Podcast Summary: CHECK THE NEWS WITH JONATHAN SHUTTLESWORTH

Podcast: Real America’s Voice
Host: Jonathan Shuttlesworth (with guest Pastor Russell Johnson)
Date: October 12, 2025

Overview & Main Theme

This episode of "Check the News" with Jonathan Shuttlesworth and Pastor Russell Johnson blends sharp-edged commentary, religious perspective, and biting humor on news, culture, church leadership, and American society. The conversation swings between current events, viral moments, developments in church culture, and a candid critique of mainstream and evangelical trends—always filtered through a boldly Christian, conservative, and often satirical lens.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Faith in Adversity & Growth through Struggle

• Opening Monologue on Faith:
  Jonathan delivers a sermon-like message on how adversity develops faith, confidence, and endurance—arguing challenges are divinely purposed to make believers "lions of God."
  • Notable Quote:

    "God has you fighting the fight you're fighting now because it's a fight designed to develop your confidence... God is transforming you into a lion of God." – Jonathan (08:20)

  • The theme emphasizes resilience, the necessity of spiritual struggle, and a call to focus on Jesus over circumstances.

2. Pop Culture, Viral Moments & Comic Relief

• Commentary on Odd News & Viral Videos:
  • Toilet Hockey toy found in a store sparks humor about odd consumer products and time spent on the toilet (13:50).
  • Reaction to Memphis rap legend Project Pat leading a mass repentance prayer. Both hosts express surprise and amusement at stories of unlikely celebrities turning to faith (16:00).
    • Quote:

      "It's so uncool to not be saved now... Just like you're still wearing stonewashed jeans." – Jonathan (18:00)

  • Fans at Yankee Stadium booing the Canadian national anthem is played for laughs, drawing on historical rivalries (19:30).
  • Mockery of the Haitian president chugging water from a pitcher during a speech (21:00).

3. Christian Leadership & The State of the Church

• Promo for "Breakthrough in Ministry":
  • Jonathan and Russell discuss launching a new ministerial fellowship, criticizing denominational decline and advocating for bold, Bible-believing networks.
    • Jonathan:

      "I see a major drought in leadership in the body of Christ... If you're a minister and you feel directionless... we are launching a new ministerial fellowship." (41:00)

    • Russell:

      "People have essentially found themselves abandoned by former networks... They're still running like an operating system from 1995 for a church that's in 2025." (42:40)

  • Critique of old denominational systems and a call for new, context-aware leadership.

4. Incidents Highlighting Societal Tensions

• Shooting at Youth Baseball Coach:
  • Discussing a Texas coach who was shot while leading pregame prayer. Hosts point out the initial "stray bullet" narrative was false and highlight a concerning trend against public expressions of faith (48:00).

5. Church Practices, Satire & Absurdities

• Baptism Mishaps:
  • Extended riffing on a viral baptism video where a man is submerged for an awkwardly long time, with jokes about waterboarding and masked baptisms during COVID-19 (51:00).
    • Quote:

      "If you ever did a baptism wearing a mask, you’re probably going to go to hell." – Jonathan (52:30)

  • Cutting critique of churches' PR sensitivity during the pandemic, including self-baptisms over Zoom.

6. "Third Wayism" and Political Cowardice in Evangelical Circles

• Deep Dive into Pastoral "Neutrality":
  • Jonathan and Russell lampoon pastors who try to remain apolitical or proclaim "it's not about Democrats or Republicans, it's about Jesus," seeing it as cowardly, intellectually lazy, and ultimately enabling the secular left.
    • Quote:

      "It’s just so gay. I hate how they’re like, ‘We found a higher way, not about Trump or Kamala, it’s just that Jesus is on the throne.’ That’s not a position." – Jonathan (1:14:00)

    • Quote:

      "It's like comparing an 85-year-old with stage 4 cancer and a sniffle, and an 18-year-old with the flu. They're both sick, but not to the same degree." – Jonathan (1:12:30)

  • Argue for boldness, clarity, and leadership on social/cultural issues within the church.

7. Critique of Church Diversity Goals

• J.D. Greer & Diversity Quotas:
  • Hosts play and roast a clip of J.D. Greer discussing goals for racial diversity in his church staff (25% by 2025). Shuttlesworth and Johnson blast the quota mind-set as cringe and ineffective, with a stream of comedic derision about "Black people repellent" shirts, diversity math, and soulless corporate religion (1:19:00).
    • Quote:

      "You would attract more Black people if you preached in a Klan outfit than that outfit. At least they'd respect your stand." – Jonathan (1:21:00)

    • Quote:

      "We want exactly one quarter of our church population to be kind of tan. Not too black." – Russell (1:22:00)

  • Criticize lack of genuine community and excessive focus on appearance/quotas.

8. Wokeism, Drug Crisis, and Social Policy

• On Woke Churches and Drug Trafficking:
  • Satirical condemnation of "woke Lesbarian churches" for being obsessed with social justice to the point of defending drug traffickers' lives over national security (1:39:00).
  • Skewer mainline churches dominated by white, progressive women:
    • Quote:

      "These are like the most dangerous imbeciles... they all look the same, talk the same, have the same gay talking points. It's all the same framework." – Russell (1:40:00)

9. Abortion Discourse & Social Protests

• Abortion Politics:
  • Jokes and sharp criticism of pro-abortion activists—particularly older women beyond childbearing—questioning their personal stake and motives (1:43:00).
    • Quote:

      "It’d be like me fighting for changes in Little league baseball. I’m not playing." – Jonathan (1:44:30)

10. Political Tension, Assassination Rumor, & Pastoral Response

• Satire on Pastoral Response to Politics:
  • An extended parody/critique about a pastor's reaction to the (fictional) assassination of Charlie Kirk, highlighting the trend of high-minded but bland sermons discouraging any real engagement or emotional response (1:47:00).
    • Russell mocks leaders who, in tragedy or tension, respond with spiritual platitudes but lack depth.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Ministry Leadership:

  "There's a vacuum in that leadership space. People want to be a part of something that matters." – Russell (42:00)

• On Church Neutrality:

  "They think they sound so profound, but they just sound like ass clowns." – Jonathan (1:13:20)

• On Diversity Quotas:

  "We want exactly one quarter of our church population to be kind of tan. Not too black." – Russell (1:22:00)

• On COVID-era Baptisms:

  "If you ever did a baptism wearing a mask, you're probably going to go to hell." – Jonathan (52:30)

• On Woke Pastors’ Style:

  "You owe it to your husband to never look like that." – Jonathan (1:47:40)

• On Abortion Advocacy:

  "Why are all these postmenopausal women so concerned about abortion? It makes no sense." – Jonathan (1:43:30)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [08:20] – Monologue on faith, adversity, and spiritual growth
• [16:00] – Project Pat leads mass repentance prayer
• [19:30] – Booing the Canadian anthem at Yankee Stadium
• [21:00] – Mockery of Haiti’s president drinking from a pitcher
• [41:00] – Pitch for revival leadership conference
• [48:00] – Youth baseball coach shot during prayer
• [51:00] – Satirical take on awkward baptism video
• [1:12:30] – Deep dive on evangelical "Third Wayism" and neutrality
• [1:19:00] – Mocking diversity quotas in churches
• [1:39:00] – Satire of woke/mainline church responses to social/political issues
• [1:43:00] – Critique of abortion advocacy by unlikely demographics
• [1:47:00] – Parody of pastoral reactions to Charlie Kirk’s (fictional) assassination

Tone and Style

The episode is fast-paced, energetic, and intentionally irreverent, mixing serious theological and leadership themes with relentless satire, pop culture references, and provocative humor. The language is unsparing—deliberately blunt and, at times, offensive by design—consistent with the podcast's reputation for "unfiltered" commentary and for challenging both mainstream and evangelical shibboleths.

For Listeners: Key Takeaways

• Expect a mix of news, church critique, and comedic riffing—little is sacred, and every topic is subject to lampooning except the hosts' foundational Christian beliefs.
• Key themes are courage in faith and leadership, the emptiness of "neutral" church positions on politics, and relentless mockery of quota-driven, socially progressive, or PR-obsessed church models.
• The episode is a blend of religious exhortation, cultural criticism, and insider humor for a conservative, faith-oriented audience.

Note: Non-content segments, advertisements, intros/outros were omitted from this summary. All quotes and references maintain the speakers' original language and tone.