PostEverything

New Atheism & the Returning Ride w/ Justin Brierley:
Faith's Surprising Rebirth
Episode 78

Summary:

Justin Brierley spent nearly two decades hosting debates between the world's leading atheists and Christians on his show Unbelievable?. In that time he watched New Atheism rise, peak, and collapse—and then witnessed something he calls "the surprising rebirth of belief in God."

In this episode of Post Everything, Brad Edwards and John Houmes talk with Justin about the renewed openness to Christianity across the West, why young men in particular are exploring faith, and what the withdrawn Quiet Revival Report does (and doesn't) tell us. Justin unpacks the difference between revival and rebirth, the limits of cultural Christianity, the rise of "lapsed atheists," the gamification of faith through apps, and why the dehumanizing effects of AI make embodied Christian community more vital than ever.

A thoughtful, hopeful conversation for pastors, church leaders, and anyone trying to read the cultural moment we're living in.

Quotes:

"If all you're aiming for is Christian culture, sadly you won't even get that. You'll get a sub-biblical, idolatrous version of it… you can't have the effects without the source."

"Cultures only get changed when human hearts get changed—and that happens through Christ, ultimately."

Resources Mentioned:

Unbelievable?; The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God (book & podcast); Uncommon Ground — all by Justin Brierley • Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion • the Four Horsemen (Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris, Dennett) • Tom Holland, Dominion • Matthew Arnold, "Dover Beach" • Douglas Murray • N.T. Wright • Rowan Williams • Jordan & Tammy Peterson • Bible Society's Quiet Revival Report; YouGov • Freya India, "The Commodification of Christianity" (GIRLS Substack) • Hallow, Glorify, YouVersion • Ayaan Hirsi Ali; Niall Ferguson • James Davison Hunter, Democracy and Solidarity • John Vervaeke • Mark Sayers, Rebuilders ("When the Fringe Becomes the Center") • Chris Martin, Terms of Service • The Gospel Coalition, Making Sense of Us • Brad Edwards, The Reason for Church

Key words:

New Atheism, surprising rebirth of belief in God, Justin Brierley, Unbelievable podcast, Christianity, apologetics, cultural apologetics, Gen Z faith, young men Christianity, Quiet Revival, cultural Christianity, meaning crisis, secularism, Tom Holland, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Richard Dawkins, Jordan Peterson, post-Christian culture, AI and faith, embodied community, church leadership, discipleship, revival, Post Everything

#PostEverything #JustinBrierley #NewAtheism #SurprisingRebirth #Christianity #Apologetics #CulturalApologetics #GenZ #MeaningCrisis #Faith #Church #Discipleship #ChristianPodcast #PostChristian

Chapters:

00:00 🪤 The Cultural Christianity Trap
01:25 👋 Introducing Justin Brierley
03:19 ⚔️ Inside The New Atheism Era
06:00 🔄 A Shift In The Atmosphere
10:17 🌊 The Tide Could Come Back
12:09 📊 The Quiet Revival Report
15:39 ⚠️ The Report Is Withdrawn
19:20 🐣 Rebirth Versus Revival
21:58 🚫 Settling For Christian Culture
23:36 📱 The Commodification Of Faith
26:00 🎮 Gamifying Prayer And Faith
28:21 🤖 AI Prayer Apps
29:45 ⛪ New Faces In Church
32:11 ❓ How The Questions Changed
33:43 🌱 Why Gen Z Is Open
36:10 ✝️ A Conversion Through TikTok
38:01 🥀 Losing The Christian Story
40:27 🤝 Coercion Versus Persuasion
43:03 🚩 The Christian Nationalism Question
45:28 🌾 The Wheat And The Tares
49:09 🌍 Expanding The Good Soil
50:57 🧠 What Holds Thinkers Back
54:48 🙏 Ayaan Hirsi Ali's Conversion
57:08 💭 The Meaning Crisis
59:33 👥 Faith Needs Real Community
1:01:57 📵 The Dehumanizing Pull Of AI
1:04:28 📖 Cultural Apologetics Done Well
1:08:44 🎬 Brad And John Reflect
1:11:08 📡 When The Fringe Becomes Center
1:13:11 🔮 AI And Re-Enchantment
1:17:35 ⚖️ Why Gen Z Chose Justice
1:21:19 🕹️ Counterfeit Institutions
1:23:55 🚸 Formation And The Screen
1:27:46 💡 The Church As Antidote

Brad Edwards sits down with Jay Kim, pastor of Westgate Church in Silicon Valley and author of Analog Church, to discuss the spiritual implications of artificial intelligence—and why church leaders urgently need a response.

Key points:

• The difference between attention economy (social media) and attachment economy (AI)

• Why AI companions create relational attachment in ways social media never could

• How tech workers in Silicon Valley are experiencing spiritual crisis over AI displacement

• Marshall McLuhan's theory: When pushed to extremes, technology inverts on itself

• The spiritual discipline of sober-mindedness in an age of endless stimulation

• Why the church must become "weird" again to counter digital culture

• Practical formation practices to help your congregation think deeply (not just consume)

• How pastors can help disciples navigate vocational uncertainty in tech fields

• The role of curiosity and meandering as countercultural spiritual practices

Themes:

•      Spiritual formation in digital age

•      AI and human relationships

•      Church in Silicon Valley

•      Pastoral leadership in tech cities

•      Technology ethics and faith

Key words:

AI companion, Spiritual formation, Church leadership, Discipleship, Silicon Valley, Artificial intelligence, Technology ethics, Sober-mindedness, Pastoral care, Formation practices, Jay Kim, PostEverything, Digital culture, Embodied community, Tech workers

CHAPTERS:

🎙️ Welcome to Post Everything — 00:00

👋 John Introduces Jay Kim — 01:05

💬 Brad Welcomes Jay — 02:17

📖 Analog Church's Cosmic Irony — 04:00

🏘️ Last In-Person Gathering — 05:00

😷 Pandemic Forces Publishing Decision — 06:15

⛪ Church Growth Model Problem — 10:44

💻 Digital Cannot Replace Embodied — 12:19

📡 Technology Shapes What's Possible — 14:30

🤖 AI Isn't Built, but Grown — 15:26

⚡ Efficiency Over Effortful Growth — 19:05

👁️ The Attention Economy Trap — 21:22

💔 Enter the Attachment Economy — 23:18

🧠 AI Creates Relational Bond — 25:27

❓ Is This Really Human? — 27:12

🚨 Training Your Own Replacement — 29:36

🙏 Lament Before Theological Hope — 33:03

🤔 Curiosity as Vocational Superpower — 35:03

📺 Technology Inverts at Extremes — 39:08

🧠 Brain Losing Cognitive Capacity — 42:44

⛪ The Church Must Be Weird — 53:26

🌐 Silicon Valley Exports Culture Worldwide — 57:28

Making Meaning by Making Enemies: 

Tribes, Mimetic Rivals, & Gospel Peace

With John Houmes and Brad Edwards

Why do we need enemies to feel like we belong? 

In this conversation, John and Brad unpack Trevin Wax's article "When the Tribe Eats the Church" through the lens of René Girard's scapegoat mechanism—revealing why communities (left and right) use the same tribal pattern to maintain unity.

From mimetic desire to mythological justification, from McCarthyism to cancel culture, we're watching the same mechanism play out in real-time: communities make meaning by making enemies.

But the Resurrection changes everything.

🎯 What You'll Hear

• How expressive individualism evolved into tribalism

• Girard's mimetic desire: we learn what to want by imitating others

• The scapegoat mechanism: communities uniting through accusation and expulsion

• McCarthyism vs. cancel culture—same pattern, different tribes

• Why mythology hides the violence of persecution

• How Christ's resurrection vindicated the innocent victim

• Why double imputation means Christians don't need another scapegoat

• What the church must offer: belonging rooted in worship, not enemies

• How gathered worship reorders our tribal identity

💡 KEY QUOTES

BRAD EDWARDS:

"We don't know how to exist, how to make sense of the world and make meaning without an enemy. That is an incredible enslavement that we have willingly walked into."

JOHN HOUMES:

"We're living in a story that's way too small. Jesus is victorious over our  deepest enemy—sin, death, and the devil. He rises from the dead in victory."

📚 RESOURCES

Trevin Wax, "When the Tribe Eats the Church" (Gospel Coalition, April 9, 2026)

René Girard, I See Satan Fall Like Lightning

Luke Burgis, Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life

Eugene Peterson, The Pastor

Michelle Margolis, From Politics to the Pews

#Tribalism #Polarization #ScapegoatMechanism #RenéGirard #TrevinWax #Gospel #Church #Belonging #Identity #Discipleship #PostEverything

Chapters

00:00 🎯INTRO

01:17 🏘️Trevin Wax: When Tribe Eats Church

01:44 👤What Are Tribes? Examples Everywhere

03:32 🎭Tribalism's New Function: Making Meaning

05:47 📱Eugene Peterson: Digital Ecstasy

07:30 🚫Escape Isn't Transcendence

08:51 👎Making Meaning by Making Enemies

09:15 🤖Algorithms Designed to Deliver Enemies

10:17 🏛️Digital Disembodies Everything

11:41 🐴Horseshoe Theory: Same Battlefield

14:16 💔Church Planting on Enemy Opposition

16:36 🔄Echo Chambers Refuse New Ideas

19:45 ❌Tribal Concerns Become Gospel Tests

24:24 🗳️Politics Replaced Religion as Primary

27:34 🔍Introducing René Girard

29:41 🧠Mimetic Desire: We Learn Wanting

30:52 🏆Mimetic Rivalry: Victory Over Object

34:13 🎪Scapegoat Mechanism Brings Peace

37:11 📖Mythology Justifies the Perpetrators

38:20 ☮️McCarthyism and Cancel Culture Parallel

42:30 ✝️Gospel Uniquely Sides With Victim

43:10 🙏Resurrection Breaks the Mechanism

43:55 💫Double Imputation Means No Scapegoats

45:52 📜Stories Too Small, Jeremiah Example

57:25 🤝Church: Thick Belonging, Gospel Posture

Paideia Not Perfection: Kingdom Family Formation

With Pastor David Cassidy

What does it mean to disciple your children? It's not just rules and Bible verses. It's paideia—the ancient Greek word for formation, enculturation, shaping a person's reflexes, habits, and loves.

In this conversation with Pastor David Cassidy from Spanish River Church, we explore:

• Why behavior management isn't the goal (we don't want "chocolate soldiers")

• The role of beauty, literature, and nature in forming kingdom citizens

• How to start: Who's discipling YOU?

• Why the dinner table is a sacred space

• The difference between a family with Christian elements vs. a family enculturated in the kingdom

• How to build resilient faith in your kids—faith that doesn't crumble when life disappoints

David offers hope: this isn't about perfection. It's about direction. It's a slow drip over 18 years, not a weekend seminar.

⏱ CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro

00:17 Welcome & Paideia overview

01:44 What is paideia? (Greek word unpacked)

04:52 Kingdom paideia vs. family with Christian elements

06:08 Theology comes at your fingertips

08:01 The centrality of love in formation

09:20 Christian worldview isn't enough

13:15 What does a resilient disciple look like?

15:40 Remember whose you are

17:11 Gospel astonishment and enjoyment of Christ

19:07 What shatters faith?

21:28 Chocolate soldiers vs. hearts of repentance

23:34 Fear of the Lord can be taught

25:12 Anti-discipleship forces

28:16 The church's role in kingdom paideia

32:34 Christian schools as an extension of discipleship

34:19 Partnership between parents, church, and school

35:05 How do we practically bring kingdom paideia home?

36:54 Who's discipling YOU?

39:11 Great classics to read

42:11 Taking trips

44:41 Slow drip, not a week-long retreat

44:53 Why the dinner table matters

47:38 Food as connector and sacred space

49:36 Three takeaways from John

📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED

Ephesians 6:4 (paideia language)

Edith Hamilton's Greek Mythology

Augustine's Confessions

Shakespearean Sonnets

John Milton

C.S. Lewis (The Kilns, his home)

Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Chronicles of Narnia

Psalm 25 ("Remember whose you are")

Westminster Shorter Catechism

Heidelberg Catechism

💡 KEY QUOTES

"We don't want chocolate soldiers. We want kids who have resilient faith."

"Paideia is about forming reflexes, habits, loyalties, and loves. What kind of human being are we trying to produce?"

"Theology comes at your fingertips—not just a statement of faith you sign your name to, but how you live."

"Who's discipling YOU? That's where we start as parents."

"The dinner table is not a sacrament, but it's a sacred moment."

"This is about direction, not perfection. It's a slow drip over 18 years."

🎙️ ABOUT THIS CONVERSATION

This is a crossover episode between PostEverything (a podcast on culture and formation) and Rooted by the River (a parenting podcast). While Rooted focuses on family discipleship, David's theology of formation through culture, beauty, literature, and everyday rhythms connects deeply to how the Church forms people in a post-Christian age.

Rooted by the River is a Spanish River Church parenting podcast dedicated to equipping families to root deep in Jesus and His love.

spanishriver.com | rootedbytheriver.com

Neil Shenvi on Wokeness, Truth, and the Church

What does it mean to respond to wokeness without panic, caricature, or reactionary tribalism?

In this episode of Post Everything, Brad Edwards and John Houmes sit down with Neil Shenvi, co-author of Post-Woke, to talk about the cultural position of Christianity in 2026, the power of contemporary critical theory, and how churches can form people who are neither ideologically captured nor politically naive.

The conversation explores the complexity of our current moment: Are we in a “negative world,” an apathetic world, or something even more fragmented? How should Christians think about “woke natives,” younger generations shaped by DEI frameworks, oppressor/oppressed binaries, and moral urgency? And how do pastors offer both compassion and clarity when so much of the culture is driven by polarization, fear, and identity conflict?

Shenvi argues that critical theory is not merely a tool or political lens, but a worldview with its own account of identity, justice, truth, and righteousness. But he also warns Christians against responding with simplistic anti-woke rhetoric or drifting toward equally unbiblical reactionary movements on the right.

Together they discuss:

Christianity’s changing cultural position

Why “woke” ideas appeal to younger generations

The importance of reading primary sources and steelmanning arguments

The danger of raising kids with no immunity to bad ideas

How critical theory reshapes identity, justice, and moral authority

Why worship is essential for resisting all totalizing worldviews

How the Church can remain biblical without becoming reactionary

This is a conversation about formation, truth, and the future of the Church in a deeply contested cultural moment.

Key Themes

Negative world, apatheism, and cultural fragmentation

Compassionate clarity as a Christian posture

Critical theory as a worldview, not just a method

The formation of Gen Z and “woke natives”

Identity, social binaries, and hegemonic power

Reading primary sources instead of caricatures

The danger of anti-woke overreaction

Worship as resistance to ideological capture

Chapters

00:00 Intro

02:37 Christianity’s Cultural Position

07:03 Clarity Without Dismissal

13:36 Dialogue, Sources, Truth

18:45 Theory Becomes Religion

25:29 Four Pillars Explained

30:48 When Theory Corrupts

33:41 Poison, Not Meat

35:34 The Woke Right

40:20 Gen Z's Tension

43:39 Can't Split Jesus

47:51 Formation Without God

52:10 Trust Replaces Power

57:23 Love and Truth

01:00:40 Worship Reorients Everything

01:05:33 Pillars as Religion

01:12:44 Justice Without King

01:19:23 God First Vertically

01:28:29 Get to Church