
Life and Books and Everything
Life and Books and Everything is a podcast hosted by Kevin DeYoung where discussions center on, well, life and books and everything. As a church pastor and theology professor, Kevin loves to talk about faith, theology, history, current events, and the occasional hot topic. Listen in and we hope you will learn something, laugh a little, and get some good book recommendations along the way.
Latest episodes

Jan 4, 2023 • 6min
A New Goal for the New Year
There are many worthwhile battles to fight in life. The most important, most necessary, and most dangerous is the war we must wage against sin, flesh, and the devil.
A new year means new opportunities to grow as Christians. This article written for WORLD Opinions, encourages believers to focus on spiritual development this new year instead of fighting battles outside of themselves.

Dec 29, 2022 • 24min
John Witherspoon: President and Patriot
A Princeton University president, teacher, preacher, politician, Declaration of Independence signatory, and a slave owner. As an early American patriot, John Witherspoon has been the center some recent controversy as a statue of him may be removed from historic Princeton University library grounds.
In this episode, Kevin reads from his article written for “Princetonians for Free Speech” and reflects on his life as a whole, including his status as land owner and what his motives were for also owning one slave.

Dec 23, 2022 • 6min
The Promise of Christmas
In this episode of Life and Books and Everything, Kevin reads from his recent article in WORLD opinions about the curse in the garden, the hope and promise of Christ's coming, and our restoration to communion with God.

Dec 14, 2022 • 1h 8min
Pastor, Don't Get Cute this Christmas
Kevin reads from his article in The Gospel Coalition to encourage pastors to forego the cliche and cute and stick to preaching "the old, old story" this Christmas.

Dec 13, 2022 • 1h 8min
Christmas, Best Books, and Renewing Evangelicalism with Justin Taylor and Collin Hansen
Guests Justin Taylor and Collin Hansen discuss their favorite books from the past year, reflect on contrasting Christmas and New Year's, engage in a light-hearted conversation about Christmas movies, delve into the definition and significance of evangelicalism, and explore the impact of personal piety in evangelicalism.

Dec 9, 2022 • 10min
A Dust-up among the Historians
For as much as the CFH talks about inclusion and the free exchange of ideas, it is clear that the present leadership of the historical guild assumes conclusions on the left.
In this response to a recent article published by Jay Green, Kevin discusses the pitfalls of using history for activist purposes.

Dec 7, 2022 • 1h 14min
What is Conservatism? with Daniel McCarthy
Several months ago, Daniel McCarthy—editor of Modern Age and Editor-at-Large of The American Conservative—published an essay in First Things entitled “The Right Right.” McCarthy’s essay was a review of Yoram Hazony’s Conservatism: A Rediscovery and Matthew Continetti’s The Right: The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism. In this episode of LBE, McCarthy talks about what was commendable in both books, and where both works can be fairly critiqued. Kevin asks Daniel about his review, about Willmoore Kendall’s populist conservatism, and how to reaffirm the importance of Christianity as “public truth” in America.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro and Sponsor
1:53 Guest: Daniel McCarthy
4:29 What is a Conservative?
9:17 Populism: Plebiscites and Demagogues
38:39 A Conservatism for Today
53:33 Yoram Hazony Critique
1:01:52 Parallel Developments in Evangelicalism
1:09:12 Avant-Garde Conservatism
Books:
The Right: The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism
Conservatism: A Rediscovery
The Conservative Affirmation
The Basic Symbols of the American Political Tradition
Russell Kirk: American Conservative
The Virtue of Nationalism

Dec 6, 2022 • 9min
Who Was St. Nicholas?
With what little we know about St. Nicholas, it is safe to say he would not be pleased to know he had eclipsed Christ in the hearts of many as the central figure of Christmas. In this episode, Kevin reads from his article in The Gospel Coalition about the life and legacy of St. Nicholas.

Dec 2, 2022 • 13min
What Should Christians Think About Same-Sex Marriage?
In this article written for Crossway, Kevin discusses the meaning of the term "marriage" and how Christians should view same-sex unions.

Dec 1, 2022 • 6min
The Darkness Does Not Win
With so many sad things in our world, it can be difficult to see any bright spots. This article reminds Christians of the hope of Christmas.
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