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 bowls Host DE-Recommendations Stephen: Neglecting dryer vent cleaning Josh: Leaving phone text notification sounds on Join us: Join our free Discord community by emailing us at theravelpod@gmail.com 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 Bandcamp Artwork: Yarn and Ravel by Dixie Lee Henning @dixieleedraws Produced by Stephen Henning, Josh Lieuallen, and Emily Rettinghouse Editing/Audio Engineering by Stephen Henning Certified Organic benediction by Reverend Emily Rettinghouse, MDiv ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★