Ideology

In this episode of Ideology, Drew and Mick respond to the assassination of Charlie Kirk and reflect on what it reveals about our cultural moment. They explore how moments like this expose the deep fractures in our society, the rise of polarization and outrage, and the temptation to respond to violence with more hostility. Instead, they call the church to a kingdom perspective—boldness, anchoring in hope, practicing enemy-love, and resisting the cycles of chaos. “We’re not defined by the chaos of this cultural moment. We’re defined by a kingdom that cannot be shaken.”Listen in for a sobering yet hope-filled conversation about grief, faith, and the church’s witness in a divided age.Connect with us:    •    Email: [email protected]    •    YouTube/Instagram: ⁠@ideologypc⁠Feel free to share, subscribe, rate, and/or commentBackground track (licensed by Musicbed):    •    Ilia by Kisnou

In this episode of the Ideology Podcast, Mick is joined by special guest Dr. Ben Young, senior pastor at Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. With Drew away this week, the two dive into a vulnerable and thought-provoking conversation about doubt, belief, and what it means to trust God in the face of suffering and uncertainty.Dr. Young shares his personal story of walking through nearly a decade of doubt, sparked by unmet expectations around prayer and miracles in his college years. What began as disappointment eventually led to a full deconstruction of his faith—followed by a slow and honest rebuilding rooted in grace and the person of Jesus Christ.Together, Mick and Dr. Young explore:The difference between doubt and unbelief, and how doubt can actually strengthen faithWhy many churches have historically struggled to make space for questionsThe cultural obsession with certainty, particularly in evangelical and fundamentalist traditionsHow suffering and disappointment shape our view of God's goodness and activity in the worldThe importance of community, vulnerability, and empathy in seasons of deconstructionThey also reflect on shifts in the cultural questions people are asking—from "Is it true?" to "Who am I?"—and how the Church can respond with both conviction and compassion. Drawing from voices like Blaise Pascal, Søren Kierkegaard, and the Psalms, Dr. Young presents a vision of faith that embraces both mystery and reason, intellect and intuition.This episode offers encouragement and guidance for those struggling with doubt or walking alongside someone who is.Connect with us:Email: [email protected]/Instagram: @ideologypcResources referenced:Room for Doubt by Ben YoungPensées by Blaise PascalFear and Trembling by Søren KierkegaardThe Psalms and Ecclesiastes as biblical models of wrestling with doubtRobert Kegan & Lisa Lahey’s research on adult development and cognitive complexityBackground track (licensed by Musicbed):"Evaporate" by Svvn

In Episode 5 of Season 6 of the Ideology Podcast, Drew and Mick dive deep into the topic of hope and its role in a world that often feels meaningless.The conversation revolves around the significance of transcendence in an immanent world. Drew shares an experience he had in Hawaii, where he noticed a bulletin board in a small town filled with spiritual practices such as cow cuddling and astrology. He reflects on how people are searching for something transcendent, a meaning beyond the material world, and how this points to the lack of transcendence in modern life.The episode also examines:The difference between immanence (the material world we experience daily) and transcendence (the reality beyond what we can know or manipulate).How, historically, humans have understood and interacted with both transcendence and immanence.The implications of a world that has increasingly lost transcendence, becoming a closed causal system, and the resulting existential crisis many face today.The spiritual hunger for something beyond the material world and how this leads people to seek meaning through various practices, even if they seem odd or far-fetched.Drew and Mick also discuss how the Church can address this deep spiritual hunger by offering a worldview that fully integrates both transcendence and immanence through Jesus Christ, the one who embodies both perfectly.Connect with us:Email: [email protected]/Instagram: @ideologypcFeel free to share, subscribe, rate, and/or commentResources referenced:How Then Shall We Live? by Francis SchaefferA Secular Age by Charles TaylorBarna Group’s latest data on spiritual hunger in the WestBackground track (licensed by Musicbed):Lifetime (Instrumental) by The Dramatics

In this episode of the Ideology Podcast, Drew and Mick reflect on an unexpected and encouraging trend in American spirituality—particularly among Gen Z. Despite cultural decline in church affiliation in recent decades, new data shows a surprising and significant reversal: a growing hunger for Jesus among young adults.Why is this happening? What has shifted in our culture, and how do we understand it biblically and pastorally? Drew and Mick unpack the factors driving this trend, including the spiritual void left by secularism, the collapse of the "secular gospel," and the longing for connection, meaning, and transcendence. They reflect on how the pandemic acted as an accelerant, exposing the bankruptcy of materialism and opening hearts to the eternal.Along the way, they explore deep theological themes like the nature of sin, the loss of self apart from God, and the hope found only in the person of Jesus Christ. Drawing from thinkers like Augustine and Athanasius, they articulate a vision of Christian anthropology that contrasts starkly with the self-focused, therapeutic culture of our time.This is an episode about revival, not in hype but in real hunger—and how the Church can be a winsome life raft rather than a culture warrior on a sinking ship.Connect with us:Email: [email protected]/Instagram: @ideologypcFeel free to share, subscribe, rate, and/or comment.Resources referenced or alluded to:On the Incarnation by AthanasiusConfessions by AugustineThe Abolition of Man by C.S. LewisThe Gay Science and other works by Friedrich Nietzsche

In this episode of the Ideology Podcast, Drew and Mick dive into the fascinating world of apologetics – the defense of the Christian faith through reason and argument. But this conversation is a bit different. Drew brings an ambivalent perspective, exploring the complexities of defending faith in a world full of competing truth claims.Why do some find apologetics helpful, and others, not so much? How do we navigate the tension between faith and reason, between historical evidence and personal belief? The episode explores these challenges and asks critical questions about the foundations of truth. Is apologetics a way to strengthen our faith, or could it inadvertently lead us to rely too heavily on human reason?Listen in as Drew and Mick unpack how we justify belief, from cosmological and teleological arguments to historical evidence of the resurrection. They also discuss Alvin Plantinga’s ideas on "warranted Christian belief" and reflect on how personal experiences of God shape our understanding of truth.Connect with us:Email: [email protected]/Instagram: @ideologypcFeel free to share, subscribe, rate, and/or commentResources referenced:Warranted Christian Belief by Alvin PlantingaThe Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach by Michael R. Licona