Mormon Church Attack, Looming Government Shutdown, and Conspiratorial Women

The Bulletin

Christianity Today

News, News Commentary, Society & Culture, Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.4 • 586 Ratings

🗓️ 30 September 2025

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A gunman violently attacked a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregation in Michigan. The UN General Assembly met in New York. And, the federal government may shut down if Congress doesn't meet a Wednesday deadline. Mike Cosper and Clarissa Moll review these headlines, and Mike sits down with Noelle Cook to discuss why women in midlife are being drawn into conspiracy theories. REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE: -The Conspiracists: Women, Extremism, and the Lure of Belonging by Noelle Cook GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: -Join the conversation at our Substack. -Find us on YouTube. -Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. ABOUT THE GUESTS: Noelle Cook is an ethnographer and storyteller who investigates how conspiracy theories, extremism, and disinformation reshape lives and culture. Focused on the online and offline radicalization of ordinary Americans, and especially Gen-X women, she traces how belief systems take root and spread. She is the author of The Conspiracists: Women, Extremism, and the Lure of Belonging. ABOUT THE BULLETIN: The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor in chief) and Mike Cosper (director, CT Media). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. “The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today Producer: Clarissa Moll Associate Producer: Alexa Burke Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs Music: Dan Phelps Executive Producers: Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper Senior Producer: Matt Stevens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	women can get ferocious and use violent rhetoric and get away with it because we expect women to
0:07.5	fiercely protect children. And so it softens the extremism piece and maybe makes it less
0:13.0	recognizable and definitely helped it mainstream. From Christianity today, you're listening to The Bulletin, a podcast about the people, events, and issues that are shaping our world.
0:26.0	I'm Clarissa Ball, producer and moderator of the Bulletin.
0:30.0	This week, a Mormon church in Michigan becomes the latest victim of gun violence.
0:34.7	The United Nations General Assembly gets contentious and Congress warns of a
0:39.2	government shutdown. Mike Cosper and I discuss these headlines and Mike sits down with Noel
0:44.1	Cook to talk about MAGA women and conspiracy theories. Welcome to the show.
0:57.4	This paid message is from Pew Research Center.
1:03.0	The U.S. Census doesn't track religion, but Pew Research Center's religious landscape study does. Since 2007, it's provided a comprehensive look at the ever-changing role of faith in America.
1:09.0	With responses from more than 35,000 Americans, the religious
1:12.4	landscape study provides authoritative data on religious beliefs, practices, and identities across
1:18.3	all 50 states. To explore how faith shapes your community, visit pewresearch.org
1:23.6	slash RLS.
1:29.6	Hello, listeners. welcome to our Tuesday show where we let you know what's catching our eye as the week begins.
1:35.0	Joining me is Mike Cosper.
1:36.6	Hey there, Mike.
1:37.5	Hey, good morning, Clarissa.
1:38.7	On Sunday, a 40-year-old man drove a pickup truck into a Mormon church in Michigan and began shooting.
1:45.0	Police say the suspect also set the building on fire, plumes of black smoke filling the sky.
1:51.4	And investigators say they located suspected explosive devices linked to the suspect as well,
1:57.2	teams working to safely clear the heavily damaged building.
	...

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