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At Religion Unplugged, we talk a lot about how faith shows up in modern movies and tv shows. And, more and more, we are noticing a positive shift. Movies about religion are getting better funding, booking high profile actors and holding their own at the box office. One of the projects, that fits this category is Amazon’s House of David.  “House of David” follows the Biblical epic that is the life of King David, which has, so far, traced his journey from a nobody shepherd boy to a great warrior who slays the giant Goliath. All while the Errant King Saul rules the Israelites. The Show stars Michael Iskander as David, Ali Suliman as King Saul, and Stephan Lang as Samuel the Prophet. When the series came out last year, Religion Unplugged’s Culture Critic, Joseph Holmes, said he believed it had potential to be even better than The Chosen, which has across the board, turned heads for its radical commitment to both Biblical accuracy and excellent artistry. With the release of House of David’s second season, Joseph called it “one of the best things the faith-based film space has ever made.” One of Joseph’s most consistent praises for the show has been its ability to balance history and fantasy in a way that treats the story both as an epic Bronze Age myth and as the carefully told story of a man whose life is deeply important to millions of people all around the world. On this week’s show, Holmes interviewed Jon Gunn, Executive Producer. The two talk through this balance of myth and reverence, the evolution of faith in film, the complications of portraying romance in a time where arranged marriage was the norm, and more.

Categorizing those who do violence is a messy business. What one writer might call the actions of a terrorist, another might refer to as the work of a freedom fighter. The very individuals who are called heroes, warriors and revolutionaries by some, can be categorized as villains, murderers, and radicals by another. But when the morality of a violent person is highly controversial or just ambiguous, we have a separate, more fuzzy term–we call them a vigilante. The earliest uses of vigilante seem to be taken from the Spanish word for watchmen, vigilante. Various dictionaries state that a vigilante is somebody who seeks to act outside of the law to enact justice. For religious people, the idea that what is right and wrong is bigger than just was is legal or illegal, is extremely familiar. While much of the legal system may coincide with a religious person’s worldview, it is virtually unthinkable that the two would be fully aligned outside of a theocracy. And, most religious people are content to keep away from legal, but spiritually impermissible wrongdoing by means of their own community and self control. But for some, this hasn’t been enough. The wrongdoing of fellow citizens and governors is so egregious to them, that they have no choice but to act out–in sometimes violent ways. In order to understand what kind of person is willing to take the law into their own hands for the sake of their God, I explored religious vigilantism in recent history, very recent history and ancient history. These stories cover Christianity, Islam, and Judaism in three separate acts with violence ranging from verbal harassment to mass suicide. #vigilante #vigilantes #abolition #abolitionism #johnbrown #johnbrownsbody #muslimpatrol #zealots #zealot #simonthezealot #christianity #islam #judaism

When you picture an American church building, what do you think of?  Is it a gothic, palatial cathedral that dwarfs its neighboring buildings and carries with it an air of ancient mystery? Is it a small, white chapel with a sharp steeple and a quiet humility about its presence? Or does an American church conjure up a visual that isn’t all that glorious and isn’t all that quaint—something like a strip mall or a sprawling campus of boxy structures reminiscent of a convention center? While many Americans might picture the latter, equating all American Christianity with the sort of no-bells-and-whistles aesthetic approach of evangelicalism, American christianity is no stranger to beautiful architecture. In nearly every American city, beautiful, complex church buildings can be found—spires, stained glass, clock towers, and vaulted ceilings are not only present in American protestant churches, they are downright common. In fact, some of the most historically American church traditions such as the PCUSA and the Episcopal Church are in possession of many of these houses of worship. But for many conservative protestants, the beauty of the church building stands in sharp contrast to the theological departure many of the mainline traditions have from orthodoxy.  With many mainline traditions affirming LGBTQ lifestyles and, more importantly, calling into question core Christian doctrines such as the bodily resurrection of Christ or the authority of scripture, it has been generally accepted that theologically conservative believers ought to steer clear of the mainline and join more orthodox congregations—even if they meet in an old bank or a local elementary school. But, that position may be changing. In 2023, Christian Gen-Z YouTuber Richard Ackerman, known online as Redeemed Zoomer, began Operation Reconquista. Operation Reconquista, which now appears to have changed its name to Operation Reformation, is a movement of American Christians who believe that restoring orthodoxy in mainline churches is possible and deeply important. And they don’t discriminate by denomination.  Operation Reformation seeks to reform the Episcopal Church, The United Methodist Church, The Presbyterian Church USA, The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and others. Their strategy is to have Christians join the few, but findable mainline congregations who hold to more traditional Christian views, thus strengthening the conservative minority as the progressive majority, in their view, inevitably dies out. And, though it certainly is a motivation, the movement isn’t merely about reclaiming the physical church buildings. It is about reclaiming the cultural influence that many of these denominations hold in the American public. These churches often already have robust networks of service and outreach organizations, they are located conveniently in the center of American towns and they are generally well connected to many facets of American life, from local government to community events. To better understand why conservative Christians are beginning to consider joining a mainline church and why their presence just might be effective, Culture Critic Joseph Holmes interviewed Joe Colletti, who is known online as Young Anglican.  Colletti was previously a member of the Anglican Church in North America, but has recently left the ACNA to join The Episcopal Church. Though he has been vocally cautious and even resistant of Operation Reconquista since its founding, he has now embraced the mainline, but with a key difference from the rest of the movement: Colletti is interested only in the reclaiming of the Church which sits at the center of historical American social influence: the Episcopal Church.

It’s been 3 weeks since the United States and Israel attacked Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. And, for 3 weeks, rockets have flown across the Middle East in all directions. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iraq have kept their guard up as different assets are targeted. As these oil-rich nations are thrown into turmoil, gas prices in the U.S. have gone up by nearly a dollar in the last month, with many Americans wondering when the increase will slow down. More crucially, two different water desalination plants have been hit. These facilities are essential for the hydration of millions of Middle Easterners—and neither the U.S., Israel or Iran have taken responsibility for these destabilizing attacks. Over 20,000 people are suffering injuries from the war, and over 2,500 people have been killed, with the majority being in Iran and Lebanon. Babies, not even a year old, have been among the casualties, as have 168 other children at an Iranian elementary school. And even after Khamenei’s death, it is clear that Iran has pockets brimming with replacement leaders who support the continuance of his extremist regime. So, in a conflict where death is abundant and instability is crashing in from all sides, it is worth asking: “what do the Iranian people stand to gain from all this chaos?” To answer this question, I sat down with Erica Kasraie. Kasraie is an Iran-born American, Middle East expert, human rights activist and producer of a short documentary called “Occupied Homeland,” which details the January 2026 massacre of Iranian protesters and the history of the Iranian people. Kasraie was also formerly the Middle East Advisor to a member of the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee. In this week’s podcast, Kasraie speaks on how the Islamic revolution came to be, the difference between Iranian culture and Islamic culture, the possibility of democracy in Iran and her hopes and fears for the future. Tags: #iran #khamenei #humanrights #islam #women #war #muslim #christian #jew #jewish #minorities #us #israel #middleast #persian #iranian

Many of the most enduring displays of human artistic greatness have been, in some way, religious. The Egyptian pyramids were constructed to accommodate the needs of a king’s soul after his death. The oldest architectural structures still standing today are almost exclusively temples, and archaeologists hypothesize that many ancient cave paintings depict religious scenes and images. As history progressed, towering cathedrals, opulent mosques, and brilliantly ornate Hindu temples were erected and maintained for centuries. Worshipful hymns and poems abound in nearly all religious communities. Sacred texts are transcribed with careful calligraphy and detailed illustrations. Elaborate dances celebrate the supernatural, and massive marble statues are carefully carved to depict the holiest beings The beautiful things that humans have made throughout time, have most often been made for a deity. But, in a secularized world, the purpose of art is much more varied. Today, art is most often defined as creative self-expression—there has been a clear shift from creating for a higher power to creating for the rest of humanity. 
But, has the absence of spiritual motivation made art worse, or has the decision to tell human stories for a human audience made excellence more attainable? Actor, director, and producer David Henrie is interested in this question. It’s one of the reasons he recently took a trip to Italy. This trip was filmed and is now available as a 6 episode documentary series called “Seeking Beauty” in which Henrie engages with some of the most sacred Italian churches and artwork to understand the motivations and beliefs of the artists who created them.  Religion Unplugged’s Culture Critic Joseph Holmes interviewed Henrie to understand his own faith journey and what he learned from centuries of Italian Catholicism. Seeking Beauty: https://www.ewtn.com/programs/9875-seeking-beauty #davidhenrie #henrie #christianity #catholicism #seekingbeauty #art #expresssion #artist #architecture #cathedral #church #wizardsofwaverlyplace #howimetyourmother

2025 was a big year for film. Theaters drew people in for a wide variety of stories. Moviegoers saw thrillers like Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” and Josh Safdie’s “Marty Supreme.” They saw the returns of beloved characters with James Gunn’s “Superman” and James Cameron’s “Avatar: Fire & Ash.” They embraced the strange with “Bugonia,” the romantic with “Materialists” and the tragic with “Frankenstein.” But, as has been increasingly the case in recent years, droves of moviegoers also showed up to films with heavily religious themes. Faith based studios and directors produced a variety of faith-forward movies with family-friendly animated movies like “David“ or “Light of The World” and more mature films such as “Guns and Moses” or “The Last Rodeo. But faith also appeared in many religiously unaffiliated Hollywood films, such as the latest installment of the “Knives Out” franchise which focused on the murder of a controversial catholic priest and Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” which explored the clashes of spirituality and conventional religion. As the Oscars are fast approaching this weekend, Religion Unplugged’s Culture Editor Jillian Cheney and Film Critic Joseph Holmes sat down with public intellectual and theologian Paul Anleitner. Paul is the President and CEO of Goodmakers, and the author of “Based on a True Story: Vibe Shifts, the End of Deconstruction, & the Reboot of Meaning,” which comes out this summer and is available for pre-order now.  Jillian, Joseph and Paul talk through the spiritual and religious themes of some of this years’ most beloved Oscar Nominees including “Sinners,” “Train Dreams,” “One Battle After Another” and “F1.” #oscars #goodmakers #podcast #paulanleitner #traindreams #sinners #f1 #onebattleafteranother

On January 3rd of this year, in the middle of the night, U.S. special forces broke into the Home of Venezuela’s President, Nicolás Maduro, and abducted him and his wife. U.S. military presence in Venezuela had been creeping up for months—with much of it being attributed to cartel suppression. But, when President Trump posted an image on Truth Social depicting Maduro in a Nike Sweatsuit and a blindfold aboard the USS Iwo Jima, many Americans were left wondering, "What happens next?" and, just as crucially, "Can the U.S. Government do that?" But while human rights advocates from around the world cautiously celebrate the downfall of the authoritarian dictator, life for many Venezuelans has not changed radically, and the regime Maduro was a part of remains in power through his Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez. Another part of that regime that may have outlived Maduro’s rule is the Venezuelan Government's bribery of certain churches. Under Maduro, extra cash and remodeled church buildings were exchanged for pastoral support of the government. And for the churches that refused to bow the knee, there have been multiple cases of intense verbal harassment, leading many to consider Venezuelans as having a suboptimal form of religious freedom—despite a constitution which protects that liberty. For this week’s podcast, I spoke with Knox Thames and Anna Lee Stangl. Knox worked in the U.S. State Department under both Obama, and Trump as a Special Advisor for Religious Minorities. He is also the author of Ending Persecution and International Religious Freedom Advocacy. Anna Lee is the Head of Advocacy and Team Leader of Latin America at Christian Solidarity Worldwide USA. Thames and Stangle talked through religious freedom before and after Maduro, the way Venezuelan politics has been shaped by the nations around it, Trump’s confusing justification for keeping Maduro’s Vice in power, and concerns for Latin American religious liberty at large. Tags: #venezuela #maduro #religiousfreedom #humanrights #liberty #freedom #church #christianity #latinamerica #latino #venezuelans

Christian movies have a pretty negative reputation. They are criticized for being cheesy, preachy, poorly acted, poorly written, and generally prioritizing lesson-teaching over entertainment or artistic excellence. But, in recent years, their Rotten Tomatoes scores have been on a steady uptick. The critical reviews contain more of the nuance given to secular films, and, en masse, viewers seem to be more positive about their experiences. So, what’s happening? The tide that has turned in the faith-based film industry is multifaceted. The studios have become willing to give Christian directors bigger budgets. Writers have started telling stories with more complicated heroes and honest portrayals of life. Skilled and well-established actors like Patricia Heaton, Zachary Levi, Kelsey Grammar, and Dennis Quade are being hired One of the innovators behind the industry’s compounding improvement is Andy Erwin. Andy Erwin and his brother Jon helped found Kingdom Story Company in 2019. The studio has been responsible for some of the biggest and most positively reviewed Christian films to date—including Jesus Revolution, Sarah’s Oil, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.  But the Erwin brothers’ breakout hit was 2018’s “I Can Only Imagine.” The film follows MercyMe’s vocalist Bart Millard from his childhood growing up with an abusive father to his creation of one of the most popular contemporary Christian songs of all time. Now, they’re back with the sequel, “I Can Only Imagine 2” which came out in theaters last week. Religion Unplugged’s Culture Critic, Joseph Holmes, sat down with Erwin to better understand where the Christian film industry is headed and why the story of “I Can Only Imagine” needed to be expanded on. 
I Can Only Imagine: https://icanonlyimagine.com

This year’s Winter Olympic Games are filled with Jewish athletes. They can be found in hockey goals, cross country slopes, bobsleds, and skating competitions. But, despite a robust representation in Milan and an even more significant representation in the Paris games of 2024, the stereotype that Jews are bad at sports has not fully vanished. The stereotype is a very old one, but it was probably made most popular by none other than Hitler himself. It has become such a popular delusion that even many Jewish writers and entertainers have adopted it. In order to understand how this stereotype began, and why it is so egregiously incorrect, I sat down with Writer and Radiologist Michael Meyerson. Michael was a tennis player in his younger years and began researching and writing about Jewish Athletes in his spare time as a way to debunk the stereotype Michael’s 300-page book, “Tragedy & Triumph” details the stories of countless jewish athletes who competed in the Olympic Games. Michael explores the constant struggle that Jews have had throughout history to be respected in athletic circles—and it turns out to be much bigger than just the infamous Hitler games. Notably, Michael’s book covers several athletes whose stories have made it into major films such as Chariots of Fire and The Boys In The Boat. He even touches on Martin Reisman, the hustling table-tennis player whose life inspired last year’s critically acclaimed Marty Supreme. Michael and I talked about his purpose in writing the book, the strange moment when gliding was considered an Olympic Sport, the reason many Jews are so good at fencing, and much more. Tragedy and Triumph: https://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Triumph-Second-Olympics-Perspective/dp/0645343250

In the Apostle Paul’s 1st Biblical letter to Timothy, Paul writes that Christ came into the world to save sinners. He follows that up by stating that he is the foremost sinner. This is sometimes translated as Paul being “chief of sinners” and even as him being, plainly, “the worst.” It’s this idea that Christian actor, writer, and podcaster Nathan Clarkson uses to justify the title of his new book: “I’m The Worst.” Nathan’s work goes against the cultural current. In an age where many loud voices urge us to put away thoughts of self-criticism and turn instead toward radical self-acceptance, Nathan argues that to truly value ourselves is to understand where we have failed and where we need to grow. Furthermore, Nathan encourages his readers to spend less time bemoaning the people who are making the world worse and more time actively working on what we can do to make the world better. Nathan has acted in The Purge, Silicon Valley, FBI: Most Wanted, Past Lives, and many other movies and TV shows. In addition to acting Nathan has produced multiple feature films through his production company, Clarkson’s Creations. He is also a Publishers Weekly Bestselling Author for his book Finding God in Hollywood, among others. Religion Unplugged’s Culture Critic, Joseph Holmes regularly co hosts a podcast with Nathan called The Overthinkers, so this week, the pair sat down on our podcast, to discuss Nathan’s personal cycles of failure and self-improvement, the ways we villainize the people who differ from us, and how a self-critical mindset can still coincide with self-love.

South Africa has a sexual abuse crisis. And while many of these attacks occur on the streets or in the home, every month, several cases of rape take place in churches and are perpetrated by pastors. The assaulted individuals come from every ethnic group, age, social class, and even gender. For over a decade, tens of thousands of South Africans have been violated in their communities. To better understand South Africa’s abuse crisis and how faith communities are involved, I sat down with Vicky Abraham. Vicky is an investigative journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa. In addition to her work at Religion Unplugged, Vicky’s work has appeared in The Roys Report, the Mail & Guardian, City Press and many other publications. Vicky’s article last week, entitled “South Africa’s Gender-Based Violence Crisis Reaches The Pulpit” details the incredible range of sexual violence that is occurring at the hands of the person who parishioners often trust most, their pastor. Abuse of teenagers is incredibly frequent, with many abusers having been abused in adolescence themselves and then perpetuating the cycle of sexual violence. But Vicky noted that even very elderly people and babies under a year old have fallen victim to abuse.  Vicky walked me through the complex path that victims often have to walk in order to report their abuser. When brought to church authorities, many victims are rebuked and told that what they say is going to harm the church and disrupt the spiritual community. For men, who are also frequently victims, police officers will often mock them for having been sexually assaulted, heaping shame on an already devastating situation. Vicky’s investigation into pastoral sex crimes is ongoing—with new cases appearing all the time. And while she is pleased with the outraged reactions from many healthy churches and even South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa, there is still a long way to come. #southafrica #southafrican #churches #pastors #christianity #abuse #awareness #africa

In 2025, the whole world watched as Chicago native Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope.  Again, everyone watched as Conservative Christian Apologist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University. But while religious news events like these were known world round, other important stories are being covered all the time by journalists like Bobby Ross Jr., a veteran religion reporter. In addition to covering Kirk and Leo, Bobby also wrote about Christian parents grieving in the wake of the Central Texas floods, faith’s role in The Oklahoma City Thunder’s championship-winning season, and the possibility of Christian higher education in Europe. So on this week’s episode of the Religion Unplugged Podcast Matthew Peterson sat down with Bobby to discuss not only the news trends he anticipates in the year to come, but also his career of 25 years covering faith through on-the-ground reporting in all 50 states and in 20 different countries. Bobby started his career of reporting on what he calls “the Godbeat” back in 2001, when he was working for the Oklahoman. Today, he is Editor-in-Chief of The Christian Chronicle, which focuses on covering Churches of Christ all over the globe. He also writes his column, the “Weekend Plug-In” every Friday at Religion Unplugged Bobby and Matthew's conversation spanned how his interest in baseball shaped his initial career decision, how he maintains fairness and accuracy when covering difficult subjects within his faith tradition, and even how to discern what is true in the age of social media and AI. #religion #godbeat #religionnews #journalist #journalism #christianchronicle #2026 #bobbyrossjr #interview #podcast

Religion sociologist and Religion Unplugged contributor Ryan Burge sits down with culture critic Joseph Holmes to discuss Ryan's book "The Vanishing Church" and why the church has lost its ability to bring Americans together. 

The cargo shipping industry is vital to the sustenance of the modern world. However, the millions of mariners who make the system possible often go unnoticed by the masses. For nearly 200 years, The Seamen's Church Institute has worked hard to ensure that seafarers do not feel invisible. Matthew Peterson speaks with members of the organization to understand how they serve mariners and why the work is so important to them.

How does one balance faithfulness to religious tradition with artistic expression? Culture critic Joseph Holmes interviews director Lotfy Nathan on this very topic. Lotfy was raised in the Coptic Christian tradition and grew up to make a horror film about the childhood of Jesus based on the Infancy Gospel of Thomas--starring Nicholas Cage!