Axis Conversations
For unge lyttereReligion og åndelighetEach 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
Siste episoder av Axis Conversations podcast
- CT: MrBeast Chains Exes Together, Cognitive Decline in Youth, and the Gen Z Dating Landscape (00:09:37)
Mr. Beast chains two exes together for 30 days, a new study finds increasing amounts of cognitive decline in young people, and what terms like “sneaky links,” “zombie,” and “breadcrumbing” mean in the Gen Z dating landscape. Slang of the Week - "Bread" Elsewhere in Culture: K-Pop group HUNTR/X, of KPop Demon Hunters fame, will debut as a live band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this coming week. Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco are officially married, with Vogue unveiling their first set of breathtaking wedding photos. Young people had many opinions about the union. JK Rowling sparked controversy after publishing a lengthy essay targeting Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe, igniting fresh backlash online. Gaming giant Electronic Arts, the studio behind The Sims and Madden, has been acquired in a record-breaking $55 billion deal. Taylor Swift’s new album, The Life of a Showgirl, releases today. Look for our review next week! Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. And for more resources, go to axis.org.
- Ask Axis: "How do I talk to my adult son about porn and screen addiction?" (00:12:08)
"My 21 year old is battling screen addiction. How can we help reach our now adult child's heart in order for him to see the garbage he is seeing on his phone? We know he is batteling porn but he feels helpless. How can we raise our other boys to respect the dangers of these devices?" Click to check out Porn Free Radio. Click to check out 7 Pillars of Freedom Group. Click to check out Protect Young Eyes. Here is Irene's Video about What Social Media Steals From You. Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
- Roundtable: RaptureTok, Demon Slayer, and Parental Loneliness (00:45:18)
Three Big Conversations: RaptureTok reacts to the failed prediction of the rapture happening this past Tuesday. - 8:14 The R-rated anime movie Demon Slayer debuts at #1 in theaters. - 16:34 Ways parents can find solutions to the problem of parental loneliness.- 26:34 Song of the Week - “Man I Need” by Olivia Dean - 1:46 To read the lyrics, click here. Elsewhere in culture: - 42:12 Fourteen-year-old influencer Zuza Beine from the Glow House passed away this week after an 11-year battle with leukemia. Robot umpires are officially coming to Major League Baseball in 2026. The Summer I Turned Pretty will return as a Prime movie, bringing Belly, Conrad, and the rest of the Cousins Beach crew back for the final chapter. The “pi**er” trend has hit college campuses, with students posting viral clips of public urination and even sparking “pi**er hunter” accounts trying to track them down. Axis’s new Conversation Starter video, “What Social Media Steals From You,” looks at how scrolling on our smartphones shapes our presence, our kids, and even our faith. Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
- CT: RaptureTok, Demon Slayer, and Parental Loneliness (00:10:17)
RaptureTok reacts to the failed prediction of the rapture happening this past Tuesday, the R-rated anime movie Demon Slayer debuts at #1 in theaters, and ways parents can find solutions to the problem of parental loneliness. Song of the Week - “Man I Need” by Olivia Dean To read the lyrics, click here. Elsewhere in culture: Fourteen-year-old influencer Zuza Beine from the Glow House passed away this week after an 11-year battle with leukemia. Robot umpires are officially coming to Major League Baseball in 2026. The Summer I Turned Pretty will return as a Prime movie, bringing Belly, Conrad, and the rest of the Cousins Beach crew back for the final chapter. The “pi**er” trend has hit college campuses, with students posting viral clips of public urination and even sparking “pi**er hunter” accounts trying to track them down. Axis’s new Conversation Starter video, “What Social Media Steals From You,” looks at how scrolling on our smartphones shapes our presence, our kids, and even our faith. Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
- Dr. Jean Twenge on 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World (00:35:08)
Dr. Jean Twenge is a professor of psychology at San Diego State University, and is the author of more than 190 scientific publications and several books based on her research, including Generations, iGen, Generation Me, and her latest book 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World, which we’ll be talking about today. Her research has been covered in Time, The Atlantic, Newsweek, The New York Times, USA TODAY, and The Washington Post. She has also been featured on Today, Good Morning America, Fox and Friends, CBS This Morning, Real Time with Bill Maher, Meet the Press, and NPR. She lives in San Diego with her husband and three daughters. Check out Dr. Jean Twenge's book here: 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
- Roundtable: The Wilted Rose, How Midlife Got Better, and Charlie Kirk (01:03:49)
Three Big Conversations: The wilted rose emoji is the new broken heart emoji. - 12:32 The aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting. - 23:00 A new study about why the so-called “unhappiness hump” of midlife is shifting. - 43:36 Song of the Week - "Back to Friends" - sombr - 1:36 To read the lyrics click here. Elsewhere in culture: - 1:01:26 As of this past Sunday, Turning Point USA had reported 54,000 new inquiries from people wanting to start chapters of the organization Charlie Kirk helped to cofound. The game Borderlands 4 has been released, but it has several performance issues on gaming consoles. So-called “green witchcraft” is now trending, which is supposed to involve a mixture of herbalism and eco-friendly rituals. Apple’s iOS 26, with its new Liquid Glass design style, is now available to anyone with iPhone 11 or later. The new Gen Z trend of “reverse catfishing” involves deliberately underselling oneself online, in the hopes of finding a connection with someone based on more than just edited images. Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. And for more resources, go to axis.org.
- CT: The Wilted Rose, How Midlife Got Better, and Charlie Kirk (00:09:19)
The wilted rose emoji is the new broken heart emoji, a new study about why the so-called “unhappiness hump” of midlife is shifting, and the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting. Song of the Week - "Back to Friends" - sombr Elsewhere in culture: As of this past Sunday, Turning Point USA had reported 54,000 new inquiries from people wanting to start chapters of the organization Charlie Kirk helped to cofound. The game Borderlands 4 has been released, but it has several performance issues on gaming consoles. So-called “green witchcraft” is now trending, which is supposed to involve a mixture of herbalism and eco-friendly rituals. Apple’s iOS 26, with its new Liquid Glass design style, is now available to anyone with iPhone 11 or later. The new Gen Z trend of “reverse catfishing” involves deliberately underselling oneself online, in the hopes of finding a connection with someone based on more than just edited images. To read the lyrics click here. Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. And for more resources, go to axis.org.
- Ask Axis: “How do I talk to my daughter about connecting with online strangers?” (00:13:23)
“We are very strict with our daughter about her presence on social media. However we often find that friends help her create accounts with Instagram and Snapchat on their phones and tablets. Just this morning I discovered an account (it isn't hard to find them) on Instagram where she was chatting with a boy from Miami she has never met. She was talking about how strict we are. He told her she needs to break free from her prison. The topic came up because he was wondering why she didn't have any photos of herself up. He also asked if she has a snapchat account. She doesn't realize how dangerous that very conversation is. This of all things is my "paranoid parent" issue. So I am reaching out to you Axis… how can we get our kids to understand how dangerous these conversations with strangers are. Sometimes I get afraid that the only way I can get her to understand would be to be far more graphic than I ever want to be. Can you discuss ways to have this conversation?” - Joy Click here for the Everything Smartphone Guide on Amazon Or experience it here. Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
- Roundtable: Sabrina Carpenter, Peace Signs, and Online Age Verification (00:57:52)
Three Big Conversations: Sabrina Carpenter’s new album pushes predictable buttons. - 9:22 Why Gen Alpha loves throwing up peace signs. -24:44 Why some people think online age verification is a dangerous idea. - 36:16 Song of the Week - "Dead Dance" - Lady Gaga-2:22 To read the lyrics click here. Elsewhere in culture: - 56:10 This week, Apple announced the next generation of iPhone, as well as new Airpods that feature live language translation. Ariana Grande is opting not to use dynamic pricing for her upcoming shows, ensuring tickets remain the same price regardless of demand. MTV’s Video Music Awards happened this week, with Lady Gaga winning “Artist of the Year.”AI videos stylized like video game cutscenes (specifically Final Fantasy) are being created to bring “Bible stories to life like no one’s ever seen before.” “Ranch Style,” i.e. fashion that focuses on looking like you work or live on a ranch, may be the hottest fashion trend in the upcoming months. Become a monthly donor today, join the Table.
- CT: Sabrina Carpenter, Peace Signs, and Online Age Verification (00:10:33)
Sabrina Carpenter’s new album pushes predictable buttons, why Gen Alpha loves throwing up peace signs, and why some people think online age verification is a dangerous idea. Song of the Week - "Dead Dance" - Lady Gaga To read the lyrics click here. Elsewhere in culture: This week, Apple announced the next generation of iPhone, as well as new Airpods that feature live language translation. Ariana Grande is opting not to use dynamic pricing for her upcoming shows, ensuring tickets remain the same price regardless of demand. MTV’s Video Music Awards happened this week, with Lady Gaga winning “Artist of the Year.”AI videos stylized like video game cutscenes (specifically Final Fantasy) are being created to bring “Bible stories to life like no one’s ever seen before.” “Ranch Style,” i.e. fashion that focuses on looking like you work or live on a ranch, may be the hottest fashion trend in the upcoming months. Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
- “Can Teens Skip Smartphones Altogether?” with Clare Morell (00:44:11)
Clare is a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, where she directs EPPC’s Technology and Human Flourishing Project. Prior to joining the EPPC, Mrs. Morell worked in both the White House Counsel’s Office and the Department of Justice, as well as in the private and non-profit sectors. She is the author of The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones, which we’ll be talking about today. Click here for Clare's book: The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones Learn more about Clare: https://thetechexit.com https://claremorell.substack.com https://eppc.org/author/clare_morell/ Donate today through The Table For more resources, go to axis.org.
- Roundtable: Your Kids’ Friends, Giving Up AI, and The Shooting at Annunciation (01:12:17)
Three Big Conversations: A solution to the problem of what to do when our kids have friends we don’t like Why some high school and college students are giving up the use of AI The aftermath of the tragic shooting at Annunciation. Resource of the Week - The Table Elsewhere in culture: Sabrina Carpenter said that her new album Man’s Best Friend was “not for any pearl clutchers,” as reported by The Hollywood Reporter (strong language and sexual content). Memes about Wal-Mart’s recall of “radioactive shrimp” started trending. Episode 1 of the new season of The Great British Baking Show will be released tonight in the United States. TCU destroyed North Carolina 48-14 in Bill Belichick’s college football coaching debut. Long-awaited indie game Hollow Knight: Silksong was released yesterday and was so popular it was crashing digital storefronts. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
- CT: Your Kids’ Friends, Giving Up AI, and The Shooting at Annunciation (00:07:07)
A solution to the problem of what to do when our kids have friends we don’t like, why some high school and college students are giving up the use of AI, and the aftermath of the tragic shooting at Annunciation. Resource of the Week - The Table Elsewhere in culture: Sabrina Carpenter said that her new album Man’s Best Friend was “not for any pearl clutchers,” as reported by The Hollywood Reporter (strong language and sexual content). Memes about Wal-Mart’s recall of “radioactive shrimp” started trending. Episode 1 of the new season of The Great British Baking Show will be released tonight in the United States. TCU destroyed North Carolina 48-14 in Bill Belichick’s college football coaching debut. Long-awaited indie game Hollow Knight: Silksong was released yesterday and was so popular it was crashing digital storefronts.
- Ask Axis: “Help! I feel overwhelmed with technology!” (00:12:19)
“I’m sure people are asking this but I am overwhelmed with technology. I have put into place the parental controls on the iPhone and my 15 yr old hacks around it. I bought him a bark phone now. But I can’t seem to make him “get it”. To know and feel integrity and make wise choices when nobody is looking. It seems no matter what I do, the tech outsmarts me and I feel like a failure as a parent that my son has somehow gotten addicted to porn behind my back. I hope you can address this in a podcast.” - Cara This podcast is entirely Q&A based! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. Resources from the episode: Click here for the Everything Smartphone Guide on Amazon Or experience it here. Sherry Turkle's book: Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age Brain, Heart, World Documentary Axis: Talking to Your Teen About Pornography Pure Desire - Ministry and Resources Donate today through The Table For more resources, go to axis.org.
- Special Roundtable: What do we do about smartphones?!?! (00:50:18)
It’s Smartphone September, and we’re releasing a whole suite of new content aimed at the glowing rectangles that dominate so much of our lives, and how families can navigate these devices with wisdom. Click here for the Everything Smartphone Guide on Amazon Or experience it here. Donate today through The Table. And for more resources, go to axis.org.
- Roundtable: Roblox Lawsuits, Laufey, and Taylor Swift’s Engagement (00:56:04)
Three Big Conversations: Roblox is getting sued for failing to protect children from online predators. - 6:58 Jazz-pop musician Laufey sings about self-worth on her new album (language). - 26:48 What the celebration of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement says about our culture. - 39:20 Slang of the Week - “41” (language) - 1:40 Elsewhere in culture: - 53:40 The music-streaming app Spotify will soon roll out a direct messaging function for app users. Forrest Frank created a video offering forgiveness to the other Christians—particularly Cory Asbury—who have been making parody videos about his back injury. A California family is suing OpenAI for ChatGPT’s role in their son’s suicide. Many people on YouTube and other platforms are changing their profile pictures to images of the once-hated Clippy to protest ethical failures in modern tech companies. Our newest episode of the Conversation Starter is all about the hit zombie show, and game, The Last of Us. Check out our video on Roblox here. Become a monthly donor today with the Table. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
- CT: Roblox Lawsuits, Laufey, and Taylor Swift’s Engagement (00:09:04)
Roblox is getting sued for failing to protect children from online predators, jazz-pop musician Laufey sings about self-worth on her new album (language), and what the celebration of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement says about our culture. Slang of the Week - “41” (language) Elsewhere in culture: The music-streaming app Spotify will soon roll out a direct messaging function for app users. Forrest Frank created a video offering forgiveness to the other Christians—particularly Cory Asbury—who have been making parody videos about his back injury. A California family is suing OpenAI for ChatGPT’s role in their son’s suicide. Many people on YouTube and other platforms are changing their profile pictures to images of the once-hated Clippy to protest ethical failures in modern tech companies. Our newest episode of the Conversation Starter is all about the hit zombie show, and game, The Last of Us. Check out our video on Roblox here. Become a monthly donor today with the Table. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
- Dr. Preston Sprinkle & Laurie Krieg on Helping Kids Navigate a Sexually Broken Culture (00:46:43)
I’m here today with Dr. Preston Sprinkle and Laurie Krieg, the President and Director of Parent Programs respectively for the Center for Faith, Sexuality & Gender. Preston is a New York Times–bestselling author who’s written over a dozen books, and got his PhD in New Testament from Aberdeen University. Laurie has a master’s in evangelism and leadership from Wheaton Graduate School, and hosts the Hole in My Heart podcast with her husband Matt, with whom she also co-authored the book An Impossible Marriage, and the upcoming book Raising Wise Kids in a Sexually Broken World with Matt Krieg. Today we’ll be talking about the new, upcoming resource from the Center for Faith, Sexuality and Gender called Christian Sexuality: Raising Kids, which is designed to be a comprehensive discipleship resource for parents, and will be coming out next week, on September 1. To check out the resource, click here. Click here to check out Laurie's new book: Raising Wise Kids in a Sexually Broken World Become a monthly donor today with the Table. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
- Roundtable: The Queen of RichTok, Back to School Fashion, and AI Doomsday Preppers (00:59:28)
Three Big Conversations: The Queen of RichTok makes $500,000 necklaces seem boring. - 07:34 Back-to-school trends come with a Y2K flair. - 25:50 AI researchers are preparing for the worst.- 39:34 Slang of the Week - “6-7”- 1:20 Elsewhere in culture: - 57:30 Europe’s premiere gaming conference, Gamescom, kicked off this week, with new games being detailed and announced, including a new Lego Batman game. Christian musician Forrest Frank has surpassed Drake in terms of monthly listeners on YouTube Music. The Cambridge Dictionary has officially added the words skibidi and delulu. Educator and influencer Hank Green helped create a successful productivity app called Focus Friend, in which going to distracting apps prevents your cute pet bean from being able to finish knitting. A 2017 book about resisting tyranny has sold over 250,000 copies this year after going viral on TikTok. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
- CT: The Queen of RichTok, Back to School Fashion, and AI Doomsday Preppers (00:09:22)
The Queen of RichTok makes $500,000 necklaces seem boring, back-to-school trends come with a Y2K flair, and AI researchers are preparing for the worst. Slang of the Week - “6-7” Elsewhere in culture: Europe’s premiere gaming conference, Gamescom, kicked off this week, with new games being detailed and announced, including a new Lego Batman game. Christian musician Forrest Frank has surpassed Drake in terms of monthly listeners on YouTube Music. The Cambridge Dictionary has officially added the words skibidi and delulu. Educator and influencer Hank Green helped create a successful productivity app called Focus Friend, in which going to distracting apps prevents your cute pet bean from being able to finish knitting. A 2017 book about resisting tyranny has sold over 250,000 copies this year after going viral on TikTok. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
- Ask Axis: “How do my kids survive the AI-pocalypse?” (00:11:03)
"How do you think artificial general intelligence will affect our children? How do we prepare our families for AGI's advent in 2 to 3 years?" - Christina Ai will change what it is to be human. Are we ready? - Article This podcast is entirely Q&A based! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. And for more resources, go to axis.org.
- Roundtable: GPT-5, The Stiletto Challenge, and The 30-Minute Ick (00:55:57)
Three Big Conversations: The “Nicki Minaj stiletto challenge” encourages influencers to film themselves balancing on one stiletto-clad foot. - 05:50 OpenAI released GPT-5 and users hate it. - 16:08 Why time (unfortunately) flies when we’re using social media. - 43:22 Slang of the Week - "Dogwater" - 01:25 Elsewhere in culture: - 53:06 Taylor Swift announced (on her boyfriend’s football podcast) that her 12th album will be titled The Life of a Showgirl, and available for pre-order soon. Popular TikTok couple Nick and Cassie, featured on @cassiesbooktok, are breaking up—and the video announcing it has almost 8 million likes and numerous comments, each with hundreds of thousands of likes. An article in Airmail connects the trend of brides planning wedding proposals for themselves to the fact that proposal content tends to get more likes on social media. The phrase “just found out I’m chopped and also unc” is trending, and jokingly refers to someone being both unattractive (chopped) and old (unc). Chappell Roan’s new song “The Subway” is about struggling to get over a breakup (language and sexual content). For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
- CT: GPT-5, The Stiletto Challenge, and The 30-Minute Ick (00:09:04)
OpenAI released GPT-5 and users hate it, the “Nicki Minaj stiletto challenge” encourages influencers to film themselves balancing on one stiletto-clad foot, and why time (unfortunately) flies when we’re using social media. Slang of the Week - "Dogwater" Elsewhere in culture: Taylor Swift announced (on her boyfriend’s football podcast) that her 12th album will be titled The Life of a Showgirl, and available for pre-order soon. Popular TikTok couple Nick and Cassie, featured on @cassiesbooktok, are breaking up—and the video announcing it has almost 8 million likes and numerous comments, each with hundreds of thousands of likes. An article in Airmail connects the trend of brides planning wedding proposals for themselves to the fact that proposal content tends to get more likes on social media. The phrase “just found out I’m chopped and also unc” is trending, and jokingly refers to someone being both unattractive (chopped) and old (unc). Chappell Roan’s new song “The Subway” is about struggling to get over a breakup (language and sexual content). For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
- Lee Strobel on Seeing the Supernatural (00:47:51)
After earning a journalism degree at the University of Missouri, Strobel was awarded a Ford Foundation fellowship to study at Yale Law School, where he received a Master of Studies in Law degree. For fourteen years he was a journalist at the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers, winning Illinois’ top honors for investigative reporting (which he shared with a team he led) and public service journalism from United Press International. He is a New York Times bestselling author whose books have sold millions of copies worldwide. We’ll be talking today primarily about his new book Seeing the Supernatural: Investigating Angels, Demons, Mystical Dreams, Near-Death Encounters, and Other Mysteries of the Unseen World. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
- Roundtable: The Summer I Turned Pretty, News on TikTok, and Cultural Blandness (01:00:39)
Three Big Conversations: The Summer I Turned Pretty is back for its 3rd season and is taking over Amazon Prime. - 3:00 What it means that 40% of 18 to 29-year-olds get their news from TikTok. - 25:32 Why it feels like most people aren’t paying attention to the same parts of culture this summer. - 46:04 Survey of the Week - The Miraculous- 01:18 Elsewhere in culture:- 58:28 Gen Alpha now drives almost half of household spending, at least in the US. Vodka seltzer company High Noon recently issued a recall after some of their vodka products were mistakenly labeled as Celsius energy drinks. The first half of Wednesday Season 2 officially dropped on Netflix this week. The phrase “you need to nerd out” is being used as a new social media flex, helping to make obsessive, niche fandom cool again. “Clanker,” originally a Star Wars diss for droids, is now trending as a meme insult for AI and robots.