The Bulletin

• Saudi Crown Prince Visit, GOP Realignment, and the Performative Male

  This week, President Trump hosts the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman for a formal White House visit, despite the prince’s responsibility for numerous human rights abuses. National security expert Elizabeth Neumann joins Mike Cosper and Clarissa Moll to discuss how to interpret this visit. Then, New York Times columnist David French stops by to talk about shifts in the Republican party as the U.S. emerges from the government shutdown. Finally, CT’s Sho Baraka joins us to talk about the TikTok trend of the performative male, and how one man in Detroit is using jujitsu to teach boys and men to control their strength and be emotionally open.  REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE: -Mastering Masculinity with Jason Wilson by Sho Baraka   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:   David French is a columnist for The New York Times. He’s a former senior editor of The Dispatch and author of Divided We Fall: America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation. 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 Trump administration. Neumann is also a national security contributor for ABC News. Sho Baraka is a recording artist, performer, culture curator, activist, and writer. Baraka is an alumnus of Tuskegee University and the University of North Texas. 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. In 2024, Baraka became the Big Tent editorial director for Christianity Today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• Marjorie Taylor Greene, Communion at the White House, and Charlotte ICE Raids

  Over the weekend, President Trump changed his tune about the Epstein files, calling for them to be released. Meanwhile, the rift between Trump and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene widens. Former Bethel worship leader Sean Feuchts hosts communion on state capitols around the country, and finally near the White House. And ICE arrests over 80 individuals in Charlotte, North Carolina, in one of the first major raids in southern states. Mike Cosper and Clarissa Moll discuss these headlines.  REFERENCED IN THE EPISODE: -Sunday Afternoon Reads: An American Deportation 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: TJ Hester Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs Music: Dan Phelps  Executive Producers: Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper   Senior Producer: Matt Stevens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• Israeli Settler Violence, Epstein Emails, and Bringing Back Purity

  This week, Israeli settler violence continues against Palestinians; Mike, Russell, and Clarissa discuss the complex dynamics in the West Bank. Then, Congress releases emails from Jeffrey Epstein that mention President Trump. Nicole Martin stops by to consider how we can think about the new revelations. Last, CT contributor Luke Simon joins the conversation about the role of purity in Christian discourse about sexuality and political violence.  REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE: ‘Promised Land’ miniseries by The Bulletin Rachael Denhollander Calls for a Southern Baptist Reckoning on Abuse on The Russell Moore Show Harm, Trauma, and Church Abuse with Diane Langberg on The Russell Moore Show Have We Kissed Purity Goodbye? By Luke Simon 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:   Nicole Martin is Christianity Today’s chief operating officer. She is the author of several books including Nailing It: Why Successful Leadership Demands Suffering and Surrender and Made to Lead: Empowering Women for Ministry. Luke Simon is a content strategist for The Crossing church in Columbia, Missouri, and a M.Div. student at Covenant Theological Seminary. He has written on Gen Z, technology, masculinity, and the church. His writing appears in Christianity Today, Mere Orthodoxy, and The Gospel Coalition. 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: TJ Hester Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs Music: Dan Phelps  Executive Producers: Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper   Senior Producer: Matt Stevens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• SNAP Benefits, Iran Update, and Practices to Calm Anxiety

  The federal government inches towards reopening as five Democratic senators signal they will join Republicans in passing legislation to fund the government. SNAP benefits were in question during the shutdown– how can Christians think about the role of the federal government in providing food assistance? And we haven’t heard much in the news about Iran recently; what’s going on there? Mike Cosper and Clarissa Moll discuss these headlines, and Clarissa talks with Sara Billups about how to address anxiety through embodied, spiritual practices. REFERENCED IN THE EPISODE: -Nervous Systems: Spiritual Practices to Calm Anxiety in Your Body, the Church, and Politics by Sara Billups.  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:   Sara Billups is a Seattle-based writer and cultural commentator whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Christianity Today, Aspen Ideas, and others. Sara writes Bitter Scroll, a monthly Substack letter and co-hosts the podcast That’s the Spirit. She earned a Doctor of Ministry in the Sacred Art of Writing at the Peterson Center for the Christian Imagination at Western Theological Seminary.  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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• Sunday Afternoon Reads: An American Deportation

  Nelson and Gladys Gonzalez snuck into the US in the 1980s from Colombia, rooted themselves in California where they became Christians, and eventually became lay leaders at Saddleback Church in Orange County, California. CT’s Andy Olsen got to know the Gonzalez family and recounts their complex and poignant story in his piece ‘An American Deportation.’ We’ve asked Andy to read his piece out loud. We think you’ll love it. Settle in and enjoy!  READ THE WRITTEN VERSION: -They Led at Saddleback Church. ICE Said They Were Safe. by Andy Olsen. 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:   Andy Olsen is the senior features writer at Christianity Today. He previously oversaw the print magazine team. His writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune, among other outlets, and has been recognized by the Religion News Association and the Evangelical Press Association. 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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