Confusion and anxiety. Narcissistic tendencies. Spiritual abuses. As the host of The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, CT’s director of media Mike Cosper explored how these themes can wreak havoc in a church. Now, he’s sharing his own experiences with harm and healing in church life through his latest book, Land of My Sojourn: The Landscape of a Faith Lost and Found. On this episode of The Russell Moore Show, Moore hosts Cosper for a discussion of hurt and hope. They talk about Cosper’s work in church ministry, in his book, and while hosting the podcast The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill. Their conversation covers church polity, planting, and pastoring. Moore and Cosper talk about the importance of humility in an era of narcissistic spiritual leaders and discuss the importance of wisdom and suffering in tempering idealism. Cosper and Moore talk about reconciling stories of hospitality and kindness about figures like Mark Driscoll with the damage and trauma they’ve inflicted on others. They respond to the critique that The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill has made pastoring more difficult and encourage listeners to consider the importance of telling the truth even—perhaps especially—when the truth is hard to accept. Tune in for a discussion that is honest about the harm some churches have caused and hopeful about the church as a place of healing. Resources mentioned in this episode include: The Bulletin Land of My Sojourn: The Landscape of a Faith Lost and Found by Mike Cosper The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill William Carey “Jon Hamm on the Evolution of Don Draper on 'Mad Men’” Acts 29 “Land of My Sojourn” by Rich Mullins Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.com. Special offer for listeners:  Russell Moore will join friends David French and Curtis Chang in Washington, DC, for The After Party LIVE! on April 19. As a faithful listener to the podcast, we’d love for you to join us and use this $20 off offer just for listeners! The After Party is a free six-part video curriculum designed for people and pastors alike, and offers “a better way” for Christians to engage in politics. Learn more and buy tickets here—we’ve saved a seat for you! 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 McKenzie Hill Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens Audio engineering by Dan Phelps Video producer: Abby Egan Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"God is never going to betray you—even if the church does.” So says Nancy French, best-selling author and investigative journalist, on this episode of The Russell Moore Show. French, who is known for her groundbreaking reporting on abuse at one of America’s largest Christian camps, joins Moore to discuss her new memoir, Ghosted. French talks about growing up in the Bible Belt, where she was sexually abused as a child by her Vacation Bible School teacher. She and Moore discuss the importance of righteous responses to people who have been harmed, the ways institutions too often cover up abuse, and how all of this shows up in partisan politics. Their conversation highlights the power of love—specifically in the case of Nancy’s marriage to David French—in healing from trauma. Moore and French also talk about French’s experiences ghostwriting for high-profile families such as the Palins and the Romneys. They talk about shifts in political culture, the state of racism in America, and what it’s like to be part of a church family that is primarily made up of people outside of one’s ethnic culture. Their conversation also touches on adoption, online discourse, and the incredible work that God can do through personal relationships. Resources mentioned in this episode include: Nancy French David French Ghosted: An American Story by Nancy French Joan Didion Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J. D. Vance Flannery O’Connor Frederick Buechner “They Aren’t Who You Think They Are” by David French and Nancy French “What it’s like to experience the 2016 election as both a conservative and a sex abuse survivor” by Nancy French Curtis Chang“The Four Horsemen: Contempt” (The Gottman Institute) The After Party Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.com. Special offer for listeners:  Russell Moore will join friends David French and Curtis Chang in Washington, DC, for The After Party LIVE! on April 19. As a faithful listener to the podcast, we’d love for you to join us and use this $20 off offer just for listeners! The After Party is a free six-part video curriculum designed for people and pastors alike, and offers “a better way” for Christians to engage in politics. Learn more and buy tickets here—we’ve saved a seat for you! 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 McKenzie Hill Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens Audio engineering by Dan Phelps Video producer: Abby Egan Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever since Jonathan Haidt joined us on The Russell Moore Show, listeners have been sending in questions for him. So, on this episode, Russell Moore welcomes Haidt back to the show for a discussion of his new book titled The Anxious Generation, the effects of the digital landscape, and the relationship between mental health and religion.  Haidt describes how religious communities are taking the lead in providing some protection from mental health problems. He and Moore discuss the ways that modern life lends itself to overprotecting our children in the real world and under-protecting them online. They talk about what childhood is, how it’s been rewired, and the subsequent impact on young people. They consider the unique traits of Generation Z, the power of religious communities, and why people of faith are statistically happier. Moore and Haidt explore the common quest for meaning and purpose, how to shepherd children in a virtual world, and how to account for differences in boys and girls without resorting to misogyny.  Their conversation also covers the damage of pornography, distractions in worship settings, and how to encourage friends and families to communally steward digital devices.  Resources mentioned in this episode include: The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure by Jonathan Haidt The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt “Jonathan Haidt’s Way Forward for an Anxious Generation”  Jean Twenge Greg Lukianoff Zach Rasuch’s Substack Émile Durkheim “Joe Rogan Experience #2121 – Jonathan Haidt” “Table for Two” by Caedmon’s Call Pascal's Pensées by Blaise Pascal The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life by C.S. Lewis  The Digital Fast: 40 Days to Detox Your Mind and Reclaim What Matters Most by Darren Whitehead Andrew Sullivan Richard V. Reeves’ Substack Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.com. Special offer for listeners:  Russell Moore will join friends David French and Curtis Chang in Washington, DC for The After Party LIVE! on April 19. As a faithful listener to the podcast, we'd love for you to join us and use this $20 off offer just for listeners! The After Party is a free six-part video curriculum designed for people & pastors alike, and offers "a better way" for Christians to engage in politics. Learn more and buy tickets here — we've saved a seat for you! 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 McKenzie Hill Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens Audio engineering by Dan Phelps  Video producer: Abby Egan  Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s time for the quarterly books episode of The Russell Moore Show! Tune in as Russell and producer Ashley Hales talk about their recent reads ranging from politics to poetry. The two discuss a variety of topics including Augustine’s argument in City of God , how theological convictions become slogans, and the world of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). Their conversation considers what true joy looks like, why it’s okay not to understand everything we read (even in the Bible), and how books can give us words for our most deeply felt human experiences. Books mentioned in this episode include: God Gave Rock and Roll to You: A History of Contemporary Christian Music by Leah Payne City of God by Augustine  God's Rascal: J. Frank Norris and the Beginnings of Southern Fundamentalism (America's Baptists) by Barry Hankins Joy: 100 Poems by Christian Wiman Zero at the Bone by Christian Wiman Four Quartets: A Poem by T.S. Eliot Lutheran Slogans: Use and Abuse by Robert W. Jenson A Shining by Jon Fosse The Inferno by Dante Alighieri The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy The Maytrees: A Novel by Annie Dillard Additional resources mentioned in this episode include: Petra Amy Grant Rich Mullins “Christian Wiman’s Work Against Despair”  George M. Marsden Eugene Peterson Music & Meaning with Charlie Peacock Owen Barfield C.S. Lewis J.R.R. Tolkien Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.com. Special offer for listeners:  Russell Moore will join friends David French and Curtis Chang in Washington, DC for The After Party LIVE! on April 19. As a faithful listener to the podcast, we'd love for you to join us and use this $20 off offer just for listeners! The After Party is a free six-part video curriculum designed for people & pastors alike, and offers "a better way" for Christians to engage in politics. Learn more and buy tickets here — we've saved a seat for you! 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 McKenzie Hill Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens Audio engineering by Dan Phelps  Video producer: Abby Egan  Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was November 1, 1973, and Marvin Olasky—a then self-proclaimed atheist and communist—was reading an essay by Vladimir Lenin. Suddenly, Olasky began to have thoughts he couldn’t shake.  What if this is all wrong? What if there really is a God? Within eight hours, Olasky had decided he was no longer an atheist or a communist. He became a Christian a few years later. Olasky went on to become a leader in Christian higher education and publishing—most notably as the editor in chief of World Magazine.  On this episode of The Russell Moore Show, Olasky—author of 29 books, senior fellow at the Discovery Institute, and affiliate scholar at the Acton Institute—joins Moore to discuss religion, politics, and philosophy. They talk about two of Olasky’s latest book releases: Pivot Points and an extensively updated Moral Vision, which includes a new foreword by Moore.  Olasky shares thoughts on his conversion, his relationship with George W. Bush during his presidency, and the evangelical embrace of some politicians and rejection of others. He and Moore consider the state of journalism, Christian symbolism in political movements, and the danger of echo chambers. Their conversation covers abortion and the pro-life movement, the Hamas attacks, and American involvement in world politics.  Olasky encourages listeners to live a life they’ll be glad to look back on, and offers words of wisdom for doing so. Resources mentioned in this episode include: Discovery Institute Acton Institute Zenger House WORLD Magazine Pivot Points: Adventures on the Road to Christian Contentment by Marvin Olasky Moral Vision: Leadership from George Washington to Joe Biden by Marvin Olasky Jonathan Edwards Cotton Mather John Cotton “Marilynne Robinson on Biblical Beauty, Human Evil and the Idea of Israel” on The Ezra Klein Show “Glenn Beck Comes to Town” by Chris Good March for Life Living Life Backward: How Ecclesiastes Teaches Us to Live in Light of the End by David Gibson Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.com. Special offer for listeners:  Russell Moore will join friends David French and Curtis Chang in Washington, DC for The After Party LIVE! on April 19. As a faithful listener to the podcast, we'd love for you to join us and use this $20 off offer just for listeners! The After Party is a free six-part video curriculum designed for people & pastors alike, and offers "a better way" for Christians to engage in politics. Learn more and buy tickets here — we've saved a seat for you! 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 McKenzie Hill Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens Audio engineering by Dan Phelps  Video producer: Abby Egan  Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Author Marilynne Robinson has long brought layered characters and powerful plots to the page. It is perhaps no wonder, then, that she is looking to a book of Scripture that abounds with both.  On this episode of The Russell Moore Show, Moore welcomes Marilynne for a discussion of her new release, Reading Genesis. They talk about what drew Robinson to Genesis and the Mesopotamian and Babylonian myths that are often compared to it. They consider how various disciplines—from science and physics to philosophy and theology—emerge in the text. They ponder the current cultural interest in multiverse stories, what makes a narrative compelling, and the likability (or lack thereof) of Biblical figures.  Tune in for a rich conversation on justice and mercy, secularization, and how God reveals his character both in Scripture and in our lives today. Books by Marilynne Robinson mentioned in this episode include: Reading Genesis Gilead Home Lila Jack Housekeeping  Resources mentioned in this episode include: Wendell Berry Walker Percy Frederick Buechner Jonathan Haidt Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.com. Special offer for listeners:  Russell Moore will join friends David French and Curtis Chang in Washington, DC for The After Party LIVE! on April 19. As a faithful listener to the podcast, we'd love for you to join us. The After Party is a free six-part video curriculum designed for people & pastors alike, and offers "a better way" for Christians to engage in politics. Learn more and buy tickets here — we've saved a seat for you! Use code RM SHOW for $20 off, just for listeners! Use code RM SHOW for $20 off, just for listeners. 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 McKenzie Hill Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens Audio engineering by Dan Phelps  Video producer: Abby Egan  Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is the term evangelical worth holding on to anymore? Is it imperative that Christians participate in elections? What is the way forward for families that have been fractured by political disagreements? These are some of the listener questions that Russell and producer Ashley Hales address on this episode of The Russell Moore Show. Tune in for a discussion that digs deep into the political dynamics of modern American life while sharing universal truths for living Christianly in a broken world. Questions addressed during this episode include: Does Russell read every book that shows up in his newsletter? What are some tips for reading more regularly? Is it okay for Christians not to participate in voting for president? How can Christians whose families are divided over politics prioritize God and one another What does the evangelical support of Donald Trump do to the term evangelical and its reputation? How can believers deal with Christian nationalism in their relationships? What is Christian nationalism? How might the upcoming election affect local churches? What hope is there for Christians discouraged by American politics? Resources mentioned in this episode include: Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches by Russell Moore Russell’s newsletter “Should Christians Vote for the Lesser of Two Evils?” by Russell Moore “Incurvatus in Se” “C. S. Lewis on Chronological Snobbery” Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.com. Special offer for listeners: Russell Moore will join friends David French and Curtis Chang in Washington, DC, for The After Party LIVE! on April 19. As a faithful listener to the podcast, we’d love for you to join us and use this 20% off offer just for listeners! The After Party is a free six-part video curriculum designed for people & pastors alike, and offers “a better way” for Christians to engage in politics. Learn more and buy tickets here—we’ve saved a seat for you! 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 McKenzie Hill Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens Audio engineering by Dan Phelps Video producer: Abby Egan Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If Russell Moore’s inbox is any indication, listeners of this podcast want to talk about emotions. If you’re among them, this episode with Bible teacher, bestselling author, and founder of IF: Gathering Jennie Allen is for you.  Moore and Allen discuss what she learned while writing her new book, Untangle Your Emotions: Naming Your Emotions and Knowing What to Do about Them. They talk about healthy and unhealthy ways to view emotions, how the COVID-19 pandemic affected emotional well-being, and how our brains try to protect us in traumatic situations. They talk about how God meets us in grief and suffering, how emotions show up in the body, and how honesty about emotions can lead to deeper relationships and family connections.  Their conversation covers the power of memories, what the Bible has to say about emotions, and what it looks like to honor our emotions without letting them lead our lives. Resources mentioned in this episode include: IF: Gathering Untangle Your Emotions: Naming Your Emotions and Knowing What to Do about Them by Jennie Allen Asbury Revival Auburn baptisms Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.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 McKenzie Hill Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens Audio engineering by Dan Phelps  Video producer: Abby Egan  Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to a special bonus episode of The Russell Moore Show! Peter Wehner returns for a conversation about the television drama The Chosen, which began its fourth season on February 1, 2024. Wehner expounds on his recent article in The Atlantic, sharing how the series pleasantly surprised him as someone who historically avoided on-screen depictions of Jesus. He describes the ways that Jesus (played by Jonathan Roumie) in The Chosen has a fully-formed personality, displays emotion, and shows how intimately Jesus understood human nature—all elements that have led Wehner to love the show.  Moore and Wehner discuss how The Chosen sheds light on Jewish life under Roman occupation and the role of the Pharisees. They talk about another Christian media phenomenon—the He Gets Us campaign—and consider the wide range of responses to it. Their discussion covers political division, the relationship between the intellect and the heart in belief, and what it means for Christians to be called to faithfulness rather than success. Resources mentioned in this episode include: The Chosen “Jesus on the Small Screen” by Peter Wehner Peter Wehner The Trinity Forum Navigating Friendship and Loss with Peter Wehner The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien Jesus of Nazareth  He Gets Us campaign E.Y. Mullins Further Up and Further In Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis The Jesus Way by Eugene H. Peterson Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.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 McKenzie Hill Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens  Audio engineering by Dan Phelps  Video producer: Abby Egan  Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After all of the arguments and severed relationships that resulted from the elections of 2016 and 2020, here we are, doing it all over again. For all who are weary of the modern political climate, today’s episode with Michael Wear is for you. Wear is the founder, president, and CEO of the Center for Christianity and Public Life, a nonpartisan, nonprofit institution based in the nation’s capital. A former White House and presidential campaign staffer, Wear has intimate knowledge of the political process and how Christians might engage it with hope. On this episode, Wear and Moore discuss Wear’s new book, The Spirit of Our Politics: Spiritual Formation and the Renovation of Public Life. They consider what a positive, spiritually formed vision for political engagement might be. Their conversation includes how to understand why Christians land on opposing sides of political issues. They explore what the Bible has to say about the government and talk about the role of pastors in politics. And they consider how the truth of the gospel can shape political participation in a broken world. Resources mentioned in this episode include: Michael Wear The Center for Christianity and Public Life The Spirit of Our Politics: Spiritual Formation and the Renovation of Public Life by Michael Wear Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America by Michael Wear “College-Educated Voters Are Ruining American Politics” by Eitan Harsh Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers by Christian Smith “Spiritual Formation: What It Is, and How It Is Done” by Dallas Willard The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God by Dallas Willard Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community by Dietrich Bonhoeffer Awaiting the King: Reforming Public Theology by James K. A. Smith Craft and Character:"The Spirit of Politics With Michael Wear" with Steve Carter Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.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 McKenzie Hill Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens Audio engineering by Dan Phelps Video producer: Abby Egan Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Seth Kaplan has worked in 35 countries around the world, one thing has made itself clear: healthy relationships are the key to community stability. “When I go to any place, whether it’s a neighborhood or country,” says Kaplan on this episode of The Russell Moore Show, “the thing I’m most interested in finding out is how well people are treating each other on so many levels.” In conversation with Moore, Kaplan—author of Fragile Neighborhoods, lecturer, and consultant—explains the reasons Americans feel vulnerable, alienated, and angry. He describes the opportunities people have to do something about those negative feelings and experiences by engaging in local activities that bond them to their neighbors. Moore and Kaplan discuss the necessity of institutions, identify organizations that are strengthening relationships, and consider the importance of marriage. Their conversation covers how children are being socialized, the effects of social media and digital play, and how to build a local ecosystem. Kaplan also describes his family’s practice of Shabbat and encourages his Christian friends to prioritize Sabbath rest. Tune in for an episode that gives concrete, creative advice for cultivating flourishing neighborhoods that resist the division of our times. Resources mentioned in this episode include: Institute for Integrated Transitions Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society One Zip Code at A Time by Seth D. Kaplan American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us by Robert D. Putnam and David E. Campbell Communio Jonathan Haidt Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.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 McKenzie Hill Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens Audio engineering by Dan Phelps Video producer: Abby Egan Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I love the Lord and he loves me. I will not forget, and neither will he. That was the poem that a seven-year-old Christian Wiman handed his pastor—during the altar call, no less. The young Wiman didn’t wait for a response or say a word, he just ran back to his pew. Soon after, the pastor published Wiman’s poem in the Southern Baptist Convention’s newsletter. “I gave him a poem,” Wiman says on this episode of The Russell Moore Show. “That was my gesture of salvation.” In the decades since, Wiman has wrestled with his faith, suffered from cancer, and continued to find meaning in writing poetry. On this episode, he and Moore discuss the poetry in Scripture, how Jesus engaged with suffering, and how poetry can help pastors in their preaching. They talk about why poetry can be intimidating, entry points for engaging it, and how poetry can reveal the joy in our lives. Resources mentioned in this episode include: Zero at the Bone: Fifty Entries Against Despair by Christian Wiman My Bright Abyss: Meditation of a Modern Believer by Christian Wiman Joy: 100 Poems edited by Christian Wiman The Tree of Life Frederick Buechner “The Figure a Poem Makes” by Robert Frost Theology and Joy by Jürgen Moltmann “How the Poet Christian Wiman Keeps His Faith” by Casey Cep for The New Yorker W. A. Criswell Abraham Joshua Heschel The Moviegoer by Walker Percy Sara Grant The Sickness unto Death: A Christian Psychological Exposition of Edification & Awakening by Anti-Climacus by Søren Kierkegaard Miroslav Volf “The Ground of Being” Basil Bunting John Milton William Shakespeare William Wordsworth Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.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 McKenzie Hill Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens Audio engineering by Dan Phelps Video producer: Abby Egan Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For historian Kate Bowler, grief and suffering are more than just a topic of interest. She’s intimately acquainted with pain herself as someone who was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer, faced a small chance of survival, and lives with chronic pain. As she puts it, “I spent a long time almost dying.”  On this episode of The Russell Moore Show, Bowler shares words of wisdom honed from her research and her personal life. She and Moore talk about her new book Have a Beautiful, Terrible Day!: Daily Meditations for the Ups, Downs & In-Betweens and discuss the vulnerability of being human. They explore the anxious tenor of the modern era in a historical context and talk about the ways people discuss (or avoid discussing) hard things. They consider what it looks like to keep the faith in times of trial and how powerful acts of kindness and tenderness can be in seasons of suffering. Their conversation covers theology, Christian history, and the specific ways that the prosperity gospel has shaped evangelicalism.  Tune in for an episode that is as rich and resourceful as it is enjoyable and encouraging. Resources mentioned in this episode include: Kate Bowler Have a Beautiful, Terrible Day!: Daily Meditations for the Ups, Downs & In-Betweens by Kate Bowler No Cure for Being Human (And Other Truths I Need To Hear) by Kate Bowler Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved by Kate Bowler Dorothy Day Reinhold Niebuhr Beth Moore Timothy Keller Richard Hayes The Moviegoer by Walker Percy Reynolds Price “How Do People Actually Change?” by Simeon Zahl “Tears” by Frederick Buchner Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.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 McKenzie Hill  Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens   Audio engineering by Dan Phelps   Video producer: Abby Egan   Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While answers to the question “How often do you think about the Roman Empire?” range from “daily” to “just about never,” Ancient Rome has a considerable impact on the lives of people in the West. On this episode, Russell Moore welcomes Tom Holland—award-winning biographer, historian, and author of Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World. Holland's new book Pax: War and Peace in Rome’s Golden Age sheds light on the Roman Empire’s lasting impact.  During their discussion, Moore and Holland consider the Roman influence on many American facets of life ranging from government to philosophy to gender. They consider what Ancient Rome can teach listeners about navigating dissension, the role of violence, and the role of virtue in maintaining a civilization. Their conversation covers the relationship of Ancient Rome to Christianity, how the Bible depicts Rome, and how to read Revelation with the Roman context in mind. Moore and Holland talk about radicalization, the October 7th Hamas attack, and the influence of social media.  Tune in for a powerful discussion that sheds light on specific ways our histories inform our present lives. Resources mentioned in this episode include: “Citizens” by John Guerra Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World by Tom Holland Pax: War and Peace in Rome’s Golden Age by Tom Holland Mary Beard Man in Full by Tom Wolfe Song of Ice and Fire Series by George R.R. Martin Edward Gibbon Spartacus  Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.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 McKenzie Hill  Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens   Audio engineering by Dan Phelps   Video producer: Abby Egan   Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How can parents guard against viewing their children’s behavior as solely a statement about their success or failure in parenting? What does it look like for churches to embrace people with cognitive differences? Why is it important to support adopted children in grieving the loss of their biological families?  Russell and producer Ashley Hales address complex questions like these on this episode of The Russell Moore Show. They discuss issues of sexuality, trauma, and mental health in response to listener questions. Tune in as they provide compassionate Christian perspectives on tough topics.  Questions addressed during this episode include:  How can parents wisely navigate relationships with their adult children who have differing views on theological and social issues?  What does it look like for the church to help adoptees heal from the trauma of losing their birth families and communities? Why did Russell and his wife, Maria, choose to homeschool their sons? How can parents trust God’s goodness when a child tries to take their own life? Will an unwed pregnant mother go to hell if she doesn’t marry the child’s father? How can families find welcoming churches for children with neurodivergence, such as those on the autism spectrum?  Resources mentioned in this episode include: The University of Chicago Institute of Politics 23andMe Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.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 McKenzie Hill Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens  Audio engineering by Dan Phelps  Video producer: Abby Egan  Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What does it say about the state of the evangelical church that 83 percent of women’s ministry leaders are not compensated? That’s the question that Russell Moore and Jen Wilkin, an author and Bible teacher, pose at the beginning of their conversation on this episode. Wilkin, who spent most of her years leading women’s ministry in a volunteer capacity, talks about how the fifth commandment to honor our parents prompted her to grow more curious about how the church treats its mothers.  Wilkin and Moore discuss how churches can better value women as leaders, staff members, and congregants. They consider the challenge of being one of the only women on a church leadership team as well as the pros and cons of single-gender ministries. Wilkin and Moore explore the importance of encouraging biblical literacy and teaching theology within the local church. And they consider what it means that, as Wilkin says, “all theology is autobiography.” Resources mentioned in this episode include: You Are a Theologian, An Invitation to Know and Love God Well by Jen Wilkin and J.T. English “Honor Thy Church Mothers—with Wages” by Jen Wilkin Lifeway Women Academy To Be a Woman: The Confusion Over Female Identity and How Christians Can Respond by Katie J. McCoy PhD Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.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 McKenzie Hill  Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens   Audio engineering by Dan Phelps   Video producer: Abby Egan   Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“People are dying to tell you their life story. They just need to be asked.”  So says author, columnist at The New York Times, and writer at The Atlantic David Brooks on a new episode of The Russell Moore Show. Moore and Brooks’ conversation explores the themes in Brooks’ new book, How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen. They talk about what it means to view people according to the inherent value and dignity of their souls, how love shapes us, and the cultural vocabulary around trauma. Moore and Brooks discuss marriage and the power of compassion. Their conversation covers the Hamas attacks, political volatility, and how to get through 2024 without increasing division. Tune in for an episode that cuts straight to the heart of what it means to be human and to honor the humanity in others.  Resources mentioned in this episode include: Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America by Russell Moore How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen by David Brooks Weave: the Social Fabric Project Telling Secrets: A Memoir by Frederick Buechner  Michael Gerson’s sermon at Washington National Cathedral Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl The Angel That Troubled the Waters by Thornton Wilder Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High by Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, and Emily Gregory  Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.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 McKenzie Hill Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens Audio engineering by Dan Phelps Video producer: Abby Egan Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The year is coming to an end, which means it’s time to reflect on our favorite reads! On this episode, Russell Moore and producer Ashley Hales discuss the books that have stuck with them this year. Their conversation touches on the winners of Christianity Today’s 2023 Book Awards and the back catalogs of authors whose new releases are making a splash.  Their conversation spans biographies, memoirs, fiction, and more. Moore and Hales discover themes across genres and consider how their 2023 reading might inform their 2024 thinking.  For more insight into what Russell is reading throughout the year, subscribe to his newsletter here.  Russell’s Top Ten Books of 2023: How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen by David Brooks  The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism by Tim Alberta Watership Down: The Graphic Novel by Richard Adams, adapted and Illustrated by James Sturm and Joe Sutphin All My Knotted-Up Life: A Memoir by Beth Moore C.S. Lewis in America: Readings and Receptions, 1935-1947  by Mark A. Noll Godless Crusade: Religion, Populism, and Right-Wing Identity Politics by Tobias Cremer King: A Life by Jonathan Eig How Far to the Promised Land: One Black Family's Story of Hope and Survival in the American South by Esau McCaulley Self-Made: Creating Our Identities from DaVinci to the Kardashians by Tara Isabella Burton Lights a Lovely Mile: Collected Sermons of the Church Year by Eugene H. Peterson Additional books mentioned in this episode include:  Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible's Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture by Christopher Watkin (CT Book of the Year Award) The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis Surprised by Joy by C. S. Lewis The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Strong and Weak: Embracing a Life of Love, Risk and True Flourishing by Andy Crouch Bobos In Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There by David Brooks Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World by Tara Isabella Burton Remaking the World: How 1776 Created the Post-Christian West by Andrew Wilson The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams by Lester J. Capon The Three-Body Problem Series by Cixin Liu Episodes of The Russell Moore Show featuring authors discussed in this episode include: “Tim Alberta on the White Evangelical Crisis” “Christianity’s Being Co-opted with Tobias Cremer” “Developing a Biblical Framework with Christopher Watkin” “Esau McCaulley Makes Grace Plausible” “Losing Our Religion: David Brooks on the Allure of Tribalism” “Andy Crouch’s Cure for a Tech-Obsessed World” “Beth Moore Didn’t Expect Us to Be Us” “Beth Moore and Russell Moore in Conversation” & “Listener Questions for Russell Moore and Beth Moore” Ashley Hales is the producer of The Russell Moore Show, founder of Willowbrae Institute, and an author. Find out more at aahales.com. Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.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 McKenzie Hill Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens Audio engineering by Dan Phelps Video producer: Abby Egan Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You’ve heard of the nones: the agnostic or atheist-adjacent young people who profess no religious faith. But what about the ums: those who, when asked, “Do you go to church?” are likely to respond with “um” or “not really” or “I kind of drifted during the pandemic.” What can be done to invite them back into connection and community?  On this episode of The Russell Moore Show, Moore welcomes author Kara Powell, Chief of Leadership Formation and Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute at Fuller Theological Seminary. Powell and Moore talk about research on Gen Z’s relationship to faith and church. They explore the reasons that young people are skeptical of Christianity and highlight opportunities for church leaders and older Christians to come alongside young people on their journeys. Moore and Powell discuss TENx10, a collaboration that endeavors to help faith matter more to 10 million young people over the next 10 years and offers faith communities the resources they need to prioritize youth discipleship. And they offer hope for rebuilding trust with members of Gen Z through, as Powell puts it, “everyday acts of listening and empathizing.”  Tune in for a dynamic conversation that will help parents, church leaders, and all who love Gen Z to answer the questions they’re asking about life and faith. Resources mentioned in this episode include: Faith Beyond Youth Group: Five Ways to Form Character and Cultivate Lifelong Discipleship by Kara Powell, Jen Bradbury, and Brad M. Griffin Fuller Youth Institute The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt Skye Jethani TENx10 “New Findings on Young Americans Two Years Into The Covid-19 Pandemic” from Springtide Research Institute Orange Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.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 McKenzie Hill Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens Audio engineering by Dan Phelps Video producer: Abby Egan Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When journalist Tim Alberta attended his father’s funeral, he expected people to speak words of comfort. What he didn’t expect was a confrontation. And yet, just a short walk away from the casket, someone approached a grieving Alberta to critique his writing on Trumpism. On a new episode of The Russell Moore Show, Moore welcomes Alberta, a writer for The Atlantic and the author of The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism to discuss how American culture has reached the point where people feel compelled to argue politics at all times. Alberta and Moore talk about the ways that politics have invaded the church in recent years. He and Moore talk about what fear has done to the state of evangelicalism, the rise of secularism, and the differences in conversations between white and multiethnic congregations. They consider ways that demographics affect political and religious perspectives, how pastors have engaged QAnon, and the variances in generational perspectives on American politics. Tune in for a conversation that sheds light on America’s history and ponders what its future could be. Resources mentioned in this episode include: The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism by Tim Alberta Blinded by Might: Can the Religious Right Save America? by Cal Thomas“ The Religious Right and the Abortion Myth” by Randall Balmer “Russell Moore Wants Us To Be Strange (But Not Crazy)” on the Good Faith podcast The “Against Trump” issue of National Review High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out by Amanda Ripley Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.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 McKenzie Hill Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens Audio engineering by Dan Phelps Video producer: Abby Egan Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices