Show Notes
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
More from The Bulletin
This week, President of the Trinity Forum Cherie Harder shares about what healthy political discourse looks like and what we can keep in mind as we approach the midterm elections. Then, Courtney Blair sits down at The Museum of the Bible with Christianity Today President and CEO Nicole Martin for a discussion about where CT has come from, where we’re going, and what remains at our core.
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.
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.
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.
In June, the FDA authorized the nicotine pouch brand Zyn to advertise themselves as a lower-risk option than cigarettes. With Zyn has been growing in popularity with younger folks, it threatens to become a gateway into nicotine addiction. Luke Simon joins Russell Moore and Clarissa Moll to discuss whether using Zyn is a sin, and how addiction to nicotine pouches can develop. Then, Phylicia Masonheimer shares about overcoming her addiction to erotic novels, and how “romantasy” books warp our sense of the good and beautiful. Finally, Yale psychiatrist James Kimmell Jr. shares about neuroscience research on revenge, and how it looks very similar to an addiction.