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How ought the Christian feel about presidential pardons given our personal dependence on pardons? On today's episode, we dug into the messy intersection of presidential pardons, public trust, and Christian theology to ask a hard question: when a leader can erase consequences with a signature, who bears the cost of the harm?

We start with a rapid-fire tour through a heavy news cycle filled with violence, a personal reset, and broach the topic of gerrymandering as another “false scale” that skews representation, eroding legitimacy and fueling resentment.

Then we shift from civics to Scripture. God’s pardon isn’t favoritism; it’s costly love. The cross tells us forgiveness absorbs harm rather than denying it, and real grace aims at transformation: repentance, repair, and a life remade in Christ. That vision challenges cheap mercy in politics while resisting vindictiveness.

Vote 4 Malcolm! - Readers' Best Awards - Favorite Books of 2025

A non-violent exemplar

Rob Reiner on Charlie Kirk in contrast to how he was mourned

Rand Paul on Gerrymandering

Ezra Klein Episode mentioned

If this conversation helps you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review. Your support helps more people find thoughtful, grounded faith in a loud, fearful world.

For more information, you can follow us at
https://www.theologyinpieces.com/
Theology in Pieces on Instagram - @theologyinpieces

Email us by emailing hello@theologyinpieces.com

Malcolm Foley - on twitter @MalcolmBFoley
Slim Thompson on twitter @wacoslim

For more information on the church,
check us out at www.mosaicwaco.org or on instagram.

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On this episode of Theology in Pieces, Slim and Malcolm are back with a full plate—and not just because Thanksgiving is still lingering in our arteries. We kick things off with National Signing Day and why college football used to be great but is actually terrible. Then we wade into the typical swamp of terrible tweets, biblical misquotes, and the unsettling ease with which Christians can justify killing people unlawfully… all before asking, Why can’t we actually be friends?

That question brings us to our guest, Rev. Dr. Erin Moniz, whose new book Knowing and Being Known invites us to rethink intimacy. She recounts the quote, “I can live without sex, but I cannot live without intimacy.” Why intimacy is the enemy of Shame, and helps us explore why we’re so bad at friendship and genuine connection. We lament the loss of good friendship stories in the culture and Erin acts as a friendship coach for Malcolm and Slim.

If you’ve ever wondered why Christian “community” doesn’t always feel communal—this conversation is for you.

Listen in, laugh a bit, wince a bit, and maybe learn how to be a better friend.

Learn more about Erin here: https://www.erinfmoniz.com/

https://x.com/erinfmoniz

https://www.instagram.com/erinfmoniz/

https://www.threads.com/@erinfmoniz

If this conversation helps you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review. Your support helps more people find thoughtful, grounded faith in a loud, fearful world.

For more information, you can follow us at
https://www.theologyinpieces.com/
Theology in Pieces on Instagram - @theologyinpieces

Email us by emailing hello@theologyinpieces.com

Malcolm Foley - on twitter @MalcolmBFoley
Slim Thompson on twitter @wacoslim

For more information on the church,
check us out at www.mosaicwaco.org or on instagram.

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Today we sit down with Rev. Dr. Emily McGowin to ask why so many of us feel trapped between “family first” slogans and the weight of church, work, and politics pressing on our homes. Emily’s vision is both bracing and kind: stop chasing a biblical blueprint that doesn’t exist, and start practicing love in households that actually look like ours—single, married, multigenerational, adoptive, blended, roommates, and everyone in between.

We dig into how Jesus relativizes cultural gender norms and invites women as disciples, how early Christian communities disrupted hierarchy, and why mutuality—rather than rigid roles—better reflects the kingdom.

We'll discuss the loss of SNAP benefits and that misuse of Scripture while ignoring real families who are working, caregiving, or simply hungry.

Households of Faith: Practicing Family in the Kingdom of God

You don't eat, you don't work.

"Nobody gets to heaven without a letter of reference from the poor." - James Forbes

If this episode challenged or encouraged you, tap follow, share it with a friend who cares about church and home, and leave a quick review so more listeners can find it. Got a question or pushback? Email hello@theologypieces.com and join the conversation.

If this conversation helps you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review. Your support helps more people find thoughtful, grounded faith in a loud, fearful world.

For more information, you can follow us at
https://www.theologyinpieces.com/
Theology in Pieces on Instagram - @theologyinpieces

Email us by emailing hello@theologyinpieces.com

Malcolm Foley - on twitter @MalcolmBFoley
Slim Thompson on twitter @wacoslim

For more information on the church,
check us out at www.mosaicwaco.org or on instagram.

Send us a Question!

What if the most radical thing you could do this week isn’t another hot take, but a habit that holds? We open with the “No Kings” rallies and ask a tough question: are we organizing for change or outsourcing our hope to cathartic moments? Drawing on Martin Luther King Jr.’s four steps of nonviolent direct action, 1) collection of the facts to determine whether injustices are alive; 2) negotiation; 3) self-purification; and 4) direct action.

King Went on to say, "Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue." Did the #NoKings protests miss this opportunity?

From there we pivot to reclaiming Scripture by reading it to meet Jesus. We challenge the empty badge of “Bible-believing” when it turns the text into an idol or a weapon. Jesus says the Scriptures testify about him; life is found in Christ, not in mastering pages. So we offer a clear, practical path to rediscover beauty.

We also push back on “revival by metrics.” Bible sales, app downloads, and playlist counts aren’t the fruit the Spirit promises. Renewal smells like repentance, reconciliation, generosity, and enemy love. If you’re exhausted by outrage and spectacle, consider a counter-liturgy: prayer, fasting, silence, and small acts of obedience. Those practices don’t weaken you; they open space for God’s strength. Over time, beauty forms us—reordering our fears, reshaping our loves, and making us the kind of people who can bear goodness in a fractured world.

Terrible Tweet brought to you by "Saving God/Saving Christianity"

If this episode helps you breathe a little deeper and walk a little steadier, share it with a friend and leave a review. Subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next, and tell us: what passage are you wrestling with—and how is Jesus meeting you there?

If this conversation helps you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review. Your support helps more people find thoughtful, grounded faith in a loud, fearful world.

For more information, you can follow us at
https://www.theologyinpieces.com/
Theology in Pieces on Instagram - @theologyinpieces

Email us by emailing hello@theologyinpieces.com

Malcolm Foley - on twitter @MalcolmBFoley
Slim Thompson on twitter @wacoslim

For more information on the church,
check us out at www.mosaicwaco.org or on instagram.

Send us a Question!

What if loving your Christian nationalist neighbor is the most political thing you’ll do this year?

Can a stadium memorial where “forgive your enemies” and “hate your enemies” share the same stage?"

Today we invited pastor and author Caleb Campbell (Disarming Leviathan) to help us name the powers discipling our age—and offer a way back to love with a spine.

We trace Caleb’s decade pastoring in Phoenix as culture-war catechisms flood the church, Turning Point rallies fill calendars, and neighbors learn to see each other as threats. Caleb names Leviathan—the biblical image of predatory, chaos power that dresses itself in righteousness—and shows how anxiety, not policy alone, is the engine of Christian nationalism.

We also talk about grief and honesty around public tragedy, why militarizing the Lord’s Prayer profanes God’s name, and how to practice discernment without getting trapped in bad‑faith quarrels.

If this conversation helps you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review. Your support helps more people find thoughtful, grounded faith in a loud, fearful world.

For more information, you can follow us at
https://www.theologyinpieces.com/
Theology in Pieces on Instagram - @theologyinpieces

Email us by emailing hello@theologyinpieces.com

Malcolm Foley - on twitter @MalcolmBFoley
Slim Thompson on twitter @wacoslim

For more information on the church,
check us out at www.mosaicwaco.org or on instagram.

Send us a Question!

Dr. Mika Edmondson, pastor of Koinonia Church in Nashville, joins us for a profound conversation about redemptive suffering and denominational identity. What can Job, MLK, and the african spirituals teach us about redemption and hope amidst incredibly dark times?

"It's not the suffering in and of itself that is redemptive, it is actually our engagement with it," Mika explains. Instead of fight-or-flight as a response to evil—there's a 3rd way, a way exemplified by Jesus himself.

Then, the 3 debated the benefits and costs of denominations. There has been no declared winner, so we need you dear listener to write in and make your case or let us know who won! (hello@theologyinpieces.com)

Also go read James Cone's The Cross and the Lynching Tree.

If this conversation helps you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review. Your support helps more people find thoughtful, grounded faith in a loud, fearful world.

For more information, you can follow us at
https://www.theologyinpieces.com/
Theology in Pieces on Instagram - @theologyinpieces

Email us by emailing hello@theologyinpieces.com

Malcolm Foley - on twitter @MalcolmBFoley
Slim Thompson on twitter @wacoslim

For more information on the church,
check us out at www.mosaicwaco.org or on instagram.

Send us a Question!

What if becoming like Christ means something far more profound than we've imagined? In this week's episode Malcolm and Slim dive into one of Christianity's most transformative yet often overlooked doctrines.

The ancient Christian understanding of salvation extends beyond forgiveness to actual participation in divine life. "What Christ is by nature, we become by grace."

Before that, you'll want to hear about the CIA's Operation Acoustic Kitty & why Christians are done turning the other cheek as a Texas Congressional Candidate burns the Quran inviting christians to support her political aims.

Want to go deeper on this topic and learn more about these crazy Eastern Church Fathers? Check out:

The Doctrine of Deification - Norman Russell

Theosis. The True Purpose of Human Life - Archimandrite George

The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church - Vladimir Lossky

Union With Christ: Reframing Theology and Ministry for the Church - J. Todd Billings

If this conversation helps you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review. Your support helps more people find thoughtful, grounded faith in a loud, fearful world.

For more information, you can follow us at
https://www.theologyinpieces.com/
Theology in Pieces on Instagram - @theologyinpieces

Email us by emailing hello@theologyinpieces.com

Malcolm Foley - on twitter @MalcolmBFoley
Slim Thompson on twitter @wacoslim

For more information on the church,
check us out at www.mosaicwaco.org or on instagram.

Send us a Question!

Where does God stand when empires claim His name? This urgent question anchors our conversation about Christian responsibility in the face of violence happening in Gaza.

We dive deep into the theological underpinnings often used to justify unwavering support for the modern state of Israel. Genesis 12:3 – "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you" – has become a rallying cry for Christians supporting Israel's military actions. But does this represent faithful biblical interpretation or dangerous theological sleight-of-hand?

Malcolm and Slim challenge the collapse between biblical Israel and the modern nation-state, exposing how colonial logic portrays "the colonizer as victim and the colonized as aggressor." We examine President Biden's revealing statement that "if there were not an Israel, we'd have to invent one" to protect American interests in the region – demonstrating how geopolitical aims often drive theological positions.

The conversation takes us to Palestinian pastor Munther Isaac's powerful book "Christ in the Rubble," which asks where Jesus would be amid Gaza's destruction. The answer? Under the rubble with the suffering, not blessing the bombs that create it. This prophetic voice calls Western Christians to recognize their complicity through silence or uncritical support of violence.

While condemning all violence, including Hamas' October 7th attack, we question whether killing over 40,000 Palestinians represents a just response or betrays the teachings of Jesus, who commands us to love our enemies.

If these questions challenge you, join us in seeking answers through Palestinian Christian voices and the nonviolent resistance training offered by the King Center. How will you answer when future generations ask where you stood in this moment of moral crisis?

We also answer the Question, "Will those whose names were not written in the book of life ever have an opportunity to be redeemed, and escape the lake of fire?" And recommend you try The 4 Views of Hell Book to explore this further.

If this conversation helps you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review. Your support helps more people find thoughtful, grounded faith in a loud, fearful world.

For more information, you can follow us at
https://www.theologyinpieces.com/
Theology in Pieces on Instagram - @theologyinpieces

Email us by emailing hello@theologyinpieces.com

Malcolm Foley - on twitter @MalcolmBFoley
Slim Thompson on twitter @wacoslim

For more information on the church,
check us out at www.mosaicwaco.org or on instagram.