The SkyePod

Skye and Esau saw Disclosure Day by Steven Spielberg this weekend—did it make them believe in aliens? Maybe not, but it does show a cultural preoccupation with our place in the world. Would the existence of aliens change history? Would you believe aliens were telling the truth? Skye and Esau debate these issues and Esau pitches a sequel.
 
0:06 - Theme Song
 
1:15 - Disclosure Day
 
7:27 - Why Aliens Would Change Our View of God
 
13:51 - Religion Without God
 
25:40 - Are Aliens Demons?
 
29:05 - This episode is available only for Holy Post Plus subscribers. Not a subscriber? Head on over to: https://holypost.substack.com/p/disclosure-day-faith-aliens-and-spielberg

The internet keeps serving up strange stories, and Drew Dyck is back to help Skye figure out what they reveal about faith, wisdom, and our very weird cultural moment. They start with a Christianity Today article on marijuana and the Christian life, but the conversation quickly turns toward a bigger question about how believers learn discernment when Scripture doesn't give a simple rule. Then they discuss Freya India's warning that prayer apps, livestreamed sermons, and gamified discipleship can quietly train new Christians to experience faith as one more thing to consume on a phone. Also this week, Skye and Drew talk about microwaved fish, AI-generated Christian content, ghostwriting, UFOs, demons, and why the modern world may be getting stranger, not less spiritual.
 
0:05 - Theme Song
 
2:10 - Christianity Today on Weed
 
11:02 - Fundamentalism
 
21:35 - Commodification of Christianity
 
24:46 - This episode is available only for Holy Post Plus subscribers. Not a subscriber? Head on over to: https://holypost.substack.com/p/drews-news-weed-prayer-apps-and-ufos

Because it's graduation season, Skye offers some lessons for those starting their careers. He takes us through the story of his professional development from seminary, to pastoral ministry, into journalism, publishing, and eventually the creation of Holy Post Media. Along the way, he draws on the metaphor from Gordon Mackenzie's 1996 book, "Orbiting the Giant Hairball," to explain the tension between our callings and feeling trapped in broken institutions.
 
0:04 - Theme Song
 
6:15 - Hairball Number One: Ministry
 
11:28 - Sermon ROI
 
17:03 - Hairball Number Two: Publishing
 
24:40 - This episode is available only for Holy Post Plus subscribers. Not a subscriber? Head on over to: https://holypost.substack.com/publish/post/200657253?r=35kf51&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

The Supreme Court recently struck down a provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Bill that prevented the dilution of votes by racial minorities, unleashing red states throughout the South to redraw congressional districts before the 2026 midterm elections. The outcome is likely to be fewer Black representatives in Congress. David French and Skye Jethani discuss the issue of gerrymandering—partisan and racial—and why it is contrary to both the Constitution and the Christian call to love our neighbors. They also offer suggestions for fixing the problem in order to heal our broken politics.
 
0:00 - Theme Song
 
0:21 - Being on Bill Marr
 
6:04 - What is Gerrymandering?
 
11:27 - Racial vs Political Gerrymandering
 
26:22 - Christian Podcast and Politics
 
29:57 - Disempowering the People
 
40:22 - Possible Solutions
 
52:37 - Do We Need a Third Founding?
 
1:10:47 - End Credits

We love stories about redemption, except when it happens to our enemies. Skye and Kaitlyn Schiess discuss why our culture has become fluent in justice, punishment, and public condemnation, but has lost the language of mercy, forgiveness, and restoration. Drawing from Priya Parker's conversation with Ezra Klein, they explore what happens when justice becomes vengeance and people are permanently sorted into victims and villains. They also ask whether the church still has the theological resources our culture desperately needs, including a vision of final judgment, true repair, and communities where sinners can be reintegrated without pretending harm never happened.
 
0:02 - Theme Song
 
1:22 - Announcements
 
2:54 - Priya Parker
 
8:03 - Inevitability of Harm
 
11:46 - Social Vengeance
 
19:00 - Rodney King and Reginald Denny
 
25:25 - The full episode is available only for Holy Post Plus subscribers. Not a subscriber? Head on over to: https://www.patreon.com/posts/158894092/
 
Priya Parker on the Ezra Klein Podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=714IB4avhWg
 
The Redemption Paradox: Why We Embrace it in Storytelling But Resist it in Life
https://simplyputpsych.co.uk/mind-over-media/the-redemption-paradox-why-we-embrace-it-in-storytelling-but-resist-it-in-life?utm_source=chatgpt.com