being accused of stripping away America’s heritage and culture.

 

Holy Post Plus:

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0:00 - Show Starts

 

2:03 - Theme Song

 

2:09 - Sponsor - Brooklyn Bedding - Brooklyn Bedding is offering up to 25% off sitewide for our listeners! Go to https://www.brooklynbedding.com/HOLYPOST

 

3:18 - Sponsor - Rocket Money - Find and cancel your old subscriptions with Rocket Money at https://www.rocketmoney.com/HOLYPOST

 

4:48 - Cracker Barrel Logo Gone Woke?

 

23:36 - James Dobson Passed Away

 

38:45 - No Dobson Means No Veggietales?

 

55:32 - Sponsor - BetterHelp - This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/HOLYPOST and get 10% off your first month!

 

56:30 - Sponsor - Sundays Dog Food - Get 40% off your first order of Sundays. Go to https://www.SundaysForDogs.com/HOLYPOST or use code HOLYPOST at checkout.

 

57:36 - Interview

 

1:01:15 - Telerico’s Faith Background

 

1:09:54 - Does the Democratic Party Align with Christianity?

 

1:20:37 - Flipping Tables

 

1:28:25 - Christianity and Welcoming the Stranger

 

1:35:30 - End Credits

 

Links from News Segment:

Cracker Barrel logo change!

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/26/cracker-barrel-logo-apology

 

Dobson’s Passing:

https://www.christianpost.com/voices/jim-dobson-a-giant-of-the-faith.html

 

Other Resources:

Holy Post website: https://www.holypost.com/

 

Holy Post Plus: www.holypost.com/plus

 

Holy Post Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/holypost

 

Holy Post Merch Store: https://www.holypost.com/shop

 

The Holy Post is supported by our listeners. We may earn affiliate commissions through links listed here. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

 

New data shows the nations with the highest standards of living are seeing the sharpest declines in wellbeing, while people in poorer countries are reporting more happiness. What’s going on? David Brooks’ recent article looked at data from 142 countries, and he concludes that spirituality and social connection, not just wealth, are critical to human flourishing. In related news, since legalizing euthanasia in 2016 and expanding access to it, Canada has seen an alarming trend. Then, it’s been 100 years since the Scopes Monkey Trial. Phil talks to Chris Staron, creator of the Truce podcast, about what really happened at the trial and how fictional retellings of the event are still impacting American culture. Also this week—a fox with a footwear fetish.

 

Ad-Free Version of this Episode

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0:00 - Show Starts

 

2:03 - Theme Song

 

2:26- Sponsor - AG1 - Get the AG1 welcome kit worth $76 for FREE when you order from https://www.drinkag1.com/HOLYPOST

 

3:52 - Sponsor - Rocket Money - Find and cancel your old subscriptions with Rocket Money at https://www.rocketmoney.com/HOLYPOST

 

5:00 - French Friday Theme Played for Chris Christie?

 

6:48 - Foxes Swiping Shoes?

 

13:15 - Why Are We So Hopeless?

 

30:40 - Canada is killing itself

 

48:08 - Sponsor - Glorify - Sign up for the #1 Christian Daily Devotional App to help you stay focused on God. Go to https://glorify-app.com/en/HOLYPOST to download the app today!

 

49:25 - Sponsor - Policy Genius - Secure your family’s tomorrow so you have peace of mind today. Go to https://www.policygenius.com/HOLYPOST to find the right life insurance for you

 

50:24 - Sponsor - World Relief - Nearly half of all refugee children won’t attend school this year. Learn about how you can partner monthly with World Relief to provide safety, stability and hope for children and families in crisis at https://www.worldrelief.org/holypost

 

52:00 - Interview - Listen to Chris Staron’s Truce Podcast episode on the Scopes Monkey Trials! https://trucepodcast.com/the-scopes-monkey-trial-dayton-tennessee-william-jennings-bryan-clarence-darrow/

 

54:00 - Scopes Monkey Trials—Who Cares?

 

1:10:16 - How We Misremembered

 

1:18:27 - What’d the Trails Change?

 

1:28:46 - End Credits

 

Links from News Segment:

Foxes Swiping Shoes!

https://www.backpacker.com/news-and-events/news/fox-shoe-theft-grand-teton/

 

Why More People in the World Are Feeling Hopeful by Arthur Brooks:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/07/opinion/happiness-community-wealth.html

 

Less Religion, less babies!

https://www.newsweek.com/less-religion-less-babies-declining-birth-rate-2110254

 

Canada is Killing Itself:

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/09/canada-euthanasia-demand-maid-policy/683562/

Other Resources:

Holy Post website: https://www.holypost.com/

 

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The Holy Post is supported by our listeners. We may earn affiliate commissions through links listed here. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

 

The Holy Post crew is suspicious of a new study that finds MAGA supporters score higher in  authoritarianism, social dominance, and malevolent personality traits, while liberals score higher in compassion and empathy. Church planter, Brad Edwards, says many of us hold beliefs, language, and values that sabotage our ability to benefit from participation in a church. He talks to Kaitlyn about his new book, “The Reason for Church,” and why our anti-institutional instincts are self-defeating. Also this week, the Secretary of Defense reposted comments from his pastor that women shouldn’t be allowed to vote. The Catholic Church says ICE detainees are being denied their religious rights. And robo-bunnies of death.

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0:00 - Show Starts

 

3:25 - Theme Song Updated!

 

3:48 - Sponsor - Poncho - If you’ve been looking for the perfect shirt—something breathable, fits great, feels even better, and stands out in a good way—give Poncho a try. Get $10 off your first order by using this link: https://www.ponchooutdoors.com/holypost

 

5:27 - Sponsor - AG1 - Heavily researched, thoroughly purity-tested, and filled with stuff you need. Go to https://www.drinkag1.com/HOLYPOST

 

7:06 - Okoboji!

 

12:53 - Robo-Rabbits vs Snakes!

 

18:53 - Hegseth Opposes Women’s Suffrage?

 

22:42 - Priests Alligator Alcatraz

 

28:22 - Conservative/Liberal Empathy Study

 

48:50 - Sponsor - BetterHelp - This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/HOLYPOST and get 10% off your first month

 

50:00 - Sponsor - Our Place - Go to https://www.fromourplace.com and use code HOLYPOST to get 10% off site wide on beautiful cookware!

 

51:11 - Interview - The Reason for Church: Why the Body of Christ Still Matters in an Age of Anxiety, Division, and Radical Individualism by Brad Edwards: https://amzn.to/45y9zNz

 

53:48 - Where’s the Church at?

 

1:01:33 - Institution vs Therapy Speak

 

1:14:00 - Compassion as Moral Framework

 

1:26:15 - End Credits

 

Links from News Segment:

Robot Bunnies in Florida:

https://www.popsci.com/environment/robot-bunnies-florida-invasive-pythons/

 

Priests going to Alligator Alcatraz:

https://religionnews.com/2025/08/07/archbishops-win-at-alligator-alcatraz-exposes-gop-religious-freedom-hypocrisy/

 

Women’s Suffrage in question?

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/pete-hegseth-shares-video-about-ending?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2FTheBulwark

 

Conservative vs Liberal Empathy Study:

https://scottbarrykaufman.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Neumann-Ngo-2025-Malevolent-vs.-benevolent-dispositions-and-conservative-political-ideology-in-the-Trump-era.pdf

Other Resources:

Holy Post website: https://www.holypost.com/

 

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The Holy Post is supported by our listeners. We may earn affiliate commissions through links listed here. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

 

 A whites-only community has launched in Arkansas under the legal guise of a “private membership association.” The founders claim it’s about preserving culture, but Skye and Phil aren’t buying it. Then, Brent Leatherwood, head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s public policy arm, has resigned after years of pressure from hardline conservatives. What does his departure reveal about the denomination’s political realignment? And, this week’s guest is Brandon O’Brien, author of The Strategically Small Church. As American Christianity grapples with shrinking attendance and fading influence, O’Brien offers a compelling vision for why small congregations might be not just inevitable, but essential. Also Phil learns way too much about penguin poop.

 

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0:00 - Show Starts

 

3:30 - Theme Song

 

3:50 - Sponsor - Sundays Dog Food - Get 40% off your first order of Sundays. Go to https://www.SundaysForDogs.com/HOLYPOST or use code HOLYPOST at checkout.

 

4:45 - Sponsor - Hiya Health - Go to https://www.hiyahealth.com/HOLYPOST to receive 50% off your first order

 

6:15 - Penguin Poop Saves the World?

 

15:50 - Whites-Only Community in Arkansas?

 

28:47 - SBC Commission President Steps Down!

 

43:48 - Sponsor - Blueland - Get up to 25% off your first order by going to https://www.Blueland.com/HOLYPOST

 

44:55 - Sponsor - BetterHelp - This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/HOLYPOST and get 10% off your first month

 

46:05 - Sponsor - Church at the Crossroads - How should churches respond to the crisis in Gaza? Join a conference to break the silence. Go to https://www.churchatthecrossroads.com and use code HOLYPOST for 20% off!

 

47:21 - Interview

 

51:09 - Appetite for Small Churches?

 

59:00 - Beholden to Budget

 

1:09:15 - Unanxious

 

1:20:46 - End Credits

 

Links from News Segment:

All White Community in Arkansas:

https://news.sky.com/story/inside-the-whites-only-settlement-in-arkansas-the-group-building-a-fortress-for-the-white-race-13399875

 

Brent Leatherwood Steps Down: 

https://www.christianitytoday.com/2025/07/erlc-brent-leatherwood-resign-sbc-southern-baptist-politics/

 

Other Resources:

The Strategically Small Church: Intimate, Authentic, and Effective by Brandon J. O’Brien: https://a.co/d/fgdjXcQ

 

Holy Post website: https://www.holypost.com/

 

Holy Post Plus: www.holypost.com/plus

 

Holy Post Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/holypost

 

Holy Post Merch Store: https://www.holypost.com/shop

 

The Holy Post is supported by our listeners. We may earn affiliate commissions through links listed here. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.