The Russell Moore Show

What happens when Christians become more afraid of losing political power than of losing their moral witness?

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The question of what American Christians should care about has become increasingly difficult to separate from the question of what their political tribes demand. This week, Russell welcomes back his friend Peter Wehner, a contributing writer at The Atlantic and former adviser in three presidential administrations. Drawing on two of Pete's recent essays (The Issues Christian Voters Are Neglecting, and What If AI Is the End of the World?), they consider why so many Christians have become selective in their moral concerns, how the culture wars can obscure the teachings of Jesus, and what happens when political identity begins to shape the way we read Scripture rather than the other way around.

But there's another kind of fear looming. As developers of artificial intelligence warn of its potentially catastrophic consequences, Russell and Pete turn to the question of how Christians should respond to threats they cannot control. What can C. S. Lewis teach us about living in the shadow of catastrophe? And how can churches prepare for a future that may be changing faster than anyone realizes?

Moore and Wehner close with reflections on Johnny Cash, Columbo, and what a haunting music video can teach us about mortality, grace, and the hope of resurrection.

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From the Moore to the Point newsletter: What a Painfully Weird Movie Can Show Us About Lying and Liars

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What if everything we think we know about power is wrong?

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In a world captivated by political strongmen, military might, and the promise of technological salvation, the ancient prophet Isaiah offers a startlingly different picture of what happens when God comes to set the world right.

For Russell Moore, Isaiah has been one of the biblical books keeping him sane in unsettling times. And in his new book, Into the Heart of Isaiah (October 27), renowned biblical scholar N. T. Wright argues that the prophet's message is even stranger—and more hopeful—than many Christians realize.

Moore and Wright explore why Isaiah mocks the idols people trust, how money and military power can become objects of worship, and whether artificial intelligence might be creating idols of its own. They also take up a particularly contemporary question: What should Christians make of the claim that God raises up modern-day versions of Cyrus, the pagan king who delivered Israel from exile?

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From the Moore to the Point newsletter: Maybe now is the time to look at what we actually see around us: a culture that too often delights in cruelty and violence.

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Five years after The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast, have American churches learned anything about the dangers of celebrity, power, and spiritual abuse?

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When Mike Cosper released The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill in 2021, he thought he was telling the story of one church congregation and its charismatic, controversial pastor, Mark Driscoll. But the podcast reached far beyond those who knew anything about Mars Hill. It turns out the story of a Seattle megachurch had something to say about the ways we think about leadership, authority, and the things we're willing to excuse in the name of a good cause. Five years later, Driscoll is still drawing crowds, the evangelical celebrity machine is still running, and some of the questions the series raised seem more urgent than ever.

Russell welcomes Mike back to the show to ask what, if anything, has changed in the last 5 years. They talk about why churches continue to rally around leaders whose character should give them pause, how our ideas of success can distort the very meaning of pastoral ministry, and why the people who speak up about abuse so rarely receive the apologies they're owed.

Mike also reflects on the people whose stories he told, the unexpected lessons he learned about grief and forgiveness, and why some who have been deeply wounded by the church still find themselves unable to walk away from Jesus. Ultimately, this isn't just about a church that collapsed more than a decade ago. It's about the kinds of churches we're building today—and what it might take to build something different.

Resources mentioned in the episode:

The Church in Dark Times — Mike Cosper

Land of My Sojourn — Mike Cosper

When Narcissism Comes to Church — Chuck DeGroat

Keep up with Russell:

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