Disarming Leviathan - Missionaries to Christian Nationalists Caleb E. Campbell

Pastor Steve Bezner joins us to discuss how American culture has influenced the American Church's view of Jesus. We explore some of the distorted views of Jesus, including 'Christian Nationalist Jesus.' He also gives some coaching on how we can invite people back to a robust, biblical view of Jesus.
Preorder Steven’s book, Your Jesus is Too American today! About Steve Bezner
Steve Bezner (PhD, Baylor University) is senior pastor of Houston Northwest Church in Houston, Texas. He is a local leader and participant in Multi-Faith Neighbors Network, where he builds bridges with Muslims and Jews, and he serves on the board of the Houston Church Planting Network. He also trains church planters through Glocalnet, serves on the executive committee of Texas Baptists, and is an adjunct professor at George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University. Bezner lives in Houston with his wife and two sons.


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Dr. Katharine Hayhoe shares her experience as a climate scientist and gives some practical coaching on how we can cultivate healthy conversations with friends and family with whom we fundamentally disagree.

About Katharine
Katharine Hayhoe is a climate scientist and chief scientist for The Nature Conservancy. She is also the Endowed Professor in Public Policy and Public Law and Paul W. Horn Distinguished Professor at Texas Tech University.
She has been named a United Nations Champion of the Earth and one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People, and serves as the climate ambassador for the World Evangelical Alliance. Katharine was a lead author for the US Second, Third, and Fourth National Climate Assessments, hosts the PBS digital series Global Weirding, and has written for The New York Times.
Her TED Talk “The Most Important Thing You Can Do to Fight Climate Change: Talk About It” has been viewed over 5 million times. She has a BSc in physics and astronomy from the University of Toronto and an MS and a PhD in atmospheric science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.


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Bible scholar Dr. Timothy Gombis joins Caleb for an exploration of the themes of power and government in the New Testament and how they can shape our understanding of American Christian Nationalism. Caleb shares a few pieces from his Christian Nationalist Bible collection.

About Timothy Gombis
Timothy G. Gombis (PhD, University of St. Andrews, Scotland) is professor of New Testament at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, in Grand Rapids, MI. He is author of Paul: A Guide for the Perplexed (T&T Clark, 2010) and The Drama of the Ephesians: Participating in the Triumph of God (IVP Academic, 2010). He regularly writes about Christian identity, biblical studies, books, movies, music, sports, and culture on his blog, Faith Improvised ( https://timgombis.com).


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In today's episode of Disarming Leviathan, I am joined by Dr. Samuel Perry. We explore what Christian Nationalism is, the various forms of it, and why so many evangelicals are drawn to it. About SamAn award-winning scholar and teacher, Dr. Perry is among the nation's leading experts on conservative Christianity and American politics, race, families, and sexual behavior. He has been recognized as among the top sociologists in the world in terms of research productivity and impact.
Along with well over 100 peer-reviewed articles published in leading academic journals, Dr. Perry is also the author or co-author of five books, including Growing God's Family (NYU, 2017), Addicted to Lust (Oxford, 2019), Taking America Back for God (Oxford, 2020, with Andrew Whitehead), and The Flag and the Cross (Oxford, 2022, with Philip Gorski). His most recent book is entitled Religion for Realists: Why We All Need the Scientific Study of Religion (Oxford, 2024).
Dr. Perry is also a public sociologist. In addition to frequent speaking engagements around the country, he is a regular Contributor at TIME Magazine and has also written for outlets like The Washington Post, NBC News, and The Dallas Morning News. Dr. Perry's interviews and research findings have also been featured in recent documentaries by Frontline and Al Jazeera as well as sources like The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The Economist.


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Caleb joins Dr. Jemar Tisby for a joint podcast that explores the history of American Christian Nationalism and the church and ways that we can engage those who are imbibing this harmful ideology.
About Jemar TisbyJemar Tisby (BA, University of Notre Dame; MDiv, Reformed Theological Seminary) s the New York Times bestselling author of The Color of Compromise and the award-winning How to Fight Racism. He is a historian who studies race, religion, and social movements, and serves as a professor at Simmons College of Kentucky, a historically Black college. He is also the founder of The Witness, Inc. an organization dedicated to Black uplift from a Christian perspective. He has written for national news outlets such as The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and the Religion News Service. He has offered television commentary on CNN and is frequently called upon to provide expert insight on current events related to race and Christianity. He has spoken nationwide at colleges, universities, and other organizations.
About Caleb CampbellPastor Campbell graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Master of Arts in Ministry from Phoenix Seminary in 2015. Caleb is currently a doctoral student at Fuller Theological Seminary. He has served at Desert Springs Bible Church, in Phoenix, AZ since 2006, serving as Lead Pastor since 2015. He also serves on the board of United Pastors of Arizona, is the state-wide regional director of the Surge Network, and is one of the founders of the J29 Coalition. He has spoken at events hosted by Acts 29, the African American Christian Clergy Coalition, American Values Coalition, Surge Network, Grand Canyon University, Converge Arizona, Young Life, and Phoenix Seminary


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In today's episode of Disarming Leviathan, I am joined by my friend, Elizabeth Neumann. Elizabeth is a former Homeland Security official who served under both the Bush and Trump administrations at the Department of Homeland Security.
We discuss her book, Kingdoms of Rage, and her unique perspective on radicalization, drawn from her extensive experience in Homeland Security. Elizabeth provides valuable insights into how individuals transition from entertaining certain ideas to engaging in acts of resistance, violence, and even killing.
Our conversation covers how to recognize the signs of this radicalization process, understand what's happening to individuals as they go through it, and effectively engage with those who may be caught up in extremism, helping to guide them away from dangerous paths. Join us for this important and enlightening discussion.
Learn more about Elizabeth’s work at elizabethneumann.org



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