New Persuasive Words

In this episode we talk about Bishop Mariann Budde's recent sermon, in which she personally addressed and exhorted President Trump. We wonder what the Gospel is for President Trump, and the great Robert Farrar Capon would have done in Bishop Budde's shoes. You can find Bishop Budde's sermon here. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwwaEuDeqM8&t=890s) You can find a host of Capon quotes for your reading pleasure here. (https://www.azquotes.com/author/2434-Robert_Farrar_Capon)

In this episode we talk about what it means to walk by faith and not by sight in public life.

In this episode we consider whether our democracy can adequately respond to the concerns and crises that face the American citizenry. We were inspired in part by a conversation Jon Stewart just had with American historian Jon Meacham. You can watch the conversation here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_42VZ-Bdpc), or listen to it wherever you get your podcasts.

It's Monday and we have a few things to say with the Inauguration just a week away!

In this episode we engage with a talk given by Bishop Robert Barron at the Acton institute. The topic of the address is the philosophical roots of "wokeism." You can listen to the talk here, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNP3kdBx-Oo) or read a transcript of it here. (https://www.acton.org/religion-liberty/volume-34-number-1/philosophical-roots-wokeism)

In this episode we talk about Original Sin and human origins, inspired in part by an essay on the work of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin that appeared in a recent issue of the Christian Century. You can find the article we reference here.. (https://www.christiancentury.org/article/critical-essay/pierre-teilhard-de-chardins-theological-trouble)

In this episode we talk about a recent piece by New York Times columnist David Brooks Entitled "The Shock of Faith: It’s Nothing Like I Thought It Would Be." We also consider some of the response it's generated in public discourse by people of many faiths and no faith at all. You can find the original David Brooks piece here. (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/19/opinion/faith-god-christianity.html) You can find Mark Oppenheimer's responses here (https://arcmag.org/david-brooks-please-stop-saying-you-are-jewish/) and here. (https://markoppenheimer.substack.com/p/apparently-lots-of-people-dislike) You can listen to Scott's conversation with Mark here. (https://giveandtake.fireside.fm/272) To see what states received campaign visits during the 2024 Presidential election click here. (https://fairvote.org/presidential-campaign-events-in-2024/) If you're curious about the Dead Poet's Society poetry scale reference, you can watch the clip here. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x0COtH4Vrw) You can go here (patreo

In this episode we talk about the Jewishness of Jesus and what it means in the context of contemporary antisemitism.

In this episode we contrast the ecology of the Roman Empire with the ecology of the Christmas story.

In this special holiday episode we talk with our good friend Matt Milliner about the Virgin Mary and her significance for the spiritual life. Special Guest: Matt Milliner.

Can we have a truly secular society, or does religion always play some animating role in public life? If this is the case, are all religious cultural foundations created equal? And what does any of this have to do with Christmas?

In this episode we address a listener's question and concerns. She is currently pursuing a graduate degree and is finding herself consistently confronted with criticisms of her religious faith. We offer some insights into how we might approach some of the criticisms of Christianity that she's regular hearing.

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 (https://newrepublic.com/article/188337/cultural-christianity-taking-conservative-movement?utm_source=Threads&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=SF_TNR)that inspired our conversation. You can find a link to the Pew Study we reference here. (https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/10/27/views-of-the-u-s-as-a-christian-nation-and-opinions-about-christian-nationalism/) You can find Bill's sermons here. (https://residentexile.fireside.fm/160) You can find Scott's conversational interview show Give and Take here (https://giveandtake.fireside.fm). Please consider supporting the podcast! You can become a Patreon supporter here. (https://patreon.com/scottkentjones?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink)

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. (https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/nov/24/not-quite-religion-not-quite-self-help-welcome-to-the-jordan-peterson-age-of-nonsense) Click here (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/nov/20/we-who-wrestle-with-god-by-jordan-b-peterson-review-a-culture-warrior-out-of-his-depth) for the review of Peterson's newest book by Rowan Williams. You can find the Žižek/Peterson conversation here. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsHJ3LvUWTs)

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. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bye2dSFw-ms) Click here for a link to Rowan Williams' book Tokens of Trust. (https://www.amazon.com/Tokens-Trust-Introduction-Christian-Belief/dp/0664236995)

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. (https://creedsandconfessions.org/barmen-declaration.html)

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