The Esau McCaulley Podcast

Students aren't just using AI to finish assignments. They're using it to manage social interactions, from emails to professors to conversations on dating apps. Esau, Justin, and Mike explore how that might spare a little awkwardness, but also skips the stage of failure where real growth usually happens. Then, are small liberal arts colleges actually better at forming students, and are universities still teaching people how to think rather than what to think? Also, sports gambling continues to cause problems and why Y2K culture, including the return of CDs, is making a surprising comeback.
 
0:00 - Theme Song
 
0:18 - Black History Month Present
 
2:23 - CDs Are Coming Back?
 
9:23 - Physical Media in a Digital World
 
13:29 - A.I. Keeps Us from Failing
 
22:12 - Sponsor - Glorify - Get full access all year for $29.00 at https://www.glorify-app.com/esau
 
23:33 - Sponsor - With & For: Psychology and Spirituality for Thriving Podcast. Check it out now! https://pod.link/1712333330
 
24:50 - Avoiding A.I. Entirely?
 
34:09 - Liberal Art's Inefficiency is Its Strength
 
40:54 - Sports Betting's Return
 
51:50 - End Credits
 
Resources:
God's Colorful Easter: The Good News Is for Everyone by Esau McCaulley:
https://www.tyndale.com/p/gods-colorful-easter/9798400501029?srsltid=AfmBOopFr6DDhzFFW4jVivkDhEgT3FNiuzM1cc8xmhgBCDtMuXLNVBSZ

The killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis has become another moment where violence, misinformation, and political certainty collide. As video evidence contradicts official narratives, Esau, Malcolm Foley, and Mike wrestle with what this death reveals about power, propaganda, and the erosion of public trust. Then the three discuss Esau's recent article for the New York Times to ask a harder question: how do Christians name injustice without being consumed by rage? What does faithful witness look like when anger feels justified but spiritually dangerous?
 
0:00 - Theme Song
 
1:10 - American Girl Doll Nostalgia
 
9:36 - Dark New Normal
 
14:45 - Justifying Violence with "Woke" Accusations
 
23:52 - Sponsor - With & For: Psychology and Spirituality for Thriving Podcast. Check it out now! https://pod.link/1712333330
 
25:02 - Sponsor - Brooklyn Bedding - For a quality mattress, go to https://www.brooklynbedding.com and use promo code ESAU to get 30% off site wide!
 
25:53 - Why Do We Believe Things?
 
33:25 - Not Living with Rage
 
47:40 - End Credits

Greenland is suddenly back on the menu of American foreign policy, raising real questions about conquest, NATO, and whether Christians can ever justify taking land that isn't theirs. Then, J. Cole's fear of "the fall off" becomes a window into ambition, calling, and the strange psychology of decline. And when Druski lampoons megachurch culture, it forces an uncomfortable look at why the church keeps becoming an easy punchline, and how Christians should respond when they are the butt of the joke. Plus, will Instagram be the thing that finally tears apart Esau and Mike?
 
0:00 - Theme Song
 
0:50 - Hills to Die On
 
7:03 - Why Are We Against Invading Greenland?
 
16:05 - Sponsor - Glorify - Get full access all year for $29.00 at https://www.glorify-app.com/esau
 
18:50 - J Cole's Retiring
 
27:55 - Pastors Falling Off
 
33:53 - Satirizing Megachurches
 
48:50 - End Credits

New footage and reporting about the Minneapolis ICE shooting of Renée Good have complicated the story. Esau, Mike and Taelor Gray revisit the incident one week later and ask how political power shapes the narratives we're given, and what it means for Christians to tell the truth when the truth is inconvenient. Then, they turn to the surprising posthumous "ordination" of DMX and consider what it reveals about the nature of pastoral ministry, proximity, and presence in an age obsessed with platforms.
 
0:00 - Theme Song
 
2:25 - Wall Street Journal Complains About Sushi for Kids
 

8:15 - Renee Good and the ICE Stop
 

21:00 - Sponsor - Glorify - Get full access all year for $29.00 at https://www.glorify-app.com/Esau
 

22:19 - DMX Ordained After His Death?
 
43:44 - End Credits
 
66 Verse to Explain the Bible - Ezra:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/148221073/
 
Wall Street Journal Article on ICE and shootings:
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/videos-show-how-ice-vehicle-stops-can-escalate-to-shootings-caf17601?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqcM4suCejir2XhY_aFDJ2--sqzFMzLxUYZ4SWneBn28PnkIFR-SG7O92GaLvw%3D%3D&gaa_ts=6967c046&gaa_sig=POa3tPcvJz_pC4-M5-e4uWuWjboR_sO0jyfq1BCM0XWAAXYxeb8OSWlKQ2SbkOYLAfCMr-_WetVC1fqY1L8b3g%3D%3D

A woman is dead in Minneapolis after an encounter with ICE.  Esau McCaulley, Justin Giboney, Malcolm Foley, and producer Mike sort through what we know so far, what the law actually says about deadly force and compliance, and how Christians should think about state power and the value of a human life. The conversation wrestles with fear, responsibility, split second decisions, and the narratives forming around the shooting long before the facts are settled.