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Jessica and I spoke about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— A Catholic priest resigned for the dumbest (but strangely consequential) reason. (2:17)

— LDS leader Brad Wilcox’s racist comments have caused chaos among Mormons. (8:13)

— A public school Bible teacher in TN told students “how to torture a Jew.” (18:52)

— WV teachers told kids to attend a religious revival during the school day. (31:41)

— The evangelical ‘dissenters’ trying to ‘save’ the faith have their own problems. (42:26)

— Missouri’s governor said he only nominates people with “Christian values” to positions of power. (57:36)

— A Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate urged rape victims to be “heroic” and give birth. (1:01:19)

— A nun was sentenced to prison after stealing $835,000 from Catholic school to go gambling. (1:05:21)

(Image via Shutterstock)

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In this solo episode (Jessica will be back next week), Hemant interviewed Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of the New York Times bestseller Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation. The book attempts to explain why white evangelicals overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump, despite all the non-Trumpy values they claimed to hold dear before he came along, by looking at the history of evangelical culture.

2:40 Why did you write this book?
5:00 Did white evangelicals corrupt the faith or did guys like Donald Trump expose the faith for what it’s always been?
7:02 Are you cherry picking bad actors, like Mark Driscoll, who exist in every tradition, or do guys like Driscoll fairly represent this strain of conservative Christianity?
10:20 How much blame should we place on moderate Christians who platform these toxic people?
14:38 Is there a good definition of evangelicalism that outsiders would agree with?
18:28 Are your students more receptive to your ideas than your colleagues?
20:35 Are white evangelicals uniquely bad with toxic masculinity or is this just a problem with Americans at large? Or all of humanity?
23:32 Is Jerry Falwell, Jr. making a comeback?
25:25 Is there going to be a backlash to Trumpism that affects evangelicals?
30:06 SPONSOR: HelloFresh!
31:19 Is the impending end of Roe v. Wade good or bad for evangelicals on a strategic level?
34:12 Are white evangelicals really hypocrites about Trump considering he kept his anti-abortion promises?
37:55 Is evangelical Christianity a force for good?
40:55 What is your reaction to Girl Defined and other young Christian women who promote Christian patriarchy on YouTube?
42:00 What would you say to a megachurch pastor who comes to you for advice?
46:35 How come Christian stereotypes include both manly patriarchs as well as hipster skinny jean pastors?
49:45 Are you unfairly painting lower and middle class white men in the worst possible light?
52:30 Are white evangelicals really as powerful as you suggest they are?

Patreon supporters who give $5 a month will get an ad-free version of the show!

Join our private Facebook group and Discord server!

Jessica and I spoke about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— What will the Supreme Court look like after Stephen Breyer’s retirement? (2:36)

— Jerry Falwell, Jr. opened up about his past in a lengthy Vanity Fair profile. (13:45)

— A Mississippi mayor wants to withhold funds from the local library unless they purge all LGBTQ+ books. (30:47)

— A Georgia mayor’s first act was to ask everyone to join him in communion. (37:06)

— An AME Zion bishop was arrested for defrauding churches of millions of dollars. (41:14)

— A pro-choice activist took an abortion pill on live TV to show how simple it is. (47:54)

(Screenshot via YouTube)

Patreon supporters who give $5 a month will get an ad-free version of the show!

Join our private Facebook group and Discord server!

Jessica and I spoke about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— OnlySky, a new network for atheist bloggers, podcasters, and commentators, is now up and running! (0:49)

— Pastor Mike Todd smeared spit on his brother’s face to make a point about Jesus. (8:52)

— A proposed law in Iowa would require teachers to stand and say the Pledge of Allegiance… or else! (18:37)

— A taxpayer-funded Christian adoption agency in TN just got sued for refusing to work with Jews. (28:35)

— The Supreme Court accepted the case of a high school football coach who wanted to perform prayers on the field after games. (37:03)

— Justice Neil Gorsuch referred to “so-called” church/state separation in an oral argument. Yikes. (50:55)

— California is suing a Christian “health care” ministry for defrauding customers. (59:35)

— Answers in Genesis wants to use the horrific Tuskegee Syphilis Study as a way to prove evolution is false. (1:05:37)