No Iran Deal, Russell Brand Reads the Bible, and Ben Sasse’s Public Dying

The Bulletin

Christianity Today

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

4.4 • 586 Ratings

🗓️ 1 May 2026

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week, President Trump rejected Iran’s proposal to end the war, saying he isn’t willing to accept Iran’s terms unless they agree to gut their nuclear capabilities. CT’s Bonnie Kristian joins Russell Moore and Clarissa Moll to discuss the status of the war. Eyes are on English celebrity Russell Brand assessing the authenticity of his conversion to Christianity. Why do Christians care so much when celebrities profess faith, and what is the role of testimony in the church? Bonnie, Russell and Clarissa weigh in. Finally, former US Senator Ben Sasse has terminal cancer and is using his final months to publicly talk about his love for his country, family, and God. CT’s Sho Baraka stops by for a heartfelt conversation about what it means to live and to die well. REFERENCED IN THE EPISODE: Christianity Today Bible Studies “AI Necromancy Impersonates the Dead” by Haleluya Hadero 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: Bonnie Kristian is the deputy editor at Christianity Today. She is the author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today. Her writing has been published at outlets including The New York Times, The Week, USA Today, CNN, Politico, and others. Sho Baraka is Christianity Today’s Big Tent editorial director. He is a recording artist, performer, culture curator, activist, and writer. He is a cofounder of Forth District and the And Campaign, and he has served as an adjunct professor at Wake Forest University School of Divinity. He was an original member of influential hip-hop consortium 116 Clique, recording with Reach Records. ABOUT THE BULLETIN: The Bulletin is a twice-weekly news analysis podcast from Christianity Today, with editor-at-large Russell Moore and executive editor of news Clarissa Moll. Each episode offers commentary on current events and headlining news with a roundtable of premier guests, and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world 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 Producer: Erik Petrik Senior Producer: Matt Stevens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Corey Whitehead from Christianity Today.
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0:46.4	From Christianity today, you're listening to The Bulletin, a podcast about the people, events, and issues that are shaping our world.
0:47.7	I'm Clarissa Mall.
1:00.1	Today, Russell Moore and I join with Bonnie Christian and Shobaraka to talk about Iran's rejected proposal, Russell Brand's public testimony, and Senator Ben Sasse's decision to die well. Welcome to the show.
1:13.3	Good morning, listeners. Welcome to our Friday roundtable. On Wednesday, Axios reported that President Trump rejected Iran's proposal to end the war by opening the Strait of Hormuz, saying that unless nuclear negotiations were part of the package,
1:18.8	he wasn't willing to accept Iran's terms. Here's what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had to say.
1:24.0	The biggest challenge, the biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless,
1:31.0	feckless, and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans two months in.
1:38.5	Mr. Trump's decision to reject Iran's proposal has left many wondering what happens as the week ends and the 60-day
1:45.9	War Powers Act designation expires.
1:48.8	Joining me for the conversation is CT's editor at large and columnist Russell Moore and
1:53.9	C.T.'s deputy editor, Bonnie Christian. Thanks for being with me today, y'all.
1:57.9	Hello.
1:58.7	Thank you for having me.
1:59.8	For weeks now, we've been talking about how
2:01.6	President Trump's global interactions are largely transactional. The events of this week almost
2:07.2	lined up perfectly for a transaction, I think. The UAE leaves OPEC, the war power's 60-day deadline is looming.
2:14.0	Time to make a deal. Why do you think, Bonnie, that the Trump administration flat out turned down
	...

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