God, Guns and Christian Nationalism In this episode of Where Do We Go From Here, EDJ speaks with Malynda Hale, executive director of The New Evangelicals, about growing up in a progressive African Methodist Episcopal church, encountering conservative evangelicalism for the first time in college, and finding a faith rooted in love, compassion, hope, and justice. Malynda shares how her upbringing shaped her understanding of Christianity and why she never experienced the kind of faith "deconstruction" that many former evangelicals describe. She describes the faith she grew up with as "hope-based" rather than fear-based, contrasting it with the fear-centered Christianity she encountered later in a conservative evangelical environment. A major theme of the conversation is the idea that Christians should not merely talk about the good news but should "be the good news" through the way they live, advocate for others, and engage with their communities. Malynda also discusses purity culture, Christian nationalism, gun culture, social justice advocacy, and The New Evangelicals' (TNE's) shift toward helping people reclaim and redefine their faith. She mentions the three podcasts associated with TNE: Advocacy Hour, The Tim and April Show, and The New Evangelicals Podcast. The conversation further explores Malynda's career as an actress, filmmaker, singer, and songwriter. She shares with the listeners her powerful song God and His Gun, which challenges the intersection of Christian nationalism and gun culture. Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/PszjLfSO8g4?si=zQrJ94MBCAf1PqMr Malynda's acting credits include Bull Street, in which she stars alongside Loretta Devine and Amy Madigan. She will be attending the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival where the film, Bull Street, was selected for screening! Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/-CmA1z0mwIQ?si=lTWdYbas3qAFcOCw About Malynda Hale Malynda Hale is an actress, filmmaker, singer, songwriter, and social justice advocate. She serves as executive director of The New Evangelicals and creates content focused on faith, justice, advocacy, and contemporary cultural issues. Malynda's work includes: The New Evangelicals Podcast — one-on-one conversations covering theology, history, Christianity, and culture The Tim and April Show — conversations about current events and culture Advocacy Hour — practical conversations with people and organizations doing grassroots advocacy and social justice work TNE Connect — The New Evangelicals' online community, including free resources and courses #WeNeedToTalk — Malynda's Substack, where she writes about faith, justice, and culture