New Persuasive Words

In this episode we talk about the new "cultural Christianity" that's growing in the United States. Is it taking over the conservative movement? You can click here for The New Republic article that inspired our conversation. You can find a link to the Pew Study we reference here. You can find Bill's sermons here. You can find Scott's conversational interview show Give and Take here. Please consider supporting the podcast! You can become a Patreon supporter here.

In this episode we talk about the new HBO Max series "The Penguin." We consider what it tells us about the nature of good and evil, the dangers of dualism, and the goodness of creation.

In this episode we talk about psychologist and public intellectual Jordan Peterson. He's been interacting with the Bible and the Western religious tradition for years, and now has a new book on the subject. We reference a couple of articles and a discussion Peterson did with Slavoj Žižek a few years back. You can find the links to them below. You can find the link to Martha Gill's Guardian review here. Click here for the review of Peterson's newest book by Rowan Williams. You can find the Žižek/Peterson conversation here.

In this episode we pay tribute to the recently deceased evangelist, sociologist, and activist Tony Campolo. He was pivotal in the development of late 20th century progressive evangelicalism and served as a spiritual advisor to former President Bill Clinton in the wake of the Monica Lewinski scandal. We mentioned two of Tony's books in the podcast, A Reasonable Faith and_ Partly Right_. You can find links to them below. https://a.co/d/d03rAMt https://www.amazon.com/Partly-Right-Learning-Critics-Christianity/dp/0849920868

In this episode we reflect on the liturgical history and meaning of Christ the King Sunday. But first we banter about the news of the day. You can find the song "Suzanne" that we reference here. Click here for a link to Rowan Williams' book Tokens of Trust.

In this episode, amidst the political tsunami that hit last week, we talk about the election that counts. We look at the doctrine of election in the history of the church and what it means for us today amidst a moment of massive cultural change and anxiety.

In this episode we talk about the nature of Christian confession. Why do we confess the faith? When do we do it and why? We'll talk specifically about the Barmen Declaration today in this ongoing occassional series. Click here for the text of the Barmen Declaration itself.

In this episode we reflect on the results of this week's 2024 Presidential election. How'd we get here? What's next? Where is the country going? Below are the links to the Ezra Klein podcast and the piece from Quillette, both of which we reference in the podcast. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/07/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-election.html https://quillette.com/2024/11/06/the-revenge-of-the-silent-male-voter-trump-vance-musk/ “While the Heavenly City , therefore, is on pilgrimage in this world, she calls out citizens from all nations and so collects a society of aliens, speaking all languages. She takes no account of any difference in customs, laws, and institutions, by which earthly peace is achieved and preserved – not that she annuls or abolishes any of those, rather, she maintains them and follows them, provided that no hindrance is presented thereby to the religion which teaches that the one supreme and true God is to be worshiped. Thus even the Heavenly City in her pilgrimage here on earth makes use of the earthly peace and defends and seeks the compromise between human wills in respect of the provisions relevant to the mortal nature of man, so far as may be permitted without detriment to true religion and piety.” -St Augustine, The City of God, Book 19.

In this episode we discuss the death of a progressive evangelical community in Philadelphia. We also consider what it means for the ongoing legacy of the "evangelical left." You can find The New Yorker article we reference in the podcast here.

In this episode we talk about presuppositional apologetics. It's a 20th century strategy for defending religious faith. We consider what it tells us about the nature of religious faith, and what insights it gives into the process of thinking and making intellectual commitments.