Protests escalate in Iran, growing from frustrations about the country's economy to more general anger over the country’s authoritarian government. Last week, an ICE agent in Minnesota shot and killed US citizen Renee Nicole Good. And, deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller says power is the primary currency in the real world. Mike Cosper and Clarissa Moll discuss these headlines, and Mike sits down with Brad Edwards, CT’s Book of the Year winner, to talk about why the church matters. 

REFERENCED IN THE SHOW: 

-The Reason for Church - Brad Edwards

GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: 

-Join the conversation at our Substack. 

-Find us on YouTube. 

-Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. 

ABOUT THE GUESTS: 

Brad Edwards is the lead pastor and church planter of The Table Church in Lafayette, Colorado. He is a regular contributor to Mere Orthodoxy and The Gospel Coalition, and he cohosts the podcast PostEverything. He is Christianity Today’s 2025 Book of the Year winner for his book The Reason for Church.

ABOUT THE BULLETIN: 

The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor-at-large and columnist) and Mike Cosper (senior contributor). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. 

The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. 

“The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today 

Producer: Clarissa Moll 

Associate Producer: Alexa Burke 

Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris

Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs

Music: Dan Phelps 

Executive Producer: Erik Petrik 

Senior Producer: Matt Stevens

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The world grapples with the US’s capture of Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro. The Hudson Institute’s Michael Sobolik joins the show to discuss how China, Russia, Iran, Cuba, and others might respond. January marks the one year anniversary of California’s devastating Altadena and Pacific Palisades fires. CT’s Mia Staub shares about her reporting on churches whose buildings burned down and have not been rebuilt. Finally, many say revival is happening in America, but it doesn’t seem to be showing up in our churches or in research data. Michael McClymond from Saint Louis University joins Russell Moore, Mike Cosper, and Clarissa Moll to talk about the history of revivals, and whether it’s something we can predict.   

REFERENCED IN THE EPISODES:

-⁠A House of Worship Without a Home⁠ - Mia Staub

-Religion Holds Steady in America - Pew Research Center

ABOUT THE GUESTS: 

Michael Sobolik is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute. He is the author of Countering China’s Great Game: A Strategy for American Dominance. His commentary has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, and Reuters, among others. He has also appeared on Fox News, ABC, BBC, and other outlets.

Mia Staub is the senior editorial project manager at Christianity Today. She lives in Los Angeles, California, and is currently working toward a Master in Theology of Public Life and Justice with Princeton Theological Seminary.

Michael McClymond is a professor of modern Christianity at Saint Louis University. He is the author of The Devil’s Redemption: A New History and Interpretation of Christian Universalism and the editor of Encyclopedia of Religious Revivals in America.

GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: 

Join the conversation at our Substack. 

Find us on YouTube. 

Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. 

ABOUT THE BULLETIN: 

The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor-at-large and columnist) and Mike Cosper (senior contributor). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. 

The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. 

“The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today 

Producer: Clarissa Moll 

Associate Producer: Alexa Burke 

Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris

Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs

Music: Dan Phelps 

Executive Producer: Erik Petrik 

Senior Producer: Matt Stevens

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over the weekend, American special forces captured and extracted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. Attention shifts now toward New York where Maduro will appear in court for charges of drug trafficking and narcoterrorism. David French and Elizabeth Neumann join Mike Cosper and Clarissa Moll to discuss possible reasons for the capture, America’s history with executing regime change, and what could come next for the US and Venezuela. 

GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: 

-Join the conversation at our Substack. 

-Find us on YouTube. 

-Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. 

ABOUT THE GUEST: 

Elizabeth Neumann is a national security expert who has served across three presidential administrations: on the inaugural staff of the White House Homeland Security Council under President George W. Bush, as an advisor to the office of the director of national intelligence during the Obama Administration, and as the Department of Homeland Security’s deputy chief of staff and assistant secretary for counterterrorism and threat prevention in the first Trump administration. Neumann is also a national security contributor for ABC News.

David French is a columnist for The New York Times. He’s a former senior editor of The Dispatch and author of Divided We Fall: America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation.

ABOUT THE BULLETIN: 

The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor-at-large and columnist) and Mike Cosper (senior contributor). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. 

The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. 

“The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today 

Producer: Clarissa Moll 

Associate Producer: Alexa Burke 

Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris

Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs

Music: Dan Phelps 

Executive Producer: Erik Petrik 

Senior Producer: Matt Stevens

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Russell Moore, Mike Cosper, and Clarissa Moll gather at the end of the year to reflect on 2025’s top news stories–what mattered, what didn’t, and what thoughtful media engagement means for Christians. Together, they consider the influential rise of artificial intelligence, the merging of politics with the pulpit, and the timeless call of Jesus–“Do not be afraid”--that anchors Christian hearts in the truth, no matter what the news cycle brings.

GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: 

-Join the conversation at our Substack. 

-Find us on YouTube. 

-Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. 

ABOUT THE BULLETIN: 

The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor-at-large and columnist) and Mike Cosper (senior contributor). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. 

The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. 

“The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today 

Producer: Clarissa Moll 

Associate Producer: Alexa Burke 

Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris

Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs

Music: Dan Phelps 

Executive Producer: Erik Petrik 

Senior Producer: Matt Stevens

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Grab a loved one and gather round for a special reading of the Christmas story from your friends at CT Media podcasts. Music from The Porter’s Gate, poetry from Malcolm Guite, and more – shared by the voices you know and love from your favorite shows here at Christianity Today!

GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: 

-Join the conversation at our Substack. 

-Find us on YouTube. 

-Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. 

TODAY’S VOICES:

Russell Moore, Mike Cosper, and Clarissa Moll of The Bulletin.

Nicole Martin, president and CEO of Christianity Today.

David Zahl, Bulletin guest and author of The Big Relief: The Urgency of Grace for a Worn-Out World.

David French, Bulletin guest and New York Times columnist.

Sho Baraka, editorial director of CT’s Big Tent Initiative.

Steve Cuss of Being Human.

Jesse Eubanks and Faith Stults of Wonderology.

Music used with permission from the Porter’s Gate album, Advent Songs.

The poem “The Magi” is written by Malcom Guite, from his collection Sounding the Seasons: 70 Sonnets for the Christian Year (Canterbury Press).

ABOUT THE BULLETIN: 

The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor-at-large and columnist) and Mike Cosper (senior contributor). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. 

The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. 

“The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today 

Producer: Clarissa Moll 

Associate Producer: Alexa Burke 

Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris

Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs

Music: Dan Phelps 

Executive Producer: Erik Petrik 

Senior Producer: Matt Stevens

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As a mom of six, author Leslie Leyland Fields was shocked when she first heard the term “breeder” to describe mothers of large families. In this edition of Sunday Afternoon Reads, Leslie reads her piece “The Case for Kids,” which was published nearly twenty years ago as a cover story for Christianity Today, offered today with all new statistics for contemporary listeners. As the birth rate in the US has declined to a record low, Leslie’s words are more prescient than ever. 

READ THE WRITTEN VERSION:

-The Case for Kids - Leslie Leyland Fields

GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: 

-Join the conversation at our Substack. 

-Find us on YouTube. 

-Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. 

ABOUT THE GUESTS:  

Leslie Leyland Fields is a writer, speaker and professional editor who lives on Kodiak Island, Alaska in the winter and Harvester Island in the summer, where she works in commercial salmon fishing with her family. She co-hosts “Off the Shelf” on KMXT Public Radio and is the author of Parenting Is Your Highest Calling, Surprise Child, and other books.

ABOUT THE BULLETIN: 

The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor-at-large and columnist) and Mike Cosper (senior contributor). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. 

The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. 

“The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today 

Producer: Clarissa Moll 

Associate Producer: Alexa Burke 

Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris

Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs

Music: Dan Phelps 

Executive Producers: Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper  

Senior Producer: Matt Stevens

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mike Cosper and Clarissa Moll discuss the complexities of recent violence, including the shooting at Brown University and an antisemitic attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney. They explore the media's role in covering such incidents, the impact on affected communities, and the loss of empathy. Then, Mike sits down with former Representative Adam Kinzinger to talk about his experience on Capitol Hill during the January 6 riots, his new documentary The Last Republican, and what true courage looks like. They finish the conversation talking about the war in Ukraine and the Venezuelan boat strikes. 

REFERENCED IN THE SHOW:

-The Last Republican 

-Meet the Republican Congressman Who Says His Faith Led Him to Vote for Impeachment - Christianity Today

-Adam Kinzinger’s Substack

GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: 

-Join the conversation at our Substack. 

-Find us on YouTube. 

-Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. 

ABOUT THE GUESTS:

Adam Kinzinger is an American politician, senior political commentator for CNN, and former lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard. He served as a United States representative of Illinois from 2011 to 2023.

ABOUT THE BULLETIN: 

The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor-at-large and columnist) and Mike Cosper (senior contributor). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. 

The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. 

“The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today 

Producer: Clarissa Moll 

Associate Producer: Alexa Burke 

Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris

Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs

Music: Dan Phelps 

Executive Producer: Erik Petrik 

Senior Producer: Matt Stevens

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Sunday, a Hanukkah celebration in Australia was interrupted by a horrific shooting which killed at least 15 people. At Brown University in Rhode Island, a gunman shot and killed two students and left nine injured at a Saturday exam study session. In light of these tragedies, we’re re-releasing a conversation about violence and antisemitism between Mike Cosper, Rabbi Joshua Stanton, and Bishop Robert Stearns. Then, Australian Steve Cuss of CT Media’s Being Human podcast drops by with a Christmas meditation on the hospitality of God to those the world considers strangers. 

REFERENCED IN THE SHOW:

-Trump Disses Putin, Kermit Speaks at Graduation, and The Israeli Embassy Suffers Loss - The Bulletin

-Hosted by God at Christmastime - Being Human with Steve Cuss

GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: 

-Join the conversation at our Substack. 

-Follow the Being Human podcast.

-Find us on YouTube. 

-Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice.

ABOUT THE GUESTS:

Rabbi Joshua Stanton is associate vice president for interfaith and intergroup initiatives at the Jewish Federations of North America. He is also on the board of governors with the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations, which presides over Jewish-Christian relations with the Vatican.  

Bishop Robert Stearns is the founder and executive director of Eagles’ Wings and the presiding bishop of the historic Tabernacle Church in Buffalo, New York. Stearns serves as president of the Israel Christian Nexus in Los Angeles and has ministered in more than 30 nations around the world, with a central focus on the nation of Israel. 

Steve Cuss is a pastor, former chaplain, and founder of Capable Life which helps people lower internal and relational anxiety in the workplace and at home. He is the author of Managing Leadership Anxiety: Yours and Theirs and The Expectation Gap: The Tiny, Vast Space between Our Beliefs and Experience of God. Steve hosts the CT Media podcast, Being Human.

ABOUT THE BULLETIN: 

The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor-at-large and columnist) and Mike Cosper (senior contributor). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. 

The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. 

“The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today 

Producer: Clarissa Moll 

Associate Producer: Alexa Burke 

Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris

Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs

Music: Dan Phelps 

Executive Producer: Erik Petrik 

Senior Producer: Matt Stevens

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, officials examine Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s role in recent drug boat strikes. Charlie Sykes joins Mike and Clarissa to explain the legalities of the recent military action. Then, President Trump’s tariffs are beginning to affect US farmers. Gretchen Ronnevik shares perspectives from America’s heartland. Finally, a new Pew report says religiosity in America isn’t diminishing quite as quickly as in previous years. We ask veteran journalist Bob Smietana to help us interpret the new data.

REFERENCED IN THE SHOW: 

-⁠Hamas Crackdown, Rural Hospitals, and Why Brides Wear White⁠ - The Bulletin

GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: 

-Join the conversation at our Substack. 

-Find us on YouTube. 

-Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. 

ABOUT THE GUESTS:

Charles J. Sykes is a political commentator who hosted a conservative talk show in Wisconsin for 23 years. He was the former editor-in-chief of The Bulwark, and is currently an MSNBC contributor. Sykes has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Politico, Salon, USA Today, National Review, The Weekly Standard, and has appeared on the Today Show, ABC, NBC, Fox News, CNN, PBS, and the BBC. 

Gretchen Ronnevik is the author of Ragged: Spiritual Disciplines for the Spiritually Exhausted and the co-host of the weekly podcast Freely Given. She and her family live in Minnesota on the family farm.

Bob Smietana is a national reporter for Religion News Service based near Chicago, covering evangelicals, weird religion, and the changing religious landscape.

ABOUT THE BULLETIN: 

The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor-at-large and columnist) and Mike Cosper (senior contributor). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. 

The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. 

“The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today 

Producer: Clarissa Moll 

Associate Producer: Alexa Burke 

Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris

Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs

Music: Dan Phelps 

Executive Producer: Erik Petrik 

Senior Producer: Matt Stevens

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Australia bans kids under 16 from social media platforms. Should the US do the same? The CDC votes to change the recommendations for the hepatitis B infant vaccination schedule. Notre Dame is snubbed from the playoffs and rejects a bowl game. Mike Cosper and Clarissa Moll discuss these headlines. Then, Mike sits down with Rebeccah Heinrichs of The Hudson Institute for a conversation about the shifting historical narratives of the far right, why young men are drawn to authoritarian ideas, and the importance of maintaining global alliances to prevent world wars.    

GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: 

-Join the conversation at our Substack. 

-Find us on YouTube. 

-Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. 

ABOUT THE GUESTS:

Rebeccach Heinrichs is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute and the director of its Keystone Defense Initiative. She specializes in US national defense policy with a focus on strategic deterrence. Heinrichs currently serves as a commissioner on the bipartisan Strategic Posture Commission, which was created in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. She also serves on the US Strategic Command Advisory Group and the National Independent Panel on Military Service and Readiness. She is an adjunct professor at the Institute of World Politics, where she teaches nuclear deterrence theory and is also a contributing editor of Providence: A Journal of Christianity and American Foreign Policy.

ABOUT THE BULLETIN: 

The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor-at-large and columnist) and Mike Cosper (senior contributor). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. 

The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. 

“The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today 

Producer: Clarissa Moll 

Associate Producer: Alexa Burke 

Editing and Mix: TJ Hester

Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs

Music: Dan Phelps 

Executive Producer: Erik Petrik 

Senior Producer: Matt Stevens

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices