Rick Pidcock

[upbeat music] Welcome to another change-making conversation from Baptist News Global.

You're listening to a special podcast series titled Highest Power: Church and State, featuring writer, poet, and musician Rick Pidcock.

Now, here's Rick.

[upbeat music] Hello, everyone, and welcome to Highest Power: Church and State.

I'm normally your host, Rick Pidcock, but for today's episode, I had a really cool opportunity over the weekend I wanted to share with you.

Many of you have grown to love the writing of Mallory Challis.

She started writing for BNG back in 2021, about a year after I did.

I'm your host, Eric Swirczynski.

I'm a former fundamentalist now shedding light on the darker side of the church, from the pulpits to the pews, and today on the show, I'm sitting down with my good friend Rick Pidcock.

He's the author of the brand-new book, Weapons of Worship: How the Songs of Evangelicalism Form the Soundtrack of Extremism.

And the book asks a really simple question: how did songs beloved by white evangelicals become the soundtrack of Christian supremacy's war on democracy? And as you're gonna hear from Rick on this episode, the answer is so layered and so complex.

Uh, we had a lot of fun there.

But that's enough from me.

Let's go ahead and get into this conversation with Rick Pidcock.

Be sure to grab a copy of his book titled Weapons of Worship: How the Songs of Evangelicalism Form the Soundtrack of Extremism.

Welcome to another change-making conversation from Baptist News Global.

You're listening to a special podcast series titled Highest Power, Church and State, featuring writer, poet, and musician Rick Pidcock.

Now here's Rick.

One of the stories over the past week that has repeatedly shown up on my social media news feeds has been the claim that Noah's Ark has 100% been found, according to scientists.

Welcome to another change-making conversation from Baptist News Global.

You're listening to a special podcast series titled Highest Power, Church and State, featuring writer, poet, and musician Rick Pidcock.

Now here's Rick.

Defense Secretary and Doug Wilson disciple Pete Hegseth spoke at U.S. Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia yesterday, giving a State of the Force address in front of a large American flag.

well hey everybody i'm really happy today to be joined again by our good friend rick pidcock and his new book is coming out today so we've talked about it before we're going to talk about it again today and i'll go a little bit deeper into it so rick pidcock is a former worship leader for 20 years he currently writes for baptist news global and his book i think is like i've said before one of the most important christian books written this year and so it's called weapons of worship how the songs of evangelicalism form the soundtrack of extremism good to see you rick yeah good to be here again yeah we're going to jump right in here with the trailer for this book because i feel like the trailer sets the stage for what this book is about and then we'll talk about it

As Christian crusaders attempt to destroy democracy by wielding worship as a weapon against their neighbors,

many

So I think some of this is just like, when I point out different dynamics like that throughout the book, I think it's important for us to not get self-defensive about and act like oh you're calling me a racist you're calling me an extremist you know and i'm not that it's important to reflect like okay this is the reality this is the water we're swimming in and and it's not right i i think i'm assuming that white evangelicals a lot of them are probably going to agree that it's not right that black people aren't getting paid like white people are, that it's not right that our music is reflecting warrior men and is, you know, belittling intimacy with God at lyrics because that's a female thing.

I think, I think, and my hope is that they'll start to recognize some of that in a way that's not so defensive and can correct some of those.

So Rick Pidcock, thank you so much for being here today again.

And I'm excited that your book is coming out today and that people can order it.

Why don't you tell us again, the title of the book, where people can find it.

Welcome to another change-making conversation from Baptist News Global.

You're listening to a special podcast series titled Highest Power, Church and State, featuring writer, poet, and musician Rick Pidcock.

Now here's Rick.

Hello everyone, and welcome to Highest Power Church and State.

I'm your host, Rick Pidcock, and I am coming to you tonight from Dallas, Texas, at the Baptist News Global Annual Board Meeting.

Of course, I'm not on the board, but they invited Ruth Ellen and I out to Dallas to celebrate the launch of my first book.

Weapons of Worship, How the Songs of Evangelicalism Form the Soundtrack of Extremism.

Welcome to another change-making conversation from Baptist News Global.

You're listening to a special podcast series titled Highest Power, Church and State, featuring writer, poet, and musician Rick Pidcock.

Now here's Rick.

On Monday's episode with Jonna Harris, one of the things we discussed was the importance of highlighting voices from communities that have been harmed by empire in our critique of empire.

Well, welcome everyone to the Spiritual Brewpub.

I'm your host, Michael Camp, and today, uh, I'm excited because I have a very special author with us, uh, Rick Pidcock.

Rick, Rick is the, uh, author of a forthcoming book called Weapons of Worship: How the Songs of Evangelicalism Form the Soundtrack of Extremism.

Rick, welcome to the podcast.

Sure.

And you mentioned a book the other day by Rick Pidcock.

Is that

his name? Yeah, Rick Pidcock has a book coming out.

Hold on, I grabbed a screenshot of it.

Let me pull that up.

Yeah, it's called Weapons of Worship, How the Songs of Evangelicalism Form the Soundtrack of Extremism.

That could be a very challenging book, but also could be very good.

Welcome to another change-making conversation from Baptist News Global.

You're listening to a special podcast series titled Highest Power, Church and State, featuring writer, poet, and musician Rick Pidcock.

Now here's Rick.

Last week, I quoted from B&G Executive Director Mark Wingfield's recent Friday Roundup newsletter about the number of books coming out this month that appeal to progressive Christians.