725: The Cage Match for America's Story plus Nijay Gupta

From The Holy Post by Phil Vischer

June 17, 2026 · 1h 29m

About this episode

Phil Vischer discusses America's cultural values and history while interviewing Nijay Gupta about his book on the Apostle Paul.

Last year, the President celebrated his birthday with a military parade. This year, he hosted a UFC cage match on the South Lawn of the White House. It's easy to compare it to the gladiator games honoring the Roman emperor, but Phil asks whether it's a sign that America would rather emulate pre-Christian Roman values than biblical ones. Americans can no longer agree on how to teach American history, so we're not teaching it much at all. Is it possible to recover a shared national story? Nijay Gupta is back to discuss his latest book, "Paul for the World," and why the Apostle would not recognize a modern Christianity that's focused on heaven rather than earth. Also this week—the science behind dad jokes. Holy Post Plus: Ad-Free Version of this Episode: https://holypost.substack.com/p/725-the-cage-match-for-americas-story Bonus Interview: https://holypost.substack.com/p/should-the-church-preserve-ethnic 0:00 - Show Starts 3:12 - Theme Song 3:35 - Sponsor - PolicyGenius - Secure your family's tomorrow so you have peace of mind today. Go to https://www.policygenius.com/HOLYPOST to find the right life insurance for you 4:38 - Sponsor - Rocket Money - Find and cancel your old…

People in this episode

Host: Phil Vischer

Guest: Nijay Gupta

Topics covered

American history
Christianity
cultural values
military parades
dad jokes
national story

Keywords

UFC cage match
American story
Christianity
dad jokes
Nijay Gupta
Paul for the World

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Paul for the World