Racist Memes, Vance at the Olympics, Epstein Files, and the Vanishing Church

On Thursday, President Trump posted a meme to his Truth Social account that depicted former president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle as apes. On Friday, JD Vance was booed at the opening ceremonies for the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. And the Department of Justice released millions of documents from the Jeffrey Epstein files, leading to revelations about those with connections to Epstein. Mike Cosper and Clarissa Moll discuss these headlines, and then Mike talks with political scientist and statistician Ryan Burge about what the data say about revival in the US, the shifts in young men’s participation at church, and how political polarization has changed the makeup of churches. REFERENCED IN THE SHOW: The Vanishing Church: How the Hollowing Out of Moderate Congregations Is Hurting Democracy, Faith, and Us - Ryan Burge Graphs about Religion - Ryan Burge’s Substack GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: Join the conversation at our Substack. Find us on YouTube. Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. ABOUT THE GUESTS: Ryan Burge is professor of practice at the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis. He has written for the New York Times, POLITICO, and The Wall Street Journal. He has authored over thirty peer-reviewed articles and book chapters alongside six books about religion and politics in the United States. His most recent book is The Vanishing Church. ABOUT THE BULLETIN: The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor-at-large and columnist) and Mike Cosper (senior contributor). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. “The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today Producer: Clarissa Moll Associate Producer: Alexa Burke Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs Music: Dan Phelps Executive Producer: Erik Petrik Senior Producer: Matt Stevens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices