Some of the Apostle Paul's letters in the Bible can be defensive, sarcastic, and even mean. New Testament scholar Scot McKnight says his nasty tone may stem from deep pain. But Paul's trauma wasn't caused by the persecution of nonbelievers but by fellow Christians. He offers Skye an illuminating look into what the apostle can teach us about church trauma today. Mike Erre joins the podcast crew to discuss the declining support for Israel among American Christians, the weird work of VR missionaries, a theory about aliveness that challenges introverts, and a robot that responds when nature calls.

Holy Post Plus:

Ad-Free Version of this Episode:

http://holypost.substack.com/p/729-church-trauma-and-the-apostle

0:00 - Show Starts

0:40 - Kaitlyn Was Summoned Away

3:04 - Sponsor - Rocket Money - Find and cancel your old subscriptions with Rocket Money at https://www.rocketmoney.com/HOLYPOST

4:08- Sponsor - BetterHelp - This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/HOLYPOST and get 10% off your first month!

5:17 - Self-Driving Toilets!

11:54 - VR Missionaries

20:21 - Sponsor - Feeding America - Your support puts healthy food within reach, fueling the future for kids and their families. Give now at https://FeedingAmerica.org/SummerHunger

20:54 - Sponsor - PolicyGenius - Secure your family's tomorrow so you have peace of mind today. Go to https://www.policygenius.com/HOLYPOST to find the right life insurance for you

22:00 - Sponsor - Access Forge - Go to https://www.accessible.faith/ to unlock the first two Belonging by Design lessons and use promo code HOLYPOST to get $200 off the full program

23:04 - Americans Less Supportive of Israel

28:56 - Prosperity Gospel and Israel

36:10 - Aliveness and Where to Find it

50:19 - Interview

52:30 - Damaged Leaders

1:03:25 - Paul and Trauma

1:15:44 - Prescriptive vs Descriptive

1:27:54 - End Credits

Links Mentioned in News Segment:

Aliveness:

https://benbyfax.substack.com/p/aliveness

Christian Support for Israel Plummets:

https://religionnews.com/2026/07/09/new-polls-show-plummeting-support-among-faith-groups-for-israeli-government-netanyahu/

Other Resources:

Traumatized Church: What Paul's Relationship with the Corinthian Church Teaches Us About Helping Those Who are Hurting by Scot McKnight: https://amzn.to/4pltGYx

Holy Post website: https://www.holypost.com/

Holy Post Plus: www.holypost.com/plus

Holy Post Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/holypost

Holy Post Merch Store: https://www.holypost.com/shop

The Holy Post is supported by our listeners. We may earn affiliate commissions through links listed here. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.