A recent article in the Atlantic reveals how the political polarization in the United States is now tearing evangelical churches apart. And Marvin Olasky, the former editor of World Magazine, writes about the dramatic change he witnessed among evangelicals over his long career. Drawing from thousands of letters he received, Olasky concludes, “The Republican party platform has become more important than the gospel for many who identify as evangelicals.” Special guest co-host Drew Dyck joins Phil and Skye to discuss the articles. Then, president of Barna research, David Kinnaman, is back with more stats to unpack. With a record number of pastors thinking seriously about quitting, and political polarization listed among the top reasons, Kinnaman says the church is facing a crisis of discipleship. He believes we need a political theology that’s rooted in the gospel rather than partisanship. But is it too late? Also this week, fear over climate change is making progressives question the morality of having kids. And, South Korean college students are flush with cash.
News Segment
0:00 - Intro
4:24 - News of the Butt
9:54 - Climate change and having kids
20:15 - How politics poisoned the evangelical church
30:47 - Evangelical Christianity in the age of Trump
Sponsors
57:08 - World Relief
worldrelief.org/holypost
59:04 - Faithful Counseling
faithfulcounseling.com/holypost
Barna Brief with David Kinnaman
1:00:14 - Barna Brief intro
1:01:32 - Data on pastors considering quitting
1:04:23 - Reason 1: Stress of job
1:06:20 - Reason 2: Loneliness
1:09:54 - Reason 3: Political division
1:21:05 - Good news in this data?
1:29:42 - Credits
Barna Brief links:
Barna Group, Faith Leadership in a Divided Culture
https://shop.barna.com/products/faith-leadership-in-a-divided-culture
Resilient Pastor Cohort (discount code is HOLYPOST15): barna.com/cohort
“The Resilient Pastor” by Glenn Packiam - https://amzn.to/3HK2f4R
News segment links:
“South Korean Toilet Allows Students to Pay With Their Poop” - https://interestingengineering.com/south-korean-toilet-allows-students-to-pay-with-their-poop
“Your Kids are Not Doomed” by Ezra Klein (NYT Opinion) -https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/05/opinion/climate-change-should-you-have-kids.html
Andrew Walker tweet - https://twitter.com/andrewtwalk/status/1534136018269614081?s=20&t=Hvg_G52SvOYW0k8HIoNQRQ
“How Politics Poisoned the Evangelical Church” by Tim Alberta (The Atlantic) - https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/06/evangelical-church-pastors-political-radicalization/629631/
“The Sixty Years’ War: Evangelical Christianity in the Age of Trump” by Marvin Olasky (National Review) - https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2022/06/27/the-sixty-years-war-evangelical-christianity-in-the-age-of-trump/
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.
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615: Taylor Swift’s Sacrilege & the Future of the Republican Party with Peter Wehner
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613: Driscoll, Dawkins, & Political Discipleship with Curtis Chang
612: The Religious Vacuum, Politics, & the Powers with N.T. Wright
611: Trump’s Bible, Biden’s Easter, and Climate Change for Christians with Katharine Hayhoe
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610: Learning to Disagree Respectfully with John Inazu
609: Rebounding Pastors, Shifting Evangelicals, & Rethinking Christian Media with Jon Houghton
608: Defining the Gospel & Who’s a “Real” Christian with Matthew Bates
607: The Gift of Disillusionment with Mike Cosper
606: Alabama Embryos & Catechizing Kids with Todd Hains & Natasha Kennedy
French Friday: Biden's Age & MAGA's Violence
605: Market-Driven Christianity & Abortion Beyond Politics with Angela Weszely
604: Faulty Foot Washing & Pagan Christianity with Nijay Gupta
603: The Politics of Fear & Rethinking the Cross with Brian Zahnd
602: When Vischer Met Reiner
French Friday: Why D.E.I. is the New C.R.T.
601: Never Church Evangelicals and Hopeful Politics with Michael Wear
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