Rick Pidcock

'And lead us into laughter ... ’ – Baptist News Global For those of us who deconstruct our conservative upbringing, comedians can play an important role in helping us name and feel our way.

“If God does exist, he does not exist to make you feel better than other people. He exists to make you better FOR other people.”
—Taylor Tomlinson in "Prodigal Daughter"
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For tonight's episode of "Highest Power: Church + State," I discuss Trump's State of the Union address as well as him belittling the women's Olympic hockey team.

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'And lead us into laughter ... ' – Baptist News Global For those of us who deconstruct our conservative upbringing, comedians can play an important role in helping us name and feel our way.

For my new piece today, I discuss Taylor Tomlinson's new Netflix special "Prodigal Daughter," and share how comedians have accompanied my deconstruction journey.
baptistnews.com/article/and-...

Also, they're willing to take into account the harmful fruit of being non-affirming of women in ministry or of LGBTQ people. But they aren't willing to consider the harmful fruit of mononormativity, by which I'm referring to a posture toward reality, not to a strawman excuse to have sex.

I interact with a lot of LGBTQ affirming Christians. It's notable how similar their reasons for opposition to polyamory are to the reasons conservatives give for opposition to same sex marriage. They get visibly uncomfortable when I ask about it and show the same lack of awareness conservatives do.

Who is leading the government sponsored worship services at the Pentagon, how is it affecting access to power for members of the military and defense contractors, and what messages have they been promoting? Check out my interview with @briankaylor.bsky.social!
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On Feb. 17, Christian nationalist pastor Doug Wilson led prayer at the Pentagon.

Award-winning writer and minister Brian Kaylor joins the pod to discuss the implications of Wilson's presence and the current state of Christian nationalism. Listen now. bit.ly/4avCrK0
#dougwilson #petehegseth #podcast

Ep103: Doug Wilson Preaches at the Pentagon, with Brian Kaylor Podcast Episode · Highest Power: Church + State · February 23 · 26m

To resist the Christian nationalist takeover of our country, we need pastors to help evangelicals recognize how normal evangelical theology gets co-opted to harm our neighbors. So today, I interview Brian Kaylor about Doug Wilson's sermon at the Pentagon.
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If you created a 3D model of the relational dynamics within complementarian conservative evangelical Calvinist theology, it would look like the tower of Babel.

If Trump is correct that this gives him even more power and makes things better for the U.S., then why is he so angry?

Trump just said, "I wanted to be a good boy."

… Because Piper interprets reality as a hierarchy of authority and submission, he confuses lament with criticism. One does not wrestle with Piper’s God. One simply bends the knee or gets sent to the eternal dungeon.” 2/2

Forget empathy, the new war is on lament – Baptist News Global But while the TheoBros have set their sights on empathy, Piper has been silently stewing about another deep concern — the sin of lament.

“In Piper’s mind, to tell God, ‘This is wrong’ is to tell God, ‘You are wrong.’ And anyone who refuses to name God as the one causing their assault is in danger of hellfire. 1/2

Ep102: How Jesse Jackson's Legacy Inspires Young Black Civil Rights Leaders Today, with Braxton Wade Podcast Episode · Highest Power: Church + State · February 19 · 24m

On tonight's episode of "Highest Power: Church + State," I interview Braxton Wade about how Jesse Jackson's legacy inspires young Black civil rights leaders today. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

Forget empathy, the new war is on lament – Baptist News Global But while the TheoBros have set their sights on empathy, Piper has been silently stewing about another deep concern — the sin of lament.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, because I’m concerned about this whole frequency by which we talk about lament as though we know what we’re talking about. ... There is a way to define lament so that it is a sin.”
—John Piper

Forget empathy, the new war is on lament – Baptist News Global But while the TheoBros have set their sights on empathy, Piper has been silently stewing about another deep concern — the sin of lament.

Many of us have heard conservatives warn about the "sin of empathy" over the past few years. Now John Piper is warning about the sinful dangers of lament. Here's my latest.
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It's Presidents Day and Black History Month. So tonight, I contrast the worship of the emperor and the exile, the president and the slave, and share how the worship industry's racial and ethnic hierarchies are harming Black Christians.

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But to do that, Christians would have to be liberated from their sacralized hierarchies and have the faith to imagine what the disciples weren’t ready to hear. And when you even hint a such ideas, you’re called heretical or heterodox. 2/2

No matter how literally real Christian theology is, it becomes real in how it gets embodied in the world. And I think that’s what frustrates me about it. I recognize how much potential it could have for embodying the fruit of the Spirit. 1/2

And to me, that would be saying something about the nature and character of God that I can't in any conceivable way recognize or celebrate as good. 2/2

If empathy is a sin and if a wrath-satisfying penal substitutionary atonement is justice, then that means God the Father was so violently irate over empathy that he had to satisfy himself by crucifying Jesus over it. 1/2

Kid Rock and evangelicals' obsession with celebrity – Baptist News Global They’re also having to defend their own alternative halftime show from accusations of being overly sexualized.

"In a world where everyone cycles through being an expert, the week after the Super Bowl typically turns into everyone posing as professional semioticians, offering their artistic analysis of the Super Bowl halftime show and the game."
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Again & again, we've seen how evangelicals seem to crave the affirmation of celebrities to legitimize their theology. @rickpidcock.bsky.social asks why.

Why are evangelicals so insecure that they incessantly seek validation from celebrities? Does their theology produce the insecurity?

I don't know if I could think of a more relevant theologian for today's crisis in Christianity than Howard Thurman, who was MLK Jr.'s mentor. So for my 100th episode, I interviewed one of my seminary professors who wrote his dissertation on Thurman. Check it out!
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The Trump administration using stock market numbers to distract from sexual abuse is the same thing as the Southern Baptist Convention using conversion numbers to distract from sexual abuse.

Ep100: Howard Thurman's View of Jesus Could Heal Us from Today's Christian Nationalism, with Jacob Robinson Podcast Episode · Highest Power: Church + State · 02/12/2026 · 30m

For Black History Month, I wanted to share how Howard Thurman's views of Jesus could help us heal from Christian Nationalism in the U.S. today. So for today's episode, I interview one of my former seminary professors who wrote his dissertation on Howard Thurman.

Kid Rock and evangelicals' obsession with celebrity – Baptist News Global They’re also having to defend their own alternative halftime show from accusations of being overly sexualized.

For today's piece, I discuss how some influencers are claiming Kid Rock's performance was an artistic spiritual journey from topless dancers to Jesus, and why evangelicals are so obsessed with celebrities legitimizing their theology on the world stage.
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Bad Bunny vs. TPUSA – A Tale of Two Super Bowl Halftime Shows. Listen to the latest episode of @rickpidcock.bsky.social's HIGHEST POWER now.
apple.co/4koOSL3 #badbunny #superbowlLX #tpusa

YouTube video by Preacher Boys Kid Rock's Halftime Show Airing on TBN? | What Even is "Christian Media" Anymore?

I was the guest on the Preacher Boys podcast for their alternative to the alternative Super Bowl halftime show. Check it out! youtu.be/MjtxIrsuOvM?...

Josh Howerton redefines following Jesus as becoming empire – Baptist News Global Josh Howerton is an authoritarian theocrat who thinks his penis, pulpit and piety give him the right to rule the world.

From my piece: "The Jesus Howerton promotes assumes the rules of empire, plays the game of thrones as defined by the devil by posturing white evangelicals over their neighbors, and turns the church into a pyramid scheme run by men."
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