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!

It’s the most thought-provoking big budget film in a long, long time. Is it religious? Is it anti-religious? And why did one Christian blogger call it his new favorite Christmas movie? It’s Interstellar - Christopher Nolan’s $150 million musing on the nature of life, the universe and everything! (Note: This podcast does contain spoilers.)

Skye's back! We hear about his travels, plus open the mailbag and answer a bunch of questions from YOU!

David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group and America’s foremost Christian pollster, joins Phil and Drew Dyck to talk about his new book Churchless: Understanding Today's Unchurched and How to Connect With Them.

Seth Cohen is a Christian educator who has run schools in inner-city Philadelphia and the Dominican Republic. He’s also a life-long friend of Christian Taylor! So Phil and Christian sit down with Seth to talk about his adventures in teaching kids, running schools, and following God.

Christians are supposed to be big fans of modern-day Israel, right? New Testament scholar Dr. Gary Burge joins Phil and Christian to discuss his thought-provoking and more-than-a-little-bit controversial book, Whose Land? Whose Promise? What Christians Are Not Being Told About Israel and the Palestinians. In the words of our friend Justin Brierley, “It’s sure to be a sparky one!!”

Is religion inherently violent? Will video games in the future only make us angrier? Can evangelicals train lawyers in Canada? And why would six people go to Hawaii to spend 8 months in a plastic bubble? (The answer has something to do with Mars.) All this and more on the podcast this week!

The state of Kentucky is messing with Ken Ham's ark, and Berkeley students are messing with Bill Maher's commencement speech. Plus Malaysia bans Halloween for being (wait for it) TOO CHRISTIAN! And some final thoughts about the cautionary tale that is Mark Driscoll.

An atheist calls Phil's work "contemptible" and then doesn't want to talk about it, then a Malaysian man in hot water for encouraging Muslims to pet puppies inspires a deeper conversation about legalism and the world's second most popular religion. It's sure to be a bumpy ride on the podcast this week...

A bad week for Mark Driscoll. Hillsong Church doesn't want to talk about gays. Friend of the show John Dickson threatens to eat his Bible, and theologian Peter Enns wants us to take it less literally. Or seriously. Or something. On the podcast this week!

Old Testament scholar and friend of the show John Walton wrote the book (well, 450 page commentary) on everyone's favorite book of the Bible, Job! What? It's not your favorite book? Well maybe it deserves a deeper look! Plus a report from the Department of How NOT to Share Your Faith.

Ben Affleck takes on Bill Maher, Harry Potter converts to Christianity, and Frank Schaeffer (son of Francis) takes on Christianity Today editors whilst arguing for a new "atheistic" Christianity. It's crazy, kooky fun on the podcast! (And not a single butt joke.)

It's been an interesting week for Bob and Larry in veggie-land, inspiring Phil to tell the whole story of how he and his characters parted ways, and the many attempts made over the last decade to bring them back together. It's a story we guarantee you've never heard before!

Journalist/blogger Camerin Courtney joins Phil and Skye on the podcast to talk about men behaving badly in the NFL and on college campuses, plus an app that brings levitical atonement to a smartphone near you!

The NFL is having a bad week, no more Dalai Lamas, and Bill Maher goes on a pro-Christian rant?!? Truly the end of western civilization is at our door!

Why is British PM David Cameron on a search for "British values?" What does neuroscience have to do with discipleship? And why is "chunking" Skye's new favorite word? All that - plus "fatal buttocks injections" - on this week's podcast!

It's been a year since Miley Cyrus made "twerking" a part of awkward dinner conversations everywhere, and Phil forced himself to watch the VMA Awards to see what the kids are up to this year. Plus, does religion actually hurt marriages? Say it ain't so, Joe! This week on the podcast!

Phil has some thoughts about Robin Williams, plus the gang covers news stories suggested by listeners and responds to listener mail about the Mark Driscoll/Michael Gungor brouhaha!

Pastors go wild and singer/songwriters go theologically off the rails. Or do they? The strange cases of Mark Driscoll and Michael Gungor, and what they tell us about the state of evangelicalism. Drew Dyck joins Phil and Skye for the conversation!

Recorded in front of a very enthusiastic audience at the Okoboji Bible Conference in Arnolds Park, Iowa, this special episode tells the story of Phil's great grandpa and the founding of the conference with Phil's mom Scottie May, plus president of the Christian & Missionary Alliance (Phil & Skye's denomination) John Stumbo tells his incredible story and talks about the future of denominations.

Should Christian films be free? Should we ignore all scientists? Do religious children lose their ability to sort fact from fiction? And why is our favorite Satanist jumping on the Hobby Lobby bandwagon? This week on the podcast! (This episode was edited to remove a story that was later shown to be untrue.)

Phil breaks down and says the word "Kardashian," girls at Comic-Con say "no touchy!" and an account of one woman's journey from Charismatic Catholicism to atheism to...?  It's another fun week on the Phil Vischer Podcast!

NASA is just dying to find aliens, a Texas pastor dies for a cause, recent polls tell us we're more liberal than Jesus, and Jews are surprisingly cool in America! 

Oprah as God? Gay hamburgers?? The Earth's magnetic poles reversing??? SURELY the end of western civilization is upon us at last!!

It's Hobby Lobby day! What's it all mean? All good?? Mostly good?? And would you rather sit with your own thoughts, or give yourself an electric shock? If you'd prefer the shock, it turns out you're not alone! This week on the podcast!

Pastors talk fashion while Rome burns... Pat Robertson says, "No tattoos for you!" Even liberals don't want their kids marrying atheists, HBO has fun with the Rapture, and Neil DeGrasse Tyson says religion is killing science. Again. It's another wild week on the podcast!

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 his
denomination 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!

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!