578: How America Got Mean & Why We Misread the Bible with John Walton

In a new article in The Atlantic, David Brooks asks how America became so mean. He says moral formation used to be a key part of social, religious, and educational structures in the country, but after World War II communal virtues were abandoned for an individualistic and therapeutic model. Simply put, we stopped teaching people how to be good. But what’s missing from Brooks’ solution? A popular preacher says he won’t watch The Chosen because it violates the Second Commandment prohibiting any images of God. Is he right? Then, Dr. John Walton is back to discuss his new book, “Wisdom for Faithful Reading.” He explains why relying on the Holy Spirit isn’t enough when engaging the Bible, and why he believes the American church isn’t facing a crisis of biblical illiteracy but a crisis of biblical interpretation. Also this week—snakes are falling from the sky in Texas. Patreon Bonus:  Holy Post Office -  Getting Schooled - Inerrancy 101 https://www.patreon.com/posts/87746315/ 0:00 - Intro   2:11 - Show Starts   4:32 - Theme Song   4:56 - Sponsor - Caldera Labs Get 20% OFF with our code HOLYPOST at www.calderalab.com   6:35 - Animal News   18:07 - The Chosen and the 2nd commandment   30:29 - How America Got Mean   53:55 - Sponsor - Faithful Counseling Get 10% off your first month at www.faithfulcounseling.com/HOLYPOST   55:04  - Sponsor - Sunday’s Dog Food Get 35% off your first order of Sundays. Go to www.SundaysForDogs.com/HOLYPOST or use code HOLYPOST at checkout   56:18 - Interview Intro John Walton   59:10 - Faithfully reading Scripture   1:05:39 - Hermeneutical literacy    1:14:43 - Difference between referencing and affirming   1:31:08 - End Credits Links mentioned in news segment:   A Woman Was Attacked by a Snake That Fell From the Sky. Then a Hawk Dived In https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/09/us/texas-woman-snake-hawk-sky.html   Author, preacher Voddie Baucham says he won't watch 'The Chosen,' cites Second Commandment https://www.christianpost.com/news/voddie-baucham-says-he-wont-watch-the-chosen.html   HOW AMERICA GOT MEAN https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/09/us-culture-moral-education-formation/674765/ Other resources:   Our latest explainer video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9sBIcrblS4   Wisdom for Faithful Reading: Principles and Practices for Old Testament Interpretation by John Walton  https://amzn.to/3YIl40X   Holy Post website: https://www.holypost.com/   Holy Post Plus: www.holypost.com/plus   Holy Post Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/holypost   Holy Post Merch Store: https://www.holypost.com/shop The Holy Post is supported by our listeners. We may earn affiliate commissions through links listed here. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.