Sydney Sweeney’s “Great Jeans” ad sparked a culture war. Was it clever marketing, coded eugenics, or just outrage for clicks? Esau, Malcolm, and Mike break down who really wins when we fight over denim. Also, Taylor Swift has a new album, a Hollywood actor claims to have been blacklisted for his christian principles, and why old school gospel music should still be relevant today. 0:00 - Theme Song 2:00 - Making Malcolm a Swiftie 10:35 - Sydney Sweeney’s Jeans 22:40 - Neil McDonough Playing the Victim? 21:55 - Sponsor - No Small Endeavor - Award-winning podcast where theologians, philosophers, and best-selling authors talk about faith with Lee C. Camp. Start listening today: https://pod.link/1513178238 34:50 - CEO Disses Gospel Music? 49:20 - End Credits
--------
48:20
--------
48:20
Black and Evangelical?
What does it mean to be Black and evangelical in a moment when both words carry so much baggage? Esau is joined by theologian and longtime Wheaton professor Dr. Vince Bacote, whose new documentary Black + Evangelical traces the overlooked history of African Americans in evangelical institutions. They talk about what it means to carry a Black church heritage into white evangelical spaces, why so many Black voices are celebrated until they speak up about race, and how many of today’s tensions are echoes of the past. 0:00 - Theme Song 3:25 - Highest-Grossing Documentary 6:18 - Black and Evangelical 13:22 - Struggles Being Black and Evangelical 24:18 - Sponsor - No Small Endeavor - Award-winning podcast where theologians, philosophers, and best-selling authors talk about faith with Lee C. Camp. Start listening today: https://pod.link/1513178238 25:33 - Tom Skinner 28:30 - Tone Policing 33:33 - Emotion and Intellect 37:42 - Promise Keepers 45:45 - Hopeful Future for Black Evangelicalism 50:30 - End Credits Black + Evangelical Documentary: https://pages.christianitytoday.com/black-evangelicals-documentary-lp
--------
50:50
--------
50:50
Is Gen Z in Revival or Retreat?
On a recent Holy Post episode, Ryan Burge claimed the data shows that Gen Z is not experiencing a revival, but Carey Nieuwhof says otherwise. Esau and Sharon Hodde Miller compare the competing narratives and reflects on what true revival looks like and why we care so much whether a revival is happening. Then, a recent New York Times piece questions the so-called “boy crisis,” Are boys really falling behind or have girls just always done better in school? Plus: what food or coffee shop would make you change your last name? Why Uber’s new feature for women riders is long overdue. And Esau’s final question: is being mad about Halloween in July grumpy or principled? 0:00 - Theme Song 2:35 - Naming Yourself After a Brand? 7:55 - Boyhood Crisis Overblown? 19:10 - Gen Z Revival or Retreat? 27:20 - Piety vs Churchgoing Stats 35:35 - Uber Gender Policy 42:20 - Grumpy or Principled 46:15 - End Credits God’s Colorful Kingdom Storybook Bible: The Story of God’s Big Diverse Family by Esau McCaulley: https://a.co/d/iQjqMeB
--------
46:28
--------
46:28
Coldplay Kiss Cam: Comedy or Tragedy?
A Coldplay concert kiss cam became the most viral moment of the week. Esau, and bestselling author Nancy French unpack the now-infamous clip of an affair caught on camera. Was it hilarious or heartbreaking, and what does it say about our appetite for public shame? They also debate whether a World War II hero should also be remembered as a TikTok star, whether celebrity-branded Crumbl cookies are harmless fun or late-stage capitalism in dessert form, and if Walmart might actually be... beautiful. Plus, Esau discovers there’s a wrong way to invite your producer to a Cubs game. 0:00 - Theme Song 4:00 - D-Day Veteran and TikTok Star 10:25 - Coldplay Outs CEO Affair—Funny or Tragedy? 21:08 - Benson Boone Cookies and Parasocial Relationships 31:24 - An Ode to Wal-Mart? Ghosted: An American Story by Nancy French: https://a.co/d/0UhumZ5
--------
42:34
--------
42:34
When Grace and Drugs Share the Same Album
A controversial new IRS regulation just opened the door for churches to endorse political candidates from the pulpit. Esau McCaulley and Justin Giboney weigh in on if this a win for religious freedom, a threat to the church’s public witness, or just business as usual? Then they unpack the unexpected reunion of hip-hop duo The Clipse. One brother found faith. The other kept rapping about dealing drugs. So what happens when grace and drug bars share the same tracklist? Can Christian artists operate in secular spaces without compromise? Plus: Black vs. African American, summer recommendations, and is Mike secretly the voice of the Bible Project? 0:00 - Theme Song 1:52 - Churches Endorsing Candidates 14:50 - African American or Black? 17:05 - Sponsor - No Small Endeavor - Award-winning podcast where theologians, philosophers, and best-selling authors talk about faith with Lee C. Camp. Start listening today: https://pod.link/1513178238 24:40 - Is Mike the Bible Project guy? 26:35 - Drugs and Gospel on the Same Album 41:11 - Summer Plans 45:00 - End Credits Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Around: How the Black Church’s Public Witness Leads Us out of the Culture War by Justin Giboney: https://a.co/d/cMMUHlQ
The Esau McCaulley Podcast looks to find God in the midst of culture. Each week, Esau will bring together friends, scholars, artists, and writers to unpack the cultural stories that shape our lives and discuss how these stories point us back to God’s presence in the world. Whether it's literature, sports, movies, music, or politics, Esau and his guests will explore how culture reflects both human creativity and our deepest longings. They’ll also challenge the notion that spirituality and culture are at odds by showing how faith can inform our engagement with the world around us. The Esau McCaulley Podcast wants to help the church move beyond the walls of the sanctuary to meet real people where they are, in this beautiful, complex world God has made, and find the space where truth and goodness meet.
Österreich