Philip Anthony Mitchell
American pastor of 2819 Church in Atlanta and author of the book Contend
Philip Anthony Mitchell (American pastor of 2819 Church in Atlanta and author of the book Contend) has appeared as a guest on 1 episode in TMT. Topics they speak about most include Christianity, Persecution of Christians, Christian eschatology.
In their words
Positions and remarks grouped by topic, each with the exact quote and where it was said.
Christianity
Mitchell tells incarcerated and discouraged listeners that past mistakes can become lessons rather than define them.
“You can either let the things that you've done be a coffin that buries you or be a classroom that teaches you”
Live Free with Josh Howerton: The Biggest THREAT to Christianity is Happening RIGHT NOW (ft. Philip Anthony Mitchell) | Live Free with Josh Howerton (Sep 23, 2026) · Listen from 1:44:21
Mitchell explains that he wears only black as a symbol of dying to culture and to himself.
“I kept the pattern of wearing black symbolically as a daily funeral, a death to culture and a death to myself”
Live Free with Josh Howerton: The Biggest THREAT to Christianity is Happening RIGHT NOW (ft. Philip Anthony Mitchell) | Live Free with Josh Howerton (Sep 23, 2026) · Listen from 45:01
Mitchell argues that ministry success comes from faithfulness in obscurity rather than overnight elevation.
“I don't think there's any such thing as an overnight success in the kingdom”
Live Free with Josh Howerton: The Biggest THREAT to Christianity is Happening RIGHT NOW (ft. Philip Anthony Mitchell) | Live Free with Josh Howerton (Sep 23, 2026) · Listen from 3:35
Persecution of Christians
Mitchell says he will apologize for genuine mistakes but treat persecution for righteousness as a reason for gratitude.
“and if i'm persecuted because i made a mistake i will publicly apologize but if i'm persecuted for righteousness sake i gotta say lord thank you”
Live Free with Josh Howerton: The Biggest THREAT to Christianity is Happening RIGHT NOW (ft. Philip Anthony Mitchell) | Live Free with Josh Howerton (Sep 23, 2026) · Listen from 1:23:28
Mitchell acknowledges that a 2025 sermon story he told caused hurt because he framed it poorly.
“I was telling a story about something that happened to me when I was a teenager in New York, and I did not frame the story right”
Live Free with Josh Howerton: The Biggest THREAT to Christianity is Happening RIGHT NOW (ft. Philip Anthony Mitchell) | Live Free with Josh Howerton (Sep 23, 2026) · Listen from 1:19:35
Mitchell says he wears a bulletproof vest on tour because of threats against his life.
“And I wear a bulletproof vest when I'm on tour because I'm aware of that”
Live Free with Josh Howerton: The Biggest THREAT to Christianity is Happening RIGHT NOW (ft. Philip Anthony Mitchell) | Live Free with Josh Howerton (Sep 23, 2026) · Listen from 23:03
Christian eschatology
Mitchell views the shift to cashless payments as a sign that a one-world currency is becoming feasible.
“The more we tap and the more we swipe, the more it makes it easier for one world currency”
Live Free with Josh Howerton: The Biggest THREAT to Christianity is Happening RIGHT NOW (ft. Philip Anthony Mitchell) | Live Free with Josh Howerton (Sep 23, 2026) · Listen from 1:13:36
Mitchell says he believes end-times persecution of Christians will come from Islam.
“The persecution of the saints I think will come at the hand of Islam”
Live Free with Josh Howerton: The Biggest THREAT to Christianity is Happening RIGHT NOW (ft. Philip Anthony Mitchell) | Live Free with Josh Howerton (Sep 23, 2026) · Listen from 1:07:24
Performance anxiety in preaching
Mitchell discloses that he struggled with preaching anxiety throughout 2025.
“Last year, 2025, I dealt with a full year of preaching anxiety for 12 straight months”
Live Free with Josh Howerton: The Biggest THREAT to Christianity is Happening RIGHT NOW (ft. Philip Anthony Mitchell) | Live Free with Josh Howerton (Sep 23, 2026) · Listen from 1:38:47
Seven churches of Asia
Mitchell points to Turkey, once a center of early Christianity, as a warning of what happens without contending for the faith.
“In Turkey, a 98% Muslim nation that was once ancient Asia Minor and a home base for ministry operation to the Apostle Paul”
Live Free with Josh Howerton: The Biggest THREAT to Christianity is Happening RIGHT NOW (ft. Philip Anthony Mitchell) | Live Free with Josh Howerton (Sep 23, 2026) · Listen from 1:00:50
Islam
Mitchell argues that inclusivity toward radical Islam in politics could eventually lead to attempts to introduce Sharia law in America.
“Until that ideology has enough political power to introduce Sharia law in America, right?”
Live Free with Josh Howerton: The Biggest THREAT to Christianity is Happening RIGHT NOW (ft. Philip Anthony Mitchell) | Live Free with Josh Howerton (Sep 23, 2026) · Listen from 51:42
Syncretism
Mitchell argues that spiritual content on social media is increasingly mixing Christianity with crystals and psychic practices.
“I see that there is an increase in spiritualism that's really nothing more than syncretism”
Live Free with Josh Howerton: The Biggest THREAT to Christianity is Happening RIGHT NOW (ft. Philip Anthony Mitchell) | Live Free with Josh Howerton (Sep 23, 2026) · Listen from 47:36
Hate speech laws and religious freedom
Mitchell warns that faithful biblical preaching may eventually be treated as illegal hate speech.
“It will get to the point where those who are faithful in gospel proclamation will be considered preaching things that will be hailed as hate speech and illegal”
Live Free with Josh Howerton: The Biggest THREAT to Christianity is Happening RIGHT NOW (ft. Philip Anthony Mitchell) | Live Free with Josh Howerton (Sep 23, 2026) · Listen from 48:05
Expository preaching
Mitchell says the intensity of his preaching comes from treating every sermon as a matter of life and death.
“The veracity of my preaching is because for me, I feel like every time I stand in a pulpit, it's life or death for me”
Live Free with Josh Howerton: The Biggest THREAT to Christianity is Happening RIGHT NOW (ft. Philip Anthony Mitchell) | Live Free with Josh Howerton (Sep 23, 2026) · Listen from 19:12
Rikers Island
Mitchell recounts selling drugs as a child and being repeatedly arrested as a teenager.
“Man, I was selling crack cocaine at the age of 12. I'd been arrested multiple times by the age of 17”
Live Free with Josh Howerton: The Biggest THREAT to Christianity is Happening RIGHT NOW (ft. Philip Anthony Mitchell) | Live Free with Josh Howerton (Sep 23, 2026) · Listen from 5:49
Appearances
The Biggest THREAT to Christianity is Happening RIGHT NOW (ft. Philip Anthony Mitchell) | Live Free with Josh HowertonLive Free with Josh Howerton · Sep 23, 2026 · 1 h 49 min
Pastor Josh Howerton talks with pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell about his conversion from street life, his preaching, Islam, end-times theology, public opposition and preaching anxiety.
Often appears with
- Josh Howerton · 1 shared episode