The Stephen Mansfield Podcast

During the recent race riots in Charlottesville and Boston, white supremacists repeatedly described themselves as “Christian” and “Conservative.” As Stephen contends in this podcast, nothing could be further from white supremacist philosophy than true Christianity and true Conservatism. Since Stephen considers himself both a Christian and a Conservative, he pushes back against racists kidnapping these two terms for themselves and shows how these world views are actually the opposite of what the KKK and similar demonstrators have claimed.

This week, in light of the racial violence and conflict seen in Charlottesville and throughout the U.S., we are reposting Part One of a two-part podcast, The Tragedy of Silent Churches. Part Two of this podcast is available here. The Christian Church was put on earth to both proclaim a message and to model life in another world, both to call for the transformation of the human heart and to call society to align with the righteousness and love of God. Rarely do churches today skillfully straddle these twin rails of faith. In fact, many churches today are chillingly silent on social issues and this is becoming a stain on the cause of Christ in our generation. It was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” In this stirring podcast, Stephen Mansfield wonders aloud whether the oppressed and downtrodden of our generation will not be able to say the same of too many modern churches, particularly theologically conservative modern churches. Will the silence of these churches on pressing social issues be remembered for generations, far beyond the noise of the violence, hatred and racism rending our age? [custom_font font_family='Open Sans' font_size='11' line_height='26' font_style='none' text_align='left' font_weight='300' color='' background_color='' text_decoration='none' text_shadow='no' padding='0px' margin='0px']CC image courtesy of Dávid Kótai on Flickr[/custom_font]

Though Stephen has offered close commentary about the recent presidential election and the early presidency of Donald Trump, many of his listeners have asked for a more personal view. How did he vote? What does he think of Trump’s first months? How does he relate to the current climate of Washington, DC, where he lives and works for change? In this hard-hitting, very personal declaration, Stephen explains how he sees it and how he works for change. Don’t miss this one!

She will not always be with us, and when she goes it will be a loss. She has reigned as Queen of England for sixty years and has done so with character, with an unshakeable sense of duty, and with an uncompromising Christian witness. In this podcast, Stephen extols the virtues of Elizabeth II and commends those virtues to the misbehaving American politicians of the Trump era.

When Donald Trump was elected president, the American business community rejoiced. He was one of the most pro-business, pro-growth, pro-jobs candidates in recent memory. Now, six months later, the economy has undergone a correction and a bigger economic correction or pullback looms. Stephen explains what this might mean for you and how to prepare.

In the speeches of Bernie Sanders, in the Occupy Wall Street movement, and in popular chitchat, we hear often that the top one percent of earners in our society are destroying us. Is this true? Is one percent of the country the cause of all our woes? And what do you have to earn to be in the top one percent, anyway? Stephen answers all these questions and points us to a more sane view than you may have likely heard before.

This week, Stephen returns to a topic originally shared over two years ago: habits and the brain. Men, this one is especially important for you to hear. We all have habits we wish we could break. Some of our habits may even have led us into addiction. We know what we ought to do, yet find doing it nearly impossible. Drawing some helpful truths from the field of brain science, Stephen offers a new way to look at our habits. The insight he gives us can help us break bad habits and establish new and healthier ones. The wisdom in this podcast could change your life. Don't miss it!

American politics has descended to a childish level in recent years. Rage rules, anger dominates, restraint, character, and statecraft are rarely in view. Better days may be ahead, but only if we mature as a people. In this Fourth of July meditation, Stephen describes our current crisis and points the way to a political culture worthy of the best of our nation.

On September 25th, a Referendum on Independence will be voted on by the Kurds of Iraqi Kurdistan. If the referendum passes, as it is sure to do, the largest people group in the world without a homeland of their own will finally be on a path to that homeland. It will not be an easy journey. In this podcast, Stephen describes the challenges to a Kurdish homeland both from within Iraqi Kurdistan and from without. This is a guide to one of the most momentous events to happen in our lifetimes.

On June 14, in Alexandria, Virginia, a man named James Hodgkinson fired fifty rounds into a Republican practice for the Congressional Baseball Game the next day. Some congressmen, a few staffers, and two Capitol Police were shot. Hodgkinson was killed. Amazingly, the shooter’s family and friends told reporters that they were shocked that he would commit such a crime. Stephen believes they just weren’t paying attention—and he has seen this kind of situational ignorance before. You don’t want to miss his searing commentary on this heinous crime. [custom_font font_family='Open Sans' font_size='11' line_height='26' font_style='none' text_align='left' font_weight='300' color='' background_color='' text_decoration='none' text_shadow='no' padding='0px' margin='0px']Image courtesy of Victoria Macchi on Wikimedia[/custom_font]