About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of perceived persecution faced by American Christians, sparked by NBA player Jaden Ivey's comments on Pride Month.

NBA player Jaden Ivey recently lost his job, seemingly for derogatory comments made about the NBA participating in what he called the "unrighteousness" of Pride Month. Is this a type of persecution? If not, what is? Do American Christians deal with persecution? We discuss... CHAPTERS:00:00 - Intro and recapping the Ivey story08:25 - Do American Christians face persecution?13:28 - Should we avoid backlash for the Gospel, or pursue it head on?25:57 - Are nations better off with rulers who are favorable to the Gospel?33:29 - How and when is persecution a blessing?41:37 - Application for the everyday Christian53:28 - The importance of Christian unity in the face of a hostile world With Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, and Joe Wilkie Join us for the exclusive weekly Deep End episode at focuspress.org/plus Check out our sponsor at cobbpublishing.comVisit us at focuspress.org and jackwilkie.co

People in this episode

Hosts: Will Harrub, Jack Wilkie, Joe Wilkie

Topics covered

• persecution
• American Christians
• Gospel
• Christian unity
• Pride Month
• backlash
• blessings of persecution

Keywords

• persecution
• Jaden Ivey
• Pride Month
• American Christians
• Gospel
• Christian unity
• backlash
• blessings

Sponsors

Cobb Publishing

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NBA, focuspress.org, jackwilkie.co

More episodes of Think Deeper

• What Does "Christ-Like Mean?" Examining Christian Clichés · April 27, 2026 · 1h 4m
• Is Porn Addiction Grounds for Divorce? · April 20, 2026 · 1h 5m
• Do the Churches of Christ Have "Popes?" · April 6, 2026 · 1h 7m
• Does A Future Spouse’s Past Matter? · March 30, 2026 · 1h 5m
• Think Fast: Another Dugger Downfall · March 28, 2026 · 10 min
• Wilkie/Nortier Baptism Debate Recap! · March 25, 2026 · 1h 15m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Think Deeper podcast page.