The Russell Moore Show Christianity Today
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- Religion & Spirituality
Listen in as Russell Moore, director of Christianity Today’s Public Theology Project and Editor-in-Chief, talks about the latest books, cultural conversations and pressing ethical questions that point us toward the kingdom of Christ.
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How to Be Sane When Everything's Crazy
“That is one nutty hospital.”
So says Bill Murray’s character, Jeff Slater, in the 1982 film Tootsie—and, effectively, so say many listeners of The Russell Moore Show when they reach out with questions or comments about the state of society and politics today. America is trying to recover from the physical, emotional, and economic effects of COVID-19 while simultaneously barreling toward an election season that is particularly rife with discord.
On this episode of The Russell Moore Show, we’re bringing together clips from four past episodes that provide, as Moore puts it, “some counsel of sanity in really crazy times.” Listeners hear from Jen Wilkin on unfair pay for women in churches and Beth Moore on how abuse has affected her view of God as a father. Yuval Levin speaks to what we can do as the institutions around us crumble and the late Tim Keller reminds us that we can both claim the power of forgiveness and seek justice.
Tune in for an episode that offers focus, encouragement, and hope for weathering the days to come.
This episode features clips from the following episodes of The Russell Moore Show:
“Beth Moore Speaks Out”
“Jen Wilkin on Women in the Church”
“Yuval Levin on What Christians Can Learn from Religious Minorities”
“Tim Keller Says Forgiveness Is Key to Christian Witness”
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
Tootsie
“Honor Thy Church Mother—with Wages”
The Westminster Confession of Faith
All My Knotted-Up Life: A Memoir by Beth Moore
American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation―and Could Again by Yuval Levin
Exclusion and Embrace, Revised and Updated: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation by Miroslav Volf
A Timbered Choir: The Sabbath Poems, 1979-1997 by Wendell Berry
The Diary of a Country Priest: A Novel by Georges Bernanos
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
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Lecrae on Fame and the Path of Wisdom
“In this season of my life, I’m not concerned with ego. I’m just trying to figure out how to serve and how to do the right things.”
So says four-time Grammy-award-winning rapper Lecrae on this episode of The Russell Moore Show. This lack of concern with ego hasn’t always been easy. Lecrae, whose two most recent Grammy wins occurred this year, shares that he had to spend a lot of time learning that God is the one who determines who he is. He and Moore discuss imposter syndrome, performance, and comparison. Their conversation covers anxiety, depression, and how God enters into our dark moments.
Lecrae and Moore talk about what deconstructing really means. They also consider how Western exceptionalism arises in Christian spaces, including a reckoning with lauded historical theologians who were slaveholders. They also talk about how Lecrae views the music industry, the importance of close friends when fame is part of your life, and what it looks like to live as though death has no power over us.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
Lecrae
Church Clothes 4
“Your Power”
I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger
God Gave Rock and Roll to You: A History of Contemporary Christian Music by Leah Payne
“W.W. Jay-Z?”
“Underneath the Door”
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
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An Unlikely Convert Is Surprised by Oxford
Carolyn Weber didn’t have a dependable earthly father, so she had no intention of trusting a heavenly one. As a hardworking, intellectual agnostic, she decided to read the Bible from front to back so she could show her Christian friends how ridiculous their beliefs were. Instead, she found that the Bible made sense to her. Not only that, but it drew her to the person of Jesus.
On this episode of The Russell Moore Show, Weber talks about her personal story of conversion and how it led to her memoir, Surprised by Oxford, and the resulting film. She and Moore talk about the influence of C.S. Lewis on both Weber and modern Christianity, the power of literature, and how fiction can help us develop a moral imagination. They discuss poetry, philosophy, and prayer, considering the many beautiful ways God reveals himself to us.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
Carolyn Weber
Surprised by Oxford: A Memoir by Carolyn Weber
Surprised by Oxford (film)
Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis
The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
Life Is a Miracle: An Essay Against Modern Superstition by Wendell Berry
“Surprised by Joy” by William Wordsworth
The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter
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
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Brian Klaas Tells Me Where I’m Wrong on Chance
Every day is full of small decisions, and rarely do we think of them as having great consequences. But if you ask today’s guest, Brian Klaas, they very well might.
On this episode of The Russell Moore Show, Moore invites Klass—a political scientist, contributing writer at The Atlantic, and associate professor—to tell him where he is wrong on the nature of the universe. Klaas explains why he is a determinist and how that belief system has both similarities and differences to believing in a personal God. The two discuss the high level of pop culture interest in science fiction and the concept of a multiverse. Their conversation covers politics and power, physics and free will, and what reforming broken systems may look like.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
Brian Klaas
Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters by Brian Klaas
Power Corrupts
Peter Kreeft
Dark Matter: A Novel by Blake Crouch
Dark Matter
Frederick Buechner
Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us by Brian Klaas
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
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Predictions about the Future of the Christian Church
What will the next several decades of American Christianity look like? Are the factors that led to the decline of mainline church attendance the same as those leading to decreased interest in evangelical congregations? Why are Gen Z women leaving religion at higher rates than their male counterparts?
These are the questions that Russell Moore and Ryan Burge—author, professor, and writer of Graphs about Religion Substack—address in this episode. They consider shifts in the Southern Baptist Convention, the relationship of politics to religious participation, and whether or not churches are expected to close by the thousands in the years to come. And they remind listeners of what it looks like not only to speak the gospel but to live it as members of a community that welcomes others, volunteers in meaningful ways, and embodies the beauty of what the church can be.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going by Ryan Burge
Graphs about Religion
Billy Graham
Dobbs v. Jackson
Obergefell
“Young Women Are Leaving Church in Unprecedented Numbers”
“Religion Has Become a Luxury Good”
Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert D. Putnam
Asbury University
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
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Hip-Hop Artist Flame on Theological Shifts
“You have a bunch of callings, and they’re just natural, ordinary things that God uses to accomplish spiritual and natural things. Have fun. Flourish in those. And do good in the world.”
So says Grammy-nominated and Dove-winning hip-hop artist Flame on this episode of The Russell Moore Show, which features a conversation about music, theology, and journeying with Jesus. Moore explains that while this isn’t a “tell me where I’m wrong” episode, he hopes it will provide a helpful angle to the “deconstruction” discussion—one that considers whether changing our minds about theological beliefs can be an act of faithfulness.
They consider spirituality and stability, connection and community, and tendencies among theological tribes. Flame explains what happens when we reduce Christianity to a “moral improvement program,” highlights the power of forgiveness, and considers the role of confession and absolution in the life of the believer.
From thoughts on baptism and Communion to rap albums and biographies, this episode has something for all who want to understand who they are in Christ and what it looks like to worship him.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
Flame / Extra Nos Academy
Freedom Lessons
Forward
Our World Redeemed
Extra Nos: Discovering Grace Outside Myself by Flame
“Scattered Tulips”
Commentary on Romans (Luther Classic Commentaries) by Martin Luther
Concordia Seminary
Song lyrics used with permission of the artist.
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