Listen in for a question and answer session following yesterday's episode on Plato's Revenge.

The Pugcast finishes its Pacific Northwest Tour in Moscow, Idaho at the Nuart Theater! The theme for the show is Plato--and why he just won't go away. It is something of a cottage industry in certain pockets of the Reformed world to write off one of the most important figures in the history of western thought. Paradoxically, this puts these people on the same page with many secular thinkers--like Nietzsche for example. He didn't like Plato either. But are these folks right in their blanket condemnations of the father of classical philosophy? Augustine didn't think so--and the Pugsters agree with him. Tune in and find out why!

In today's show the Pugsters continue their Pacific Northwest Tour--this time from a boatyard in Everett, Washington! The crew is being hosted by Trinitas Presbyterian Church and the guys are addressing a question put to them by the leadership of the church--"What's the difference between 'worldview' and 'culture'? How does a worldview relate to culture, and what implications does this have for Christian ministry?"

Has inflation made a ministerial education unaffordable? It seems like it. Today a Master of Divinity degree—something that most Reformed denominations require for ordination—can leave the typical ministerial student tens of thousands of dollars in debt. This might be forgivable if pastors were paid like medical doctors, but they’re not. But we need an educated clergy, so what can be done? Join the Pugcast today for a short episode on the subject as they talk about the problem with a couple of men in Oregon City, Oregon who are trying to address the problem. Learn more about Reformation Bible Institute at rbioc.org

Listen in for a question and answer session following yesterday's live Reformation 21 – Build, Defend, Repeat episode. 

The Pugcast Pacific Northwest Tour continues in Vancouver, Washington! In today’s show the Pugcast crew address the cultural crisis the church finds itself in. It seems like the proverbial curse, “May you live in interesting times!” applies to Reformed Christians today. To meet the challenges of our time the guys look to the resources of the Reformation and the broader Christian tradition. Enjoy!

Listen in for a short question and answer session following yesterday's live episode on Owen Barfield’s ‘Saving the Appearances.’

This week, the Pugsters turn to another Touchstone article by Louis Markos, this one on Owen Barfield. Barfield was one of the Inklings along with C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien and helped nudge Lewis toward Christianity. He also was heavily influenced by Rudolph Steiner’s esoteric thought and tried to Christianize it. In this episode, the Pugsters discuss Barfield’s ideas about the relationship of human beings and the natural world, which argued that in the past people had a simple, spiritual relationship with the natural world but lost it with the Scientific Revolution. The goal, according to Barfield, is to bring the two together. On the way, the guys talk about Francis Bacon, Galileo, and whether you can keep the benefits of science and technology while losing their downsides. Article Referenced: https://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=34-06-027-f

Tom introduces an article by Louis Markos entitled: Detectives of Significance. This article addresses an earlier time in Christian history which had a much deeper and wider view of reality and meaning. Part of the task of theology was to interpret such deeper meanings guided by the richly layered meanings communicated in the Bible and in creation. Markos then turns to detective stories, Sherlock Holmes and The Name of the Rose, to show how even rationalist characters desire something more than a narrow reading of reality. Chris and Glenn jump in with many insights into the rich web of meaning Christianity offers when seen in light of its engagement with truth, beauty, and goodness. Article Referenced: https://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=25-05-030-f

In this episode the Pugsters return to Tolkien’s essay “On Fairy Stories,” focusing particularly on the legitimacy of escape as a function of fantasy literature. Tolkien pointed out that “escape” is a positive term in all contexts except literary criticism, which points to a problem with the critics’ use of the word. The guys also get into discussions of the metaphysics of fantasy building off of Tolkien’s comments in the essay.