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.

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!

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.

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!!

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??

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!

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!

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!!

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!

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.

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."

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!

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!

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!

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!

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.

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!

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!

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. 

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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! 

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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!

"You say you want a Reformation ... " Is Islam in need of a reformation? Or is that exactly what is happening right now? How is ISIS similar to the Protestant Reformation? Plus listener questions!

Do robots need Jesus? Does Tennessee like the Bible a little TOO much? And more thoughts about wedding cakes and religious freedom!

Author/musician/entrepreneur John Thompson joins Phil and Skye to talk about his colorful history in Christian music, his new book Jesus, Bread & Chocolate and the artisanal movement and its impact on the church. 

Mayhem in Indiana! Gay rights and religious freedom and PIZZA! What’s it all mean?? Phil’s brother and legal expert Rob Vischer joins the gang to discuss the implications of a strange couple of weeks in the Hoosier state.

Old Testament scholar and friend of the show Dr. John Walton joins the gang to discuss his new 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? Sure to be a conversation starter!

Last week’s show received so much feedback that Phil and the gang dip into the mailbag to share and discuss some of your thoughts about the role of Christianity in America, and what the phrase “Christian nation” may or may not actually mean. Hang on for some fun as listeners drive the agenda this week!

Is there "magic" in the Bible? Plus, a new book suggests that "Christian America" is not just a modern idea, but a modern idea invented by corporate America! This week on the podcast!

Is the Bible A) as messed up as Newsweek says it is and B) responsible for the popularity of 50 Shades of Grey in middle America? Plus, Phil finds a popular movie very disturbing, but it isn't the one you think! 

Oscars, Islam, and listener comments with Drew Dyck joining Phil and Skye on this week's podcast!

Half of Protestant pastors say the Islamic State is “true Islam.” While Muslims are being killed by Christians in central Africa and atheists in North Carolina, Iceland says, “To heck with it all! We’re going back to worshipping Thor!” Plus, an audacious claim that lynchings in the South were “religious rituals” practiced by Christians. It’s a mad, mad, mad world…

What do the Dalai Lama and Skye Jethani have in common? They were both at the National Prayer Breakfast last week! Stories from the prayer breakfast, plus Katy Perry hears from God and Ken Ham won't be taking a cruise anytime soon. At least not a Carnival Cruise.

Super Bowl ads make men cry, subverted fairy tales annoy Phil, and “Christianophobia” is now a real term with a new book to back it up! Drew Dyck joins Phil and Skye to discuss manly stuff like football, moral relativism and puppies!

What exactly is an evangelical? What does it take to turn a Newsboy into an atheist? And why can't the Germans figure out how to pee?? This week on the podcast!

French websites hacked and comedians arrested! Muslim prayers at Duke University and no pigs at Oxford Press! It’s post-Charlie Hebdo madness, dear listeners! Plus, the gang responds to your mail… all on the podcast this week!

2015 is off to a questionable start as the Charlie Hebdo tragedy in Paris inspires much hand-wringing in the media (think Bill Maher) and a lively discussion on the podcast about secularism, its Christian roots, and its shaky future in an increasingly Muslim Europe.

Welcome to 2015! Skye, Christian and Phil are back talking about movies, worldviews and, you guessed it, the end of western civilization. Plus our friends at Barna Research give their top 10 trends of 2014!

It's Christmas! Check out the new fun ways our atheist and satanist friends are celebrating Jesus's birth this year! Then Phil and Skye are joined by guest Theon Hill to discuss the church's role in addressing systemic racism in a post-Ferguson America. Atheists and Satanists and racists! Oh my!