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The Bulletin

The Bulletin

Written by: Christianity Today
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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!All rights reserved Christianity Ministry & Evangelism Politics & Government Social Sciences Spirituality
Episodes
  • A Social Media Reckoning

    A Social Media Reckoning
    Oct 9 2026
    This week, Frances Haugen drops by The Bulletin to discuss the events in her life that inspired Aaron Sorkin’s new movie The Social Reckoning. Frances shares what she learned as a data scientist at Facebook that led her to become a corporate whistleblower, as well as how we can think about integrity in the workplace. Then, CT contributor Brad East joins the show to talk about his piece ‘Why Christians Should Delete Social Media’ and the value of living an offline life. REFERENCED IN THE SHOW: Why Christians Should Delete Social Media - Brad East The Screen Free Church: How Pastors Can Diagnose and Resist the Spiritual Costs of Technology - Brad East Audio clip from the trailer of Sony Pictures' The Social Reckoning. 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: Frances Haugen is an American product manager, data engineer, scientist, and whistleblower. She disclosed tens of thousands of Facebook's internal documents to the Securities and Exchange Commission and The Wall Street Journal in 2021. Brad East is an associate professor of theology at Abilene Christian University. He is the author of five books, including his upcoming book The Screen-Free Church: How Pastors Can Diagnose and Resist the Spiritual Costs of Technology. He also writes regularly on his personal blog and cohosts the podcast Mere Fidelity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    43 mins
  • Jim Crow Theobros, Pastors Running as Democrats, and 2028 Polling Data

    Jim Crow Theobros, Pastors Running as Democrats, and 2028 Polling Data
    Oct 2 2026
    Theobros are a new genre of Internet influencer who discuss theology on podcasts. They have been gaining an online following by saying the Bible supports their segregationist and antisemitic views. Bob Smietana from Religion News Service reported on these Theobros, and spoke to The Bulletin about their beliefs. Then, as the mid-term elections approach, we discuss the phenomenon of pastors, seminarians and former clergy running as Democratic candidates. We re-air a conversation with Mockingcast’s David Zahl, diving specifically into the rise of Texas’s Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico. Lastly, Charlie Sykes and Russell Moore discuss how to interpret polling data around the 2028 election, if they think JD Vance or Marco Rubio is more likely to become the Republican candidate, and what to value when thinking about who to vote for. REFERENCED IN THE SHOW: The rise of the Jim Crow theobros - Bob Smietana 'They're not real pastors': As clergy run as Democrats, Republicans question their faith - Religion News Service Can Democrats Reclaim the Christian Moral Highground? - Jia Lynn Yang 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: Bob Smietana is a national reporter for Religion News Service based near Chicago, covering evangelicals, weird religion, and the changing religious landscape. David Zahl is the founder and director of Mockingbird Ministries, editor-in-chief of the Mockingbird website, and co-host of both The Mockingcast and The Brothers Zahl podcasts. His latest book is, The Big Relief: The Urgency of Grace for a Worn-Out World. His writing has been featured in The Washington Post, Christianity Today, and The Guardian, among others. 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, and other national publications. He has appeared on the Today Show, ABC, NBC, Fox News, CNN, PBS, and the BBC. ABOUT THE BULLETIN: The Bulletin is a twice-weekly news analysis podcast from Christianity Today, with editor-at-large Russell Moore. Each episode offers commentary on current events and headlining news with a roundtable of premier guests, and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. “The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today Host: Alexa Copeland Producer: Nathan Nipper Associate Producer: Alexa Copeland 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
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    49 mins
  • Trump Hosts Xi Jinping, Military Might in Greenland, and AI Alarmism

    Trump Hosts Xi Jinping, Military Might in Greenland, and AI Alarmism
    Sep 25 2026
    This week, President Trump welcomed China’s president Xi Jinping to Washington, D.C. for a two-day summit. Knox Thames joins to discuss Chinese religious liberty violations and why the two world leaders will most likely avoid the issue. Then, President Trump signed an agreement with Denmark and Greenland regarding the US’s military presence in Greenland. We re-air a segment in which Noah Rothman, Mike Cosper, Russell Moore, and Clarissa Moll discuss Trump’s comments from January about wanting to claim Greenland, and the harm that those comments may have caused. Finally, amidst the AI alarmism in the media cycle, we re-play a conversation featuring Meghan Sullivan from Notre Dame’s Institute for Ethics and the Common Good. She discusses some ways we can approach the AI issue, and what is in store for our work. REFERENCED IN THE SHOW: The Other Victims of China’s Church Crackdown - Vivian Wang DBU Center for Global Religious Freedom Resources Jensen Huang Thinks A.I. Alarmism Has Gone Too Far - The Ezra Klein Show 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. Noah Rothman is a senior writer with National Review and a contributor to MSNBC. He is the author of Unjust: Social Justice and the Unmaking of America and The Rise of the New Puritans: Fighting Back Against Progressives’ War on Fun. Meghan Sullivan is a professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. She serves as director of the ethics Initiative and is the founding director of Notre Dame’s Institute for Ethics and the Common Good. She is the author of Time Biases, and The Good Life Method based on a popular introductory philosophy course she developed at Notre Dame called “God and the Good Life.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    48 mins
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