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What the World Cup, the Knicks, Politics, and Chris Farley Have in Common...

After talking about the dangers of patriotism in our last episode, Slim confesses the conflicting feelings found in the joy he found in a world cup victory. That emotional swing matters, because it helps us name the real issue. The problem is not affection but... elevation. An idol is when a good thing becomes an ultimate thing.... and when national pride starts acting like nation worship.

From there, we move into the messier world of politics, social media, and war. I read a couple of “terrible tweets” that are funny for all the wrong reasons, then sit with the uncomfortable question: do I actually want peace, or do I just want my opponents to lose? If you’re a Christian who cares about life and justice, you cannot cheer de-escalation only when it benefits your team. We talk about praying for leaders, praying against violent ambitions, and why saving lives has to outrank scoring points.

Then we widen the lens to sports, comedy, and the human heart. The Knicks’ improbable run becomes a parable of hope, and Chris Farley’s story becomes a warning about the limits of applause. We end with a better kind of laughter, the kind Scripture ties to redemption and surprise, when God does what felt impossible. Hope this epsiode can bring you some of that good laughter.

Terrible Tweets:

$120 GAS TANK

Greenland is now asking Trump to Invade...

Resources mentioned:

Slim's Prayer against Trump's ambitions back in April

All The Human Heart Wants is It's Chance - Paul Putz

What Laughter Reveals - Genesis 18&21 Sermon

Matt Foley (Chris Farley) - SNL

I AM CHRIS FARLEY - Amazon Prime

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!

With America heading into a 250th anniversary, we sit with an uncomfortable question Christians tend to dodge until it’s unavoidable: is patriotism a sin? With Malcolm on sabbatical, Slim goes solo and names why this topic feels so spiritually charged right now.

We start with the emotional pull of national pride, the summer nostalgia, the stories we tell ourselves about home and belonging. Then we turn and face the hard collisions: what do we do with a country we love when its history and violence? From there, we unpack why patriotism is uniquely tempting for Christians, because it borrows the language of religion: sacred symbols, rituals, songs, and pledges that can quietly train our hearts toward ultimate loyalty.

Next, we dig into a biblical view of patriotism and nationalism through the New Testament lens: citizenship in heaven, life as exiles, Jesus’ refusal to advance his kingdom through coercion, and the enemy love ethic of the Sermon on the Mount. We also take Romans 13 seriously, offering a more nuanced reading alongside insights from John Howard Yoder and themes echoed in Greg Boyd’s The Myth of a Christian Nation. Finally, we trace the historic shift after Constantine and ask the question that won’t go away: did the church convert the empire, or did the empire convert the church?

Before all that we look at 2 different denominational conversations happening right now. 1 in the SBC banning women Pastors and 1 in the PCUSA and Polyamory or Monogamy in the clergy.

The Artificial Line and a point where we agree with Trump.

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!

Pastors w/ guns. Screens robbing our attention. Families losing income, homes, and loved ones through detention and deportation. If any of that makes your stomach drop, you’re not alone. We need Sanctuary as christians! We need Shalom. We need Jesus.

Today we sit down with Dianne Garcia, a Mennonite pastor in San Antonio who founded Iglesia Cristiana Roca De Refugio. Diane also leads a nonprofit Nuevos Vecinos serving hundreds of immigrant families. She walks us through what “mass deportation” actually looks like: work authorization stripped, exploitation at work, higher filing fees, loss of benefits, and relentless financial stress, and most devastating... family separation, with parents detained, deported, and children left behind trying to survive a system designed to create suffering.

Along the way, we wrestle with Christian nationalism, gun culture, just war theory, modern drone warfare, and explore one article's plea to reduce the screens in church.

Dianne's 90 Day March

Mejores Juntos

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.