This week former president Donald J. Trump was arrested and arraigned for his alleged role in hush money payments made in 2016. And nobody was surprised. About the indictments, about the sex scandal, about the narcissism that bragged of a “perp walk” to the court to face the judge. This is the political system in which we find ourselves.
On this week’s episode of The Bulletin, host and editor in chief Russell Moore talks with CT’s chief impact officer, Nicole Martin, and Daily Beast columnist Matt Lewis about the death of shame, the rise in cultural decadence, and the numbness that has infected us as we head to the polls. Reflecting on the ill effects of pornography and the diminished dignity of women, Moore, Martin, and Lewis, discuss Trump’s indictment, the Wisconsin supreme court election results, and the ambitions of a pro-life movement where Donald Trump is its party’s avatar.
If the world feels dark and vulgarian lately, perhaps it’s because we’re still longing for salvation — a longing that we bring with us into this Holy Week. Russell Moore ends the episode with special guest pastor David Platt on how to get ready for the Easter in world that feels desperately in need of gospel hope.
Joining us this week: Nicole Martin serves Christianity Today as chief impact officer after serving on its board of directors. Nicole oversees three major strategic initiatives that are shaping the future of CT including The Global Initiative, the Big Tent Initiative, and the Next Gen Initiative. Martin worked as a business analyst for Deloitte before receiving her master of divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, where she was the recipient of the David Hugh Jones Award in Music and the John Alan Swink Award in Preaching.
Matt K. Lewis is a center-right critic of American politics and pop culture. He is a senior columnist for The Daily Beast, and his work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, GQ, The Washington Post, The Week, Roll Call, Politico, The Telegraph, The Independent, and The Guardian. He previously served as senior contributor for The Daily Caller, and before that, as a columnist for AOL’s Politics Daily. Lewis dissects the day’s issues in conversation with other thinkers, authors, and newsmakers on his podcast Matt Lewis and the News, and co-hosts The DMZ Show with liberal pundit Bill Scher. Lewis is author of the forthcoming book Filthy Rich Politicians.
David Platt serves as lead pastor of McClean Bible Church in metro Washington, D.C. He received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series. Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
Resources Referenced: Trump Has Made Politician ‘Sex Scandals’ Passé by Matt Lewis Have Evangelicals Who Support Trump Lost Their Values? by Russell Moore Dan Kelly’s concession speech
“The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today Executive Producer: Erik Petrik Hosts: Mike Cosper and Russell Moore Producer: Matt Stevens Associate Producer: Azurae Phelps Editing and Mix: TJ Hester Music: Dan Phelps Graphic Design: Bryan Todd Additional Design: Amy Jones Social Media: Kate Lucky
