Podcast
The Deep Map
Hosted by The Philos Project · EN
The Deep Map is a weekly podcast that explores the hidden religious and cultural forces driving headlines in the Near East and around the world. Your host, Robert Nicholson, takes on a new topic each month, peeling back the layers of world events in dialogue with a wide range of guests, looking for answers and challenging his own beliefs along the way.
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Lessons from October 7th
Dec 26, 202301:13:18Tap to summarizeIn this Season Three recap, Robert and Dominique reflect on the podcast’s original trajectory and significant transition following 10/7. Season Three’s guests walked our listeners through topics addressing antisemitism in the U.S., Hamas’s ideology, and the generational gap in support for Israel. One of our biggest takeaways is that perhaps more than ever, the need for Christian advocacy is being realized. But where do we start galvanizing Christian engagement, education, and activism? Join Robert and Dominique to hear their personal takeaways and get a glimpse of Season Four.
Transcribe →Is There Still Hope in the Holy Land? (Todd Morehead and Justin Kron)
Dec 21, 202301:07:12Tap to summarizeWe produced a movie. A few years ago, Philos partnered with Todd Morehead and Justin Kron to discover the human experiences and stories caught in the tension of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Hope in the Holy Land follows Todd’s journey through Israel and Palestine, where he explores the biblical, religious, and historical narratives that shape the beliefs on both sides of the conflict. Along the way, he discovers the painful struggles of Jews, Muslims, and Christians. The result is an enlightening journey that exposes viewers to perspectives rarely seen in the media and a challenge to a man’s heart to love his enemy. In this podcast, Robert and Dominique revisit themes from the documentary and ask the challenging question: Is there still hope for pluralism, peace, and prosperity for Jews, Muslims, and Christians in the Holy Land?
Transcribe →Christian Zionism in the 21st Century (Motti Inbari and Kirill Bumin)
Dec 13, 202300:59:29Tap to summarizeThe strongest predictor of evangelicals' support for Israel in the U.S. is the age of the believer. After October 7, Harvard found that 45% of 18–24-year-olds side more with Hamas. Today, war views and attitudes towards Israel are defined by generations rather than religious beliefs or political parties. Motti Inbari and Kirill Bumin join Robert and Dominique to discuss their book, "Christian Zionism in the Twenty-First Century," and their findings on the growing generational divide supporting Israel. 18–29-year-olds are the first-generation post-information revolution, with access to both news and misinformation at their fingertips, resulting in Generation Z as the first outwardly anti-Semitic and pro-Hamas generation since the Holocaust. These trends can be attributed to two compounding factors: decreased regular church attendance and a surge in popular teaching of Supersessionism from the pulpit. Will young evangelicals return to the views of their parents with age or remain an outlier in their diverging beliefs? Time will tell.
Transcribe →A Future for Protestantism (Mark Tooley)
Dec 6, 202300:49:36Tap to summarizeMark Tooley is president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy and editor of IRD’s foreign policy and national security journal, Providence: A Journal of Christianity & American Foreign Policy. Mark joins Robert and Dominique to discuss the division in the United Methodist Church and the challenges Protestantism faces in an age of radical secularism.
Transcribe →40 years of terrorism, faith, and memory from Beirut to Gaza
Nov 30, 202301:06:36Tap to summarizeRabbi Arnold Resnicoff joins Robert and Dominique to discuss his long naval career and eyewitness testimony of the October 23, 1983, Beirut attack. He tells of hope in the face of loss and the need to combat hate with compassion for all humanity. Rabbi Resnicoff reminds the audience that there is strength in diversity and encourages interfaith friendship to promote pluralism and respect for our neighbors and enemies. Rabbi Resnicoff is a retired U.S. Navy Chaplain who started his career in Vietnam. His report of the October 23 terror attack in Beirut and its aftermath, written at the request of the White House, was read as a keynote speech by President Ronald Reagan. He has also worked to create the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and lobbied the U.S. military to participate in the U.S. Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust. President Reagan's keynote speech on the Beirut attack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFA5f0n-Nak
Transcribe →Music and Art in Preserving Culture (Nikos Michailidis)
Nov 24, 202301:07:54Tap to summarizeDr. Nikos Michailidis is a social-cultural anthropologist; his work focuses on the history of the ancient Pontics and modern Greek culture. Nikos speaks with Robert and Dominique about the importance of art, literature, and language in preserving memory and transmitting culture. For the Pontic Greeks, music helped preserve their ethnic identity during Ottoman persecution and the brutality of Communism under Stalin. Nikos talks about the importance of music as a mechanism to preserve culture through the generations, speaking to the power of art in shaping civilizational identities.
Transcribe →Covering U.S Protests and Marches after October 7th (Mary Margaret Olohan)
Nov 21, 202301:01:01Tap to summarizeMary Margaret Olohan joins Robert and Dominique to reflect on the culture and analyze how recent protests and rallies following October 7th mirror the current political climate. Mary Margaret is a Senior Reporter at The Daily Signal where she covers the cultural and political stories of the moment through both video and print journalism.
Transcribe →The Crisis of Christianity in the Middle East (Gia Chacón)
Nov 14, 202301:05:31Tap to summarizeGia Chacón is the founder of For the Martyrs, a Christian non-profit seeking to raise awareness about the crisis of Christian persecution, advocate for religious freedom, and aid victims of persecution worldwide. Gia speaks with Robert and Dominique about her work with the persecuted church and the crisis of Western Christianity. Gia reminds the audience about Israel’s importance as a safe haven for Christians in the Middle East who face persecution and forced migration from their ancient homelands.
Transcribe →9/11 to 10/7: American Intervention in the Middle East (Garrett Exner)
Nov 8, 202301:08:27Tap to summarizeGarrett Exner joins Robert and Dominique in analyzing the changing Middle Eastern landscape and Israel’s counter-offensive following the October 7th attack. Exner is the executive director of the Public Interest Fellowship in Washington, D.C. He previously served as a staffer to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), as a counterterrorism policy adviser in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and as a special operations officer in the Marine Corps with deployments to Iraq, North Africa, East Africa, and the South Pacific. His life exemplifies what strong Christian leadership should look like in the face of crisis and conflict.
Transcribe →Witness to Hamas’ Terror (Emily Schrader)
Nov 3, 202301:04:31Tap to summarizeIsraeli journalist Emily Schrader joins The Deep Map to share her eyewitness account of the aftermath of Hamas’ October 7th terror attack. Covering a wide range of topics, from the Iranian regime’s support of terrorism to what it’s like working in a bomb shelter when the air raid sirens blare, Schrader delivers a heartfelt and clear testimony as to why Israel won’t back down — and why the West should stand up and lend greater support.
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