The Patrick Coffin Show | Interviews with influencers | Commentary about culture | Tools for transformation

Vancouver-based PR director Jim Hoggan (pronounced Hogan) thinks strong disagreement can co-exist with civility. In today’s media culture, modes of communication (from emails to memos to blog posts) have become more swords than words. Have you noticed how many YouTube debates are described as some version of, “Watch our hero eviscerate (or slaughter/kill/slay/own/etc. the other guy”? We can’t seem to disagree without destroying. This is why Hoggan wrote I’m Right and You’re An Idiot: The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean it Up. What’s interesting is that he takes a definite (possibly dogmatic) stand on what used to be called global warming – rebranded as “climate change” – so his communication lessons are tied to a controversial topic from the get-go. But the merits or demerits of Al Gore’s approach to climate change weren’t the topic of the interview – the need for engagement at the level of facts and not facetiousness was. And in this interview, Mr. Hoggan models the civility he recommends. (Surely his Canadianness gives him an edge in the nice department…) In this context I can also, without shame, recommend my free e-booklet, Stay Cool When the Argument Heats Up: Proven Strategies for Calm Conversing. Get your free copy by subscribing to my Inside Scoop Newsletter here. Yes, Virginia, we can disagree without destroying.   BOOKS RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODE  I’m Right and You’re An Idiot: The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean it Up. by James Hoggan

Dr. Donald DeMarco is a leading Canadian philosopher, writer, and pro-life lion. He is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at St. Jerome’s University, Waterloo, Ontario; a Visiting Scholar with Holy Apostles College and Seminary; and is the author of 21 books. In my podcast interview with him, he unpacked what is to my mind the deepest mystery of all: how God’s provident care, can co-exist with human freedom. God has a plan, and we can say yes or no to it. It’s amazing, really, like the grace at work in this mystery. I admit to my long-standing admiration of Dr. DeMarco. His books were immensely helpful to me as I was making my way back to the Catholic Church in Canada. DeMarco’s style is lyrical, easy to read, but packed with golden nuggets of truth. You have to love a Christian philosopher whose doctoral dissertation was "The Nature of the Relationship between the Mathematical and the Beautiful in Music.” Enjoy this rich conversation on a fascinating topic.   BOOKS RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODE   The Heart of Virtue  by Donald DeMarco In My Mother’s Womb by Donald DeMarco Architects of the Culture of Death by Donald DeMarco and Benjamin Wiker The Many Faces of Virtue  by Donald DeMarco The American Miracle: Divine Providence in the Rise of the Republic by Michael Medved

Tony Esolen speaks with the urgency and verbal economy of a prophet. No words are wasted and the point of the conversation is ever before him. The professor of Renaissance English Literature and the Development of Western Civilization  at Providence College in RI, is a translator and a sage of things cultural and authentically Catholic. He’s also a connoisseur of classic movies. Following a strong series of articles and books on marriage, sexual sanity, and Catholic social teaching, his latest book is titled Out of the Ashes: Rebuilding American Culture. And what a wallop it packs. Our interview used the themes and arguments in the book as jumping off points for a discussion that ranged from the long journey from boy-to-manhood to the origins of the culture crisis, to the evergreen problem of Why Johnny Can’t Read. Few writers today combine erudition with humor, insight, and a Christian spirit.

Dr. Sebastian Gorka’s family of origin knows all about oppression and persecution, having fled the Soviets during the 1956 Revolution in Hungary. Educated in the UK, Sebastian eventually settled in the United States. Through his Congressional testimony, his work as a professor with expertise in irregular warfare, and his new book Defeating Jihad: The Winnable War, he says America (and the west) since 9/11 has become very good at applying direct military force against terrorists and their camps, but has failed so far to confront the ideology behind ISIS and other Islamic radical groups.  Drone strikes and special ops raids can be highly effective as far as they go, but they don’t win the hearts and minds of non-radicalized Muslims, not to mention the further radicalization of onlookers.  In January, 2017, Dr. Gorka was named Special Deputy to the President of the United States. Don’t miss this riveting conversation about a topic few want to address, but which becomes more and more important as we go forward. BOOKS RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODE Defeating Jihad: The Winnable War by Dr. Sebastian Gorka      

Steven D. Greydanus (SDG) knows movies. He created DecentFilms.com in 2000, and he has penned untold hundreds of thoughtful reviews and essays on film criticism. Steven is the film critic for the National Catholic Register and, with his co-host David DiCerto, hosts the Gabriel Award–winning cable TV show “Reel Faith” for New Evangelization Television. He’s a longtime member of the Online Film Critics Society and a permanent deacon in the Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. In this interview, we covered the Academy Award nominees in all the top-tier categories (gauged in terms of general audience interest), from Silence, Hacksaw Ridge, Moonlight, La La Land, Fences, Manchester By the Sea, for starters. We also talk about performances, story premises, and why the last scene can sometime make or break a film’s impact. Listen in! BOOKS RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODE Christians in the Movies by Peter Dans  Silence by Shusaku Endo

Is the Catholic Church socialist? Are rich people the problem? How can people of faith strive for success in business without replacing God with mammon? Orange County attorney, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Tim Busch separates fact from fiction.

Can you live the rock and roll lifestyle without losing your soul? Top drummer Mike Miley keeps time for Rival Sons, the support band for Ozzy Osborne. Here he discusses the joy of walking off stage from 60,000 screaming rock fans and heading to Mass. 

Only a tiny sliver of movies made each year make it to the very top. Why is that? Why has Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and The Chronicles of Narnia universally resonated? Father Robert Spitzer, SJ, digs into the mystery of Myth.

Let’s face it: most church marketing sucks. How to effectively tell the greatest story ever told to savvy consumers? When did Jesus stop being the model for Christians in media? Author and branding guru Phil Cooke talks solutions and strategies that work.

Does God have a sense of humor? Why are funny things funny, anyhow? The excessively funny Tom Leopold ("Seinfeld," "Cheers," and many other shows) talks about the power of humor and the not-quite-likely story of coming to the Catholic Faith from Judaism.