Praise music, punk protest, and why artists keep ringing alarms we ignore — a playlist episode about worship, politics, and speaking up.

We pulled up a chair, hit play, and let the music do the talking. This week on This Ain’t It, we talk worship music’s performative side, why polished praise can sometimes feel like emotional manipulation, and how artists — from punk bands to country rebels — call out the very systems faith communities often gloss over.

We walk through a playlist that runs from 1980s punk to the newest protest songs: why Fear’s Let’s Have a War still lands, why Bad Religion’s American Jesus bites at the heart of Christian-nationalist myths, and why modern singers are shouting “Speak” at a world that too often stays quiet. Along the way we talk about hymns and the megachurch productions that make us suspicious and argue for music as a kind of prophecy (or at least Matthew does).

It’s part music nerd-out, part theology class, and all kitchen-table honesty. Bless your heart—turn up the volume, this one has teeth.

SHOW NOTES:
Spotify playlist of the songs we talked about: https://spotify.link/NL5ookDwxXb

Body Piercing Saved My Life - the book Matthew mentioned

Hillsong Documentary

In this episode of This Ain’t It, we dig into Banned Books Week and what it reveals about our culture’s fears. From Texas schools using AI to remove classics like To Kill a Mockingbird and Frederick Douglass’s memoir, to ongoing fights over what belongs in classrooms, we explore how censorship shapes both students and society.

We also tackle the bigger questions: What’s the real purpose of education? Where’s the line between teaching and indoctrination? And how do we raise kids who can think critically in a world flooded with misinformation and propaganda?

Bless your heart, it’s complicated—but we’ve got thoughts.

Show Notes:

The BookRiot article we talked about: https://bookriot.com/leander-sb-13/

Gender Queer: https://bookshop.org/p/books/gender-queer-a-memoir-maia-kobabe/e0187f83093ae9b7?ean=9781549304002&next=t&next=t&affiliate=1688

Out of Darkness: https://bookshop.org/p/books/out-of-darkness-ashley-hope-p-rez/6871f9c349b12762?ean=9780823445035&next=t

Matthew's article on "Why Do You Fear Education?": https://interminablerambling.medium.com/why-do-you-fear-education-why-we-must-imagine-a-new-world-9de5a5990df0

In this episode of This Ain’t It, we wade straight into the deep end: Christian nationalism, or as Matthew is starting to call it—Christian fascism. We unpack Jason Stanley’s framework for fascism, talk about how words like “patriotism” and “nationalism” get twisted, and why those buzzwords are doing more damage than most church folks want to admit.

From Puritan predestination to prosperity gospel, from Jefferson’s cut-up Bible to modern-day attempts to rewrite history, we trace how faith and power keep getting tangled up. Along the way, we swap stories about flags in churches, misplaced pride, and why remembering the ugly parts of our past is the only way to make sure they don’t come back around.

Bless your heart, it’s not light listening—but it’s real, and we’ve got thoughts.

SHOW NOTES:

How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them --Jason Stanley
"Why I Started Using Christian Fascism Instead of Christian Nationalism"
"Christianity, Ross Barnett, and White Supremacy"
"The Dangers of Preaching the Persecution of Christians in the United States"
"The Dangers of Preaching the Persecution of Christians in the United States Continued"

In this episode of This Ain’t It, Melissa and Matt start with James 3 and dive into why words matter—from the power of the tongue in Scripture to the way political strategists, preachers, and influencers weaponize language today. We unpack how marketing teams craft messages to stir emotions, how coded dog whistles shape politics, and why biblical texts have been used to justify both justice and oppression.

Along the way, we share stories from church life, debate whether Jesus could be called a “socialist” or even a “terrorist” to the Roman Empire, and talk about the importance of discernment in a world where everything is branded and sold, including faith. We close with a challenge: step away from the comment sections, talk to real people, and find common ground across divides.

Bless your heart, you know we’ve got thoughts.

In this episode of This Ain’t It, Melissa and Matthew dig into the headlines you may have missed—or tried to ignore—over the last couple of weeks. From Trump’s bizarre “Help Me Get to Heaven” fundraising email to the tangled mess of Christian nationalism, we talk about why the fruits of the Spirit still matter and how political leaders keep weaponizing faith language.

We also dive into the Epstein files, the Speaker of the House’s spin, and why the silence around who’s implicated tells its own story. Then we shift gears to immigration—pulling from our own experience living abroad and working alongside undocumented folks—to unpack how rhetoric, policy, and prejudice collide in everyday life.

It’s messy, it’s frustrating, and it’s not going away anytime soon. Bless your heart, we’ve got thoughts.