The Tim & April Show (The New Evangelicals)
Episode 91: "MAGA Says Sharing Bible Verses is Woke Now"
Date: March 3, 2026
Hosts: Tim Whitaker & April Ajoy
Episode Overview
In this episode, Tim and April dive into the latest culture war moment on (what they humorously still call) Twitter, where MAGA-aligned Christians have erupted with outrage after conservative theologian John Piper simply tweeted a Bible verse about loving immigrants. The episode dissects the irony and projection behind calling Piper “woke,” exposes the selective biblical interpretation at play, and unpacks how Christian nationalism’s kryptonite might just be… the Bible itself. The hosts bring their trademark blend of humor, honesty, and incisive critique to unravel faith, politics, and culture, especially where they disastrously interconnect.
Key Discussion Points
1. Opening Banter: Growing Up Evangelical and Moral “Rules”
- [00:22–04:52]
- Tim and April reminisce about the odd, often-legalistic cultural rules in evangelical circles—especially concerning fantasy TV like Game of Thrones. April recounts how as newlyweds, she and her spouse jokingly watched “Naked Thrones” to rationalize watching the “worldly” series as good evangelicals.
- Notable Quote [03:25, April]:
“Why don’t we just call it Naked Thrones? Because we’re married and we’ll just watch Game of Thrones naked. And whenever the nudity comes on the screen, we’ll just look at each other—”
2. Main Story: John Piper’s Bible Verse Sparks MAGA Fury
- [05:00–17:35]
- John Piper, a legendary Reformed theologian, tweeted Leviticus 19:34 about loving the stranger and “sojourner.” No political context—just the verse and a generic reflection.
- MAGA Twitter, including various Christian nationalist influencers—Ali Stuckey, Sean Foyt, Dale Partridge, Jack Posobiec, and others—explode into outrage, accusing Piper of being “woke” and weaponizing Scripture for leftist politics, especially immigration.
- Notable Quote [17:03, Sean Foyt via April]:
“Never imagined a theologian I once looked up to would become so unbelievably woke while weaponizing scripture to justify the illegal invasion of a sovereign nation.”
Irony & Hypocrisy
- Tim and April highlight the irony: These figures often build their entire platform on being “biblical,” yet when a Bible verse makes them uncomfortable (and seems to support immigrant rights), they denounce it as leftist.
- [17:35, April]:
“The kryptonite to Christian nationalism is the Bible. Especially the teachings of Jesus. But apparently even Leviticus can be woke...”
3. Selective Reading and Contextual Hypocrisy
- [18:20–21:01]
- The hosts analyze how the same “biblical literalists” demand strict context and nuance only when the Bible contradicts their politics. April recounts Tim’s earlier debate with Ali Stuckey, where she invoked context to soften biblical passages on slavery—but refused to do the same for anti-LGBTQ clobber verses.
- Notable Quote [18:43, Tim]:
“She couldn't see how she selectively appeals to context and different forms of slavery in back then. So...suddenly the verses...translated to the word homosexual…is an emphatic, objective reality and we’re the ones twisting God’s word.”
4. John Piper’s Actual Theology: Conservative, Not “Woke”
- [21:10–26:02]
- Tim unpacks Piper’s deep Reformed beliefs—Calvinism (TULIP), complementarianism, and spiritualizing of scripture. April and Tim clarify Piper is no progressive; he’s been criticized by MAGA types for not being sycophantic enough, but remains highly conservative.
- They play clips from Piper’s teaching, including his “Coronavirus and Christ” view that COVID was God’s will to make people rely on Him.
5. Disturbing Clips: Submission & Abuse in Complementarianism
- [24:07–32:13]
- The show pivots to the longstanding evangelical doctrine of female submission. Tim plays clips from Piper’s infamous “Ask Pastor John” series about abusive husbands, in which Piper disturbingly suggests women may be called to “endure perhaps being smacked one night and then she seeks help from the church.”
- April compares this to Laurie Alexander’s (‘The Transformed Wife’) teachings, which analogize refusing COVID vaccines with refusing “anal sex”—showing the strange sexual preoccupations of this milieu.
- Memorable Reactions [32:02, Tim/April]:
Tim: “This is who Sean Foyt calls woke.”
April: “Friends, endure the abuse for a season…maybe a smack or two.”
6. Weaponized Scripture: The MAGA Playbook
- [33:20–35:40]
- Sean Foyt retaliates against Piper by quoting Isaiah 1:7 out of context to justify his own nativist politics. The hosts lampoon the hypocrisy—out-of-context Bible verses are fine as long as they support conservative power.
- Tim notes data disproving the right’s anti-immigrant panic (undocumented immigrants pay billions in taxes and commit fewer crimes than citizens), framing these reactions as pure projection and performance.
7. Ultimate Take: When Scripture Is “Woke,” Christian Nationalism Is Idolatry
-
[36:35–38:13]
- April contends that anyone who labels basic commands to love strangers as “leftist” is revealing their faith is primarily about ideology, not discipleship. Jesus’ teachings—helping the poor, the stranger, the powerless—were radical then and are radical now. Refusing them is spiritual and political idolatry.
-
Notable Quote [36:35, April]:
“If you can read a scripture and you immediately think this is woke and leftist and the person posting it has political motivations—that is just pure projection... It’s fine for them to post scripture out of context... But as soon as someone posts something that sounds a little bit woke—and newsflash, the teachings of Jesus are pretty left…maybe your faith is not actually about following Jesus, but it’s about making a certain political ideology your idol.”
8. Closing: The Real Message of Jesus
- [38:47–39:50]
- Tim closes the episode reading the Beatitudes (Matthew 5). April quips, “I think you’ve got a political agenda.”
- The show wraps on a note of both resigned laughter and challenge to listeners: Don’t let the Bible’s plain calls to justice be co-opted by nationalism or fear.
Notable Quotes (with Timestamps and Attribution)
-
[03:25, April Ajoy]: “Why don’t we just call it Naked Thrones? Because we’re married and we’ll just watch Game of Thrones naked. And whenever the nudity comes on the screen, we’ll just look at each other—”
-
[07:12, Tim Whitaker, reading Piper’s tweet]: “‘Clap your hands, all peoples. Shout to God with loud songs of joy. For the Lord…’ That’s it. Okay, cool.”
-
[09:10, Tim Whitaker]: “John Piper cites this about Sojourners, and suddenly John Piper’s a big dumb idiot who knows nothing about the Bible.”
-
[17:03, Sean Foyt via April]: “Never imagined a theologian I once looked up to would become so unbelievably woke while weaponizing scripture to justify the illegal invasion of a sovereign nation.”
-
[17:35, April Ajoy]: “The kryptonite to Christian nationalism is the Bible. Especially the teachings of Jesus. But apparently even Leviticus can be woke, according to these people.”
-
[18:43, Tim Whitaker]: “She couldn’t see how she selectively appeals to context and different forms of slavery in back then. So…suddenly the verses...translated to the word homosexual…is an emphatic, objective reality and we’re the ones twisting God’s word.”
-
[32:02, Tim & April]: Tim: “This is who Sean Foyt calls woke.”
April: “Friends, endure the abuse for a season…maybe a smack or two.” -
[36:35, April Ajoy]: “If you can read a scripture and you immediately think this is woke and leftist…that is just pure projection...maybe your faith is not actually about following Jesus, but it’s about making a certain political ideology your idol…”
-
[39:50, Tim Whitaker]: “‘Blessed are the poor in spirit…Blessed are the meek…Blessed are the merciful’…Man, I don’t know, it sounds kind of woke and liberal.”
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [05:00] — Main segment begins: John Piper’s tweet
- [09:10] — Breakdown of conservative backlash
- [13:07] — Ironies of the MAGA reaction
- [17:03] — Sean Foyt calls John Piper “woke”
- [18:20] — Selective biblical literalism/context
- [22:52] — Piper’s Calvinism and his COVID theology
- [24:07–32:13] — Abusive submission: Piper and The Transformed Wife
- [33:20] — Weaponizing scripture for political ends
- [36:35] — “Woke” as projection and the dangers of Christian nationalism
- [38:47] — The Beatitudes and closing reflections
Tone and Style
- Tone: Irreverent, sharp, compassionate, occasionally acerbic but always concerned with justice and truth over tribalism
- Language: Candid, occasionally playful, using inside-baseball evangelical references, with serious engagement with faith and practical theology
Summary Takeaway
Tim and April’s discussion turns a Twitter schism over an Old Testament verse into a prism exposing the hollowness, hypocrisy, and idolatry at the heart of Christian nationalism. The episode’s throughline is clear: when even ancient calls to love the stranger are branded as “woke,” it’s proof that MAGA has become its own anti-biblical religion. The ultimate challenge? Return to the radical, inconvenient, boundary-breaking teachings of Jesus—even if it means getting called “woke” by the gatekeepers.