Cross & Gavel Podcast

Joining us today to talk about the cultivation of the Christian imagination and the life J.R.R. Tolkien is the fellow of faith & culture at the Word on Fire Institute and visiting professor of apologetics at Houston Baptist University – Holly Ordway. Her two books on Apologetics and Tolkien can be found here and here (respectively). For more, check out her website and Twitter account (@HollyOrdway).     JOIN US next week in San Antonio for the CLS National Conference. This year's event will feature Lee Strobel, Ruth Okediji, James K.A. Smith, and Laudir Lugo. Register today.   Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.

Scripture instructs believers to "be anxious for nothing," creating the illusion that how we respond to stress is entirely a product of personal agency. Our guest today pushes back on this notion, calling for a holistic vision of anxiety rooted in theology and science. Dr. Matthew Lapine has written a wonderful book on the topic, and an accessible article for Christianity Today (here). For more, check out his website and his Twitter account (@matthewalapine).     JOIN US this month in San Antonio for the CLS National Conference. This year's event will feature Lee Strobel, Ruth Okediji, James K.A. Smith, and Laudir Lugo. Register today.   Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.

Every Sunday, pastors across the nation are telling their congregants to leave the stresses of work behind and focus instead on Jesus. Here to discuss this separation between work and worship, and how the church can do a better job in promoting the integration therein, is Matthew Kaemingk – assistant professor, director of the Richard John Mouw Institute of Faith and Public Life, and associate dean of Fuller Theological Seminary in Houston, Texas. Find his work here and here. Purchase his books on work + worship, immigration, and political theology today [link]. Find him on Twitter at @matthewkaemingk.     JOIN US this October in San Antonio for the CLS National Conference. This year's event will feature Lee Strobel, Ruth Okediji, James K.A. Smith, and Laudir Lugo. Register today.   Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.

In 1943, a German U-Boat attacked an American ship off the coast of Greenland. In the moments thereafter, courage and panic proved to be the currency of choice; some, succumbing to the moment in sheer terror. While others, embodying the sacrificial tenor of true heroes, gave their lives to save their friends. Here to discuss the sinking of the USS Dorchester and the awe-inspiring rescue that followed is law professor and founding director of the religious freedom clinic at the University of Texas, Steven T. Collis. Buy his book, The Immortals, today; and, follow his work at the law school.     JOIN US this October in San Antonio for the CLS National Conference. This year's event will feature Lee Strobel, Ruth Okediji, James K.A. Smith, and Laudir Lugo. Register today.   Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.

The rampant flood of misinformation has made it increasingly difficult to be a member of the reality based community. Here to diagnose this problem and to offer a solution is senior fellow at the Brookings Institute and contributing writer for The Atlantic, Jonathan Rauch. Discover his writing and follow him on Twitter at @jon_rauch. Purchase his important new book – The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth – today!     JOIN US this October in San Antonio for the CLS National Conference. This year's event will feature Lee Strobel, Ruth Okediji, James K.A. Smith, and Laudir Lugo. Register today.   Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.

It's no secret that religion of late has lost its luster in the eyes of many Americans. Cast into relative disrepute for seemingly disrupting the momentum in the fight for equality, religion is no longer seen as the preeminent value once deemed by both political parties. Joining the show today to discuss these issues is the national religion reporter at Deseret News: Kelsey Dallas. Read her articles and subscribe to her newsletter today to keep up with the latest developments.     JOIN US this October in San Antonio for the CLS National Conference. This year's event will feature Lee Strobel, Ruth Okediji, James K.A. Smith, and Laudir Lugo. Register today.   Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.

Another term, another Supreme Court review! Kim Colby and I talk about the cases that impacted the state of religious liberty in America and what the future may bring. Learn more about her work at CLS' Center for Law & Religious Freedom here.   Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.

Joining us today to talk about conservative Christianity and racial identity in the segregation era is historian Daniel Bare. We talk about the fundamentalist tradition in the early twentieth century and why the influence of the black church was lost during this period. For a sample, read his article in Christianity Today entitled The Uneasy Conscience of Black Fundamentalism and check out the review of his book from historian Thomas Kidd.    Learn more about Daniel in his bio for Texas A&M and on Twitter via @Daniel_Bare. But, most importantly, buy his book today through NYU Press.   Finally, JOIN US this October in San Antonio for the CLS National Conference. This year's event will feature Lee Strobel, Ruth Okediji, James K.A. Smith, and Laudir Lugo. Register today.   Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.

From the Book of Numbers to the storming of the Capitol, Andrew L. Whitehead joins us today to discuss Christian Nationalism and its impact on American religion. His new book, with co-author Samuel Perry, offers a seminal sociological study for understanding this new movement, including the various ways Christian Nationalists think, vote, and manifest their desires for a renewed Christian America.   To learn more about the work that Andrew is doing, check out his bio, his new book, and follow him on Twitter at @ndrewwhitehead.   Finally . . . join us this October in San Antonio for the CLS National Conference. This year's event will feature Lee Strobel, Ruth Okediji, James K.A. Smith, and Laudir Lugo. Register today.   [This episode has been produced by Josh Deng. Music comes from Vexento.]

Volume 4 of "Small Brains on Big Books" features Drew Nelson and Mike Schutt discussing Beowulf. You'll love this discussion, even if you didn't love Beowulf in High School.  Andrew Nelson is preacher at Southside Church of Christ in Mount Pleasant Texas, and Mike Schutt is the host of Cross and Gavel audio, Executive Director of Worldview Academy, and Clinical Associate Professor at Trinity Law School.