More Americans have been killed by Covid-19 in two months than were killed in the Vietnam War in 20 years. Some Christians are responding to these uncertain times with familiar platitudes—none more popular than, “God is in control.” But is he? Mike Erre is back to talk about the tension in Scripture between God’s sovereignty and human free will. Also this week: What’s so special about lama blood? Churchgoers attempting to conduct a drive-in service get ticketed. A conspiracy theory growing among Christians says Dr. Fauci planned the pandemic in league with the antichrist. Has gullibility now become a Christian virtue? Skye shares his family’s quarantine rules, and Phil thinks bathing is overrated.

Episode 403: Is God in Control or Not? with Mike Erre

Join VeggieTales and What's in the Bible? creator Phil Vischer and co-host Skye Jethani (author, speaker, pastor) for a fast-paced and often funny conversation about pop culture, media, theology, and the fun, fun, fun of living a thoughtful Christian life in an increasingly post-Christian culture.

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Phil is back! He gives an update about his family’s harrowing medical emergency. Then, new data shows the Democratic Party’s grip on Black Christians may be slipping. Esau McCaulley shares his take on the reason. Nancy French talks with Skye about the themes in her new memoir, “Ghosted,” including church sexual abuse, political tribalism, trauma, and her miraculous experiences with God. Also this week—another book ban backfires, and defensive driving Florida style.   Holy Post Plus Getting Schooled - Christian Presidents https://www.patreon.com/posts/103818968/   0:00 - Intro   1:38 - Show Starts   3:10 - Theme Song   3:32 - Sponsor - AG1 - Heavily researched, thoroughly purity-tested, and filled with stuff you need. Go to https://www.athleticgreens.com/HOLYPOST   4:52 - Sponsor - Sundays Dog Food - Get 35% off your first order of Sundays. Go to www.SundaysForDogs.com/HOLYPOST or use code HOLYPOST at checkout.   6:04 - Phil Explains the Medical Emergency   15:52 - The Surgery   24:25 - Esau’s Childhood Stomach Surgery   26:50 - Florida Man Rescues Friend from Alligator   28:14 - Florida Man Tries to Ban Bible from Schools   35:06 - Have Democrats Lost the Black Church?   49:03 - Esau’s Dream Proposal   52:31 - Sponsor - Faithful Counseling - Get 10% off your first month at  www.betterhelp.com/HOLYPOST   53:28 - Interview   55:10 - Charismatic Experiences   59:18 - How Did the Frenches Not End Up in MAGA?   1:03:48 - What Radicalized the Republican Voter Base?   1:08:25 - Where There Signs 20 Years Ago That Radicalization Was Coming?    1:11:30 - Pro-Life Republicans Changing Their Stances?   1:22:20 - What’s the Future for the GOP?   1:33:58 - End Credits   Links Mentioned in the News Segment: Man Runs Over Alligator with Truck to Save Neighbor from Attack  https://people.com/man-runs-over-alligator-with-truck-to-save-neighbor-from-attack-8637962#:~:text=A%20Florida%20man%20ran%20over,a%20pond%20in%20Collier%20County.   Florida Atheist Uses State’s New Book Banning Law to Object to the Bible  https://www.huffpost.com/entry/chaz-stevens-bible-ban_n_6268e98ee4b0ea625c0e2b58   Have Democrats Lost the Black Church?  https://religionunplugged.com/news/2024/4/15/have-the-democrats-lost-the-black-church   Other resources:   Ghosted: an American Story by Nancy French: https://a.co/d/hwzJItt   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.  

616: Black Church Politics & Messy Authenticity with Nancy French

Swifties are celebrating the record-breaking release of two new albums, but some conservative Christians are not happy. They’re accusing Taylor Swift of mocking Christianity and promoting witchcraft. Our resident Swiftie, Kaitlyn Schiess, explains the controversy. Then, former presidential speechwriter and contributor to The Atlantic, Pete Wehner, talks with Skye about the future of the Republican Party. Will the Trump spell ever break? Also this week—the end of America’s monoculture, and how dumb were dinosaurs?   00 - Intro 1:03 - Show Starts 2:15 - Theme Song 2:35 - Sponsor - Wheaton Graduate School - Learn in a rich, rigorous Christian environment - www.wheaton.edu/holypost 3:36 - Sponsor - The Pour Over - Subscribe for free to news that points to eternal hope - https://www.thepourover.org/holy-post 4:50 - Update on Phil 6:08 - Dinosaurs—Were They Smart? 13:00 - Is Taylor Swift Mocking Christians? 15:12 - Taylor Swift’s Bohemian Mishmash 18:12 - Artistic vs Political Usage of Biblical Language 23:13 - Taylor Swift and Kids 23:23 - Children and Public Spaces 31:02 - Portrayal vs Endorsement 35:18 - Everything is a Cult Now and 20th Century Communication Technology 40:17 - What Even is Mainstream? 44:27 - Labels and the Good Samaritan 50:14 - Choice and Community 55:43 - Sponsor - Faithful Counseling - Get 10% off your first month at  www.betterhelp.com/HOLYPOST 56:42 -  Sponsor -  Go to https://www.songfinch.com/HOLYPOST and start your song – after you purchase, you’ll be prompted to add Spotify Streaming for your original song for FREE! That’s a $50 value! 58:13 - Interview 1:03:48 - What Radicalized the Republican Voter Base? 1:08:25 - Where There Signs 20 Years Ago That Radicalization Was Coming?  1:11:30 - Pro-Life Republicans Changing Their Stances? 1:22:20 - What’s the Future for the GOP? 1:33:58 - End Credits   Links Mentioned in the News Segment:   T. Rex Was Probably About As Intelligent as a Crocodile https://www.popsci.com/science/t-rex-intelligence/   Taylor Swift’s Religious Imagery for a Spiritually Syncretic Era  https://religionnews.com/2024/04/23/taylor-swifts-ttpd-religious-imagery-for-a-spiritually-syncretic-era/   Taylor Swift Mocks Christianity in Her New Album  https://www.movieguide.org/news-articles/taylor-swift-mocks-christianity-in-her-new-album.html   Everything’s a Cult Now  https://www.vox.com/the-gray-area/24133960/america-cult-internet-culture-end-monoculture-communication-tribalism#:~:text=Writer%20Derek%20Thompson%20on%20how,we're%20never%20going%20back.&text;=The%20internet%20has%20fractured%20our,and%20habits%20of%20everyone%20online.   Other resources: The Death of Politics: How to Heal Our Frayed Republic After Trump: https://a.co/d/2ute7Ua   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.

615: Taylor Swift’s Sacrilege & the Future of the Republican Party with Peter Wehner

The war in Gaza has carried on for longer than expected, and David French is starting to see parallels between Israel and the US military in the Iraq War—he thinks Israel could learn from what went wrong in Iraq. Then, David and Skye discuss the student protests and how universities are handling them—what’s civil disobedience and what’s lawlessness when it comes to protest?   0:00 - Theme Song   0:17 - Episode Starts   1:40 - America’s Mistake in Iraq   10:42 - Counter insurgency’s Importance   16:10 - Sponsor - AG1 - Heavily researched, thoroughly purity-tested, and filled with stuff you need. Go to https://www.athleticgreens.com/HOLYPOST   17:08 - Israel’s Place on the World Stage   21:08 - What Are Israel’s Goals?   30:22 - Sponsor - Fabric by Gerber Life - Join the thousands of parents who trust Fabric to protect their family. Apply today in just minutes at www.meetfabric.com/HOLYPOST   31:30 - Are the Pro-Palestine Protests Free Speech?   43:32 - What the Administrations Are Faced With   51:08 - Gaza Protests Vs. January 6th   1:02:00 - End Credits   Links Mentioned in Episode Israel is Making the Same Mistake America Made in Iraq  https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/07/opinion/israel-iraq-gaza-civilians.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.  

French Friday: Israel’s Error and College Protests

Previously puritanical evangelicals are increasingly embracing profanity and lewd content. A recent New York Times article explores possible explanations ranging from politics and the culture wars, to the internet and the decline of churches. Also, fewer people are reading books, and that’s a challenge for Christian traditions rooted in literacy, education, and the Bible. How do we make disciples in a post-literate culture? Then, more people are comparing our divisive culture to America just before the Civil War. Are we heading toward a national divorce—or worse? Historian Tracy McKenzie is back to share lessons and warnings from 19th century America. Plus, new developments as the turducken turns.   0:00 - Sponsor - Richmont Graduate University - Join a Christian mental health counseling program! Use referral code HOLYPOST at checkout to skip the application fee. Go to https://www.richmont.edu/ 0:37 - Intro 1:56 - Show Starts 3:10 - Theme Song 3:31- Sponsor - Hiya Health - Go to www.hiyahealth.com/HOLYPOST to receive 50% off your first order 4:36 - Stronger Men’s Conference Story Continued 14:46 - Raunchy Christians 23:23 - Children and Public Spaces 33:00 - Literacy and Discipleship 35:38 - Hearing vs. Reading the Bible 42:23 - Can Churches be the Antidote for a Lonely, Digital World? 51:13 - Integrating Technology and Scripture 55:17 - Sponsor - World Relief - Visit https://worldrelief.org/holypost/ to download your family refugee guide and learn more about the Path Community 56:03 - Sponsor - Faithful Counseling - Get 10% off your first month at  www.betterhelp.com/HOLYPOST 57:03 - Interview 59:03 - Can We Compare Today and 1850? 1:03:21 - How Has Media Affected Current Politics? 1:15:16 - The Role of Conspiracy Theories 1:24:42 - Why Were We More Unified in the Past? 1:35:00 - End Credits   Links Mentioned in the News Segment: John Lindell and Mark Driscoll  https://julieroys.com/john-lindell-apologizes-for-inviting-driscoll-and-sword-swallower-to-stronger-mens-conference/   Biblical Literacy in a Postliterate Age  https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2024/april-web-only/biblical-literacy-in-postliterate-age-reading-video.html   The Raunchy Christians Are Here  https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/17/us/evangelicals-christians-conservative-trump.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.  

614: The Rise of Raunchy Christians & Avoiding Civil War with Tracy McKenzie

Atheist Richard Dawkins has said he doesn’t believe one word of the Christian faith, but he now considers himself a “cultural Christian” and wants to defend the Christian values of his country against the influence of Islam and immigrants. Does this represent an alignment between the New Atheists and Christian Nationalists? Curtis Chang shares about “The After Party”—the new curriculum he’s developed with David French and Russel Moore to help Christians focus on hope and humility rather than partisanship. Also this week, Mark Driscoll gets booted from a men’s conference. And another infraction by a Florida man with a Bible.   Holy Post Plus Getting Schooled - Mariah W. Stewart https://www.patreon.com/posts/100430727/   0:00 - Intro   1:02 - Show Starts   3:02 - Theme Song   3:23 - Sponsor - Sundays Dog Food - Get 35% off your first order of Sundays. Go to www.SundaysForDogs.com/HOLYPOST or use code HOLYPOST at checkout.   4:35 - Florida Man Scales Tower with Bible   12:00 - Mark Driscoll Kicked Off Stage After Calling Sword-Swallower a “Jezebel Spirit”   22:35 - Richard Dawkins, the “Cultural Christian”   36:40 - Dusty Deavers, the Country Singin’ Senator   46:06 - Pray for the Middle East   50:46 - Sponsor - Blueland - Get 15% off your first order by going to https://www.blueland.com/HOLYPOST   51:54  - Sponsor - Hatch - Form better bedtime habits today with Hatch—$20 off and free shipping when you order the Restore at www.hatch.co/holypost   52:55 - Interview   1:04:34 - The “What” vs the “How”   1:16:26 - Four Quadrant of Political Engagement   1:27:19 - End Credits    Links Mentioned in the News Segment: Florida Man Climbs Cell Phone Tower  https://www.newsweek.com/florida-miami-man-climbs-cell-phone-tower-disconnects-power-live-video-1886494   Sword-Swallower on a Pole and Mark Driscoll https://www.newsweek.com/pastor-kicked-stage-strip-show-1890247   Richard Dawkins and Cultural Christianity  https://christianitytoday.com/ct/2024/april-web-only/new-atheism-destroy-christianity-richard-dawkins.html   Other resources:   The After Party: https://redeemingbabel.org/the-after-party/   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.  

Episode 403: Is God in Control or Not? with Mike Erre

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