Crazy evangelicals take over America! Book burnings and a civil “holy” war erupts! Yes, Phil actually took the time to read “Christian Nation: The Novel,” and he’s ready to give a full book report. What are those crazy Christians up to now?!?
Listen to the episode | Download this episode | Find this episode on iTunes
Just something to consider, you often point out on your podcast how the media tends to shine the spotlight on the idiots in the Christian world. I think that’s largely true as well. And I wish they would focus on the good that evangelicals are doing in the world.
With that in mind, why not stop focusing on this book, Christian Nation? Why not stop focusing on fringe, left-wing ideologues, books or articles about Christians? What good does it do to focus on this book or the fringe people in the non-Christian world? In fact, I imagine the attention you are drawing to this book could only increase sales. I don’t have a problem discussing cultural influences or movers and shakers in the world, like when you were discussing Duck Dynasty or The Book of Mormon and to an extent, Miley Cyrus’ episode, at least right after the incident. Those things are actually discussed in the workplace, on social media like Facebook, Twitter, and so on. We as Christians should be discussing what the world is talking about and responding to it.
But this book Christian Nation? I don’t see any buzz about it at all. It was panned critically, for the most part, it’s not on the New York Times Bestseller list, but you are giving it attention like it was the next Dan Brown book. So please consider whether or not putting the spotlight on an incredibly fringey book like this is good for your audience. Some of your audience may already think most of the world is out to get Christians. Some of your audience may already believe most liberals feel this way about Christians. I know the book is ludicrous, and you are having fun with it, but I think it’s important to clarify this book is extremely fringe and probably not held by many people who don’t follow Jesus.
Thanks,
Jason
Regarding gun ownership: The studies I’ve read support the notion that a substantial number of gun purchases ARE rooted in fear. However, this fear is not of our gov’t as your discussion touched on, but of each other (ie. the “right to bear arms” as pertaining to defense against the gov’t has nothing to do with it). Not surprisingly these same studies show virtually no correlation between growth in gun ownership and gun-based crime… (This is and has been common knowledge outside of the media/political charged discussion. Btw, the most credible of the studies was not funded by gun enthusiasts or the NRA. It was done by either Yale or Harvard. I forget offhand which it was.)
I liked the purposeful education of your kids (Phil – and Skye’s history lesson following) that our country was formed not by a single religious group, but by diverse groups who had to agree that none of their specific religions would be the “one” religion. This should be common knowledge among Christians but is not. There are numerous other examples where culture has influenced Christianity. Among them the notion that our form of gov’t is the one true (read: Godly) form and the notion that it is our nation’s responsibility to police the world. (I cringe every time I hear the term “leader of the free world” applied to our president.)
All of these notions seem to have strong roots in the cold war era when democracy vs. communism was often equated with Christianity vs. communism (and implied by communism: atheism). At the time it was convenient for our nation’s leadership to blur these distinctions, so the confusion in “mass think” was not accidental nor is it surprising. These are all areas where the church in America could be adding some value in shaping thought.
We should start a conspiracy theory that this podcast is actually a gov’t experiment to test if an evangelical (Phil) can be influenced to think and act differently. The seemingly innocuous Christian is the evil mastermind secretly running the experiment and Skye is her intellectual side-kick. It’s working too! Phil has already come around on Duck Dynasty and is now making applications of the podcast discussion without Christian prompting him…
Skye: What are we gonna do today, Christian?
Christian: The same thing we do every day, Skye. Take over the world! (insert boomy reverberation here).. Starting with Mr. Vischer…. Bwa Ha Ha Ha!!! (more boomy reverberation here)…
Love you guys! Keep up the fun podcasting!
npr.orgI first heard about Russell Moore listening to a recent interview he did with NPR. I was so excited about what he had to say and the thoughtful way in which he said it! Check it out! http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=217218555
comment about last podcast (69): have you guys read “Roaring Lambs” by Bob Briner? (published in the 90s I think) Briner totally makes the same point about engaging secular culture and avoiding Christian subculture…you would like his analogy about the Japanese pro tennis circuit. Skye’s premise that your occupation being your calling and a way to serve God is totally the thesis of Tim Keller’s “Every Good Endeavour” (2012)
Thanks for doing the podcast – It is often one of the highlights of my week!
Hey guys,
I love your podcast. You are always thought provoking and entertaining. You always encourage me to reflect on how I engage culture and how culture impacts me. As I listen to this episode you guys brought up an area of our Christian culture that I am currently wrestling with. In the story, and subsequent discussion, about Phil’s uncle Iner leaving his children to go back onto the mission field. As a pastor I’ve had a lot of conversations with other pastors and leaders in the church about priorities in ministry. I hear from a lot of them that it goes something like this; 1. God 2. Family 3. Church/Ministry… While I agree that when I look at my current life circumstances I would say that this is true for me as well. The part I struggle with is how we often refer to this as true for everyone in every time and circumstance. Not to be melodramatic, but have we begun to construct an idol to family. Not to say that I don’t love, value and give my family priority. I have 4 young children and I don’t doubt that they are rightfully at the top of my priorities. Can we truly say, biblically, that it is always to go in the order listed above?
In the podcast when sharing the story of uncle Iner the comment was made that he must not have been hearing from God because God would have certainly called him to his family first. Is this a biblical idea or an American Christian one? Matthew 19:29, “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.”, was brought up but never dealt with. Skye mentioned, in response, 1 Timothy 5:8 and the discussion moved on. After reading his books and listening to the podcast for a long time now I think I know it wasn’t his intention to trump one scripture with another and its as if Jesus never said anything about it. The fact is, whether I like it or not, Jesus did say there would be those who leave father and mother (who became the responsibility of their adult children as they aged) and children for His sake.
I am a part of the Christian and Missionary Alliance and I have friends who serve overseas. I’ve talked with some of them as they’ve counted the costs of the ministry God has called them to. For some the cost has been to send their children to a boarding school for missionary kids in Germany and let someone else raise their kids for the majority of the year while they serve in a different country. Would we say they are wrongfully abandoning their children? Would we say that they aren’t hearing and following God?
I hope you understand that I’m not trying to come in pointing the finger but that I am truly trying to seek the Lord on this myself. Red flags go off anytime the idea of “God never” or “God always” doing something that isn’t spelled out clearly in scripture. I would love hear more dialogue on this since it was raised in your podcast. Can we really say that God never called anyone to leave his family or children to follow Him?
Thank you for the ministry this podcast is to me.