CrossPolitic One-on-One — Show Notes: China Update with Missionary Ben On this episode of CrossPolitic One-on-One, the Waterboy sits down with Missionary Ben — host of China Compass on the Fight Laugh Feast Network and himself a deportee from China — for an update on the underground church. The conversation covers Pastor Ezra Jin's miraculous July 4th release from prison (and the eight still behind bars), the latest crackdown on Pastor Wang Yi's church network, how Christians should think about doing business with China, and what the American church can learn from brothers and sisters who are forced to make hard decisions for their faith every single day.   Timestamps 03:35 — Intro — Fight Laugh Feast conference update and Business Makers Network 07:06 — Meet Missionary Ben — deported from China, host of China Compass 08:11 — Pastor Ezra Jin: from Tiananmen Square to Zion Church — and his July 4th release 10:32 — How Zion Church grew and why it became a target — the 2008 Sichuan earthquake and Xi Jinping's crackdown 12:22 — October 2024: Jin's arrest, the simultaneous network raid, and the eight still in prison 13:04 — Did Trump broker the release? The May meeting with Xi and why this one worked when others haven't 14:45 — Jin's Wall Street Journal op-ed: "I'm Free Now. Pray for China." — Hebrews 13:3 16:19 — Zion Church splits into house churches — and may now be larger than before the arrest 17:22 — Why not just join the state-sanctioned church? — a stopgap, not a home 18:16 — How should Christians think about doing business with China? 21:05 — What can ordinary believers do? — going to China, sharing the gospel, meeting the church 23:32 — How should Trump engage Xi? — befriending, influencing those around him, holding cards close 26:46 — What the American church can learn from the underground church in China 28:43 — Pastor Wang Yi update — seven and a half years in, sentence nearing end, no word from him directly 30:01 — Recent crackdown: 50 SWAT officers at a Wang Yi church plant, 20–30 arrested 32:22 — Missionary Ben's book Unbeaten, Mission Catalyst, and the Malaysia conference for Chinese house church leaders   Connect with Missionary Ben Podcast: China Compass (weekends) & Prison Pulpit Series (midweek) Network: Fight Laugh Feast Network — available in the FLF app Book: Unbeaten — $4 on Amazon Ministry: Mission Catalyst International — training indigenous pastors and missionaries Give: mci3.org   Fight Laugh Feast 2026: Holy Wars Join us October 1–3 in Franklin, Tennessee at The Factory in Franklin for the Fight Laugh Feast Conference. This year's theme is Holy Wars — Just War, the Crusades, and the Christian Life. Featuring Doug Wilson, Joe Boot, Pastor Toby, Ben Merkel, Jared Longshore, and more. Pre-business makers conference Thursday 1–5 PM. Pastor/church leadership luncheon Friday. Business luncheon Saturday. Booths are nearly full — sponsorship opportunities still available. Tickets: https://tickets.flfnetwork.com/holy-wars-conference Sponsorship inquiries: [email protected]   Also Mentioned Business Makers Network A network for courageous Christian business leaders — building a Christian economy for the good of businesses, churches, and America. Over 100 members, quarterly CEO calls, and a national conference each May. Website: businessmakers.network Contact: [email protected]   About CrossPolitic CrossPolitic exists to put Jesus over Politics and reclaim the public square through bold, joyful, biblically grounded media. We confront the chaos discipling America and build the next generation of Christian media infrastructure. Our mission is simple: all of Christ for all of media for all of America.   Mainstream media is collapsing. Eighty-seven percent of journalists identify as progressive, and even many conservative outlets prioritize profit over principle. Meanwhile, billions of hours of digital content are discipling the world every day. CrossPolitic stands in that gap, producing courageous, entertaining, truth-filled media for households, churches, and leaders across the nation.   Become a CrossPolitic Club Member Support the mission and unlock exclusive content, behind-the-scenes shows, and theology series. https://pubtv.flfnetwork.com/menu/checkout   Subscribe & Share! Every like, comment, and share helps push Christian media back into the algorithm where it belongs.   Follow CrossPolitic YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CROSSPOLITIC X: https://x.com/CrossPolitic Facebook: https://facebook.com/crosspolitic Instagram: https://instagram.com/crosspolitic Join our Email List: https://crosspolitic.com/   Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NRBTV, DirecTV, Dish, and everywhere podcasts are found.   #CrossPolitic #ChinaChurch #UndergroundChurch #PastorEzraJin #WangYi #MissionaryBen #ChristianPersecution #ChristianMedia

CrossPolitic — Show Notes: America's 250th Birthday Special On this Fourth of July special, Gabe, Pastor Toby, Knox, and Steve Deace gather to mark America's 250th birthday — not with blind celebration, but with honest reckoning and confident hope. Gabe walks through 15 ways America has been conquered not by guns but by cultural war, from forgetting its Christian founding to pastors who preached niceness over faithfulness. Steve calls for revival-or-bust thinking and eulogizes Charlie Kirk's missional courage. Knox opens Nehemiah and calls for four months of mourning, fasting, and repentance before the wall gets built. And Toby reminds us that the same God who marched slaves out of Egypt with Pharaoh's chariots sinking behind them is still Lord of armies — and he doesn't need our numbers.   Timestamps 00:00 — Intro — America's 250th birthday and the CrossPolitic crew 02:47 — Gabe's 15-point thread: how America was conquered by cultural war, not guns 03:20 — Starting point: forgetting the Christian founding and pretending all religions are equal 05:25 — Majoring in the minors — bald eagle eggs, 60 million babies, and government fraud 07:57 — Pastors who preached faith out of politics and handed government the church's job 09:56 — The 11th commandment — thou shalt be nice — and the feminization of Christianity 13:44 — Steve responds: two things can be true at once — and we're in revival-or-bust territory 16:06 — The window is closing: worldview steel cage match, and the check coming due 18:08 — Knox: we are subsidizing our own destruction — the church and Christian schools teaching socialism 21:13 — Toby on the Matt Chandler church-closure clip: worship skipped for construction 23:43 — Stonewall Jackson writing from the battlefield about the Confederacy running mail on the Sabbath 29:03 — Gabe preaching through Judges: 3,000 men of Judah handing Samson to the Philistines 33:34 — Sponsors — Patriot Mobile and Dominion Wealth Strategies 35:57 — Steve: repentance + reformation = revival — and being worthy of the bullet Charlie Kirk took 40:11 — Christian donors, media, and why the other side outspends us on missions they believe in 44:01 — The church has zapped masculine ambition — where are the parable-of-the-talents sermons? 48:48 — Knox: you can't outsource to the church what the home isn't doing — father hunger and the three governments 52:51 — Toby: family, church, and state — and how the magisterial Reformation recovered each government's lane 57:44 — Steve's close: dominion without permission — act on behalf of the Father regardless of consequences 1:00:05 — Knox: they don't matter — stop acting like false-god worshipers determine what God's people do 1:00:18 — Knox's three things: mourn for God's name, fast and pray, repent — the Nehemiah math 1:06:09 — Gabe: 300 men repenting — Gideon's army and what a small faithful remnant can do 1:07:20 — Knox: COVID was a grace — trouble wakes people up when comfort puts them to sleep 1:10:21 — Toby: the arc of history is every knee bowing — God will do what it takes to glorify his name 1:13:05 — The colonial army had no business winning — ragtag Presbyterians with psalters for musket wadding 1:16:15 — Conference announcement: Fight Laugh Feast 2026, Holy Wars — early bird extended 1:19:06 — Toby on Exodus: Israel is called the armies of the Lord — Pharaoh just has chariots   Fight Laugh Feast 2026: Holy Wars Join us October 1–3 in Franklin, Tennessee at The Factory in Franklin for the Fight Laugh Feast Conference. This year's theme is Holy Wars — Just War, the Crusades, and the Christian Life. Featuring Doug Wilson, Joe Boot, George Grant, Jared Longshore, Joe Rigney, Ben Merkel, and the CrossPolitic crew. Kicks off with Beer & Psalms on Thursday, pre-business makers conference Thursday afternoon, and closes with a live CrossPolitic show Saturday. Early Bird pricing has been extended — get your tickets now. Tickets: https://tickets.flfnetwork.com/holy-wars-conference   This Episode's Sponsors Patriot Mobile America's only Christian conservative wireless provider. Exceptional nationwide coverage utilizing all three major networks — with U.S.-based customer support and dollars that fund religious freedom, constitutional rights, the sanctity of life, and veterans and first responders. Keep your number, keep your phone. Get a free month of service with promo code CROSSPOLITIC. Website: patriotmobile.com/crosspolitic Phone: 972-PATRIOT   Dominion Wealth Strategies Financial strategies aligned with biblical principles — budgeting, saving, debt management, insurance, legacy planning, and multigenerational vision. Dominion exists to equip Christians to take the dominion mandate seriously: build wealth, protect it, and use it to further the kingdom. Book your free consultation today. Website: reform.money   About CrossPolitic CrossPolitic exists to put Jesus over Politics and reclaim the public square through bold, joyful, biblically grounded media. We confront the chaos discipling America and build the next generation of Christian media infrastructure. Our mission is simple: all of Christ for all of media for all of America.   Mainstream media is collapsing. Eighty-seven percent of journalists identify as progressive, and even many conservative outlets prioritize profit over principle. Meanwhile, billions of hours of digital content are discipling the world every day. CrossPolitic stands in that gap, producing courageous, entertaining, truth-filled media for households, churches, and leaders across the nation.   Become a CrossPolitic Club Member Support the mission and unlock exclusive content, behind-the-scenes shows, and theology series. https://pubtv.flfnetwork.com/menu/checkout   Subscribe & Share! Every like, comment, and share helps push Christian media back into the algorithm where it belongs.   Follow CrossPolitic YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CROSSPOLITIC X: https://x.com/CrossPolitic Facebook: https://facebook.com/crosspolitic Instagram: https://instagram.com/crosspolitic Join our Email List: https://crosspolitic.com/   Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NRBTV, DirecTV, Dish, and everywhere podcasts are found.   #CrossPolitic #America250 #FourthOfJuly #Revival #ChristianNationalism #ChristianMedia #HolyWars

CrossPolitic 1v1 — Show Notes: Andrew Crapuchette, CEO of Red Balloon On this episode of CrossPolitic 101, the Waterboy sits down with Andrew Crapuchette, CEO of Red Balloon, to talk about what happens when merit replaces DEI in hiring — inside corporations, inside the military, and now inside the U.S. Department of State. Andrew breaks down Red Balloon's acquisition of MilitaryHire.com, their new contract as the official recruiting arm for Foreign Service Officers, and why getting 500 to 1,000 cleared patriots into the State Department could have a generational impact on America and the world. Plus: why you should consider taking the Foreign Service Officer Test — and how classical education might be exactly the preparation you need.   Timestamps 00:00 — Intro & sponsors — Classical Conversations and Red Balloon Recruiter 02:22 — Red Balloon acquires MilitaryHire.com — why veterans keep getting rejected by AI gatekeepers 04:01 — Humans are made in the image of God — why AI shouldn't make hiring decisions 05:16 — New contracts: ICE, Border Patrol, and now the U.S. Department of State 06:53 — Rubio's State Department: less than 10% voted for Trump, DEI recruiting, and the house cleaning 09:37 — What a Foreign Service Officer actually does — and why it's one of the most influential jobs in government 11:41 — Why Christians should be applying: language intensives, global assignments, family-friendly benefits 13:31 — The FSO Test: 1–3% pass rate, how it works, and how to practice without burning your shot 15:40 — 17 specialist tracks for those who don't pass the general test 17:32 — What's next for Red Balloon — VA contract, new DC projects, and moving into the CrossPolitic building   Connect with Andrew Capshew Company: Red Balloon Website: redballoon.work Military Hiring: militaryhire.com FSO Recruiting: Department of State via MilitaryHire — link in show description   Fight Laugh Feast 2026: Holy Wars Join us October 1–3 in Franklin, Tennessee at The Factory in Franklin for the Fight Laugh Feast Conference. This year's theme is Holy Wars — Just War, the Crusades, and the Christian Life. Featuring Doug Wilson, Joe Boot, George Grant, Jared Longshore, Joe Rigney, Ben Merkel, and the CrossPolitic crew. Early Bird pricing ends July 1st — nearly halfway sold out. Tickets: https://tickets.flfnetwork.com/holy-wars-conference   This Episode's Sponsors Classical Conversations Homeschooling with a classical Christian model that teaches students how to learn and think — not just what to memorize. Join over 50,000 families in 60 countries who have chosen Classical Conversations. Website: classicalconversations.com/flf   Red Balloon Recruiter The right employee can grow your business by 5, 10, or even 25%. Red Balloon's personalized source-and-screen process connects business owners with top talent — increasing revenue and reducing cost. Website: redballoon.work   About CrossPolitic CrossPolitic exists to put Jesus over Politics and reclaim the public square through bold, joyful, biblically grounded media. We confront the chaos discipling America and build the next generation of Christian media infrastructure. Our mission is simple: all of Christ for all of media for all of America.   Mainstream media is collapsing. Eighty-seven percent of journalists identify as progressive, and even many conservative outlets prioritize profit over principle. Meanwhile, billions of hours of digital content are discipling the world every day. CrossPolitic stands in that gap, producing courageous, entertaining, truth-filled media for households, churches, and leaders across the nation.   Become a CrossPolitic Club Member Support the mission and unlock exclusive content, behind-the-scenes shows, and theology series. https://pubtv.flfnetwork.com/menu/checkout   Subscribe & Share! Every like, comment, and share helps push Christian media back into the algorithm where it belongs.   Follow CrossPolitic YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CROSSPOLITIC X: https://x.com/CrossPolitic Facebook: https://facebook.com/crosspolitic Instagram: https://instagram.com/crosspolitic Join our Email List: https://crosspolitic.com/   Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NRBTV, DirecTV, Dish, and everywhere podcasts are found.   #CrossPolitic #RedBalloon #MilitaryHire #ForeignServiceOfficer #ChristianBusiness #Hiring #Meritocracy

CrossPolitic 101 — Show Notes: PCA General Assembly Recap On this episode of CrossPolitic 101, the Waterboy brings in a panel of guests fresh off the 53rd PCA General Assembly to break down what happened in Louisville the week of June 22nd. Pastor Josh Howard (New Covenant Church, Pittsburgh), Pastor Corey Wang (Sheer Presbyterian Church, Morrisville, NC), and Josiah Stowe (co-founder, Dominion Wealth Strategists) join Gabe to walk through the major outcomes — from the roundhouse defeat of Overture 37 on female deacons, to the cheeseburger patriotism moment, to the partial Christian nationalism study committee report and what it means for the denomination going forward.   Timestamps 00:00 — Intro & sponsors — Patriot Mobile and Dominion Wealth Strategists 03:07 — Meet the panel: Pastor Josh Howard, Pastor Corey Wang, and Josiah Stowe 06:45 — Overview of the 53rd PCA GA — Louisville, June 22nd; Mel Duncan moderator, Fred Greco clerk 08:29 — Why denomination meetings matter — Acts 15 and God working through the church 09:15 — General assessment: was this a good GA? Corey's take from the conservative 20% 11:05 — Overture 37 — female deacons: what it proposed and how it was defeated 14:07 — Can the overtures committee screen clearly unbiblical overtures before the floor? 15:13 — Why the PCA lets these come to a vote: gauging denominational health, not just screening error 17:49 — The 14 who voted for it — what happens next? Matthew 18 and the presbyteries 22:03 — Josiah's outside perspective: comparing Overture 37 to the SBC's Muller amendment 24:53 — Were conservatives also frustrated? The related overtures that didn't get floor debate 26:13 — Performative masculinity vs. functional female officers — a rhetorical imbalance? 30:18 — What the PCA needs: courageous young men, not crass ones — Pastor Josh 31:57 — Cheeseburger patriotism — Overture 66 and giving thanks to God for 250 years of America 36:04 — The Christian nationalism study committee report — overture vs. report, what's the difference? 38:13 — Dr. David Strain, the partial report, and why the committee asked for one more year 40:00 — Is the CN report fair? The problem of defining terms in a big-tent denomination 44:01 — Gabe's backstory — PCA roots, CrossPolitic's origin, and the deficiency in political theology 48:34 — Was the CN report too little too late? Pastors weigh in on the church's political theology gap 51:38 — Progressive sanctification and the PCA — Corey's framework for denominational growth 56:22 — Josiah's closing take: bounding the tent, defining good Presbyterian Christian nationalism   Connect with This Episode's Guests Pastor Josh Howard Church: New Covenant Church — Monroville (Pittsburgh), PA Seminary: Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (adjunct professor)   Pastor Corey Wang Church: Sheer Presbyterian Church — Morrisville, NC Podcast: Civically Minded   Josiah Stowe Role: Co-founder, Dominion Wealth Strategists Website: reform.money   Fight Laugh Feast 2026: Holy Wars Join us October 1–3 in Franklin, Tennessee for the Fight Laugh Feast Conference. This year's theme is Holy Wars — Just War, the Crusades, and the Christian Life. Featuring Doug Wilson, Joe Boot, George Grant, Jared Longshore, Joe Rigney, Ben Merkel, and the CrossPolitic crew. Early Bird pricing ends July 1st — nearly halfway sold out. Tickets: https://tickets.flfnetwork.com/holy-wars-conference   This Episode's Sponsors Patriot Mobile America's only Christian conservative wireless provider. Exceptional nationwide coverage utilizing all three major networks, with 100% U.S.-based customer support. Dollars go toward religious freedom, constitutional rights, the sanctity of life, and veterans and first responders. Switch today and tell them CrossPolitic sent you. Website: patriotmobile.com/crosspolitic   Dominion Wealth Strategists Financial strategies aligned with biblical principles — budgeting, saving, debt management, insurance, legacy planning, and more. Dominion exists to equip Christians to take the dominion mandate seriously: build wealth, protect it, and use it to further the kingdom. Book your free consultation today. Website: reform.money   About CrossPolitic CrossPolitic exists to put Jesus over Politics and reclaim the public square through bold, joyful, biblically grounded media. We confront the chaos discipling America and build the next generation of Christian media infrastructure. Our mission is simple: all of Christ for all of media for all of America.   Mainstream media is collapsing. Eighty-seven percent of journalists identify as progressive, and even many conservative outlets prioritize profit over principle. Meanwhile, billions of hours of digital content are discipling the world every day. CrossPolitic stands in that gap, producing courageous, entertaining, truth-filled media for households, churches, and leaders across the nation.   Become a CrossPolitic Club Member Support the mission and unlock exclusive content, behind-the-scenes shows, and theology series. https://pubtv.flfnetwork.com/menu/checkout   Subscribe & Share! Every like, comment, and share helps push Christian media back into the algorithm where it belongs.   Follow CrossPolitic YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CROSSPOLITIC X: https://x.com/CrossPolitic Facebook: https://facebook.com/crosspolitic Instagram: https://instagram.com/crosspolitic Join our Email List: https://crosspolitic.com/   Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NRBTV, DirecTV, Dish, and everywhere podcasts are found.   #CrossPolitic #PCA #GeneralAssembly #ChristianNationalism #Presbyterian #ChristianMedia #ReformedTheology

Holy Wars — Show Notes: Fight Laugh Feast Documentary In this Fight Laugh Feast documentary, CrossPolitic traces the inescapable question of holiness from Moses at the burning bush through the Great Awakenings, the Crusades, and into the present culture war — arguing that holiness is not private sentiment but public, world-transforming fire. Featuring historical and theological commentary from Joe Boot and others, the documentary confronts counterfeit holiness in both secular activism and charismatic revivalism, and calls Christians to fight a holy war with the weapons God has actually given them: his Word, his Spirit, and his people.   Timestamps 0:00 — Intro — Moses, the burning bush, and the holy ground that launched a nation 0:43 — How we've privatized holiness — and who filled the public square when we did 1:53 — Holiness is inescapable: not whether, but which 3:06 — The First Great Awakening — Edwards, justification by faith, and national cohesion 4:14 — From holy ground to holy war: how the Great Awakening built the War for Independence 5:46 — The Second Great Awakening — emotionalism, manipulation, cults, and cultural chaos 9:25 — Activism fills the vacuum — and the turn toward natural law and raw political power 11:03 — Sponsor: Patriot Mobile 12:22 — What holiness actually is: the fiery presence of the triune God 14:36 — Creation, the Fall, sacrifice, and the way back into God's presence 18:44 — Golgotha — the curtain torn, the fire unleashed, we are holy ground 21:38 — Is actual war holy? Just war theory: Augustine, Aquinas, and the Reformers 23:24 — The Black-Robed Regiment, the lesser magistrate, and the War for Independence 27:43 — The Crusades — were they just wars? Separating the first, fourth, seventh, and eighth 31:20 — Counterfeit holiness: BLM as pilgrimage, anti-racism as penance, revivalism as emotional currency 34:20 — The question before this generation: Christ's finished holiness or substitutes that leave ash 34:45 — Fight Laugh Feast 2026: Holy Wars — speakers, theme, and why we're gathering 36:18 — We are that bush — holy war in family, church, and state until the earth is full of his glory 43:46 — Deus vult — God wills it. He always has. He is doing it.   Fight Laugh Feast 2026: Holy Wars Join us October 1–3 in Franklin, Tennessee for the Fight Laugh Feast Conference. This year's theme mirrors the documentary: Holy Wars — Just War, the Crusades, and the Christian Life. Featuring Doug Wilson, Joe Boot, George Grant, Jared Longshore, Joe Rigney, Ben Merkel, and the CrossPolitic crew. Early Bird pricing ends July 1st — we're nearly halfway sold out. Tickets: https://tickets.flfnetwork.com/holy-wars-conference   This Episode's Sponsors Patriot Mobile America's only Christian conservative wireless provider. Same nationwide 4G and 5G coverage as the major carriers — with U.S.-based customer support and dollars that fund religious freedom, constitutional rights, the sanctity of life, and veterans and first responders. Switch today and get a free activation with code CROSSPOLITIC. Website: patriotmobile.com/crosspolitic   About CrossPolitic CrossPolitic exists to put Jesus over Politics and reclaim the public square through bold, joyful, biblically grounded media. We confront the chaos discipling America and build the next generation of Christian media infrastructure. Our mission is simple: all of Christ for all of media for all of America.   Mainstream media is collapsing. Eighty-seven percent of journalists identify as progressive, and even many conservative outlets prioritize profit over principle. Meanwhile, billions of hours of digital content are discipling the world every day. CrossPolitic stands in that gap, producing courageous, entertaining, truth-filled media for households, churches, and leaders across the nation.   Become a CrossPolitic Club Member Support the mission and unlock exclusive content, behind-the-scenes shows, and theology series. https://pubtv.flfnetwork.com/menu/checkout   Subscribe & Share! Every like, comment, and share helps push Christian media back into the algorithm where it belongs.   Follow CrossPolitic YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CROSSPOLITIC X: https://x.com/CrossPolitic Facebook: https://facebook.com/crosspolitic Instagram: https://instagram.com/crosspolitic Email List: https://crosspolitic.com/   Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NRBTV, DirecTV, Dish, and everywhere podcasts are found.   #CrossPolitic #HolyWars #FightLaughFeast #JustWar #Crusades #ChristianMedia #Holiness