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My guest is Matt Mikalatos — author, screenwriter, producer, and all-around brilliant storyteller.

He has written award-winning books, including the beautifully illustrated graphic novel God With Us, the devotional Praying with Saint Nicholas, and an imaginative Young Adult fantasy series, The Sunlit Lands. He’s also co-authored Loving Disagreement with Kathy Khang — a timely, powerful book about how to stay in relationship, even when the culture says it’s time to cancel.

As an undergraduate student in creative writing at the University of California, Riverside, Matt studied under the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, Percival Everett, author of the wildly popular novel entitled JAMES.

Matt’s story doesn’t stop there. He spent 20 years with a global campus ministry (Campus Crusade for Christ now known as CRU), lived in China, became fluent in Mandarin, and worked deeply in cross-cultural ministry. He’s seen the evolution — or devolution — of Evangelicalism from the inside, and he doesn’t shy away from talking about it. From Trumpism and anti-democratic rhetoric to hot-button issues like immigration, LGBTQ rights, and even “chainsaw massacre” politics, we go there — and Matt helps us understand the power of story over shouting matches.

There’s exciting news - he’s just been notified that a script he’s written has been greenlit. The production of a full-length feature film begins soon, with filming in Thailand.

Join me as Matt and I talk about faith, storytelling, culture, and how, in this divided world, we can still communicate and respect each other — even when we disagree. It’s a lively, eye-opening, and deeply human exchange you won’t want to miss.

Mike Mikalatos WebSite

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Today, I’m joined by my longtime friend Mike Mizrahi—yes, we go way back. Mike’s career took him from an undergraduate degree in journalism to a Master's in corporate communication. He had a career as a corporate spokesperson, but his real passion found its home in writing historical fiction. And his latest novel, The Weight of Loyalty, is a great achievement. I read it with great interest; a powerful, rich exploration of the perils of wartime on the Greek Isles.

It’s a sweeping story of love, sacrifice, and moral conflict, set against the backdrop of World War II on the Greek island of Kefalonia. Inspired by the real-life survival story of Royal Navy seaman John Capes, Mike weaves the tale of Oliver Graham, a British submariner, and Natalía Giannatos, a Greek woman whose life is touched by war, love, and spiritual searching. Think James Michener meets Ernest Hemingway—with a splash of Greek wine and Orthodox mysticism.

We discuss why historical fiction matters, what drew Mike to this particular time and place, and how personal research—a research tour on the island of Kefalonia—shaped every detail from the rugged landscape to the local cuisine to miracle-working monks.

But this isn’t just a war story. It’s a love story on many levels—and a deeply reflective one at that. Mike wrestles with big questions: the cost of conscience, the meaning of faith, and what it really means to be loyal.

If you’ve ever wondered how fiction can serve as therapy—or how an author channels personal values into imagined worlds—this conversation’s for you. So stay tuned, and enjoy this rich, thoughtful dive into The Weight of Loyalty with my good friend, Mike Mizrahi. SHOW NOTES

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In this important and timely episode, I welcome back journalist, author, and friend of the podcast, Peter Wehner. We dig into his provocative and widely discussed article in The Atlantic: “Why Evangelicals Turned Their Back on PEPFAR.”

PEPFAR—President George W. Bush’s historic global AIDS relief program—has saved over 26 million lives and prevented millions of HIV infections. Once championed by American evangelicals, the program is now in crisis. Under Donald Trump’s second term, PEPFAR was effectively shut down. Clinics have closed, aid has stalled, and more than 75,000 lives have already been lost—with millions more at risk.

So why the silence from the evangelical community?

Peter and I explore the cultural, political, and theological reasons behind this shift—from compassion to indifference—and why this issue, which should unite pro-life Christians, has instead fallen off the radar. We also reflect on how partisan loyalty, fear of division, and moral inconsistency have muted the response to one of the most effective humanitarian programs in U.S. history.

This conversation is urgent, eye-opening, and deeply relevant to anyone who cares about faith, politics, and the real-world impact of silence. I hope you’ll join us. This is one you don’t want to miss. SHOW NOTES

MSNBC Morning Joe

RNS on PEPFAR

RNS - Nashville’s Christian music stars join activists in push to save PEPFAR

Holy Post talks about PEPFAR

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This week, Ken Fong and I take on a sobering question: Why do so many Americans celebrate cruelty? With the help of British psychiatrist Dr. Russell Razzaque, we explore the mental state of Donald Trump and the deeper dynamics that fuel authoritarian behavior. At the core? Fear. Not fear of crime or poverty—but of losing status, especially among white men who once held unchallenged social dominance.

We look at the disturbing celebration of cruelty—like the now-infamous photo of Trump, Marco Rubio, and Kristi Noem laughing in front of cages at “Alligator Alcatraz,” a holding camp for migrants. For many in the MAGA base, this isn’t about policy—it’s about resentment, superiority, and pushing others down to feel powerful again.

Drawing on insights from David Brooks and Alasdair MacIntyre, we trace how our culture shifted from communal virtue to individual preference. We’ve moved from the language of “duty” and “honor” to the language of “want” and “leverage.” And in doing so, we've lost the moral grounding that once came from religion, tradition, and community.

The 2024 award-winning German feature film, The Zone of Interest, makes the powerful, dramatic point. We humans can be so focused on our personal comfort and well-being that we remain oblivious to the callous cruelty and inhuman brutality right next door.

We also ask: How did compassion and humility get replaced by bile and demonstrative cruelty? Why does backing and supporting Trump feel personal and set in stone to his followers? And how do we reclaim a moral vocabulary that elevates character over charisma?

Finally, don’t miss our call to action: Join the Good Trouble movement this month. Protest. Speak up. Reclaim our shared values.

LINKS:

Psychiatrist Russell Razzaque, M.D.

ATLANTIC David Brooks

FILM: ZONE OF INTEREST

GOOD TROUBLE Protest

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Today, we have a conversation that’s very personal for me. I’m pleased to welcome author Dave Larsen to discuss his powerful new novel, Green Street in Black and White: A Chicago Story. I can relate to the story - I was born in Chicago, lived in Wheaton as a boy, and worked in my first role as a Youth Pastor in Maywood, when “white flight,” the fear-driven, racially charged mass exodus of whites to the suburbs, was in full swing.

Dave takes us back to his childhood in 1960s Englewood on Chicago’s South Side — a neighborhood on the cusp of racial transformation. Through the eyes of young Erik Pedersen and his band of friends, the Green Street Boys, we witness how ordinary families struggled with fear, prejudice, and white flight — but also how kids on bikes found friendship, loyalty, and glimmers of understanding across deep divides.

Though fiction, the novel is steeped in Dave’s own memories — from riding in his Irish uncle’s squad car to watching his white church confront the arrival of Black families. We talk about it all: street smarts and playground humor, church politics, family tensions, and tragic turning points.

Dave shares from his deep spiritual and academic roots — a Calvin College English degree, seminary at TEDS, and a doctorate from Loyola — to explore big questions: Can the church truly become a diverse place? Is racial reconciliation even possible?

We reflect on the courage it takes to tell hard stories with no sugar-coated ending. And we hear why Green Street in Black and White matters — especially now.

It’s a heartfelt, honest episode I’m pleased to share. SHOW NOTES

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Today, as we celebrate the 4th of July, we have another Beach Talk with Bestey Newenhuyse.

This week. Betsey and I consider what July 4th means to us in 2025. A new Gallup poll says only 58% of Americans are proud to be American, down from 85% in 2013. What happened?

We also reflect on the tragic Minnesota shooting and the loss of Melissa Hortman, with insights into the memorial and the personal responses from Governor Walz, President Biden, and Vice President Harris.

How do we put a human face on the real victims of MAGA extremism? We get some help from our friend, Darcy.

We cover everything from DeSantis’s “Alligator Alcatraz” in Florida to Joe Walsh’s viral tweet about Trump’s cruelty. We'll talk about California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass confronting chaos in Los Angeles, Trump’s parade flop, the Uber-backed “Big Ugly” bill threatening Medicaid and clean energy; even Elon Musk hates it.

We wrap with reflections on border security, deportation, and a moving video from Pete Buttigieg spotlighting the real stakes for vulnerable families.

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Today, I share my most recent Substack, #48:

The Mist Trail: Digital Detox and Yosemite's Reward

It's a story I will long remember. Maybe it will bring back some memories and some inspiration to you, too.

CLICK HERE to read along and enjoy some of the photos.

Enjoy!

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Today, we welcome a conversation with Dr. Christian Smith, one of America’s leading sociologists of religion. He studied at Wheaton and Gordon College, earned an M.A. and PhD at Harvard, and serves currently as the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Sociology at the University of Notre Dame. You may know him from his groundbreaking research on adolescent spirituality, but in this episode, we dive into the sweeping themes of his current book, Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith in America, released in April 2025 from Oxford University Press.

We examine the profound cultural and generational shifts that have contributed to the decline of religion in America—what Dr. Smith refers to as a slow but steady obsolescence. From the rise of the “nones” and the “spiritual but not religious,” to the scandals, the loss of clergy credibility, and the overwhelming politicization of faith, especially within evangelical circles, we unpack it all. Dr. Smith is data-driven, deeply thoughtful, and committed to honesty—he doesn’t just describe the trends; he interprets them with nuance and care.

We also talk about the fears that drive some religious communities to build protective bubbles—Christian schools, worldview camps, media silos—and how those moves may be accelerating the very decline they fear. This is a conversation about cultural change, generational transitions, science, sexuality, and what it means to seek moral grounding in a rapidly shifting world.

This episode invites us to ask: When has religion truly been good? And can it be good again? As James Baldwin once said, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” SHOW NOTES

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