Today the Pugcast is joined by Mark Bauerlein, professor emeritus of English at Emory University and an editor at First Things. Mark made waves back in 2008 with his book, The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don’t Trust Anyone under 30). He was accused of being a luddite, and an alarmist in those halcyon days of Web 2.0. Unfortunately for us all, he turned out to be right in many of his predictions. It wasn't so much that the millennials he describes were incorrigible so much as they were betrayed by their so-called educators and technophile utopians. Tune in and find out how bad things are and what can be done about it!

This is the time of year when we get a lot of memes about how Easter is a warmed-over pagan holiday. Everything from the name “Easter” to the use of eggs and rabbits is a claimed to be connected to a pagan fertility goddess. Our resident historian Glenn takes great delight in debunking these kinds of myths, and in this episode he and the guys talk about the historical and linguistic facts about Easter and how it is celebrated along with the implications of C.S. Lewis’s idea of the “good dreams” of the pagans and why Christians buy into these misrepresentations of their own history.

Tom introduces one of the driving assumptions that is underwriting the flux and chaos of current social trends: the assumption that truth is relative, perspectival, unable to be attained apart from our individual or group filters. The guys join in with many historical and contemporary insights into some key figures and ideas which have played into the rise and dominance of contemporary relativism and they set forth some initial steps in engaging it from a rich Christian vision. Relativism (New Problems of Philosophy) by Maria Baghramian and Annalisa Coliva: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07T3DQ4Y5/ref=KC_GS_GB_US_nodl#

Many Christians today reject altogether the idea of Christian mysticism, but it has a long history in the church going back to the first centuries. The early church recognized three different types of mysticism: scriptural, which involved looking for symbolic or allegorical meanings in Scripture; liturgical, focused usually on the Eucharist; and contemplative. The guys discuss each of these, arguing that although excesses have occurred, mysticism in these senses can be a legitimate expression of the faith. So if you’re skeptical about Christian mysticism, tune in to see if your misconceptions are valid!

Well, which is it, a duck or a rabbit? Today the Pugsters examine the notorious duck/rabbit problem. You probably have seen the drawing, look at it one way, and you see a duck, look at it another way and you see a rabbit. Often the drawing is used to illustrate the ambiguity of signs, and the inevitably subjective character of interpretation. But are we doing justice to the signs, or the world we live in? What if the world at large represents something larger and more real than itself? Perhaps it's not interpretation all the way down so much as it is signs pointing to the source of all meaning. Join the Pugsters as they discuss the problem. Duck Season! Rabbit Season! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17ocaZb-bGg

Tom unpacks themes from David Blount's essay on Hobbits, Tolkien and Nietzsche in relation to the differing way power and is understood and related to. Blount compares the Hobbits rejection of becoming Überhobbits in contrast to Nietzsche's dark vision of embracing the will to power. The guys engage in a variety of matters related to power, the will to power, the ring of power, and the counter vision which Christianity offers, especially as it’s expressed in the rich form of Tolkien's stories and characters. Article: https://drive.google.com/file/d/15Wq99TP7RjV5mozlB_hgnUa20Tc991OF/view?usp=sharing

Aaron Renn joins the show once again, this time to discuss an article he wrote for First Things entitled, The Three Worlds of Evangelicalism. It’s hard to miss that the social climate in which Christian ministry is conducted in the western world has become more antagonistic towards the Christian faith. What social and political developments have contributed to that, and how should Christians respond? Tune in and see what Aaron and the Pugsters think! Find more from Aaron at aaronrenn.substack.com

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Glenn thought it a good time for a history lesson on Ukraine and Russia. As you might expect, he started over 1000 years ago, but noted especially more recent history and why the Ukrainians want to get out from under Russian domination. Along the way, he noted some genuine problems with Ukraine and their treatment of Russian minorities, part and parcel of the messy way borders work in Central and Eastern Europe. The guys finish with a discussion of the theological significance of nations, noting that they seem to survive in a purified form into eternity.

Philip Rieff was one of the most incisive critics of the postmodern turn in western culture of the last 50 years. A secular Jew, he longed for a world that reflected a sacred order. His insights were as penetrating as those of Charles Taylor, but with this important difference—while Taylor described our secular age, Rieff wanted to destroy it. Tune in as Chris describes his own process of incorporating Rieff’s insights into his own thinking and writing. Naturally, Tom and Glenn have plenty to add.

What does it take to make it in the highly competitive world of New York City art? Arthur Kwon Lee knows, he’s a young painter who won awards and was featured in prestigious galleries. He worked hard and developed his skills, but led a secret life as a conservative and a Christian. Then, everything changed when he came out of the closet. Soon he was blacklisted. Join the Pugcast today as we talk about the creative process, aesthetics, and beauty—as well as what sticking to what you know to be true can cost you. Find more about Arthur Kwon Lee at arthurkwonlee.com Find more about the Genesis Council at genesiscouncil.com