Vice presidential debate, global religious persecution, and famous Christians.

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This week, The Bulletin team recaps the 2024 vice presidential debate with Christianity Today’s chief impact officer Nicole Martin, who is fresh off of a weekend at the Lausanne conference on global missions in South Korea. Then, Clarissa welcomes Knox Thames to discuss religious persecution around the world based on his book, Ending Persecution. Finally, Nicole, Russell, Mike, and Clarissa talk about the other famous Christian Russell (Brand) and what it looks like to be a Christian convert as a celebrity. 

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TODAY’S GUEST: 

Nicole Martin serves Christianity Today as chief impact officer after serving on its board of directors. Nicole oversees three major strategic initiatives that are shaping the future of CT: the Global Initiative, the Big Tent Initiative, and the Next Gen Initiative. 

H. Knox Thames is an international human rights lawyer and advocate who served for twenty 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 currently a senior fellow at Pepperdine University.

ABOUT THE BULLETIN:

The Bulletin is a weekly (and sometimes more!) current events show from Christianity Today hosted and moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor in chief) and Mike Cosper (director, CT Media). 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.

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A special one-on-one with Switchfoot's Jon Foreman.

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On this special episode of The Bulletin, Clarissa Moll sits with Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman before his show in Portland, Maine for a conversation about hope in the face of suffering and living well in light of our mortality.

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TODAY’S GUEST: 

Jon Foreman is the lead singer, guitarist, primary songwriter, and co-founder of the alternative rock band Switchfoot. As a true songwriter’s songwriter, Foreman’s songs have been sung by a truly wide array of artists including: Taylor Swift, Twenty One Pilots’ Tyler Joseph, the Jonas Brothers, and Jon Bellion. From Mandy Moore to Meatloaf, his work is appreciated by quite a disparate cross section of the populace. His latest work, “In Bloom,” was crafted to accompany a drive down the coast on a California afternoon. Nuanced and subtle, the collection is a return to the restraint of Foreman’s first solo effort.

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Music & Meaning with Charlie Peacock

Surprised by Grief with Daniel Harrell and Clarissa Moll

ABOUT THE BULLETIN:

The Bulletin is a weekly (and sometimes more!) current events show from Christianity Today hosted and moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor in chief) and Mike Cosper (director, CT Media). 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.

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Israel attacks Hezbollah, the soul of MAGA, and Olivia Nuzzi. 

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This week, we are joined by Jonathan Schanzer (senior vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies) to talk about Israel’s attacks in Lebanon. Then, Tim Alberta of The Atlantic joins to explore the soul of MAGA, and finally, Mike and Clarissa discuss shamelessness in the scandalous story of Olivia Nuzzi.

“The Soul of MAGA” by Mike Cosper

Boz Tchividjian discusses sexual abuse in episode 87

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TODAY’S GUESTS: 

Jonathan Schanzer, PhD, is senior vice president for research at Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he oversees the work of the organization’s experts and scholars. He is also on the leadership team of FDD’s Center on Economic and Financial Power. He previously worked as a terrorism finance analyst at the US Department of the Treasury. Schanzer has written hundreds of articles, monographs, and chapters for edited volumes on the Middle East. His book, Hamas vs. Fatah: The Struggle for Palestine, analyzes the ongoing Palestinian civil war. Schanzer testifies often before Congress and publishes widely in American and international media. He has appeared on Fox News, CNN Al-Arabiya, and Al-Jazeera.

Tim Alberta is a staff writer at The Atlantic. He was previously the chief political correspondent for Politico. He is also the author of American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump.

ABOUT THE BULLETIN:

The Bulletin is a weekly (and sometimes more!) current events show from Christianity Today hosted and moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor in chief) and Mike Cosper (director, CT Media). 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.

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One-on-one with Francis Collins on his new book and a career lived in public service.

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This week on The Bulletin, Mike Cosper sits down for an intimate conversation with Francis Collins about the COVID-19 pandemic, truth and skepticism in a polarized society, and the surprising honor of admitting your mistakes. 

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TODAY’S GUEST: 

Francis Collins, MD, PhD, served as director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under presidents Obama, Trump, and Biden. Prior to that, he led the Human Genome Project at NIH, coordinating a consortium of laboratories to produce the first ever complete sequence of human DNA in 2003. Collins’s research has led to landmark discoveries of disease genes and helped pioneer a multitude of therapies for many diseases.

ABOUT THE BULLETIN:

The Bulletin is a weekly (and sometimes more!) current events show from Christianity Today hosted and moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor in chief) and Mike Cosper (director, CT Media). 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.

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Assassination attempts, forgiveness, and threats to elected officials. 

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This week on The Bulletin, Clarissa Moll and Russell Moore welcome Alan Noble (writer and professor at Oklahoma Baptist University) to help us consider the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump and the concerns it raises. Then, they examine the role of forgiveness after tragedy as they remember the life of Rosanna King, a survivor of the 2006 Amish schoolhouse shooting, who died this week. Finally, Harvest Prude (Christianity Today) joins us to discuss election officials facing intimidation as the polls open.

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TODAY’S GUESTS: 

Dr. O. Alan Noble is Associate Professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University and author of numerous books and articles. Alan has written articles for Christian publications such as Modern Reformation, In Touch Ministries magazine, and Christianity Today and for secular publications like Vox, Buzzfeed, and The Atlantic.

Harvest Prude is national political correspondent for Christianity Today. She has covered a range of topics in Washington, DC, including Congress, the Supreme Court, and immigration and refugee policy under the Trump and Biden administrations.

RESOURCES:

• Deadlock

ABOUT THE BULLETIN:

The Bulletin is a weekly (and sometimes more!) current events show from Christianity Today hosted and moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor in chief) and Mike Cosper (director, CT Media). 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.

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One-on-one with Rebeccah Heinrichs on national security.

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The Bulletin’s Mike Cosper sits down with Rebeccah Heinrichs, senior fellow at Hudson Institute, for a conversation about national security and America’s role in geopolitics.

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TODAY’S GUESTS: 

Rebeccah L. Heinrichs is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute and the director of its Keystone Defense Initiative. She specializes in US national defense policy with a focus on strategic deterrence.Dr. Heinrichs currently serves as a commissioner on the bipartisan Strategic Posture Commission, which was created in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. She also serves on the US Strategic Command Advisory Group and the National Independent Panel on Military Service and Readiness. She is an adjunct professor at the Institute of World Politics, where she teaches nuclear deterrence theory, and is also a contributing editor of Providence: A Journal of Christianity and American Foreign Policy.

ABOUT THE BULLETIN:

The Bulletin is a weekly (and sometimes more!) current events show from Christianity Today hosted and moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor in chief) and Mike Cosper (director, CT Media). 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.

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Chinese adoptions halt, debate recap, and Taylor Swift.

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Today’s episode considers the recent end of Chinese international adoptions with guest Aimee Welch (former journalist and an adoptive parent and advocate), who has been waiting for her adopted daughter to come stateside since before adoptions were paused during COVID-19. Then, Clarissa and Mike recap the week’s presidential debate. Finally, Bob Smietana (national reporter for Religion News Service) drops by to talk about friendship across political divides with—who else?—Taylor Swift as a case study.

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TODAY’S GUESTS: 

Aimee Welch is a former journalist and an adoptive parent and advocate.

Bob Smietana is a national reporter for RNS based near Chicago, covering evangelicals, weird religion, and the changing religious landscape. Smietana is an award-winning religion reporter and editor who has spent two decades producing breaking news, data journalism, investigative reporting, profiles and features for magazines, newspapers, trade publications, and websites. Most notably, he has served as a senior writer for Facts & Trends, senior editor of Christianity Today, religion writer at The Tennessean, correspondent for RNS and contributor to OnFaith, USA Today, and The Washington Post. 

ABOUT THE BULLETIN:

The Bulletin is a weekly (and sometimes more!) current events show from Christianity Today hosted and moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor in chief) and Mike Cosper (director, CT Media). 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.

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Gen Z in the workplace, Israeli hostages, and astronauts stuck in space.

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This week on The Bulletin, we discuss Gen Z in the workplace with Skot Welch (organizational development expert), the deaths of six Israeli hostages with Mona Charen (policy editor at The Bulwark), and the two American astronauts stuck in space with Jeff Williams (former NASA astronaut). 

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• Check out episode 91 for Mike Cosper’s conversation with author Frank Bruni on grievance.
• Visit former NASA astronaut Jeff Williams’s Instagram account for amazing views from the International Space Station.

TODAY’S GUESTS: 

Skot Welch is the principal/founder of Global Bridgebuilders (GBB), a firm focusing on organizational development, cultural transformation, and inclusion. Prior to the launch of Global Bridgebuilders, Skot served as vice president of business development and benchmarking services for DiversityInc magazine in New Jersey, where he worked with many of the Fortune 500’s biggest global brands across a broad range of industries. Skot is the author of Unfractured: A Christ-Centered Action Plan for Cultural Change.

Mona Charen is a syndicated columnist, the policy editor of The Bulwark, and the host of the podcast Beg to Differ.

Jeff Williams is a retired United States Army officer and a NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of four space flights and formerly held the American record for most days spent in space. Jeff was a two-time station commander for the International Space Station.

ABOUT THE BULLETIN:

The Bulletin is a weekly (and sometimes more!) current events show from Christianity Today hosted and moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor in chief) and Mike Cosper (director, CT Media). 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.

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This week on The Bulletin, we check in on the presidential election with Mike Murphy (political consultant), review the Taliban’s new code of laws with Luma Simms (fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center), and consider how we can care for our souls in hard times with Sheila Wise Rowe (author of Young, Gifted, and Black).

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TODAY’S GUESTS:

Mike Murphy is one of the Republican Party’s most successful political media consultants, having handled strategy and advertising for more than 26 successful gubernatorial and senatorial campaigns. He served as a top campaign messaging and political strategist to Sen. John McCain’s historic “Straight Talk Express” presidential campaign in 2000, and also for successful gubernatorial candidates Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tommy Thompson, and John Engler. In 2020, he served as a key strategist for Republican Voters Against Trump. He currently cohosts the popular weekly politics podcast Hacks on Tap with David Axelrod, which boasts over 14 million downloads to date.

Sheila Wise Rowe is a graduate of Tufts University and Cambridge College with a master’s degree in counseling psychology. She has over 30 years of experience as a Christian counselor, spiritual director, educator, writer, and speaker. Sheila has counseled women, children, couples, and emerging and established leaders and has taught counseling in Massachusetts; Paris, France; virtually; and for a decade in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she also ministered to homeless and abused women and children. Sheila’s essays can be found in numerous blogs, newspapers, journals, and books. In 2020 she authored the award-winning book, Healing Racial Trauma: The Road to Resilience. Recently she wrote Young, Gifted, and Black: A Journey of Lament and Celebration and has coauthored the soon-to-release Healing Leadership Trauma.

Luma Simms is a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, where she studies the life and thought of immigrants. As a humanist writer, she publishes on a broad range of topics with a focus on the human (individual and communal), ethical, religious, and philosophical dimensions of immigration. She is particularly concerned with the crisis of rootlessness, identity, and dehumanization.

ABOUT THE BULLETIN:

The Bulletin is a weekly (and sometimes more!) current events show from Christianity Today hosted and moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor in chief) and Mike Cosper (director, CT Media). 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.

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A special one-on-one conversation with Sharon McMahon–aka @sharonsayso–and Mike Cosper

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Mike Cosper welcomes America’s Government Teacher, Sharon McMahon, who is better known as @sharonsaysso to her million-plus instagram followers. Sharon and Mike talk about civil discourse and critical thinking while engaging in political conversation, and dive into her new book, The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement, which releases on September 24. 

• Find SharonSaysSo on Instagram
• Sharon’s new book
• Teacher grant program

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TODAY’S GUEST: 

After years of serving as a high school government and law teacher, Sharon McMahon took her passion for education to Instagram, where more than a million people rely on her for non-partisan, fact-based information as "America's Government Teacher." In a time where flashy headlines and false information often take the spotlight, Sharon is a reliable source for truth and logic.

Sharon is also the host of the award-winning podcast, Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, where, each week, she provides entertaining yet factual accounts of America’s most fascinating moments and people. In all that she does, Sharon encourages others to be world-changing humans. She has led her community in various philanthropic initiatives that have raised more than $9 million for teachers, domestic violence survivors, terminally ill children, medical debt forgiveness programs, refugees, and more.

ABOUT THE BULLETIN:

The Bulletin is a weekly (and sometimes more!) current events show from Christianity Today hosted and moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s Editor-in-Chief) and Mike Cosper (Director, CT Media). 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. 

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DNC recap and Trad-Wives.

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Russell, Mike, and Clarissa are joined by David Zahl (Mockingbird Ministries) to talk about the Democratic National Convention – what happened and what opponents and “those on the outside” are saying about the Harris-Walz ticket, and what Christians who feel homeless can do about political involvement. Then Katelyn Beaty joins us to explore the trad-wife social media movement and why both men and women deserve something better. 

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TODAY’S GUESTS: 

David Zahl is the director of Mockingbird Ministries and editor-in-chief of the Mockingbird website. Born in New York City and brought up elsewhere, David graduated from Georgetown University in 2001, and then worked for several years as a youth minister in New England. In 2007 he founded Mockingbird in NYC. Today David and his wife Cate reside in Charlottesville, VA with their three boys, where David also serves on the staff of Christ Episcopal Church. He is the author of A Mess of Help: From the Crucified Soul of Rock N’ Roll and co-author of Law and Gospel: A Theology for Sinners (and Saints). His most recent book, Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What To Do About It, appeared in 2019 from Fortress Press. 

Katelyn Beaty is a writer, journalist, editor, and keen observer of trends in the American church. She has written for the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Washington Post, Religion News Service, Religion & Politics, and the Atlantic and has commented on faith and culture for CNN, ABC, NPR, the Associated Press, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. She also cohosts the Saved by the City podcast (Religion News Service). Beaty previously served as print managing editor at Christianity Today and is the author of A Woman's Place: A Christian Vision for Your Calling in the Office, the Home, and the World.

ABOUT THE BULLETIN:

The Bulletin is a weekly (and sometimes more!) current events show from Christianity Today hosted and moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s Editor-in-Chief) and Mike Cosper (Director, CT Media). 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, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. 

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