The Russell Moore Show

What if the biggest changes in your life aren’t sudden at all—but have been building quietly for years? Watch the full conversation on YouTube In this episode, Russell Moore sits down with pastor and author Mark Batterson (National Community Church, Washington, D.C.; The Circle Maker, Gradually, Then Suddenly) to talk about how transformation, calling, and even faith itself often arrive–as Hemingway once put it–gradually, then suddenly. From hard decisions and hidden preparation to the slow work of God that looks instant only in hindsight, they explore why patience may be the most underrated spiritual discipline of all. Batterson and RDM talk about the writings of Eugene Peterson on the “long obedience” of a faith journey, the difference between patience and stagnation, how to know when you’re called to something and when you’re released from it, and why celebrity culture in the church short-circuits character formation. They get practical on habits (why 30 days feels like the hardest part), preaching long obedience in a city addicted to immediacy, learning grit without “snowplow” spirituality, and aiming at legacy that’s measured by who others become because of you. If you’re looking for wisdom without hurry, conviction without hype, and hope that can take a punch and keep walking, this is the episode for you. Resources mentioned in this episode: Mark Batterson, Gradually, Then Suddenly Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Submit a question for the show at questions@russellmoore.com Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Russell takes a listener's question about the Church body convicting each other in love without unnecessary division. Watch the video of this episode on YouTube here. Submit your own question for the show! Email questions@russellmoore.com — and remember: attach a voice memo! Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David French checks in on a potpourri of important subjects. Watch the full conversation on YouTube For longtime friends Russell Moore and David French, talking about what’s happening and where things are going is virtually an everyday occurrence. This time, though, they decided to let us listen in. RDM refused to write notes to plan out this conversation and said, “Let’s just go on the air–unfiltered.” This is that conversation. French, New York Times columnist and author, and RDM discuss everything from whether revival is happening among Gen Z to why we’ve seen such a backlash against women in evangelical circles to whether the gender identity disputes are not over to whether we are headed toward a dark place on questions of religious freedom. Then they get personal—talking about why, after all they’ve each seen, they are still Christians, and what advice they would give to those who wonder if they still can be. If you’re looking for honesty without despair and candor without cynicism, this is the episode for you. Resources mentioned in this episode: Richard Hanania article, ”The Based Ritual” David’s article about his incurable disease in the New York Times, ”I Believe in Miracles. Just Not All of Them.” Sign up for David’s newsletter Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Submit a question for the show at questions@russellmoore.com Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Russell takes a listener's question about church membership and the Communion table. Watch the video of this episode on YouTube here. Submit your own question for the show! Email questions@russellmoore.com — and remember: attach a voice memo! Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if the real radicals right now are the ones who refuse to join the outrage mobs? Watch the full conversation on YouTube Russell Moore talks with pastor and author J.D. Greear about his new book Everyday Revolutionary and the surprising power of grace in an age addicted to “courage” and “clarity.” Starting with the story of how J.D. befriended the man who tried to dox him, the two dig into why Christian conviction without compassion turns hollow—and how ordinary believers can live with the kind of quiet strength that actually changes things. They explore what witness looks like when the internet never blinks, what evangelism means in a world both secular and spiritual, why pastors burn out, and what might replace the megachurch in twenty years. Plus: Hear about the one and only time Russell Moore has ever passed out. Resources mentioned in this episode: Everyday Revolutionary by J.D. Greear Molly Worthen’s episode on our show Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Submit a question for the show at questions@russellmoore.com Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Russell answers a listener’s question about making time to be a better writer Watch the video of this episode on YouTube here. Submit your own question for the show! Email questions@russellmoore.com — and remember: attach a voice memo! Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you’ve ever wondered what a conversation about Ecclesiastes between Tigger and Eeyore sounds like, it’s your lucky day. Watch the full conversation on YouTube In a recent episode, Sho Baraka became the first guest to choose the book of Ecclesiastes for his Desert Island, “5 Books of the Bible” challenge we sometimes end our show with. So it seems fitting that a few weeks later we welcome Beth Moore to talk about the relevance and timeliness of these passages that weep for the seeming futility of the human experience. Together, Russell and Beth begin by exploring the relevance of the book for Christians and non-Christians alike. Then, they go on a free-wheeling exploration of the book including topics like surgeries and abandoned vineyards, Christmas Wig Exchanges, Stephen King, and, amazingly, Creed Bratton (if you know, you know). If you’ve ever had the thought, "I hate life,” and assumed the Bible was ignorant to the human experience of suffering, listen to hear how God has not only acknowledged the turmoil of our existential strivings, but has actually given us words for it. Resources mentioned in this episode: Chasing Vines by Beth Moore The Lost Art of Dying by Dr. Lydia Dugdale Living Life Backward: How Ecclesiastes Teaches Us to Live in Light of the End by David Gibson Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Submit a question for the show at questions@russellmoore.com Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Russell takes a listener's question about what we should call religious participants in the MAGA movement. Watch the video of this episode on YouTube here. Submit your own question for the show! Email questions@russellmoore.com — and remember: attach a voice memo! Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Retired NFL player Benjamin Watson has been on this show several times over the years, and he’s recently released his own podcast, The Just Life. Russell was a guest on the show, and together they talked about Russell’s background along with matters of justice, gospel-centered living, and faithful action. Check out Ben’s show here. Resources mentioned in this episode: Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity by Paul Kingsnorth Savage Gods by Paul Kingsnorth Buccmaster Trilogy by Paul Kingsnorth Paul’s Essay, “The Cross and the Machine” Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Submit a question for the show at questions@russellmoore.com Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Russell answers a listener’s question regarding why Christians are not stepping in to help with the humanitarian aid crisis, and what needs to change. Watch the video of this episode on YouTube here. Submit your own question for the show! Email questions@russellmoore.com — and remember: attach a voice memo! Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lecrae joins Russell Moore to talk about reconstructing faith after crises of disillusionment. Watch the full conversation on YouTube Originally aired live on September 24th, Russell hosted a conversation for Christianity Today subscribers with Lecrae regarding his recent Christianity Today article, “An Exhortation to the Exhausted Black Christian.” They talk about Lecrae’s public life as a Christian hip hop artist and author, and his near deconstruction. Then, the floor was opened to questions from subscribers. Listen to the recent episode with Paul Kingsnorth Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Submit a question for the show at questions@russellmoore.com Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if the world’s brightest engineers aren’t just building smarter tools—but opening a door to something older, darker, and more sinister? In this episode of The Russell Moore Show, RDM sits down with Paul Kingsnorth—novelist, essayist, and former pagan turned Orthodox Christian—to talk about his searing new book Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity. Kingsnorth argues that the technologies we treat as neutral conveniences may, in fact, be spiritual weapons. The internet as a giant Ouija board. AI not as invention, but as invocation. It sounds insane—until you realize the people creating these systems admit they don’t fully understand them either. In this conversation, Kingsnorth tells the unlikely story of his journey from Wiccan witchcraft to baptism in the Orthodox Church, why he believes our cultural obsession with screens, sex, and selfhood is a trap, and why Christians in particular must stop treating technology as just another tool. What if it’s more than that? What if, in chasing progress, we’ve been summoning something we cannot control? This isn’t your average hand-wringing about iPhones or social media. It’s a bracing, unsettling, and oddly hopeful dialogue about how to remain human in an age increasingly hostile to humanity itself. Listen in if you’ve ever wondered: Why AI feels less like a tool and more like a presence How paganism and environmentalism can point toward, but never satisfy, the longing for God What the “four pillars of the machine” are—and how they’re shaping us without our consent Whether resistance to the machine is possible, and how communities of faith might embody it Resources mentioned in this episode: Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity by Paul Kingsnorth Savage Gods by Paul Kingsnorth Buccmaster Trilogy by Paul Kingsnorth Paul’s Essay, “The Cross and the Machine” Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Submit a question for the show at questions@russellmoore.com Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A conversation with Tim Keller from 2021, in honor of his birthday. Watch the full conversation on YouTube Tim Keller would have turned 75 years old this week (September 23rd). To mark this, we are bringing back an episode from early in 2021 (back when the show was called Signposts). At the time of the conversation, Keller was a few months removed from learning of the cancer that eventually took his life and had just released a new book, Hope in Times of Fear: The Resurrection and the Meaning of Easter. They also talk about the recent article Tim wrote for The Atlantic, wrestling with mortality, how to order our loves in this life, and finding hope in the midst of suffering. Ultimately, this is a conversation upholding the comfort of the resurrection, and reminds us that through it, nothing truly good is ever lost. Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Submit a question for the show at questions@russellmoore.com Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Russell shares 30 things he’s learned in his 30 years of ordained ministry. Watch the full episode on YouTube This was originally shared in the Moore to the Point newsletter (sign up here), but Russell received so much feedback that it deserved its own episode. Have feedback? Email questions@russellmoore.com. We’ll look forward to hearing from you. Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Another quarterly conversation on books with Christianity Today’s Editorial Director, Ashley Hales, on the subject of resisting the digital era. Watch the full conversation on YouTube What’s the role of reading in a screen-saturated, distracted, AI world? Russell is joined once again by Ashley Hales, print editor at Christianity Today, to explore how literature can help us resist the attention-fractured nature of our technological era by offering unique ways to process real life itself, giving us tools to see grace where we least expect it. Russell reflects on Wendell Berry’s latest (and perhaps final) Port William novel, Marce Catlett, and what it means to say goodbye to a lifelong literary companion. Ashley shares insights on Jan Karon’s return to Mitford, and the two discuss how stories shape our capacity for empathy, memory, and hope. They also highlight nonfiction works like Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation (check out our recent episode with Jon) and David Zahl’s The Big Relief, considering how books can guide us through exhaustion, anxiety, and the pressures of modern life. Then, the two share the stack of books they’re reading just for fun, and upcoming releases they’re looking forward to.You can find all the titles mentioned in the episode below. Plus–Hear ye one and all!–Russell shares about an AI tool that he likes! If you’ve ever wondered how exactly reading still matters in a world of constant noise, this episode makes the case that it does—perhaps now more than ever. Resources mentioned in this episode: Bookshelf App Marce Catlett by Wendell Berry My Beloved by Jan Karon The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jon Haidt The Big Relief by David Zahl Feminism Against Progress by Mary Harrington Ashley’s CT article based on this book Ct article about MAID in Canada Pan by Michael Clune Blaise Pascal: The Man Who Made the Modern World by Graham Tomlin Mark Twain by Ron Chernow Thomas More by Joanne Paul On His Own Terms by Richard Norton Smith (audiobook link) Food For Thought by Alton Brown Making Room by Christine D. Pohl Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe The Trinity Forum’s Revelation of Divine Love, which includes an introduction by Jessica Hooten Wilson Joseph and his Brothers by Thomas MannThe Vanishing Church by Ryan Burge Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Russell is joined by Jon Haidt to answer a listener's question: “Is screentime with grandparents dangerous for my children?” Listen to the full interview with John HERE, and (ironically) watch the video of this conversation on YouTube here. Submit your own question for the show! Email questions@russellmoore.com — and remember: attach a voice memo! Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s odd that one of our listeners’ favorite frequent guests is an atheist: Jonathan Haidt. And yet, it’s not really that unusual because Haidt, though not a believer, is perhaps the world’s foremost thinker on issues Christians face every day: the digital war on our attention spans, how technology is making us anxious, how removing obstacles and pain-points from our children hurts them, and why we all seem to hate each other so much. This week, Dr. Moore welcomes back social psychologist Jonathan Haidt to ask him how things have changed in recent months in the rapidly evolving landscape of technology and its impact on faith communities. Haidt—author of The Anxious Generation, The Coddling of the American Mind, and The Righteous Mind—shares his latest observations and updated insights since we last spoke. This is a fresh new conversation, building off of the previous ones. As the digital world shifts at breakneck speed, Haidt offers new analysis on what he's witnessing on the front lines: how smartphones and social media are reshaping our capacity for prayer and Bible reading, the escalating influence of TikTok and short-form video, and emerging concerns about AI in church settings. From practical questions about phone-free churches to broader concerns about protecting children in digital environments, this conversation bridges scientific insight with pastoral care. You'll hear Haidt's surprising predictions about AI's future, discover which social media platform he considers most harmful, and learn his single most important piece of advice for church leaders seeking to preserve human connection in our high-tech age. This is an essential dialogue for anyone concerned about reclaiming our ability to pay attention, think deeply, pray meaningfully, and build authentic community in an era of endless digital distraction. See more from Jon Haidt: Anxious Generation website: AnxiousGeneration.com Jon’s Substack: AfterBabel.com New book: The Amazing Generation, (pre-order now, releasing December 30th) Resources mentioned in this episode or recommended by the guest include: The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion The Coddling of the American Mind (with Greg Lukianoff) Politico Article: There’s Only One True Bipartisan Issue Left Derek Thompson’s Atlantic article: The Anti-Social Century Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Russell answers a listener's question: How can I be friends with atheists? Submit your own question for the show! Email questions@russellmoore.com — and remember: attach a voice memo! Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You may know Philip Yancey as the bestselling author of What’s So Amazing About Grace?, Where Is God When It Hurts?, and The Jesus I Never Knew. We’ve even had him on the show a few times to talk about these books and more. For decades, his writing has guided Christians who are wrestling with disappointment, doubt, and suffering. But in recent years, his own life has required deeper study into such things. In this episode, Philip Yancey joins Russell Moore for an honest conversation about suffering, lament, and the God who meets us in our pain. Yancey opens up about his own story, from the trauma of losing his father to living with cancer and Parkinson’s. He reflects on how those experiences have shaped his faith and why simplistic religious answers so often do more harm than good. Together, they talk about what the Book of Job does—and doesn’t—say about suffering, and why Jesus didn’t “solve” pain during his earthly ministry. Yancey explains why lament is not only permitted but essential, and what it means for the church to be a place of comfort rather than clichés.Plus: what surprising things led him to see the graciousness of God before writing the book(s) on it. If you’ve been sitting in the silence of God, or are grappling with the problem of pain in your own life, you may find comfort in this conversation. Resources mentioned in this episode or recommended by the guest include: Where Is God When It Hurts? by Philip Yancey What’s So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A reading of the latest from Russell’s weekly newsletter. Sign up for the newsletter, Moore to the Point, where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Submit a question for the show (and include a voice memo!) at questions@russellmoore.com Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices