664: An Atheist Says America Needs Jesus with Jonathan Rauch

Listen to this episode from The Holy Post on Spotify. Donald Trump launched a global trade war because he thinks America’s trade deficit makes us “losers,” but does he even understand what a trade deficit is? Phil introduces a new segment full of statistics that make Kaitlyn and Skye groan. And they discuss David Brooks’ new article in The Atlantic, which compares this moment in U.S. history to the era of Andrew Jackson, and offers hope for what may come after MAGA. Skye interviews Jonathan Rauch about his new book, “Cross Purposes.” Rauch, an atheist, says his antagonism toward Christianity changed when he came to see how vital it is to American democracy and why evangelicals’ failure to follow Jesus is putting the whole country at risk.   Holy Post Plus: Bonus Interview with Jonathan Rauch https://www.patreon.com/posts/125941930/   Ad-Free Version of this Episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/126225451/ 0:00 - Show Starts   3:05 - Theme Song   3:30 - Sponsor - BetterHelp - This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/HOLYPOST and get 10% off your first month   4:35 - Sponsor - Blueland - Get up to 25% off your first order by going to https://www.Blueland.com/HOLYPOST   7:12 - Stock Market Crash!   15:49 - How Idols Steal from Us   20:36 - DEI Removal   27:50 - Nihilism   41:20 - How Do Things Get Better?   48:18 - Sponsor - Hiya Health - Go to https://www.hiyahealth.com/HOLYPOST to receive 50% off your first order   49:22 - Sponsor - Rocket Money - Find and cancel your old subscriptions with Rocket Money at https://www.rocketmoney.com/HOLYPOST   50:30 - Interview   55:04 - Secularization’s Consequences   1:06:22 - Christianity as an Exilic Religion   1:15:20 - Evangelism as Market-Driven Religion   1:26:52 - End Credits   Links from News Segment: David Brooks Article: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/05/trumpism-maga-populism-power-pursuit/682116/   Other Resources: Cross Purposes: Christianity’s Broken Bargain with Democracy by Jonathan Rauch: https://a.co/d/8Zl4bvs   Holy Post website: https://www.holypost.com/   Holy Post Plus: www.holypost.com/plus   Holy Post Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/holypost   Holy Post Merch Store: https://www.holypost.com/shop   The Holy Post is supported by our listeners. We may earn affiliate commissions through links listed here. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.