Josh Howerton and Philip Anthony Mitchell’s Jesus conversation just climbed past Joe Rogan

This week, Lakepointe Church pastor and BlazeTV host Josh Howerton sat down with Philip Anthony Mitchell — founder of Atlanta’s 2819 Church and one of the most viral preachers in the evangelical world right now — for an interview that did not flinch.

Their conversation, which tore into persecution, radical Islam, and the call to contend for the faith, was compelling enough to outrank a Joe Rogan episode on Apple’s Trending Episodes list.

But beating Rogan was never Howerton’s agenda. His excitement at ranking above the podcasting king has everything to do with what the spike revealed: Listeners are hungry for the Word of God.

By Thursday afternoon, it wasn’t just one episode trending. The "Live Free" podcast sat at No. 5 on Apple’s all-categories Top Shows chart — one spot above "The Joe Rogan Experience."

If you haven’t seen the interview, the charts prove it's one you don't want to miss. The duo take an unapologetic look at the truths a lot of Christians would rather ignore: a culture losing its appetite for Scripture, political pressure that could muzzle biblical preaching, and a religious challenge from Islam too many pastors will not acknowledge. Mitchell’s warning is harrowing: Unless the church learns to contend, it will not be ready for what’s coming.

Underneath it all is his own story — a former Queens drug dealer, suicide plans, Rikers Island, then a call to preach he treats as a matter of life and death.

Find out for yourself how a podcast about Jesus climbed past Joe Rogan.

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