The Bulletin

The Bulletin is a podcast for Christians seeking insights into the events, questions, and people that are shaping their world. Each episode will help Christians consider the intersection of faith, culture and spiritual formation. Subscribe today!

  1. Therapists' Free Speech, Grads' Careers, and Hegseth’s Imprecatory Prayer

    4H AGO

    Therapists' Free Speech, Grads' Careers, and Hegseth’s Imprecatory Prayer

    On Tuesday, the Supreme Court rejected a Colorado law that restricted counselors from assisting clients who wished to change their sexual orientation or gender identity. Luke Goodrich from The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty joins to discuss with Russell Moore and Clarissa Moll why the Supreme Court was nearly unanimous on the decision, and the implications for free speech. Then, CT’s Sho Baraka stops by to discuss the high unemployment and underemployment rate of college graduates, and where grads can find hope. Finally, Daniel K. Williams joins to analyze Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s service at the Pentagon in which he prayed imprecatory prayers against America’s enemies. This in contrast with Pope Leo’s Palm Sunday sermon, in which he prayed for peace in the midst of war. REFERENCED IN THE EPISODE: Conversion Therapy, TikTok’s Algorithm, and Child Abuse Convictions - The Bulletin Young Graduates Face the Grimmest Job Market in Years - The New York Times War Projections, 2028 Hopefuls, AI Novels, and Men's College Attendance - The Bulletin ABOUT THE GUESTS: Luke Goodrich is vice president and senior counsel at Becket, where he represents religious organizations and individuals in religious liberty disputes in courts across the country, including in the Supreme Court. He is the award-winning author of Free to Believe: The Battle Over Religious Liberty in America. Luke has appeared on CNN, Fox News, ABC World News, PBS, and NPR, and has been published or quoted in major outlets like The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and The New York Times. Sho Baraka is Christianity Today’s Big Tent editorial director. He is a recording artist, performer, culture curator, activist, and writer. He is a cofounder of Forth District and the And Campaign, and he has served as an adjunct professor at Wake Forest University School of Divinity. He was an original member of influential hip-hop consortium 116 Clique, recording with Reach Records. Daniel K. Williams teaches American history at Ashland University and is the author of several books on Christianity and politics in the United States, including The Politics of the Cross: A Christian Alternative to Partisanship and Defenders of the Unborn: The Pro-Life Movement before Roe v. Wade. His work has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic. GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: Join the conversation at our Substack. Find us on YouTube. Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. ABOUT THE BULLETIN: The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor-at-large and columnist) and Mike Cosper (senior contributor). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. “The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today Producer: Clarissa Moll Associate Producer: Alexa Burke Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs Music: Dan Phelps Executive Producer: Erik Petrik Senior Producer: Matt Stevens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    53 min
  2. Classroom Tech, Anti-Trump Protests, Troops in Iran, and Crisis in Cuba

    3D AGO

    Classroom Tech, Anti-Trump Protests, Troops in Iran, and Crisis in Cuba

    A jury rules that Meta and YouTube were responsible for damages to children’s mental health, and attention shifts to states and school districts that have lawsuits against social media companies. Will they be effective in regulating technology use in the classroom? Over the weekend, Millions of Americans attend anti-Trump No Kings Protests. And, the US has 50,000 troops stationed in Iran. Former Congressional Representative Adam Kinzinger and Clarissa Moll discuss these headlines, and then Clarissa talks to human rights activist Anna Lee Stangl about the political situation and religious persecution in Cuba. REFERENCED IN THE EPISODE: CT’s Cuba Reporting GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: Join the conversation at our Substack. Find us on YouTube. Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. ABOUT THE GUESTS: Adam Kinzinger is an American politician, senior political commentator for CNN, and former lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard. He served as a United States representative of Illinois from 2011 to 2023. He is featured in the documentary The Last Republican. Anna Lee Stangl is the Senior Advocacy Officer for the Americas at Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), a British human rights organization with a focus on freedom of religion and belief. She has directed CSW’s research and advocacy in Latin America for 14 years, in which time they have maintained documentation of violations of freedom of religion or belief in Cuba. ABOUT THE BULLETIN: The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor-at-large and columnist) and Mike Cosper (senior contributor). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. “The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today Producer: Clarissa Moll Associate Producer: Alexa Burke Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs Music: Dan Phelps Executive Producer: Erik Petrik Senior Producer: Matt Stevens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    38 min
  3. ICE at Airports, School Shooting Convictions, and Ruling Against Meta

    MAR 27

    ICE at Airports, School Shooting Convictions, and Ruling Against Meta

    This week, President Trump posted on Truth Social that more ICE agents will be present at airports to address the long waits caused by the Department of Homeland Security partial shutdown. Elizabeth Neumann and Harvest Prude join us to discuss this and the ramifications of the shutdown. Then, a Georgia jury convicts a parent whose son murdered multiple people in a school shooting of second degree murder. Shooting survivor Taylor Schumann and breaking news reporter Jack Panyard help us understand these new prosecution strategies. Finally, a Los Angeles court ruled that Facebook, Instagram and YouTube are knowingly creating products that cause addiction and harm to children. Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen and parent technology coach Krista Boen join to share about these technologies and the implications for families. REFERENCED IN THE EPISODE: Stop Being Anxious About Your Anxiety - Russell Moore ABOUT THE GUESTS: Elizabeth Neumann is a national security expert who has served across three presidential administrations: on the inaugural staff of the White House Homeland Security Council under President George W. Bush, as an advisor to the office of the director of national intelligence during the Obama Administration, and as the Department of Homeland Security’s deputy chief of staff and assistant secretary for counterterrorism and threat prevention in the first Trump administration. Neumann is also a national security contributor for ABC News. Harvest Prude is Christianity Today’s national political correspondent and a congressional reporter based in Washington, DC. She is a former reporter for The Dispatch and World, having served there as political reporter for their Washington bureau. Taylor Schumann is a writer, activist, and survivor of the shooting at New River Community College in Christianburg, Virginia in 2013. She wrote the book When Thoughts and Prayers Aren’t Enough. Jack Panyard is a multimedia journalist covering breaking news, courts, crime, politics, education, and health for LNP and Lancaster Online. He has reported on Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes in the podcast Broken: Jeffrey Epstein. Frances Haugen is an advocate for accountability & transparency in social media. In 2021 after becoming alarmed by the choices Facebook was making to prioritize their own profits over public safety, she disclosed tens of thousands of Facebook's internal documents to the SEC and The Wall Street Journal. Since then she has testified in front of Congress and has engaged with lawmakers internationally on how to best address the negatives of social media platforms. Krista Boan is the co-founder of Screen Sanity, an international non-profit that equips families and communities to maximize technology's benefits while minimizing negative side effects. Her upcoming release, Tidbits of Truth About Social Media and You, offers middle school girls a calm, trusted roadmap to understand social media's hidden dangers -- before they experience them firsthand. GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: Join the conversation at our Substack. Find us on YouTube. Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. ABOUT THE BULLETIN: The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor-at-large and columnist) and Mike Cosper (senior contributor). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. “The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today Producer: Clarissa Moll Associate Producer: Alexa Burke Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs Music: Dan Phelps Executive Producer: Erik Petrik Senior Producer: Matt Stevens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 1m
  4. War Projections, 2028 Hopefuls, AI Novels, and Men’s College Attendance

    MAR 24

    War Projections, 2028 Hopefuls, AI Novels, and Men’s College Attendance

    This week, President Trump announced that the end of the Iran war may be in sight, while news outlets report the US is deploying thousands of troops to the Middle East. Then, Democratic governor of Kentucky Andy Beshear hints at a 2028 presidential campaign while making jabs at Vice President JD Vance. And, book publisher Hachette found that a book that they were about to publish was 78% AI-generated. Mike Cosper and Clarissa Moll discuss these headlines, and then Clarissa speaks with Ben Smith and Isaac Bledsoe from the American Institute for Boys and Men to discuss the trend that fewer men are going to college. What’s to account for the shifting demographics in college attendance? REFERENCED IN THE EPISODE: Getting Men Re-engaged in College by Isaac Bledsoe and Ben Smith CT’s education reporting GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: Join the conversation at our Substack. Find us on YouTube. Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. ABOUT THE GUESTS: Isaac Bledsoe is a senior research assistant at the American Institute of Boys and Men (AIBM) with an interest in transitions to adulthood, as well as fatherhood and family. Isaac was a research assistant at the Urban Institute, supporting a national survey of Early Head Start directors and a study to understand and improve parents’ experiences with Georgia’s child care subsidy program. Ben Smith is a researcher at AIBM with an interest in male labor market decisions and educational outcomes. He previously worked as a policy researcher at the RAND Corporation where he frequently focused on issues related to labor, employment, and financial decision making. His research provides an in-depth, ethnographic look at the ways some Americans manage day-to-day financial volatility. ABOUT THE BULLETIN: The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor-at-large and columnist) and Mike Cosper (senior contributor). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. “The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today Producer: Clarissa Moll Associate Producer: Alexa Burke Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs Music: Dan Phelps Executive Producer: Erik Petrik Senior Producer: Matt Stevens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    41 min
  5. Joe Kent Resigns, Iranian Threats, and a Victory for Parents’ Rights

    MAR 20

    Joe Kent Resigns, Iranian Threats, and a Victory for Parents’ Rights

    This week, top US counterterrorism official Joe Kent resigned, saying he could not support the ongoing war in Iran. Charlie Sykes joins Russell Moore, Mike Cosper, and Clarissa Moll to discuss Kent’s claims that Iran posed no imminent threat to the US. Then, Rebeccah Heinrichs from the Hudson Institute stops by to talk about global players in the war in Iran and what’s going on with US allies. Finally, the Supreme Court recently voted to give California parents the right to be informed if their child chooses to gender transition at school. Adèle Keim from Becket joins us to share why California schools were not communicating critical information to parents, and how the Court affirmed parents’ constitutional right to raise their children. ABOUT THE GUESTS: Charles J. Sykes is a political commentator who hosted a conservative talk show in Wisconsin for 23 years. He was the former editor-in-chief of The Bulwark, and is currently an MSNBC contributor. Sykes has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Politico, Salon, USA Today, National Review, The Weekly Standard, and other national publications. He has appeared on the Today Show, ABC, NBC, Fox News, CNN, PBS, and the BBC and has been profiled on NPR. Rebeccah Heinrichs is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute and the director of its Keystone Defense Initiative. She specializes in US national defense policy with a focus on strategic deterrence. Heinrichs currently serves as a commissioner on the bipartisan Strategic Posture Commission. She also serves on the US Strategic Command Advisory Group and the National Independent Panel on Military Service and Readiness. She is an adjunct professor at the Institute of World Politics, where she teaches nuclear deterrence theory and is also a contributing editor of Providence: A Journal of Christianity and American Foreign Policy. Adèle Keim is a senior legal counsel for Becket, a non-profit, public-interest legal and educational institute with a mission to protect the free expression of all faiths. Prior to working with Becket, Adèle was an associate in the appellate practice at Winston & Strawn in Washington, D.C, and she clerked for Hon. Edith Brown Clement on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans. Adèle has been featured on CNN, Fox News, Al Jazeera, EWTN, TheBlaze, and MSNBC. GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: Join the conversation at our Substack. Find us on YouTube. Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. ABOUT THE BULLETIN: The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor-at-large and columnist) and Mike Cosper (senior contributor). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. “The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today Producer: Clarissa Moll Associate Producer: Alexa Burke Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs Music: Dan Phelps Executive Producer: Erik Petrik Senior Producer: Matt Stevens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    52 min
  6. IDF and Lebanon, Ukraine’s Fears, AI Data Centers, and a Korean Messiah

    MAR 17

    IDF and Lebanon, Ukraine’s Fears, AI Data Centers, and a Korean Messiah

    The Israeli Defense Force pushes Hezbollah further north into Lebanon to protect those living in the north of Israel. Meanwhile, Ukraine worries that American focus has drifted away from their war with Russia. And, how should we feel about AI data centers being built in towns and cities around the US? Mike Cosper and Clarissa Moll discuss these headlines, and then Mike sits down with The Wall Street Journal’s China bureau chief Jonathan Cheng to talk about the Christian evangelical roots of the founding leader of North Korea, Kim II Sung. REFERENCED IN THE EPISODE: Korean Messiah - Jonathan Cheng GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: Join the conversation at our Substack. Find us on YouTube. Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. ABOUT THE GUESTS: Jonathan Cheng is the China bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, overseeing a team of more than two dozen correspondents and researchers in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore and New York. Previously, Mr. Cheng was the Seoul bureau chief for the WSJ. He speaks English, Cantonese, Mandarin Chinese, French and Korean, and his book Korean Messiah: Kim Il Sung and the Christian Roots of North Korea's Personality Cult will be published in April of this year. ABOUT THE BULLETIN: The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor-at-large and columnist) and Mike Cosper (senior contributor). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. “The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today Producer: Clarissa Moll Associate Producer: Alexa Burke Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs Music: Dan Phelps Executive Producer: Erik Petrik Senior Producer: Matt Stevens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    38 min
  7. Cost of Iran War, Quiet Southern Border, and Anglican Church Split

    MAR 13

    Cost of Iran War, Quiet Southern Border, and Anglican Church Split

    The first six days of the war with Iran have cost more than $11.3 billion, and 140 US troops have been injured, according to Pentagon officials. Tom Nichols, professor emeritus at the U.S. Naval War College and staff writer at The Atlantic, joins Russell, Mike and Clarissa to discuss military strategy and the costs of war. Since President Trump’s inauguration, border crossings at the US’s southern border have slowed. Bri Stensrud from Women of Welcome joins talk about how women are responding to the immigration policies of the Trump administration. Then, CT’s Bonnie Kristian stops by to discuss the reordering of the global Anglican church, and how to think about evangelicals’ approach to staying in or leaving a church or denomination. ABOUT THE GUESTS: Tom Nichols is a staff writer at The Atlantic and an author of the Atlantic Daily newsletter. He is a professor emeritus of national-security affairs at the US Naval War College, where he taught for 25 years, and an instructor at the Harvard Extension School. He has served as a legislative aide in the Massachusetts House and the US Senate. His books include The Death of Expertise and Our Own Worst Enemy: The Assault From Within on Modern Democracy. Bri Stensrud is an author, human dignity advocate, and the Director of Women of Welcome. Her passion is to equip the Church to engage more consistently and tangibly in holistic human dignity issues. Bri holds a Masters of Biblical & Theological Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary and has authored two books: Start with Welcome: The Journey toward a Confident and Compassionate Immigration Conversation, and a children’s book: The Biggest Best Light: Shining God’s Light into the World Around You. Bonnie Kristian is the deputy editor at Christianity Today. She is the author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today. Her writing has been published at outlets including The New York Times, The Week, USA Today, CNN, Politico, and others. GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: Join the conversation at our Substack. Find us on YouTube. Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. ABOUT THE BULLETIN: The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor-at-large and columnist) and Mike Cosper (senior contributor). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. “The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today Producer: Clarissa Moll Associate Producer: Alexa Burke Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs Music: Dan Phelps Executive Producer: Erik Petrik Senior Producer: Matt Stevens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    52 min
  8. Kristi Noem Fired, Iran Chooses Leader, and Pakistan Fights Taliban

    MAR 10

    Kristi Noem Fired, Iran Chooses Leader, and Pakistan Fights Taliban

    President Trump fires Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and chooses Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin to take her place. Then, a parent from Georgia is convicted of second degree murder and involuntary manslaughter after giving his son a gun with which he shot four individuals at his school. And, the son of the assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been chosen as the next supreme leader of Iran. Mike Cosper and Clarissa Moll discuss the headlines, and then Clarissa sits down with Knox Thames to talk about the conflict between Pakistan and the Taliban and religious freedom in the region. REFERENCED IN THE EPISODE: Blood and Water: The Life and Martyrdom of Shahbaz Bhatti GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: Join the conversation at our Substack. Find us on YouTube. Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. ABOUT THE GUESTS: Knox Thames is a diplomat and international human rights lawyer who served for 20 years in the US government across multiple administrations, most recently in the Obama and Trump administrations as a State Department special envoy for religious minorities in the Middle East and South/Central Asia. He is the executive director of the new Center for Global Religious Freedom, an initiative of Dallas Baptist University. ABOUT THE BULLETIN: The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor-at-large and columnist) and Mike Cosper (senior contributor). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. “The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today Producer: Clarissa Moll Associate Producer: Alexa Burke Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs Music: Dan Phelps Executive Producer: Erik Petrik Senior Producer: Matt Stevens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    40 min
4.4
out of 5
563 Ratings

About

The Bulletin is a podcast for Christians seeking insights into the events, questions, and people that are shaping their world. Each episode will help Christians consider the intersection of faith, culture and spiritual formation. Subscribe today!

More From Christianity Today

You Might Also Like