Episodes

  • Christine Emba on the Fantasy of Porn’s Harmlessness

    Christine Emba on the Fantasy of Porn’s Harmlessness
    Aug 13 2025
    Even where nobody talks about it, porn is everywhere--so much so that many, even those who think it's immoral, have concluded that it's an inextricable part of 21st century digital culture. But what if that attitude is leading us to levels of brokenness we never even imagined? In this episode, Christine Emba joins Russell to talk about what she calls a “quiet catastrophe”: the normalization of pornography in an era marked by loneliness and disconnection. Drawing from her widely read New York Times essay, “The Delusion of Porn’s Harmlessness,” Emba offers a pointed and profound look at what pornography is doing not just to our minds, but to our relationships, our desires, and our sense of self. Emba and Moore explore why the idea of intimacy feels threatening, and how a generation raised on digital pleasure might struggle to imagine and practice real relational connection. They also talk about how porn shapes our expectations of each other, why Christians often mishandle this issue, and what it might look like to recover a deeper, more beautiful ethic of intimate relationships. Emba even shares ways she sees society combatting our perceived defeat and possible despair when it comes to AI’s influence on porn–and the good news is, she has a positive outlook. This is not a frantic conversation about culture war panic. It’s a thoughtful and sobering conversation about what kind of restoration is possible when desire is distorted, but not beyond healing. Resources mentioned in this episode or recommended by the guest include: C.S. Lewis letters, Yours, Jack: Spiritual Direction from C.S. Lewis “The Delusion of Porn’s Harmlessness” by Christine Emba (The New York Times) Rethinking Sex: A Provocation by Christine Emba Kate Julian’s “The Sex Recession” (The Atlantic) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    50 mins
  • Listener Question: Am I Disciplined—or Just Legalistic?

    Listener Question: Am I Disciplined—or Just Legalistic?
    Aug 11 2025
    Russell answers a listener's question: Am I Being Disciplined—or Just Legalistic? Submit your own question for the show! Email questions@russellmoore.com — and remember: attach a voice memo! Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
  • Tony Hale on Parenting, Powerlessness, and Processing Grief

    Tony Hale on Parenting, Powerlessness, and Processing Grief
    Aug 6 2025
    Maybe you know Tony Hale as the bumbling Buster Bluth on Arrested Development. Or maybe you know him as the bag-toting assistant to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Selina Meyer on Veep. You might even know him as the googly-eyed Forky in Toy Story 4 or Riley’s Fear on Inside Out. No matter how you’ve come across him before, perhaps you haven’t heard him like this. In this episode, Tony Hale joins Russell Moore for a candid conversation about anxiety, art, faith—and why he’s drawn to characters who never quite have it all together. Hale opens up about his personal journey through grief and doubt, and how these experiences shaped both his faith and his creativity. He reflects on the healing power of storytelling, the importance of making space for emotions we often suppress, and what it means to parent children through grief and suffering. Together, Moore and Hale explore the themes of Hale’s new family film Sketch, a story about a girl who processes loss by drawing monsters. But this isn’t just a kids’ movie—it’s an honest look at pain, beauty, and what it means to sit with discomfort. Hale shares why he wanted to make a film that respects the emotional complexity of children and adults alike. They also talk about the influence of Tim Keller, Tony’s early years as an actor, the inner development of his iconic roles (be aware, there could be some spoilers!), and how to choose roles and shape a career as a Christian in Hollywood. And be sure to listen until the end, when Tony shares insights on how to be the one Christian among nonbelievers and how to show the love of Christ with authenticity. This is a warm, thoughtful conversation about surrender, sacred imagination, and how telling the truth might be one of the most redemptive acts we can offer the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    34 mins
  • Listener Question: Should I Go to a Church That Practices Infant Baptism?

    Listener Question: Should I Go to a Church That Practices Infant Baptism?
    Aug 4 2025
    Russell answers a listener's question: Should I go to a church that practices infant baptism? Listen to the episode with Ligon Duncan: Ligon Duncan Tells Me Where I’m Wrong on Infant Baptism Listen to the recent episode with Jefferson Fisher: Jefferson Fisher on How to Have Difficult Conversations Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Submit a question for the show by emailing questions@russellmoore.com — and attach a voice memo! Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    13 mins
  • David Brooks on Moral Courage for a Soulless Age

    David Brooks on Moral Courage for a Soulless Age
    Jul 30 2025
    What happens when a movement built on moral seriousness gives way to one powered by cruelty, resentment, and nihilism? In this episode, New York Times columnist David Brooks joins to talk about what he calls one of the greatest ruptures of his lifetime: the implosion of the conservative movement’s moral center. Drawing from his widely discussed essay in The Atlantic “I Should Have Seen This Coming,” Brooks offers a deeply personal—and deeply unsettling—account of how a reactionary fringe rose to power and reshaped American public life. Together, Moore and Brooks trace the descent from Burkean virtue to clickbait outrage, from civic institutions to “own-the-libs” performance art. But this conversation doesn’t stop at diagnosis. The two turn toward questions of cultural repair and spiritual renewal: Is there any real possibility of revival—in literature, in politics, in faith? What might it look like to recover a moral vision strong enough to resist the acid of our age? And what role could Christians play in offering a better way? Along the way, they talk about why the next spiritual awakening might not look like the last one, the legacy of Tim Keller, how we can engage in conversations on issues of the soul, how the Trump White House culture is different from other presidents’ and whether AI is really going to change American life as much as Moore thinks it will. This is a candid, searching conversation about what it means to be human in a disordered world—and what kind of moral courage is needed to hold fast when the center does not. Resources mentioned in this episode or recommended by the guest include: How to Know a Person by David Brooks David’s Atlantic article, I Should Have Seen This Coming Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America by Sam Tanenhaus David’s article that talks about Alasdair MacIntyre in The Atlantic, Why Do So Many People Think Trump is Good? Diminish Democracy by Julian J. Rothbaum The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy by Christopher Lasch David’s New York Times Article: When Novels Mattered David’s novel suggestions: Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Selected Essays by Samuel Johnson Middlemarch by George Eliot Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Submit a question for the show at questions@russellmoore.com Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr
  • Question: Does God Want Me To Have Fun? [with Beth Moore]

    Question: Does God Want Me To Have Fun? [with Beth Moore]
    Jul 28 2025
    Russell answers a listener's question. Does God want me to have fun? Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Submit a question for the show by emailing questions@russellmoore.com Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    9 mins
  • Beth Moore on All Manner of Good Things

    Beth Moore on All Manner of Good Things
    Jul 23 2025
    Beth is back for mo(o)re. It’s been a couple years since Beth Moore has been on the show, so it was high time to catch up with her. Russell and Beth (no relation) sit down for a free-wheeling conversation, starting with what’s been happening in her life these days. Amid the laughter, conversation touches on all manner of important topics: pain, suffering, prayer, study of scripture, and Heaven itself. Beth shares about her yearly journaling practice, what recent surgeries have taught her about how God draws us to him in our suffering, postures of prayer, and the importance of ritual as a believer and an artist. Listen to find out the two books of the Bible Russell has never taught, the Biblical scene both Beth and Russell would want to time travel to experience firsthand, and what surprise book recommendation Beth brought for listeners. If you find yourself wanting to hear good friends laughing while also acknowledging how hard life can be…this is for you. Resources mentioned in this episode or recommended by the guest include: Tarot card article link LIfting the Veil, Malcolm Guite Daily Rituals: How Artists work by Mason Currey — Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Submit a question for the show at questions@russellmoore.com Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    52 mins
  • Why We Want to See the Epstein Files

    Why We Want to See the Epstein Files
    Jul 18 2025
    Russell reads his recent newsletter article on the public outcry for release of the Epstein files. Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Submit a question for the show by emailing questions@russellmoore.com. Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    13 mins