Shifting Culture

In this episode, Wes Crawford joins me to talk about his new book, One Nation Over God, and why faith and patriotism have become so tangled in American life. We explore Robert Bellah's idea of American civil religion, how a nation without an established faith came to treat its flags, anthems, and founders as sacred, and why that stirs so much anger in our churches and families. We trace the roots of the religious right, question the myth of a Christian nation, and consider what it looks like to love our country while keeping our allegiance to Jesus first. When those loyalties collide, which one wins?
Wes Crawford is the Vice Provost at Abilene Christian University. He also is an Associate Professor of Church History. His research interests center on American religion generally and the intersection of race and religion specifically. His books, Shattering the Illusion: How African American Churches of Christ Moved from Segregation to Independence (2013) and Courage in the Sheer Silence: Challenging Racism in 20th Century Churches of Christ (2025), examine the relationship between white and black members of Churches of Christ throughout the twentieth century. His forthcoming book, One Nation Over God, explores the implications of American civil religion. In addition to his academic pursuits, Wes also served twenty years as a Preaching Minister within Churches of Christ and maintains a passion for local congregational ministry. Through his work with the Siburt Institute, he spends most weekends preaching for various congregations across the country. Wes has been married for twenty-nine years to his wife, Kim, and they have four children.
Wes' Book:
One Nation Over God
Wes' Recommendations:
From Bible Belt to Sun Belt
Theo of Golden
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In this episode, Kenneth Tanner and I contemplate the human face of God. We talk about why we split Jesus into a divine half and a human half, and what we lose when we do. We get into the story we've been told about strength, survival, and success, and how a God who takes the lowest seat overturns it. We talk about serving as a way into the permanence of God, the cross as the foundation of creation, the dignity of the body, and a resurrection already at work in the world. What would change if we believed God is like Jesus?
Kenneth Tanner is pastor of Church of the Holy Redeemer in Rochester Hills, Michigan, where he has served since 2005. He is the author of Vulnerable God: How Jesus Upends Our Assumptions About God—and Shows Us How to Be Human (Brazos Press, 2026). His writing has appeared in many outlets, including Huffington Post, Sojourners, Mockingbird, National Review, Christianity Today, Clarion Journal, and more. He and his wife, Debbie, have seven children and four grandchildren.
Kenneth's book:
Vulnerable God
Kenneth's recommendation:
The Wound of Unknowing
Connect with Joshua: jjohnson@shiftingculturepodcast.com

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In this episode, Dave Nienhuis joins me to talk about his memoir, And the Sea Was No More. We explore the deep, the chaos waters that run through Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and what happens to faith when anxiety and trauma take away your ability to control your own mind. Dave shares how Scripture gave him language for drowning, why Jesus enters death rather than destroying it, and how the body, community, and liturgy carried him through. We also talk about shame, a generation leaving the church, and why we don't have to explain suffering before we cry out.
Dave Nienhuis is a teacher, writer, speaker, and Professor of New Testament Studies at Seattle Pacific University.
Dave's Book:
And the Sea Was No More
Connect with Joshua: jjohnson@shiftingculturepodcast.com

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This is The Good, The True, and The Cinema, a film podcast in pursuit of the good, the true, and the beautiful. Join Joshua Johnson, cultural critic and host of Shifting Culture, Craig Detweiler, filmmaker, author, and president of Wedgwood Circle, and John Dougherty, writer, educator, and film critic for America Magazine. Together, they review new releases, revisit the classics, and have a lot of fun along the way.
Follow The Good, The True, and The Cinema anywhere you get podcasts.
Connect with Joshua: jjohnson@shiftingculturepodcast.com

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In this episode Annie F. Downs joins me to take John 10:10 apart. Steal, kill, destroy — we tend to read them as one sentence, but Annie treats them as three different losses asking three different things of us. Something stolen still exists somewhere. Something dead doesn't come back. Something destroyed has to be cleared before anything gets built there. We talk about courage borrowed from artists, grief that never fully resolves, why resurrection never looks like restoration, and why none of this can be worked out alone. Don't let that hold you back.
Annie F. Downs is a New York Times bestselling author, sought-after speaker, and successful podcast host based in Nashville, Tennessee. Known for her engaging and honest style, Annie makes readers and listeners feel like long-time friends. She is the co-founder of the That Sounds Fun Network, home to her flagship podcast, That Sounds Fun and host of the television talk show I Gotta Ask.
Annie's Book:
Don't Let That Hold You Back
Annie's Recommendation:
Calamity Club
Connect with Joshua: jjohnson@shiftingculturepodcast.com

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