Axis Conversations

Three Big Conversations: Why TikTokers are talking about being in “Group 7”. - 9:00 A decrease in the number of young people self-identifying as trans and nonbinary. - 17:30 What it means that over half of the internet’s articles are now written by AI. - 33:20 Resource of the Week -  Conversation Kit on Miracles - 02:18 Elsewhere in culture: - 52:54 Colleen Hoover, the #BookTok author of It Ends With Us, has another movie adaptation coming out this week called Regretting You. Twitch streamer Emiru was forcefully grabbed by a large man at TwitchCon, and has sworn off future participation in their conference because of how Twitch handled it. The massive power outage at AWS (Amazon Web Services), impacting the functionality of apps, banks, and alarm clocks (just to name a few), is sparking new conversations about the potential dangers of tech monopoly. MrBeast reportedly filed a trademark application for “MrBeast Financial,” leading many to suspect that Jimmy Donaldson’s newest stunt might be starting his own bank. A trending meme uses a drawing of the White Rabbit (from Alice in Wonderland) pointing at a clock to joke about how much time people do (or don’t) have left. Click here for the Interview Dr. Jean Twenge on 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

Why TikTokers are talking about being in “Group 7,” a decrease in the number of young people self-identifying as trans and nonbinary, and what it means that over half of the internet’s articles are now written by AI. Resource of the Week -  Conversation Kit on Miracles Elsewhere in culture: Colleen Hoover, the #BookTok author of It Ends With Us, has another movie adaptation coming out this week called Regretting You. Twitch streamer Emiru was forcefully grabbed by a large man at TwitchCon, and has sworn off future participation in their conference because of how Twitch handled it. The massive power outage at AWS (Amazon Web Services), impacting the functionality of apps, banks, and alarm clocks (just to name a few), is sparking new conversations about the potential dangers of tech monopoly. MrBeast reportedly filed a trademark application for “MrBeast Financial,” leading many to suspect that Jimmy Donaldson’s newest stunt might be starting his own bank. A trending meme uses a drawing of the White Rabbit (from Alice in Wonderland) pointing at a clock to joke about how much time people do (or don’t) have left. Click here for the Interview Dr. Jean Twenge on 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.

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. Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

Three Big Conversations: #WitchTok is upset at Crock-Pot for not releasing a cauldron. - 07:50 New studies about how spiritual yearning changes with age. - 21:35 Sora becomes the most-downloaded free app in the Apple App Store. - 38:33 Meme of the Week: “The lion does not concern himself…” The phrase “the lion does not concern himself with [thing X]” has been gaining popularity on TikTok and Instagram over the last few weeks. The phrase itself entered the lexicon thanks to Game of Thrones. However, in recent days, it’s turned into an ironic way to justify personal preferences (Ex. “The lioness does not concern herself with onions on her In-N-Out burgers.”) or avoiding basic responsibilities (Ex. “The lion does not concern himself with folding laundry.”). Elsewhere in culture:  Streamer and political commentator Hasan Piker sparked controversy in the streaming world after he appeared to use a shock collar on his dog while streaming. The new EA game Battlefield 6 is having a very successful first week, setting it up to potentially dethrone Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 as the go-to first-person-shooter this holiday season. Popular shonen anime My Hero Academia begins its final season this weekend. In fact, it’s a big season for season premieres of popular anime in general. Swifties are up-in-arms over Taylor Swift’s alleged use of AI in her promo videos for her new album The Life of a Showgirl. Instagram announced a policy going into effect later this year that attempts to limit teens’ accounts to only show content that would appear in PG-13 movies, a rating system Meta called "familiar to parents.” Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

#WitchTok is upset at Crock-Pot for not releasing a cauldron, new studies about how spiritual yearning changes with age, and Sora becomes the most-downloaded free app in the Apple App Store. Meme of the Week: “The lion does not concern himself…”  The phrase “the lion does not concern himself with [thing X]” has been gaining popularity on TikTok and Instagram over the last few weeks. The phrase itself entered the lexicon thanks to Game of Thrones. However, in recent days, it’s turned into an ironic way to justify personal preferences (Ex. “The lioness does not concern herself with onions on her In-N-Out burgers.”) or avoiding basic responsibilities (Ex. “The lion does not concern himself with folding laundry.”). Elsewhere in culture:  Streamer and political commentator Hasan Piker sparked controversy in the streaming world after he appeared to use a shock collar on his dog while streaming. The new EA game Battlefield 6 is having a very successful first week, setting it up to potentially dethrone Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 as the go-to first-person-shooter this holiday season. Popular shonen anime My Hero Academia begins its final season this weekend. In fact, it’s a big season for season premieres of popular anime in general. Swifties are up-in-arms over Taylor Swift’s alleged use of AI in her promo videos for her new album The Life of a Showgirl. Instagram announced a policy going into effect later this year that attempts to limit teens’ accounts to only show content that would appear in PG-13 movies, a rating system Meta called "familiar to parents.” Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.  

"My daughter has been trying to wear the gothic style in her clothes and makeup. I have explained several times the roots of this fashion but she doesn't believe me. How could I help her to understad and to follow the Bible messages about all this stuff?" - Laura Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

Three Big Conversations: The AI-generated “actress” Tilly Norwood sparks controversy in the film industry. - 9:48 The band HUNTR/X from Kpop Demon Hunters makes its live debut. - 24:44  Our review of Taylor Swift’s newest album The Life of a Showgirl. - 39:00 Resource of the Week: The Conversation Starter, Just One Weird Trick to Manifest Your Dreams And Ruin Your Life - 2:00 Elsewhere in culture: - 55:36 Lebron James baited the world by announcing a “Second Decision” which ended up not being his retirement, but just an alcohol promotion. Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced to over four years of prison, wrapping up (at least in terms of verdict) a very public and very scandalous trial. OpenAI’s video tooI, Sora 2, is out in the world, and it’s full of slop and copyrighted material. The meme phrase “The lion does not concern himself with…” followed by (usually) an innocuous task someone doesn’t like to do has been rising in popularity on TikTok. Netflix has renewed One Piece through season 3, keeping the Straw Hat Crew’s story of loyalty and found family alive for its growing teen fanbase. Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

The AI-generated “actress” Tilly Norwood sparks controversy in the film industry, the band HUNTR/X from Kpop Demon Hunters makes its live debut, and our review of Taylor Swift’s newest album The Life of a Showgirl. Resource of the Week: The Conversation Starter, which is all about the difference between manifesting and prayer. Elsewhere in culture: Lebron James baited the world by announcing a “Second Decision” which ended up not being his retirement, but just an alcohol promotion. Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced to over four years of prison, wrapping up (at least in terms of verdict) a very public and very scandalous trial. OpenAI’s video tooI, Sora 2, is out in the world, and it’s full of slop and copyrighted material. The meme phrase “The lion does not concern himself with…” followed by (usually) an innocuous task someone doesn’t like to do has been rising in popularity on TikTok. Netflix has renewed One Piece through season 3, keeping the Straw Hat Crew’s story of loyalty and found family alive for its growing teen fanbase. Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

Melissa Dougherty is a Christian apologist best known for her YouTube channel with over 285,000 subscribers and counting. Her videos, which primarily cover New Age and New Thought, have been viewed over 18 million times. Melissa is highly regarded and connected in the apologetics community. She has a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from Southern Evangelical Seminary, where she’s also pursuing her master’s degree in religious studies. We’ll be talking today primarily about her new book, Happy Lies: How a Movement You (Probably) Never Heard of Shaped our Self-Obsessed World. Click HERE for Melissa's New Book. Click HERE for Melissa's Youtube Channel. Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. For more parenting resources, go to axis.org.

Three Big Conversations: Mr. Beast chains two exes together for 30 days. - 8:10 A new study finds increasing amounts of cognitive decline in young people. - 19:52 What terms like “sneaky links,” “zombie,” and “breadcrumbing” mean in the Gen Z dating landscape. - 41:02 Slang of the Week - "Bread" - 1:33 Elsewhere in Culture: - 57:22 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.

MrBeast 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.

"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.

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.

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 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.    

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.

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.

“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.

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.  

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.