The Bulletin

Here at The Bulletin, we’re beginning our summer programming. We’ll be re-airing the best segments from the past four years of the show. This week: Christian universities are closing at a notable rate. Alan Nobel joins Russell Moore and Clarissa Moll to discuss the reasons for this trend and the implications. Then, Clarissa talks with author and former Obama speechwriter David Litt about developing an unlikely friendship with his MAGA brother-in-law. Then, we consider how churches can effectively and appropriately engage the world in the age of screens and digital media.

REFERENCED IN THE EPISODE:

It’s Only Drowning: A True Story of Learning to Surf and the Search for Common Ground by David Litt

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ABOUT THE GUESTS: 

Alan Noble is an associate professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University and author of numerous books and articles. Alan’s writing appears in Modern Reformation, Christianity Today, Vox, Buzzfeed, and The Atlantic. 

David Litt is a New York Times bestselling author and a semi-finalist for the James Thurber Prize for American Humor. A former senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama, David was described as "the comic muse for the president" for his work on the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Since leaving the White House, he's written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, TIME, and The Guardian, among others, and served as a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice.

ABOUT THE BULLETIN: 

The Bulletin is a twice-weekly news analysis podcast from Christianity Today, with editor-at-large Russell Moore and executive editor of news Clarissa Moll. 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 

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

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The national average gas price has increased to $4.50 / gallon, reflecting skyrocketing crude oil prices due to the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz. While sticker shock at the gas pump is our most salient contact point, oil surrounds us from the moment we’re born. In today’s Long Read from the CT archives, writer Ken Baake traces the history of oil from its discovery to the transformation of our world. Have Christians become too accustomed to the luxuries oil provides? Is there a place for moderation in our consumption of oil? Tune in to this 2019 piece, read with updated statistics by James Thompson.

READ THE PRINT VERSION:

Oil is a Gift From God: Are We Squandering It? - Ken Baake

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ken Baake is an associate professor in the English Department of Texas Tech. He studies the art of communication, specifically focusing on “the rhetoric of science” and the language of technical communication. Ken studies art, poems, and songs looking to see people's perception and what is being conveyed through different types of language.

James Thompson is an international campus minister based in Thailand. He is a contributing writer to Christianity Today, where his reporting focuses on the global church and missions. His work has also been published in the Christian Standard and Religion Unplugged. Find him at jamescthompson.net.

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 Producers: Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper

Senior Producer: Matt Stevens
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This week, Russell Moore, Charlie Sykes, and Clarissa Moll break down new polling about Americans’ responses to changes in the economy, US involvement in foreign affairs, and their opinions on presidential hopefuls for 2028. Then, CT’s Sho Baraka joins to discuss how modern vices of marijuana use, AI porn, gambling look different with an undercurrent of loneliness and isolation. Finally, Sho and Russell discuss NASA’s reports that the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers are drying up at an alarming rate, and how people are relating this to a prophecy in Revelation.

REFERENCED IN THE EPISODE:

AtlasIntel Poll

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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, and other national publications. He has appeared on the Today Show, ABC, NBC, Fox News, CNN, PBS, and the BBC.

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.

ABOUT THE BULLETIN:

The Bulletin is a twice-weekly news analysis podcast from Christianity Today, with editor-at-large Russell Moore and executive editor of news Clarissa Moll. 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

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

Secretary of State Marco Rubio posts a video that seems like a campaign ad. The cybercrime group ShinyHunters attacks an edtech platform for ransom. Russia’s annual celebration of its WWII victory against the Nazis is pared down. The Dispatch’s Michael Reneau joins Clarissa Moll to discuss these headlines, and then Clarissa sits down with Dan Allender of The Allender Institute to discuss Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s skepticism about antidepressants, and how Christians can thoughtfully approach the use of psychiatric medication.

GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN:

Join the conversation at our Substack.

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Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice.

ABOUT THE GUESTS:

Michael Reneau is an executive editor at The Dispatch and is based in Greeneville, Tennessee. Prior to that, he was editor of WORLD Magazine and for several years was editor of a daily newspaper in East Tennessee.

Dan Allender is a psychologist who pioneered a treatment approach that bridges the story of the gospel and the stories of trauma and abuse. Dan serves as a professor of counseling psychology at The Seattle School. He is the author of The Wounded Heart, The Healing Path, To Be Told, and God Loves Sex. Dan also co-hosts The Allender Center Podcast.

ABOUT THE BULLETIN:

The Bulletin is a twice-weekly news analysis podcast from Christianity Today, with editor-at-large Russell Moore and executive editor of news Clarissa Moll. 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

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

On Tuesday, Indiana and Ohio held primary elections. Chris Butler joins Russell Moore and Clarissa Moll to discuss how Republican candidates endorsed by the Trump administration fared. President Trump heads to China next week to discuss trade with President Xi Jinping. Mark Tooley from the Institute on Religion and Democracy shares what these conversations mean for Taiwanese independence, and how China and Taiwan are both taking notes from Russia’s war in Ukraine. On Friday, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit paused the distribution of abortion pills-by-mail for patients who did not first have an in-person doctor visit. John Mize from Americans United for Life joins us to discuss why the Supreme Court subsequently blocked that decision.

REFERENCED IN THE EPISODE:

CT’s Reporting on Religious Freedom

GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN:

Join the conversation at our Substack.

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ABOUT THE GUESTS:

Chris Butler is the director of Christian civic formation at the Center for Christianity and Public Life, and he has pastored at Ambassador Church in Chicago for nine years. Chris co-authored Compassion (&) Conviction: The AND Campaign's Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement.

Mark Tooley is president of The Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) and editor of IRD’s foreign policy and national security journal, Providence. He worked eight years for the CIA and is a graduate of Georgetown University. He has written for The Wall Street Journal, World, Law & Liberty, and National Review.

John Mize serves as CEO of Americans United for Life, advancing the human right to life in culture, law, and policy. He previously served on the Senior Leadership team at the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, a leading patient advocacy organization devoted to supporting people impacted by inflammatory bowel disease.

ABOUT THE BULLETIN:

The Bulletin is a twice-weekly news analysis podcast from Christianity Today, with editor-at-large Russell Moore and executive editor of news Clarissa Moll. 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

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