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Axis Conversations

Axis

Each week on Axis Conversations, we survey cultural trends, host expert interviews, and answer listener questions to help parents and caring adults understand and disciple the next generation

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August 6 · 9 min
CT: Spider-Man, Ariana Grande, and Hank Green
Ariana Grande announces a break from public life, history writer and influencer Hank Green faces backlash for using AI tools, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day has a wild opening weekend. Slang of the Week: Larping → Click to see our interview on Educating Humans in the Age of AI (with Professor Jeffrey Bilbro) In Other News: The current owners of Myspace (Tim and Chris Vanderhook) announced that they plan to relaunch the classic social media platform, though they did not say when. Let the record reflect that we are on the edge of our seats. According to the Wall Street Journal, this summer's "hottest drink" is officially a bottle of water. Try some today for $6!Vogue, on the other hand, has argued that the drink of the summer is "banana-milk coffee." And right behind that one: durian-mustard maté. Netflix is getting sued for $105 million for losing an unencrypted copy of Nicolas Cage's WWII film Fortitude. Kind of like we might lose a few subscribers after that obscure fruit-caffeine joke in point three. Finally, Christianity Today agrees with us that Instagram Plus is really just Instagram Minus. So glad our own Jenna Mindel was on the case! 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
August 4 · 33 min
Educating Humans in the Age of AI (with Professor Jeffrey Bilbro)
Jeffrey is the editor-in-chief of Front Porch Republic and associate professor of English at Grove City College. He is the author of several books, including Reading the Times: A Literary and Theological Inquiry Into the News, which we'll be discussing today. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
July 31 · 41 min
Roundtable: The Odyssey, AI Videos of Christians Getting Bullied, and Majoring in Content Creation
Three Big Conversations: Arizona State University offers a B.A. in Content Creation - 11:26 AI-generated videos of Christians getting bullied go viral - 20:48 What The Odyssey and C.S. Lewis have in common - 29:12 Song of the Week: "Be Her" by Ella Langley - 01:10 → Click here to read the lyrics In Other News: - 37:24 Marvel will re-release Avengers: Endgame in theaters on September 25 with seven minutes of extra footage and a never-before-seen ending, connecting the movie to Avengers: Doomsday, giving fans another reason to spend money revisit the highest-grossing superhero movie of all time. Nearly half of middle and high school-aged teens have seen what they believed to be AI-generated sexual content, according to a new Common Sense Media survey. At Comic-Con this year, Marvel announced that Ryan Gosling will star as Ghost Rider in a movie directed by Sean Levy, and that Ryan Coogler will return to direct Black Panther 3, with David Jonsson playing the next Black Panther. According to The New York Times, using the phrase "Google it" officially makes you sound old, and the phrase "search it up" is now preferred. Ariana Grande's new album, petal (language), comes out today. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
July 30 · 12 min
CT: The Odyssey, AI Videos of Christians Getting Bullied, and Majoring in Content Creation
Arizona State University offers a B.A. in Content Creation, AI-generated videos of Christians getting bullied go viral, and what The Odyssey and C.S. Lewis have in common. Song of the Week: "Be Her" by Ella Langley → Click here to read the lyrics In Other News: Marvel will re-release Avengers: Endgame in theaters on September 25 with seven minutes of extra footage and a never-before-seen ending, connecting the movie to Avengers: Doomsday, giving fans another reason to spend money revisit the highest-grossing superhero movie of all time. Nearly half of middle and high school-aged teens have seen what they believed to be AI-generated sexual content, according to a new Common Sense Media survey. At Comic-Con this year, Marvel announced that Ryan Gosling will star as Ghost Rider in a movie directed by Sean Levy, and that Ryan Coogler will return to direct Black Panther 3, with David Jonsson playing the next Black Panther. According to The New York Times, using the phrase "Google it" officially makes you sound old, and the phrase "search it up" is now preferred. Ariana Grande's new album, petal (language), comes out today. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
July 28 · 16 min
Ask Axis: "The sound of my husband's voice fills my daughter with fear and panic. What do we do?"
"Our daughter has a neurological condition called misophonia which causes severe pain, panic and anger over certain common sounds like chewing and typing. One of the sounds that started triggering her a few years ago was the sound of my husband's voice. How do we navigate this as a family?" - Maria 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → This podcast is entirely Q&A based! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
July 24 · 53 min
Roundtable: Gracie Abrams, Injectable Peptides, and Kylie Jenner Smartglasses
Three Big Conversations: Gen Z musician Gracie Abrams releases an album-long apology to her mom - 05:22 TikTok influencers are promoting injectable weight loss peptides - 16:00 What parents should know about Kylie Jenner's new collaboration with Meta smartglasses - 30:06 Slang of the Week: Quiet on the Creek - 1:06 In Other News: - 49:40 According to the Wall Street Journal, the popularity of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is convincing many students to finally read the epic poem that many English teachers couldn't coax them into reading. A wild raccoon in Seattle with a deformed spine has been dubbed "Jimothy," and has become an inspiration for perseverance in the face of setbacks, with some even getting tattoos (language) of said raccoon. Infamous online "manfluencers" Andrew and Tristan Tate were arrested in Miami this Saturday, and await extradition to the U.K. for prosecution on rape and sex trafficking grounds. About one-third of people under 35 now live with their parents, according to survey data published by Realtor.com. Several members of Spain's World Cup-winning team, like Torres and Rodri, are publicly crediting God and their Catholic faith for the team's World Cup victory. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
July 23 · 8 min
CT: Gracie Abrams, Injectable Peptides, and Kylie Jenner Smartglasses
Gen Z musician Gracie Abrams releases an album-long apology to her mom, TikTok influencers are promoting injectable weight loss peptides, and what parents should know about Kylie Jenner's new collaboration with Meta smartglasses. Slang of the Week: Quiet on the Creek In Other News: According to the Wall Street Journal, the popularity of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is convincing many students to finally read the epic poem that many English teachers couldn't coax them into reading. A wild raccoon in Seattle with a deformed spine has been dubbed "Jimothy," and has become an inspiration for perseverance in the face of setbacks, with some even getting tattoos (language) of said raccoon. Infamous online "manfluencers" Andrew and Tristan Tate were arrested in Miami this Saturday, and await extradition to the U.K. for prosecution on rape and sex trafficking grounds. About one-third of people under 35 now live with their parents, according to survey data published by Realtor.com. Several members of Spain's World Cup-winning team, like Torres and Rodri, are publicly crediting God and their Catholic faith for the team's World Cup victory. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
July 21 · 52 min
Jay Stringer on How to Shape Our Kids' Desires
Jay Stringer is a licensed therapist, researcher, and speaker who helps people uncover and reshape the story beneath self-sabotage, disconnection, and shame. He is the award-winning author of Unwanted and lives in New York City with his wife Heather, and their two children. We'll be talking today primarily about his new book Desire: The Longings Inside Us and the New Science of How We Love, Heal, and Grow. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
July 17 · 36 min
Roundtable: World Cup Semifinals, All-Star Break Complaints, and the Netflix Documentary Trend
Three Big Conversations: Argentina is back in the World Cup final - 05:25 MLB's All-Star competitions had some hiccups - 12:14 Everyone online is auditioning for their Netflix documentary debut. - 22:53 Resource of the Week: The Conversation Starter - Where'd All the Tweens Go? - 0:31 In Other News: - 33:54 A parasite that causes extreme digestive upset is maybe the meme of the week (alongside Netflix documentaries). It certainly doesn't help that it's possibly connected to Taco Bell. Christopher Nolan's film The Odyssey is out in theaters this weekend. We'll write more about it next week, but for now, the R-rated take on Homer's epic poem is reviewing quite well with critics and audiences. Letterboxd has opened itself (paywall) to being purchased. It's Gen Z's movie review app of choice, and considering how Gen Z showed up to theaters this year, it's pretty valuable to buyers like Netflix and Sony to understand the preferences of young people. Meta rolled out a "feature" that effectively lets you use their AI tools to deepfake users with public accounts. It was promptly rolled back after the internet (rightly) freaked out. Assassin's Creed is back? Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced (a remake of Assassin's Creed Black Flag) sold 2 million copies in its first day. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
July 16 · 9 min
World Cup Semifinals, All-Star Break Complaints, and the Netflix Documentary Trend
Argentina is back in the World Cup final, the MLB's All-Star competitions had some hiccups, and everyone online is auditioning for their Netflix documentary debut. Resource of the Week: The Conversation Starter - Where'd All the Tweens Go? In Other News: A parasite that causes extreme digestive upset is maybe the meme of the week (alongside Netflix documentaries). It certainly doesn't help that it's possibly connected to Taco Bell. Christopher Nolan's film The Odyssey is out in theaters this weekend. We'll write more about it next week, but for now, the R-rated take on Homer's epic poem is reviewing quite well with critics and audiences. Letterboxd has opened itself (paywall) to being purchased. It's Gen Z's movie review app of choice, and considering how Gen Z showed up to theaters this year, it's pretty valuable to buyers like Netflix and Sony to understand the preferences of young people. Meta rolled out a "feature" that effectively lets you use their AI tools to deepfake users with public accounts. It was promptly rolled back after the internet (rightly) freaked out. Assassin's Creed is back? Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced (a remake of Assassin's Creed Black Flag) sold 2 million copies in its first day. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
July 14 · 10 min
"How to Draw Boundaries with media in a Sex Saturated Culture" (w/ Rob Stennett)
"We have been having some difficult and sometimes awkward conversations with our 17 yo old son about sax and masturbation. Along those lines, we've become intensely aware of the quantity of movies and shows with any kind of kissing, romantic or sex scenes. How do you draw boundaries and live in our sex saturated culture? Don't ever watch anything? Get filters and Vid Angel? Fast forward scenes? Just watch whatever and talk a lot? And how does that work when the dialogue seems one-sided? This feels so hard and confusing as a Christian, where do we go from here?" - Orange Worm 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
July 10 · 50 min
Roundtable: Taylor Swift's Wedding, Butter Moms, and Christian Teens Say They Trust AI
→ The podcast has a new YouTube Channel! @axisconversationspodcast Three Big Conversations: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce got married in a garden in The Garden - 08:04 So-called "butter moms" are setting the vibe for a deep-fried summer - 19:00 New data from CIY and Barna gives us insight into how Christian teens are using AI. - 32:20 Slang of the Week: "NPC" - 00:56 In Other News:- 48:00 The round of 16 is officially wrapped in the 2026 World Cup, with all three host countries (Canada, Mexico, and the US) failing to continue. Another notable casualty is Portugal, with global superstar Cristiano Ronaldo saying goodbye to World Cup competition. Building on the trend of hosting in-person experiences, Charli xcx has announced official listening parties, hosted around the world, for her July 24th album, titled Music, Fashion, Film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 529 new members, perhaps as an attempt to regain relevance with the rising generation. The new Oscar voters will include Gen Z notables like Jacob Elordi, Jenna Ortega, and Mia Goth. The video game industry continues to be volatile, as Xbox announced this week that they're laying off almost 5,000 employees and "resetting Xbox." While perhaps not indicative of all, trends where young people reject modern "big tech" continue to rise in popularity, like the "Luddite Festival" that took place in New York City last week. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
July 9 · 11 min
CT: Taylor Swift's Wedding, Butter Moms, and Christian Teens Say They Trust AI
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce got married in a garden in The Garden, so-called "butter moms" are setting the vibe for a deep-fried summer, and new data from CIY and Barna gives us insight into how Christian teens are using AI. Slang of the Week: "NPC" In Other News: The round of 16 is officially wrapped in the 2026 World Cup, with all three host countries (Canada, Mexico, and the US) failing to continue. Another notable casualty is Portugal, with global superstar Cristiano Ronaldo saying goodbye to World Cup competition. Building on the trend of hosting in-person experiences, Charli xcx has announced official listening parties, hosted around the world, for her July 24th album, titled Music, Fashion, Film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 529 new members, perhaps as an attempt to regain relevance with the rising generation. The new Oscar voters will include Gen Z notables like Jacob Elordi, Jenna Ortega, and Mia Goth. The video game industry continues to be volatile, as Xbox announced this week that they're laying off almost 5,000 employees and "resetting Xbox." While perhaps not indicative of all, trends where young people reject modern "big tech" continue to rise in popularity, like the "Luddite Festival" that took place in New York City last week. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
July 7 · 35 min
Rob Stennett on Understanding the Meaning and Impact of the Movies We Watch
Rob Stennett is a graduate of UCLA film school, filmmaker, novelist, and content creator. His work has been recognized with ADDYs for writing and directing. He won the Denver Film Race for best writing, and a SILVER TELLY at the Telly Awards for a feature documentary he wrote and directed. He's created story and video content for brands, churches, and nonprofits all over the world including National Geographic, Compassion International, One Chapel, New Life Church, DISH Network, MLB, Formula 1, and the Discovery Channel, and is also the Owner & Lead Creative of Storyize, and the co-host of the podcast Meaning of the Movie. → Click to check out Storyize → Click to check out The Meaning of the Movie podcast 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → This podcast is entirely Q&A based! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
July 3 · 49 min
Roundtable: Gambling Influencers, Concert Diapers, and Instagram Plus
Three Big Conversations: The "prediction market" site Polymarket is paying influencers to film themselves pretending to win money - 12:36 Instagram Plus lets users see how many times others rewatched their stories - 24:28 Gen Z faves Olivia Rodrigo and Noah Kahan speak out on fans' bad bathroom habits - 32:36 Song of the Week: "Earrings" by Malcolm Todd - 01:54 → Click here to read the lyrics In Other News: - 46:10 Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are renting out Madison Square Garden this Fourth of July weekend. While they might be reliving the Knicks' miraculous NBA Finals victory, it's more likely to be related to her wedding. Whether shifting trends in moviegoers' tastes or continued superhero fatigue are to blame, Supergirl seems to be a miss at the box office this summer. Viewership is down significantly for season 2 of the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender, and it's far from the only show that seems to be losing viewer interest on Netflix. Sony announced that they are ending production of physical discs for PlayStation games in 2028, a clear marker of consumer preferences and another solemn ring in the death knell of physical media. WNBA star Sophie Cunningham went viral after defiantly pointing at opponent DeWanna Bonner for almost half a minute. Mature? Not really. Internet meme fodder? Absolutely. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
July 2 · 8 min
CT: Gambling Influencers, Concert Diapers, and Instagram Plus
The "prediction market" site Polymarket is paying influencers to film themselves pretending to win money, Instagram Plus lets users see how many times others rewatched their stories, and Gen Z faves Olivia Rodrigo and Noah Kahan speak out on fans' bad bathroom habits. Song of the Week: "Earrings" by Malcolm Todd → Click here to read the lyrics In Other News: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are renting out Madison Square Garden this Fourth of July weekend. While they might be reliving the Knicks' miraculous NBA Finals victory, it's more likely to be related to her wedding. Whether shifting trends in moviegoers' tastes or continued superhero fatigue are to blame, Supergirl seems to be a miss at the box office this summer. Viewership is down significantly for season 2 of the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender, and it's far from the only show that seems to be losing viewer interest on Netflix. Sony announced that they are ending production of physical discs for PlayStation games in 2028, a clear marker of consumer preferences and another solemn ring in the death knell of physical media. WNBA star Sophie Cunningham went viral after defiantly pointing at opponent DeWanna Bonner for almost half a minute. Mature? Not really. Internet meme fodder? Absolutely. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
June 30 · 9 min
"One of my kids is neurodivergent. What does faithful fatherhood look like in the trenches?" (w/ Russ Ewell)
"As dads, how do we stay consistent as disciplers and spiritual taste-makers for our sons when life is chaotic — job transitions, legal battles, financial pressure? My boys are at three completely different stages, one of them neurodivergent, and I want to be shaping their hearts and minds toward Christ even when I'm running on empty. What does faithful fatherhood look like in the trenches?" - Jason → Click here for Russ's Book: He's Not Who You Think He Is: Dropping Your Assumptions and Discovering God for Yourself → Click here to see Russ's op-ed with Fox News 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → This podcast is entirely Q&A based! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

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