688: The MAGA Contradiction & Educational Injustice with Terence Lester

The memorial service for Charlie Kirk revealed a deep contradiction with the MAGA movement. Kirk’s widow was cheered when she forgave his assassin and modeled Jesus’ command to love your enemies. But the crowd also cheered when Stephen Miller and President Trump dehumanized their opponents and expressed hatred for their enemies. Esau McCaulley joins Phil and Skye to discuss the tension between Christian love and pagan power. Also this week, Dr. Terence Lester tells his inspiring story in his new book, “From Dropout to Doctorate,” and how he’s working both spiritually and systemically to reform education. Holy Post Plus: Ad-Free Version of this Episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/139584724/   Cotton Candy Debate? https://www.patreon.com/posts/my-hill-to-die-139484708   0:00 - Show Starts   3:00 - Theme Song   3:21 - Sponsor - Rocket Money - Find and cancel your old subscriptions with Rocket Money at https://www.rocketmoney.com/HOLYPOST   4:35 - Sponsor - Sundays Dog Food - Get 40% off your first order of Sundays. Go to https://www.SundaysForDogs.com/HOLYPOST or use code HOLYPOST at checkout.   7:35 - Charlie Kirk’s Mixed Memorial Service   11:56 - Christlike Responses   22:53 - Two MAGAs   31:57 - Black Christians Grapple with Kirk’s Legacy   42:50 - Sponsor - World Relief - Join The Path as a monthly partner with World Relief! https://www.worldrelief.org/holypost   44:00 - The After Party - What’s discipling you? Reimagine political engagement through the lens of scripture and neighbor love with the free Redeeming Babble course today - https://redeemingbabel.org/the-after-party/free-course2/?utm_source=TPO&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=TheHolyPost&utm_term=Fall2025   45:07 - 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!   46:05 - Interview   47:46 - How Poverty Causes Trauma   52:47 - The Headstart People Don’t Get   1:01:48 - The Sick, Sin, and System Narratives   1:14:33 - How He Decided Not to Quite   1:25:18 - End Credits   Links Mentioned in News Segment: Bulwark Article on Two Speeches at the Memorial: https://www.thebulwark.com/i/174243794/a-tale-of-two-speeches   Black Christians Confront Charlie Kirk’s Religious Legacy: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/09/22/charlie-kirk-black-christians/   Other Resources: From Dropout to Doctorate: Breaking the Chains of Educational Injustice by Terence Lester: https://a.co/d/itUHu8I 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.