A televangelist says he needs a private jet, and he's citing the Bible to justify it! After ditching commercial travel, he's now asking followers to fund his upgrade, arguing even Christ had to avoid the crowds. Apparently, salvation travels first class (or better).

Also this week: a bizarre Mormon conference tries to argue Joseph Smith didn't practice polygamy, prompting backlash and possible discipline from the church; a Pittsburgh priest gets caught selling church artifacts on eBay after repeatedly stealing baseball cards from Walmart; Democrats experiment with running pastors for office, raising questions about religion's role on the left; Texas gets pushed by the courts to reconsider excluding Muslim schools from its voucher program; and Jehovah's Witnesses quietly ease their blood transfusion ban (sort of). Plus, the LDS Church rolls out a so-called "gender equity" change that lets women lead Sunday School… as long as they don't lead men.

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A man quietly says a prayer on a flight, and it ends with police, a diversion, and a wave of panic. What should have been an ordinary moment of religious observance during Ramadan was treated like a security threat, exposing how quickly fear and bias can escalate at 30,000 feet. In this episode, we break down what actually happened, why it spiraled, and what it reveals about the double standard around public expressions of faith.

Also this week: Trump leans into "bad genetics" rhetoric that sounds a lot like eugenics, Texas rolls out a "religious freedom" voucher program that somehow excludes Muslim schools, and a new legal challenge turns abortion bans into a religious freedom issue. We also look at a bizarre Bible-reading marathon featuring conservative heavyweights, and a papal critique of war that raises big questions about moral accountability. Then in the final segment, we dig into whether a progressive Christian like James Talarico might be part of the answer to Christian nationalism, or just a different version of the same problem.

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A top CPAC leader sparked outrage this week after defending the bombing of Iranian schoolgirls. During a heated debate on Piers Morgan's show, American Conservative Union chairman Matt Schlapp suggested the girls might be "better off dead" than growing up under Iran's oppressive regime—an argument that left the panel stunned and raised disturbing questions about how far some are willing to go to justify war.

Elsewhere in the episode: Utah lawmakers turn Good Friday into a state holiday (in a state that barely observes it), a quiet new Utah education bill pushes religion into the teaching of America's founding, and a disturbing wave of Christian pundits celebrating war because they think it will trigger the End Times. We also look at Pete Hegseth's biblical war rhetoric and the growing overlap between nationalism, Christianity, and foreign policy. Then in the final segment, we zoom out to examine the darker side of apocalyptic belief—and why some believers seem genuinely excited about the possibility of global catastrophe.

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A quiet little mistake at BYU sets off a surprisingly big reaction! When a drink at the Mormon-owned Brigham Young University turned out to contain green tea, it reopened the question of what the Mormon "Word of Wisdom" actually bans, and why a 19th-century health rule still causes confusion today. Frank and Dan unpack the green tea mix-up and the strange logic behind Mormon caffeine culture (because they most definitely do consume the stuff!!)

Elsewhere in the episode: Congress launches a "Sharia Free America" caucus, anti-LGBTQ parents win a $1.5 million payout over school books, the Taliban burns musical instruments in Afghanistan, Kansas makes clergy mandatory reporters (with a major confession loophole), a Catholic bishop is accused of embezzling church funds for trips to a Tijuana brothel, and Tucker Carlson's new prayer-app sponsor sparks backlash from Christians.

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A Florida congressman has introduced something called the "Protect Puppies from Sharia Act." Yes, that's the real name. The bill claims to defend dogs from Islamic law bans that don't exist, turning imaginary threats into federal legislation. We break down the culture-war paranoia behind it, and how this is what passes for serious governance now.

Elsewhere, we cover a massive Catholic abuse settlement and what it says about institutional accountability, a heartbreaking measles case tied to vaccine refusal, Louisiana's Ten Commandments law surviving another court challenge, Liberty University's push for a social media fast, and new Gallup data showing public trust in clergy collapsing. We close with a broader look at Christian nationalism and whether losing culture-war battles actually slows the movement, or quietly strengthens it.

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The Mormon Church has made a move that's raising questions about where it's headed next. President Dallin H. Oaks has appointed Clark Gilbert as the newest apostle, a relatively young (at 55 years old!) leader known for his firm orthodoxy and culture-war posture within church education. For many within the church and without, it feels like a signal about the future direction of the institution, particularly on LGBTQ issues and internal dissent.

We also examine Alabama's proposal to make disrupting a church service a felony punishable by up to ten years in prison, Oklahoma's latest attempt to establish a publicly funded religious charter school, and a lawsuit challenging Trump's Religious Liberty Commission. Plus: a controversial plea deal involving a former prison chaplain, and a Christian university "merger" that ended with faculty fired and assets absorbed.

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As America approaches its 250th anniversary, Donald Trump is launching a rival celebration—"Freedom 250"—complete with a national jubilee of prayer and a rededication of the country as "one nation under God." At the same time, the man linked to infidelity, sexual misconduct allegations, financial fraud, and relentless public dishonesty continues to enjoy overwhelming support from American Christians.

Elsewhere, a group of evangelicals hijack a long-haul flight with midair preaching (again!), an Arizona pastor calls for repealing women's right to vote, researchers flag evangelical bias in AI chatbots, a Utah city councilman says your rights are "God-given," not constitutional, and the "He Gets Us" campaign gets a makeover this year for the Super Bowl. Plus: a secular take on Lent and whether giving something up can have value for us non-believers.

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Pop star Nicki Minaj helped launch Donald Trump's latest scheme—and walked off with a shiny receipt. After backing Trump's new "Trump Accounts" and pouring serious money into the project, Minaj publicly declared that God is protecting Trump—then promptly showed off a Trump "Gold Card," a not-so-subtle symbol of access for sale. This week, we break down the celebrity worship, divine flattery, and raw pay-to-play politics that turn governance into a transaction.

We also dig into conservative outrage over the Super Bowl halftime show, Texas pushing Bible-based curriculum into public schools, a coordinated effort to roll back marriage equality, glaring sentencing disparities between religious offenders, and a rare moment of progress as Orthodox rabbis condemn conversion therapy. Then we close the show by pulling way back—confronting the sheer scale of the universe and asking what happens to small, human-sized gods when faced with billions of galaxies and a cosmos that doesn't care what we believe.

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Donald Trump says God is proud of him. During a bizarre, softball-filled press appearance marking his first year back in office, Trump claimed divine approval for his presidency—offered without evidence or irony. We unpack the religious delusion, the collapse of press accountability, and what it means when a sitting president openly frames himself as God's chosen leader.

Beyond Trump, we take on a parade of church–state absurdities: Florida prisons ban the Bhagavad Gita for being "written in code," Oklahoma sheriffs tout Christian jailhouse conversions until lawyers step in, and a Texas county installs a Ten Commandments monument to dare the courts to stop them. We also cover Catholic leaders warning that U.S. foreign policy has lost its moral compass, new Pew data showing Catholicism rapidly declining in Latin America, and a sharp debate over protesters disrupting a Minnesota church linked to an ICE official—forcing the question of where religious freedom ends and accountability begins.

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A pastor says he's under attack for his faith. The truth is worse... and dumber! After the home of Tennessee preacher Greg Locke was shot up, he immediately declared it an act of Christian persecution (without evidence). When it later became clear the attack had nothing to do with religion, the story took a turn that perfectly captures how grievance, fear, and bad faith keep the persecution narrative alive.

Elsewhere this week: Utah's Republican legislature tries to erase Salt Lake City's Harvey Milk BLVD by threatening to rename it after Charlie Kirk; Texas AG Ken Paxton sues over imaginary Christian discrimination in a driver's handbook; Protestant churches are closing faster than they're opening; an Oklahoma city blocks a new mosque after openly Islamophobic public testimony; Department of Homeland Security quietly gives immigration breaks to religious workers amid a broader crackdown; and a Catholic bishop ignites chaos by dictating the "correct" way to kneel during communion.

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In a calculated hedge against hell, Dilbert creator Scott Adams announces a death-bed conversion to Christianity, explicitly framing it as Pascal's Wager—a cynical, calculated play for the afterlife. Christians celebrate, atheists groan, and we unpack why this story is catnip for religious propaganda, why the logic collapses instantly, and why deathbed conversions remain one of Christianity's favorite—and flimsiest—victory laps. (Adams passed away at age 68 from prostate cancer after we recorded the show.)

Then: the Pope condemns medical aid in dying after Illinois legalizes it, a lawyer is fined $400,000 for warning a school about an accused priest, the U.S. Defense Secretary pushes Christianity deeper into the military, China cracks down on underground Christian churches, Israel prepares to relocate a so-called "lost tribe" from India, and the LDS Church quietly dismantles its all-female Temple Square mission.

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