Follow Tihomir Kukolja on Substack: https://substack.com/@tihackuk25 If you'd like to support this work through a channel membership, here's the link! https://www.youtube.com/@culturefaithandpolitics/join My Substack page: https://culturefaithandpolitics.substack.com/ My books are available on Amazon: "A Christian Case Against Donald Trump" (2024): https://a.co/d/iVSTqny "MAGA Seduction: Resisting the Debasement of the Christian Conscience" (2020): https://a.co/d/1KNX3uQ In this powerful conversation, Pat Kahnke sits down with Tihomir Kukolja to explore patterns of political violence, Christian nationalism, and the spiritual responsibility of truth-telling in these divisive times. Drawing from Kukolja’s experience during the Yugoslav wars in the Balkans—and the parallels he sees today in the U.S.—they unpack how media, power, faith, and rhetoric can spiral out of control, and what it might look like for Christians to respond with love, justice, and courage. What we cover: Kukolja's background: growing up in Croatia, ministering reconciliation across the Balkans, and the warning signs he saw before conflict. How language, demonization, and collective guilt can be weaponized. The role of “conflict entrepreneurs” and how political violence gets stirred up. The danger of conflating truth with ideology instead of grounding it in the person of Jesus. How Christian nationalism distorts faith, and what it means to speak truth in love. Practical steps: speaking truth, protecting the vulnerable, working for justice. What prayer looks like amidst confusion, division, and moral crisis. Why this matters now: The stakes feel high. We are living in what Kukolja describes as a “dark time,” where narratives are being manipulated, identities weaponized, and truth is under threat. But there are glimmers of hope: honest conversations, personal accountability, and a faith that refuses to be co-opted by fear or power. Quotes to ponder: “Those who speak prophetically and truthfully into the madness of the world will be called troublemakers, hate‑mongers, and violence provocateurs…” “Truth becomes a concept, an idea … while the truth in Jesus re‑interprets everything.” Timestamps: 0:00 – Introduction & setup ~5:00 – Kukolja’s background & relevance to today ~9:00 – Media, demonization, and rising tensions ~17:00 – Discussion of conflict entrepreneurs & narratives ~30:00 – Truth, Christian nationalism, the distortion of faith ~50:00 – What we can do: truth, protection, justice, prayer ~1:08:00 – Hope, encouragement, closing Keywords: Christian nationalism, political violence, reconciliation, truth in Jesus, media manipulation, conflict entrepreneurs, faith and politics, U.S. culture, Yugoslav wars, Christian ethics, prophetic witness