195. A Tale of Two City Theologies

In this episode, Josh and Stephen explore a noticed growing anti-city sentiment within American Christianity, unpacking how politics, economics, fear, and cultural identity shape a rural-versus-urban divide. We contrast this with the deeply city-centered theology of the New Testament, noting the irony in modern Christian attitudes toward urban spaces. We weave through media narratives, food culture, and even biblical imagery, suggesting that American Christianity may be drifting toward Old Testament “outsider” and conquest frameworks rather than Jesus’ embodied presence among diverse city populations.Host Recommendations Stephen: Eat “vitamin carrots”Josh: Make homemade Chipotle-style bowlsHost DE-RecommendationsStephen: Neglecting dryer vent cleaningJosh: Leaving phone text notification sounds onJoin us:Join our free Discord community by emailing us at [email protected] for an invite link!Take a minute to drop us a 5-star rating and a 1-2 sentence review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!Credits:Theme Song: In Full Color by Louie Zong on Spotify and BandcampArtwork: Yarn and Ravel by Dixie Lee Henning @dixieleedrawsProduced by Stephen Henning, Josh Lieuallen, and Emily RettinghouseEditing/Audio Engineering by Stephen HenningCertified Organic benediction by Reverend Emily Rettinghouse, MDiv ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★