This week, we’re sharing a conversation originally recorded for Preston Sprinkle’s podcast, Theology in the Raw. It’s a wide-ranging, thoughtful dialogue that digs into political theology, Christian nationalism, just war theory, technology, and the deeper question underneath it all:

What kind of people are we becoming?

Lee joins Preston for an honest and at times searching conversation about the pressures facing the church in our current political and technological moment.

Key Themes:

Christian Nationalism — Then and Now

Why Christian nationalism is not just a “right-wing” problem

The surprising history of progressive Christian nationalism (Woodrow Wilson and World War I)

How allegiance to a nation can distort allegiance to Christ

The church’s temptation to baptize political power

Recovering Forgotten Christian Traditions

The pacifist roots of the Stone-Campbell movement

How World War I reshaped American Christianity

Why most Christians have never actually been taught the Just War tradition

The difference between claiming Just War and being morally formed by it

Violence, War, and Christian Witness

Why the Just War tradition is far more rigorous than most assume

The danger of defaulting to state power without serious moral discernment

What it might mean to “bear witness to the way of Christ” in a violent world

Why the church’s formation matters more than hypothetical “what would you do?” scenarios

Social Media, Anger, and the Business Model of Outrage

How the ad-revenue model rewards anger

Why social platforms amplify division by design

The spiritual consequences of living online

Why disengaging can sometimes be an act of wisdom

Technology, AI, and Moral Formation

Drawing on Jacques Ellul’s concept of “technique”

Why the real question isn’t whether technology is a tool

The deeper question: What kind of character is being formed in us?

Why Christians need to think more seriously about AI and moral responsibility

A Life Without a Cell Phone

Why Lee hasn’t owned a cell phone in eight years

The “serenity tax” of opting out

Anxiety, distraction, and what it means to be present

The difference between using technology and being shaped by it

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