The Russell Moore Show

By Christianity Today, Russell MooreReligion & Spirituality Christianity

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The Russell Moore Show episodes

April 19, 2023David Platt Wasn’t Radical Enough
"I am convinced that it’s not just an American Dream that has been consuming our lives. There’s actually an American gospel that’s hijacked our hearts.”
So says David Platt, pastor and author of three New York Times bestsellers, on today’s episode of The Russell Moore Show. Referencing his 2010 book Radical, Platt now believes that the core issues in American Christianity run even deeper than he thought they did. His new book, Don’t Hold Back, speaks to those issues.
On this episode, Platt and Moore talk about the unique contexts of the various regions of America where they have ministered, including the political climate of Washington, DC, where Platt now pastors. They talk about the ethos of the prosperity gospel, chasing success, and what biblical parenting looks like. And they talk about Scripture’s description of how to live according to the belief that we are all called to do justice and love mercy.
Resources discussed during this episode include:
Don’t Hold Back: Leaving Behind the American Gospel to Follow Jesus Fully by David Platt
Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt
Nonverts: The Making of Ex-Christian America by Stephen Bullivant
The Journals of Jim Elliot edited by Elisabeth Elliot

Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to [email protected].
Click here for a trial membership at Christianity Today.
“The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity Today
Executive Producers: Erik Petrik, Russell Moore, and Mike Cosper
Host: Russell Moore
Producer: Ashley Hales
Associate Producers: Abby Perry and Azurae Phelps
CT Administration: Christine Kolb
Social Media: Kate Lucky
Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens
Production Assistance: coreMEDIA
Audio Engineer: Kevin Duthu
Coordinator: Beth Grabenkort
Video Producer: John Roland
Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton

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46 min
April 12, 2023Developing a Biblical Framework with Christopher Watkin
When Russell Moore first heard the title of Christopher Watkin’s new book, Biblical Critical Theory, his mind immediately went to the controversy around critical race theory. But, as this episode’s conversation with Watkin—a professor and senior lecturer at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, reveals—it’s about so much more.
Tune in for a rich discussion of what critical theory actually is (and isn’t), what it means to critique the status quo, and where the Bible fits into all of this. Moore and Watkin talk about the authority of Scripture and the role of morality in the lives of both Christians and non-Christians. Their conversation touches on social media, gender and sexuality, and moral relativism. And they consider what it means to let the Bible interpret the Bible, looking to Augustine as a model for cultural and political thought, and how to begin investigating the stories we tell ourselves.
Resources discussed during this episode include:
Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible’s Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture by Christopher Watkin
A Secular Age by Charles Taylor
City of God by Augustine
Theology and Social Theory: Beyond Secular Reason by John Milbank
Gospel and Kingdom by Graeme Goldsworthy
God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible by Vaughan Roberts
Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament by Nancy Guthrie
The Order of Things and The Birth of Biopolitics by Michel Foucault
Heidelberg Disputation by Martin Luther

Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to [email protected].
Click here for a trial membership at Christianity Today.
“The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity Today
Executive Producers: Erik Petrik, Russell Moore, and Mike Cosper
Host: Russell Moore
Producer: Ashley Hales
Associate Producers: Abby Perry and Azurae Phelps
CT Administration: Christine Kolb
Social Media: Kate Lucky
Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens
Production Assistance: coreMEDIA
Audio Engineer: Kevin Duthu
Coordinator: Beth Grabenkort
Video Producer: John Roland
Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton

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53 min
April 05, 2023Elves, Boomers, and Influencers: What We’re Reading
Welcome to a new quarterly feature of The Russell Moore Show: all about books! The enthusiastic listener response to the “Best of Books 2022” episode encouraged Russell and producer Ashley Hales to share their recent reads more often.
Tune in for a conversation that celebrates reading widely while also going deep into a few books, specifically Looking for the Hidden Folk by Nancy Marie Brown. This episode delves into the tendency to praise or criticize people based on their generation, the effect of social media and influencers, and genre-bending works by both Christian and secular authors.
Books discussed on this episode include:
Looking for the Hidden Folk: How Iceland’s Elves Can Save The Earth by Nancy Marie Brown
The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
A Secular Age by Charles Taylor
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
The Aftermath: The Last Days of the Baby Boom and the Future of Power in America by Philip Bump
The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot by Robert Macfarlane
The works of Eugene Peterson
Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert D. Putnam
The Influencer Industry: The Quest for Authenticity on Social Media by Emily Hund

Speaking of books, pre-order Russell’s new title, Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America, here!
Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to [email protected].
Ashley Hales is the producer of The Russell Moore Show, founder of Willowbrae Institute, and an author. Find out more at aahales.com.
Click here for a trial membership at Christianity Today.
“The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity Today
Executive Producers: Erik Petrik, Russell Moore, and Mike Cosper
Host: Russell Moore
Producer: Ashley Hales
Associate Producers: Abby Perry and Azurae Phelps
CT Administration: Christine Kolb
Social Media: Kate Lucky
Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens
Production Assistance: coreMEDIA
Audio Engineer: Kevin Duthu
Coordinator: Beth Grabenkort
Video Producer: John Roland
Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
51 min
March 29, 2023Fleming Rutledge on the Cross
How do people who have devoted their lives to ministry know that Christianity is true? What can believers do to address the cultural loss of biblical literacy? How should we think about the social unrest we see in everything from political divides to tragic shootings?
On today’s episode of The Russell Moore Show, American Episcopal priest and author Fleming Rutledge joins Moore to respond to these questions and more. Rutledge and Moore discuss motifs and images of the cross, what it means that Satan is at work in the world, and the difference between virtue signaling and the gospel. They discuss Rutledge’s writings on the Crucifixion and what Jesus’ death accomplished. And they talk about the potential for recovery in Mainline Protestantism and what it means to be a “Reformed thinker.”
Tune in for a theologically deep yet accessible discussion of the core tenets of Christianity.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
The Crucifixion by Fleming Rutledge
Not Ashamed of the Gospel by Fleming Rutledge
Advent by Fleming Rutledge
The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James H. Cone
“The Horseman and the Lake of Constance” by Gustav Schwab, referenced in Karl Barth’s sermon “Saved by Grace,” included in his book Deliverance to the Captives
Frederick Buechner quoting Karl Barth

Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to [email protected].
Click here for a trial membership at Christianity Today.
“The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity Today
Executive Producers: Erik Petrik, Russell Moore, and Mike Cosper
Host: Russell Moore
Producer: Ashley Hales
Associate Producers: Abby Perry and Azurae Phelps
CT Administration: Christine Kolb
Social Media: Kate Lucky
Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens
Production Assistance: coreMEDIA
Audio Engineer: Kevin Duthu
Coordinator: Beth Grabenkort
Video Producer: John Roland
Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
58 min
March 22, 2023Beth Moore Speaks Out
“I’ve had both a great time and a terrifying time on this planet. Lord, somewhere in the middle of that is my real life."
So says Beth Moore, our returning guest on this episode of The Russell Moore Show. Reflecting on writing her recently-published memoir All My Knotted Up Life, Beth and Russell (friends who are regularly mistaken for relatives) talk about the heaviness and hope of Beth’s story.
Russell and Beth also talk about the ways in which church was a safe place for Beth when her home was not. Beth offers advice to listeners in unsafe situations. She and Russell talk about women in ministry, leaving the Southern Baptist Convention, and what it’s like to lose relationships when church life goes awry. And they testify to God’s goodness in their lives—reflecting on the ways he shows up again and again in seasons of plenty and seasons of pain.
Please note: For those who may typically listen with children nearby or need to take care around topics of abuse, this episode includes a discussion of incest.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
All My Knotted Up Life: A Memoir by Beth Moore
Beth Moore Didn’t Expect Us to Be Us
Andrew Peterson

Pre-order Russell's new book, Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America, here!
Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to [email protected].
Click here for a trial membership at Christianity Today.
“The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity Today
Executive Producers: Erik Petrik, Russell Moore, and Mike Cosper
Host: Russell Moore
Producer: Ashley Hales
Associate Producers: Abby Perry and Azurae Phelps
CT Administration: Christine Kolb
Social Media: Kate Lucky
Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens
Production Assistance: coreMEDIA
Audio Engineer: Kevin Duthu
Coordinator: Beth Grabenkort
Video Producer: John Roland
Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
53 min
March 15, 2023Jesus Encounters Us in Scripture
What is the biblical and historical evidence for the resurrection? What does it mean when Scripture says we carry around the death of Jesus in our bodies? How can Christians be deeply committed to interpreting the Bible faithfully while also taking care not to become legalistic?
These are some of the listener questions that Russell Moore and producer Ashley Hales engage on this episode of The Russell Moore Show. Their conversation covers big-picture ideas like how to think about Scriptural interpretation and gets specific about certain passages in the Bible. Questions in this episode include:
What books or resources give evidence for the resurrection?
How does the concept of knowing Christ’s power in his resurrection (Philippians 3) work with the idea that we carry around in our bodies the death of Jesus (2 Corinthians 4)?
What should we do if two passages of Scripture seem to contradict each other?
Can a marriage thrive if spouses have different convictions about important theological issues?
How can we guard against becoming people who have great biblical knowledge but little Christian character?
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
“Evidence for the Resurrection of Christ” by Peter Kreeft and Fr. Ronald Tacelli, SJ
The Resurrection of the Son of God by N.T. Wright
Is Easter Unbelievable? by Rebecca McLaughlin
“A conversation with Tim Keller about ‘Hope in Times of Fear’”

Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to [email protected].
Ashley Hales is the producer of The Russell Moore Show, founder of Willowbrae Institute, and an author. Find out more at aahales.com.
Click here for a trial membership at Christianity Today.
“The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity Today
Executive Producers: Erik Petrik, Russell Moore, and Mike Cosper
Host: Russell Moore
Producer: Ashley Hales
Associate Producers: Abby Perry and Azurae Phelps
CT Administration: Christine Kolb
Social Media: Kate Lucky
Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens
Production Assistance: coreMEDIA
Audio Engineer: Kevin Duthu
Coordinator: Beth Grabenkort
Video Producer: John Roland
Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
37 min
March 08, 2023Rick Warren Reflects on His Legacy
Rick Warren needs very little introduction. The planter and pastor of Saddleback Church in Orange County, California for 43 years, Warren is widely considered one of the most influential spiritual leaders in America. His book The Purpose-Driven Life has been translated into 137 languages and sold more than 50 million copies.
And yet, on February 21, the Southern Baptist Convention disfellowshipped Saddleback Church due to their hiring of a female teaching pastor.
On this episode of The Russell Moore Show, Warren and Moore discuss the SBC's decision and how it reflects on the convention's response to sexual abuse. They talk about women in ministry, how to determine primary and secondary theological issues, and what healthy pastoral transitions may look like. And they share profound reasons for hope when it comes to the gospel going forth among the nations—even in a time when many fear Christianity's influence is diminishing.
Tune in for an episode that candidly acknowledges the difficulties of Christian life and ministry while celebrating the goodness of God.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren
Created to Dream by Rick Warren
Rick Warren's Bible Study Methods by Rick Warren
700 Plans to Evangelize the World by David B. Barrett and James W. Reapsome
A Theology for the Church edited by Daniel L. Akin (chapter referenced: "Conclusion: The Pastor as Theologian" by R. Albert Mohler, Jr.)
One Divine Moment edited by Robert E. Coleman and David J. Gyertson

Click here for a trial membership at Christianity Today.
“The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity Today
Executive Producers: Erik Petrik, Russell Moore, and Mike Cosper
Host: Russell Moore
Producer: Ashley Hales
Associate Producers: Abby Perry and Azurae Phelps
CT Administration: Christine Kolb
Social Media: Kate Lucky
Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens
Production Assistance: coreMEDIA
Audio Engineer: Kevin Duthu
Coordinator: Beth Grabenkort
Video Producer: John Roland
Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
56 min
March 01, 2023Are We Miracle or Machine?
How should Christians think about evolving technology? What does it look like to engage in conversations about ChatGPT or the Bing AI bot that recently tried to persuade a New York Times reporter to leave his spouse for the bot? How is society affected by apocalyptic predictions regarding overpopulation or climate change?
On this episode of The Russell Moore Show, poet, author, and literary critic Adam Kirsch joins Moore to answer these questions. They talk about Kirsch’s new book, The Revolt Against Humanity: Imagining a Future Without Us; Jewish and Christian views of human nature; and how to communicate across differences in worldview. They ask whether people with an antihuman mindset—in which humans are the problem—have it right. Or, perhaps, are the transhumanists—who believe we can and should transcend humanity—on to something? Might God offer a better way than either of these perspectives?
Tune in for an episode that explores the possibilities for what life could look like in the coming years and ponders how God might encourage his people to live in these times.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
“Bing’s A.I. Chat: ‘I Want to Be Alive.’” by Kevin Roose
The Revolt Against Humanity by Adam Kirsch
The Precipice by Tony Ord
“The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry
“A Prairie Home Companion” with Garrison Keillor

Click here for a trial membership at Christianity Today.
“The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity Today
Executive Producers: Erik Petrik, Russell Moore, and Mike Cosper
Host: Russell Moore
Producer: Ashley Hales
Associate Producers: Abby Perry and Azurae Phelps
CT Administration: Christine Kolb
Social Media: Kate Lucky
Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens
Production Assistance: coreMEDIA
Audio Engineer: Kevin Duthu
Coordinator: Beth Grabenkort
Video Producer: John Roland
Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
51 min
February 22, 2023Evangelicalism's Failure with Jon Ward
“What can people do about the fact that things are so tense with their families, especially when it comes to politics?”
This is one of the pressing questions that Russell Moore poses to Jon Ward, Chief National Correspondent for Yahoo News. A long-time political reporter, Ward acutely perceives the relationship between religion and politics in America. His new book, Testimony: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Failed a Generation chronicles Ward’s upbringing in, and eventual separation from, a well-known church that emerged at the intersection of Pentecostalism, the church growth movement, the Jesus Movement, and the New Calvinism.
On this episode, Ward and Moore talk about what it’s like to look back on the church experiences of their earlier years and notice the political manifestations they hadn’t seen as young people. They talk about the ways various evangelical movements engaged society, the role of social media, and whether or not institutionalism is the answer to cultural problems. And they talk about what it looks like to maintain meaningful connections with family members when political differences threaten to break relationships.
Tune in for a conversation that is full of heartfelt honesty and thoughtful insight not only into the state of American faith and politics today, but how we got here.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
Camelot’s End by Jon Ward
Testimony by Jon Ward
Untrustworthy by Bonnie Kristian
Axios
2023 Asbury Revival
Timothy George
“Development of the Spiritual Harm and Abuse Scale” by Dan Koch
“The Toronto Blessing”

Click here for a trial membership at Christianity Today.
“The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity Today
Executive Producers: Erik Petrik, Russell Moore, and Mike Cosper
Host: Russell Moore
Producer: Ashley Hales
Associate Producers: Abby Perry and Azurae Phelps
CT Administration: Christine Kolb
Social Media: Kate Lucky
Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens
Production Assistance: coreMEDIA
Audio Engineer: Kevin Duthu
Coordinator: Beth Grabenkort
Video Producer: John Roland
Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
58 min
February 15, 2023Church: It’s Complicated
Just one in three of today’s pastors say that they are healthy. By 2050, less than half of the US population may identify as Christian. At the same time, 61 percent of millennials who attended church before the pandemic still worship with the same congregation. Not only that, but Barna recently found that young people—specifically Generation Z—are uniquely open to learning about Jesus.
It’s within this good news–bad news cultural context that Russell Moore and producer Ashley Hales answer listener questions about church membership, church hurt, and pastoral ministry. The listener questions covered in this episode include:
How should someone evaluate their desire to attend seminary?
What factors should someone consider when looking for a church to join?
How can congregants practice discernment around church hurt and abuse, specifically if a church is being investigated?
How have pastors embroiled in public scandals incriminated fellow pastors? And how can the non-culpable pastors (and their loved ones) respond?
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
“Modeling the Future of Religion in America,” Pew Research Center
“38% of U.S. Pastors Have Thought About Quitting Full-Time Ministry in the Past Year,” Barna
“A New Chapter in Millennial Church Attendance,” Barna
“Rising Spiritual Openness in America,” Barna

Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to [email protected].
Ashley Hales is the producer of The Russell Moore Show, founder of Willowbrae Institute, and an author. Find out more at aahales.com.
Click here for a trial membership at Christianity Today.
“The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity Today
Executive Producers: Erik Petrik, Russell Moore, and Mike Cosper
Host: Russell Moore
Producer: Ashley Hales
Associate Producers: Abby Perry and Azurae Phelps
CT Administration: Christine Kolb
Social Media: Kate Lucky
Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens
Production Assistance: coreMEDIA
Audio Engineer: Kevin Duthu
Coordinator: Beth Grabenkort
Video Producer: John Roland
Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton

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

About The Russell Moore Show

From the publisher's feed

Listen in as Russell Moore, editor at-large of Christianity Today and director of CT's Public Theology Project, talks about the latest books, cultural conversations and pressing ethical questions that…