Is America really a meritocracy after all? Do people who work hard and play by the rules get ahead? Or is the system just rigged against you from the start? That's what Keith, Patrick, and Dan are discussing in this week's episode of Truth Over Tribe. The three get into an interesting debate about how much of a person's success should be attributed to hard work vs. good luck. They provide a definition of meritocracy, discuss its pros and cons, compare it to aristocracy, and given all of that, they ask again: Is America actually set up this way? Listen now!

This week on Truth Over Tribe, Derwin Gray joins the show to answer the question: Do politics and social justice issues belong in sports? Derwin is a former NFL player, current author, and lead pastor of Transformation Church, a multiethnic, multigenerational, mission-shaped community in North Carolina. Today, he shares how and why social justice issues can be part of an athlete's platform. We also learn about Derwin's childhood and how that has shaped him today. Plus, Derwin shares how he found his faith in God from a fellow football player. Listen now!

In this episode, Denver Nuggets forward, Michael Porter Jr., joins our host, Keith Simon, to discuss what it's like to be a Christian NBA player and the importance of keeping your character, faith, and values strong in secular environments. Hear MPJ share what it was like going from a sheltered homeschool upbringing to playing college basketball to joining the NBA. You'll also hear MPJ explain what it means to lose your religion and find your faith and how much he attributes his athletic accomplishments to hard work vs. good luck. Listen now!

In this episode of Truth Over Tribe, Keith talks with Phil Vischer, creator of Veggie Tales. Phil is now one of the hosts of Holy Post, a podcast about politics and culture relating to the Christian Church. He challenges Christians to give their loyalty to Jesus, not politicians. Today, these two discuss Phil's motivation behind the creation of Veggie Tales and they also dive into Phil's views today on Christianity and politics. Phil shares how growing up with a high-functioning Christian ministry family has shaped his current beliefs. They also cover evangelicalism and what it was like to be an evangelical in the Trump era. Tune in now!

On this episode of Truth Over Tribe, Keith is joined by guest Rod Dreher to discuss his new book, Live Not by Lies. Rod is an American writer and senior editor at The American Conservative. Today, Rod explains the meaning behind the title of his book and shares stories of those that lived under tyranny in the Soviet Union. He discusses "soft" and "hard" totalitarianism and describes what we are facing today: Are we headed for "A Brave New World" in America? Listen now!

This week on Truth Over Tribe, we are discussing how to form new habits. Habits, good and bad, rule our lives and shape the kind of person we become. Today, we dissect what a habit is and how they form, leading to a better understanding of developing positive habits. We learn that it helps to redirect your habits through cue and reward, plus we share some reward systems that can help to create new habits. There are many processes to forming habits, and today we hope to help with the small choices that build impactful, long-term ones. Listen now!

On this week's episode of Truth Over Tribe, Patrick talks with Beth Allison Barr. Dr. Barr is associate professor of history and associate dean of the Graduate School at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. She specializes in medieval history, women's history, and church history. Today, the two discuss the role of women in the church, including a friendly debate where Dr. Barr shares her history expertise that supports her view. As a whole, this conversation promotes the types of discussions we hope to have inside and outside of this podcast: an open dialogue with a shared belief about Jesus's authority. Tune in now!

On today's special episode of Truth Over Tribe, we bring to you a no-spoiler review of Spider-Man: No Way Home. We are asking the question, "What does Spider-Man tell us about our world?" Patrick shares what Spider-Man is all about and why Spider-Man is relatable; we are all Spider-Man. If you want the full experience, you can watch this review on our YouTube channel. Make sure to subscribe while you're there!

Do we have to choose between biblical truth and social justice? Today on Truth Over Tribe, Thaddeus Williams joins the show to share why you can choose both. Thaddeus is an Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and author of the book, Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth. In this episode, he challenges both truth warriors who ignore past and present injustices, as well as justice warriors who have left behind the truth for relativism. He expands on how it's possible for Christians to choose both truth and justice, leaving us with insight into how to promote unity. Tune in now!

In this episode of Truth Over Tribe, Patrick sits down with Jon Tyson to discuss his book, Beautiful Resistance, and the culture of compromise that has infiltrated today's Western church. Jon is not only an author but a Pastor and church planter. Born in Australia, he eventually moved to New York City to rebuild the broken church in the West. Today, he talks about having a theologically informed vision of how to live and getting that most clearly from Jesus. You'll also hear Jon and Patrick discuss religion in the West, how the gospel is compromised, and if there is a renewal happening in Christianity today. Listen now!

This week is the finale of our three-part series on the religious right! If you missed it, go back to parts one and two, where we cover the history of Christianity in politics and how evangelicalism has become a political term (at least in some cases). In this episode, we break down three issues that led to the splitting of evangelicalism: Race, women's rights, and sex. Listen now to learn more!

This week's episode is with Greg Locke, Founding and Lead Pastor of Global Vision Bible Church in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Greg refers to himself as a "jerk for Jesus." But does Jesus want jerk in his name? Hopefully, this episode presents an example of healthy, charitable disagreement as our host, Patrick Miller, debates Greg on a variety of issues in our modern world. Greg shares his background and how he became a pastor. Patrick and Greg then discuss Christian Nationalism and whether or not this phrase applies to Greg. Later in this episode, these two dive into the effects of COVID-19, shutting down in-person worship services, and their differing views on the COVID-19 vaccine. Tune in now!

In this week's episode, Patrick speaks with Dr. David Gushee about his life as a post-Evangelical. Dr. Gushee is a professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University and author of many books, including "After Evangelicalism: The New Path To A New Christianity." Dr. Gushee shares what he's learned in his experience in academia, the politics that come along with that, and his involvement with the Obama campaign. He and Patrick discuss the entitlement to cultural power and the transition to a political strategy from an evangelical one. Dr. Gushee also gives us a better understanding of Progressive Evangelicalism and historical realism, ending on the topic of the LGBTQ community and views on polygamy. Listen now!

Let's be honest: We're probably ALL morons when it comes to the metaverse! So, in this episode of Truth Over Tribe, we're doing our best to break it down for you. Keith and Patrick dive into what the metaverse is... well, Patrick teaches us and Keith asks the questions most of us are wondering. Today these two explore the origins of the metaverse, how technology has affected the church, what happens to our character when we focus more on our online persona than who we are in person, and most importantly, how you must prepare for this monumental technological change. Listen now for a deep dive into this digital world!

This week is the second of a three-part series about the religious right. In the first part of this series, we focused on 1945-1960, when America began to think of itself as a Christian nation. In today's episode, we focus on the '60s, '70s, and '80s, when the religious right forms and the Moral Majority begins. We discuss the role that Billy Graham played in politics, second-wave feminism, the Civil Rights Movement, and other impactful events from this period that caused the religious right to not only form, but begin to collapse.

This week on Truth Over Tribe, host Keith Simon and guest John Fea discuss whether or not America was founded as a Christian nation. John is a professor of American History at Messiah College and author of multiple books, including "The Way of Improvement Leads Home: Philip Vickers Fithian and the Rural Enlightenment in America." Diving further into American history, Keith and John discuss Christian nationalism and dissect the phrase "Make America Great Again." Was there a time when America was better than it is today? Lastly, we take a look at how the meaning of evangelicalism has evolved over the years. Listen now!

BONUS episode! This episode is about the top-rated Netflix show Squid Game. In the first part of this show, Patrick answers, "Is Squid Game too violent?" Spoilers follow this question in the next half, where Patrick takes us through 6 takeaways from the series and how Squid Game takes down reality you won't want to miss. Listen now!

This week's episode is the first of a three-part series about the rise of the religious right. Today, we focus on Evangelicalism as we go through history to discuss what it means to be evangelical and why it can be both theological and political. We then dive right into what led evangelical Christians to become political and the effect of the Supreme Court ruling that stated it's unconstitutional to have state-led prayers in public schools. Listen now!

This week on Truth Over Tribe, Patrick sits down with Os Guinness to discuss what the Bible has to say about politics. Os is an author and social critic who has written or edited more than 30 books. This episode includes insights into various revolutions, and Os teaches us about revolutionary liberationism, a cultural Marxist idea. Os and Patrick also discuss hierarchical structures and if the Bible is a source for political and social thinking. Power becomes a theme and how the Bible's critique of power differs from the postmodern critique of power. Listen now for a fresh perspective of American Christianity.

If you commercialize social activism or service, does that cheapen social justice? Should CEOs of a company use their company's platform to enforce their ethical agenda? In today's episode, Keith and Patrick take a look at these questions and many more. They discuss the moral limitations to what capitalism should be involved in. They start with LLCs and the dark side that can live in an LLC. Then you'll hear a deep dive into shareholder and stakeholder capitalism and the problems that can come with each: dangerous hypocrisy, covering up wrongdoings, a lack of social trust, and more. Listen now for a complete discussion on the rise of woke capitalism.

In this week's episode, Justin Giboney joins the show to discuss why Christians should be involved in politics. Justin is the Co-Founder of the AND Campaign, whose mission is to educate and organize Christians for civic and cultural engagement. Should the church be involved in politics? You'll get to listen to Justin and Keith discuss just that, plus you'll learn about the aspects of politics that are tearing our country apart. Tune in now!

Is Jesus political? Is he on the left or the right? In this week's episode, we dive deep into whether or not Jesus even cares about politics. You'll hear us define what a politic is, and then we look into the idea of Heaven and how that might help us decide on Jesus's politics. Later in the episode, we discuss temptations and how addiction to power plays a role in religion and politics. Tune in now!

This week, Patrick sits down with John Mark Comer to talk about Christianity in today's world. John Mark, author and pastor, shares his story of how he started following Jesus. Then you'll hear John Mark and Patrick dive right into topics such as the meaning of evangelicalism, especially in current times, and the problem with celebrity culture and Christianity. They also give insights into the cultural shifts challenging faithfulness to Jesus and how we can move forward. Tune in now!

America is more divided now than at any other time in history (except the civil war, of course). The church is no different. The fissures aren't healing. They're expanding. Why? Is there any hope to heal? Keith Simon and Patrick Miller explore the roots of tribalism with executive producer Daniel Moore and look at Jesus' answer to the problem.