Episodes

  • Beyond Bowling Alone: Finding Community in an Isolated Age

    Beyond Bowling Alone: Finding Community in an Isolated Age
    Feb 19 2025
    “ Precisely what brings you into communion with the church is not sitting—no matter how good the sermon is—it’s not sitting in an auditorium with 3,000 people,” says Robert Putnam. “It’s connecting with other cobelievers in a small group.” Robert Putnam, political scientist and author of the cultural phenomenon Bowling Alone, joins Russell Moore to talk about social shifts in how we gather with—and separate from—one another. Putnam and Moore talk about religion, partisanship, and social shifts such as delayed marriage. Their conversation covers loneliness, the increasing number of people who do not identify with any religion, and politicization. Moore and Putnam consider the importance of coming together, explore the history of communities in America, and encourage listeners with practical steps for cultivating fellowship. Resources mentioned in this episode or recommended by the guest include: Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy by Robert D. Putnam Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert D. Putnam Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis by Robert D. Putnam Join or Die “If You Want to Destroy My Sweater, Hold This Thread as I Walk Away”  Christian Smith The Four Loves by C. S. Lewis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    41 mins
  • An Atheist on What He Got Wrong About Christianity’s Decline

    An Atheist on What He Got Wrong About Christianity’s Decline
    Feb 12 2025
    One may not expect Russell Moore and Jonathan Rauch, an openly gay atheist, to become friends—much less to be positive influences on one another’s lives and work. But as this conversation shows, this surprising fact is true. The two discuss their perspectives on politics, Christianity, and culture. They talk about their regular gathering on Thursday nights with fellow thinkers and the ways they see fear taking precedence in American churches. Their discussion covers race, gender, and sexuality, as well as Christian nationalism, parallels between the political left and right, and the reasons why Rauch considers forbearance to be a key aspect of liberal democracy. Moore and Rauch consider the “four Ms”—mortality, morality, murder, and miracles—and talk about why Rauch dedicated his new book, Cross Purposes, to two Christian friends who have passed—Tim Keller and Mark McIntosh. Resources mentioned in this episode or recommended by the guest include: Jonathan Rauch Cross Purposes: Christianity’s Broken Bargain with Democracy by Jonathan Rauch Brookings Institution The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention Peter Wehner David French Mark A. McIntosh “Let It Be” “U.S. Church Membership Falls Below Majority for First Time” No Compromise Tim Keller Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    54 mins
  • What the Black Church Can Teach the Rest of American Christianity

    What the Black Church Can Teach the Rest of American Christianity
    Feb 5 2025
    Walter Strickland didn’t read a book from cover to cover until he was 18 years old. Books—from that first read, The Screwtape Letters, to Strickland’s latest work, Swing Low—have shaped his life. So, too, has the Black church. Strickland, an author, educator, and pastor, joins Moore to talk about the titles that have formed their experiences as Christians and academics. They consider how slaveholders used biblical texts to defend their actions and weaponized faith against enslaved people. Strickland and Moore observe the ways that God remains faithful to his Word amid oppression and explore the phenomenon of Black worshipers leaving predominantly white churches. They discuss African American theologians, the witness of the Black church, and the five anchors that Black Christianity has contributed to the body of Christ. Resources mentioned in this episode or recommended by the guest include: Walter Strickland Swing Low, Volume 1: A History of Black Christianity in the United States by Walter Strickland Swing Low, Volume 2: An Anthology of Black Christianity in the United States by Walter Strickland The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis The Decline of African American Theology: From Biblical Faith to Cultural Captivity by Thabiti M. Anyabwile “The Black Church Has Five Theological Anchors” “A Quiet Exodus: Why Black Worshipers Are Leaving White Evangelical Churches” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    52 mins
  • Moore to the Point: Running From Refugees

    Moore to the Point: Running From Refugees
    Feb 3 2025
    Jesus’ refugee status ought to inform his followers about how to treat imperiled refugees right now. The Russell Moore Show is bringing Russell's weekly newsletter to all streaming platforms. Listen to his most recent newsletter every Monday! Subscribe to Russell's weekly newsletter here! Do you have questions for Russell Moore? Send them to questions@russellmoore.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    13 mins
  • A Conversation with Tim Alberta

    A Conversation with Tim Alberta
    Jan 29 2025
    In December of 2023, journalist and author Tim Alberta joined Russell Moore to discuss the ways that politics have invaded the white evangelical church in recent years. He returns to talk about the election and inauguration of President Donald Trump that have happened since—and to consider what those events mean about the state of American culture. Alberta and Moore talk about numbness, hopelessness, and the lack of persuadability in many Americans. They discuss the effect of social media on righteous indignation and judgmentalism as well as the political exhaustion among wide swaths of Americans. They talk about President Trump’s executive orders, cabinet members, and the possibility of mass deportations. Moore and Alberta describe their reasons for hope and consider what it may look like to build godly community in a time of division. Resources mentioned in this episode or recommended by the guest include: Tim Alberta “Tim Alberta on the White Evangelical Crisis” The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism by Tim Alberta “The Most Revealing Moment of a Trump Rally” “Why Democrats Are Losing Hispanic Voters” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    51 mins
  • Moore to the Point: Curb Your Cynicism

    Moore to the Point: Curb Your Cynicism
    Jan 27 2025
    Cynicism makes sense right now -- and it could cost us our souls. The Russell Moore Show is bringing Russell's weekly newsletter to all streaming platforms. Listen to his most recent newsletter every Monday! Subscribe to Russell's weekly newsletter here! Do you have questions for Russell Moore? Send them to questions@russellmoore.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    10 mins
  • Humanity's Universal Addictions: What is the Cure?

    Humanity's Universal Addictions: What is the Cure?
    Jan 22 2025
    Why has everyone gone insane? It’s a question that makes Russell Moore and Ian Morgan Cron—bestselling author, psychotherapist, Enneagram teacher, and Episcopal priest—laugh, and also one that they approach with wisdom and insight. Moore and Cron talk about the confluence of pressures and stressors in the modern world, the relationship of control to certainty, and varying perspectives on anxiety and depression. They discuss practical actions to take when feeling overwhelmed and dive into the Twelve Steps, which Cron’s new book illuminates as helpful not just for alcoholics but for everyone. Cron and Moore talk about what it means to be addicted, the human desire for relief from pain, and the power of community in the recovery process. Cron sheds light on amends conversations, which book of the Bible each Enneagram type should take to a desert island, and his profound love for God, Scripture, and humankind. Resources mentioned in this episode or recommended by the guest include: Ian Morgan Cron The Fix: How the Twelve Steps Offer a Surprising Path of Transformation for the Well-Adjusted, the Down-and-Out, and Everyone in Between by Ian Morgan Cron The Enneagram Andrew Peterson “Barth Challenges Bonhoeffer to Return to Germany” Serenity Prayer “In the Blood” The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis Karl Rahner Addiction & Grace: Love and Spirituality in the Healing of Addictions by Gerald G. May Curt Thompson Bill Wilson Alcoholics Anonymous David’s Crown: Sounding the Psalms by Malcolm Guite Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr
  • Moore to The Point: How a Book Club Helped Me to Live and to Die

    Moore to The Point: How a Book Club Helped Me to Live and to Die
    Jan 20 2025
    "The secret of all this is that it’s not really a book club; the books are the excuse we give ourselves to make sure we’re all there." Russell says as he shares about the weekly rhythm that changed his life. The Russell Moore Show is bringing Russell's weekly newsletter to all streaming platforms. Listen to his most recent newsletter every Monday! Subscribe to Russell's weekly newsletter here! Do you have questions for Russell Moore? Send them to questions@russellmoore.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    10 mins