Audrey Rindlisbacher Podcast

“When we understand rights clearly, then we don't need to be feminists or non-feminists. We don't need to stand in anyone's camp; we can stand on truth.” ~Audrey Rindlisbacher 

As we move forward in time, and the freedom of women in the West expands, we see a new movement to extend greater educational opportunities to women. The voices for this advancement increased until eventually the majority of women were not only literate but had access to traditional schools and education. 

But upon what does the the idea of expanded education rest for women? Rights!

It is because women are also human, because they share reason and intellect with men, that they can claim not the privilege but the right to receive as much as education as they can. 

That's why in this podcast we pause to introduce the origin of rights and their importance in the question of women and feminism. Once understand, the rest of the rights of women follow. 

Listener's Guide:

Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast. 

3:35      A discussion on 'Rights'

6:09     Magna Charta

8:13      Lysander Spooner

9:42      A discussion of duty

10:55   Four Main Rights

14:05   The education of women - Daniel Defoe

23:54   Mary Wollstonecraft

28:33   Key ideas of feminism pre-WWII

Quotes from this episode:

“I plead not for myself but for my sex. My own personal wants, anyway, amount to very little. For many years I have regarded independence as the great blessing of life, the basis of every virtue; and even if I end up living on a barren heath, I will always guarantee my independence by contracting my wants." ~Mary Wollstonecraft

“I do not wish them [women] to have power over men, but over themselves.” ~Mary Wollstonecraft

“Fighting for the rights of women, my main argument is built on this simple principle: If woman isn’t fitted by education to become man’s companion, she will stop the progress of knowledge, because truth must be common to all; if it isn’t, it won’t be able to influence how people in general behave. And how can woman be expected to cooperate if she doesn’t know why she ought to be virtuous; if freedom doesn’t strengthen her reason until she understands her duty and sees how it is connected with her real good? If children are to be brought up to understand the true principle of patriotism, their mother must be a patriot.” ~Mary Wollstonecraft

“Surely, sir, you won’t say that a duty can be binding without being founded on reason! Arguments for civil and political rights can be drawn from reason; and with that splendid support, the more understanding women acquire the more they will be attached to their duty, understanding it. Unless they understand it—unless their morals are based on the same immutable principles as those of man—no authority can make them act virtuously. ” ~Mary Wollstonecraft

“If women aren’t permitted to enjoy legitimate rights, they will seek illicit privileges.” ~Mary Wollstonecraft

“In the present state of society, it seems that we have to go back to first principles in search of the simplest truths, and to fight against some prevailing prejudice for every inch of ground.” ~Mary Wollstonecraft  

“Only a strong mind can resolutely form its own principles.” ~Mary Wollstonecraft

“I have often thought of it as one of the most barbarous customs in the world, considering us as a civilized and a Christian country, that we deny the advantages of learning to women. We reproach the sex every day with folly and impertinence; while I am confident, had they the advantages of education equal to us, they would be guilty of less than ourselves.” ~Daniel Defoe

“But besides this, they should be taught languages,

"Our talents are given us in order that we may serve ourselves and our fellowmen." ~Calvin Coolidge

From a small town boy in Vermont to President of the U.S., Calvin Coolidge remained the same stalwart, honest, clear-thinking man he was trained to be at home. He clung to the values and principles instilled in him through his parents, grandparents and devoted professors, all his life. He never flinched in his beliefs that God is at the helm, that He directs His children through natural laws and principles, that hard work is the backbone of success and progress and that liberty must be earned. He brought order and increased freedom at every level of government in which he served. Best of all, he loudly exclaimed--through his words and through the life he lived--that we are here to serve God by serving our fellowmen and that if we'll prepare ourselves, God will call us to His work. 

In this podcast, you'll hear Coolidge's own words about all aspects of life. You'll see his spiritual training, his educational preparation and his commitment to giving of himself to create better communities. In his life, you'll watch the fruits of the 7 Laws of Life Mission bless a nation, and hopefully, you'll be inspired to follow in his footsteps. 

Listener's Guide:

Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast. 

6:18        Birth and early life    

14:13      Education

19:14      A deeper introduction to Natural Law and Truth

27:42     Professor Garman

30:09    Law

33:01     Family

35:45     Public Office

39:27     The real role of government

42:51     National Attention and Staying the Course

45:24    The hand of God

48:36    Mr. President

51:46     Two sad events

Quotes from this episode:

“By reason of what I saw and heard in my early life, I came to have a good working knowledge of the practical side of government. I understood that it consisted of restraints which the people had imposed upon themselves in order to promote the common welfare.” ~Calvin Coolidge

“[My parents] drew no class distinctions except towards those who assumed superior airs. Those they held in contempt. They held strongly to the doctrine of equality. Whenever the hired man or the hired girl wanted to go anywhere they were always understood to be entitled to my place in the wagon, in which case, I remained at home. This gave me a very early training in democratic ideas and impressed upon me very forcibly the dignity and power, if not the superiority, of labor.” ~Calvin Coolidge

“While I can think of many pleasures we did not have, and many niceties of culture with which we were unfamiliar, yet if I had the power to order my life anew I would not dare to change that period of it. If it did not afford me the best that there was, it abundantly provided the best that there was for me.” ~Calvin Coolidge

“I discovered that our ideas of democracy came from the agora of Greece, and our ideas of liberty came from the forum of Rome. Something of the sequence of history was revealed to me so that I began to understand the significance of our own times and our own country.” ~Calvin Coolidge

“If attendance on these religious services ever harmed any of the men of my time I have never been informed of it. The good it did I believe was infinite. Not the least of it was the discipline that resulted from having constantly to give some thought to things that young men would often prefer not to consider. If we did not have the privilege of doing what we wanted to do we had the much greater benefit of doing what we ought to do. It broke down our selfishness, it conquered our resistance, it supplanted impulse, and finally, it enthroned reason.” ~Calvin Coolidge

“Above all, we were taught to follow the truth whithersoever it might...

“Next to the blessed sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses.” ~C.S. Lewis

In reading The Problem of Pain, Audrey ran across a simple sentence that started her thinking along brand new lines about this thing we call "communication." Communication is an idea that we speak about incessantly, that we attend counseling, life coaching and seminars to gain. It's something we say we're practicing and getting better at. It's something we believe will fix our relationships, our businesses and our international relations. 

But what if, amidst all this talking and training and obsessing about communication, we just fundamentally misunderstand what it is? What if, given a little bit different perspective, we could see ourselves and others so differently that "communication" would become something we actually know how to do - and can do well? 

In this podcast, Audrey shares recent insights she's had about the true nature and meaning of communication that are shifting how she thinks about God, about herself and about all her relationships. 

Listener's Guide:

Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast. 

5:43      The sentence which began it all

6:44      Definitions matter

10:00   The connection between communication and love

13:04    How true communication/communion impacts us 

20:00   Important questions to ask

Quotes from this episode:

“I have tried to assume nothing that is not professed by all baptized and communicating Christians." ~C. S. Lewis

“By the goodness of God we mean nowadays, almost exclusively his lovingness and may be right. But in this context most of us mean kindness...We want...not so much a Father in Heaven as a Grandfather in Heaven...who likes to see young people enjoying themselves and who planned...that it might be truly said at the end of the day, 'A good time was had by all.' I should very much like to live in a universe...grounded on such lines but since it is abundantly clear that I don't and since I have reason to believe...God is love, I conclude that my conception of love needs correction.” ~C. S. Lewis

“Love is the will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth.” ~M. Scott Peck

“The principal form that the work of love takes is attention.” ~M. Scott Peck

“If we listen enough to our children and well enough, we will begin to understand what extraordinary beings they are. The more you know about the child the better able you will be to teach. This is a cycle. Value begets value and love begets love.” ~M. Scott Peck

“True listening, total concentration on the other is always a manifestation of love. An essential part of true listening is the discipline of temporarily giving up or setting aside one's own prejudices, frames of reference and desires, so as to experience...the speaker's world from inside...This unification of speaker and listener is actually an extension and enlargement of one's self and new knowledge is always gained from this. Moreover, since true listening involves this attention to the setting aside of the self...it involves a total acceptance of the other.” ~M. Scott Peck   

“When we are communing with God we are thinking more about the attention we are paying to Him.” ~Audrey Rindlisbacher

“It may be possible for each of us to think too much of his own potential...It is hardly possible for him to think too often or too deeply about that of his neighbor. The...burden of my neighbor's glory should be laid on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it and the backs of the proud will be broken. It is a serious thing to live in a society of potential Gods and Goddesses... To remember that the dullest and most uninterestin...

“It is the most courageous act in this world to put God's will first in our lives - to listen to what our conscience is asking us to do.” ~Audrey Rindlisbacher 

There are  important questions that have consumed the thinking of men and women through all the ages. Do we have free will or are we only acted upon? What does it mean to be willing? What role does conscience play in action? Should God have anything to do with our actions?

Understanding natural laws and first principles can help us understand what is true concerning our ability to act or be acted upon. As we understand and apply these truths it will help us resolve problems, make wise choices and be a positive influence for good in the world!

Listener's Guide:

Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast. 

1:34        Definition of Willing

7:19        What God asks - Be willing

9:30       Obedience - Duty

12:33      Shinichi Suzuki

16:17       Educate your conscience

20:17      God's love and our courage to do

Quotes from this episode:

“To deceive oneself is worse than to deceive others.” ~Leo Tolstoy

“The voice of conscience is the voice of God.” ~Leo Tolstoy

“Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge.” ~Viktor Frankl

“The process of educating the conscience is not unlike the physical or mental processes of self-discipline: learning, listening, committing, doing, listening again, recommitting, practicing, learning again, practicing again, and so on.” ~Stephen Covey

“Here I should like to remark, for the sake of princes and princesses in general, that it is a low and contemptible thing to refuse to confess a fault, or even an error. If a true princess has done wrong, she is always uneasy until she has had an opportunity of throwing the wrongness away from her by saying: ‘I did it; and I wish I had not; and I am sorry for having done it.'”  ~George MacDonald

“First principles have been written by the finger of God on the very hearts of men.” ~Thomas Reid

“As I have paid more attention to my conscience, I've been able to ask questions and find answers that a few months ago were probably there but I overlooked them.” ~Marisa Hill, MDM Academy student

“In reality moral rules, God's laws, true principles, are directions for running the human machine. Every moral rule is there to prevent a breakdown, or strain, or a friction in the running of that machine.” ~C.S. Lewis

“[God] knows what will make us happy. He knows the next step we should take. He knows what purifying we need to go through.” ~Audrey Rindlisbacher

“It is the most courageous act in this world to put God's will first in our lives - to listen to what our conscience is asking us to do.” ~Audrey Rindlisbacher 

“God loved us first. He loves us still. He loves us always and we have infinite worth. It is up to us to love Him in return. Then gratitude for God's love will grow within us.” ~Audrey Rindlisbacher

Books from this episode:

        

Links from this episode:

“If every man in history had believed that women were inferior and should never be listened to, then these women would not have had the tremendous influence they did.” ~Audrey Rindlisbacher

Julian of Norwich wrote the earliest surviving book in the English language to be written by a woman. She challenged the notion of a God who wanted to damn mankind and put forth the idea of a God who loved like a mother loves. 

Christine de Pizan was the first female professional writer of the Middle Ages and the first woman of letters in France.  During her own  journey to understand the true role of women, she asked God, "How can everything you create be good except women?" This opened the door to her discovery of womankind's real worth.

Margery Kempe was a medieval mystic and author of the first autobiography in English. Today it is considered a classic of Medieval Literature. Her devotion and faith compelled her to dramatically change her way of thinking and living, which forced others to look more honestly at themselves. 

Joan of Arc was a medieval peasant who, claiming to receive visions from God, turned the tide of the Hundred Years’ War in favor of a French victory. Her actions were so heroic, courageous and good that she continues to inspire people today.

As you immerse yourself in four more stories of real women who had a lasting impact for good in the lives of thousands of people during the Middle Ages and who still impact lives today, you'll be inspired to overcome the obstacles in your own life and let your own light shine more brightly!

Listener's Guide:

Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast. 

3:50      Julian of Norwich

5:38     Christine de Pizan

8:55     Christine de Pizan's struggle to understand women's worth

13:16    Christine de Pizan's 3 arguments for woman's equality with men

17:28    Margery Kempe

18:29   Joan of Arc

Quotes from this episode:

“One day I was sitting alone in my study surrounded by books on all kinds of subjects, devoting myself to literary studies, my usual habit, my mind dwelt at length on the weighty opinions of various authors whom I had studied for a long time...Thinking deeply about these matters, I began to examine my character and conduct as a natural woman and, similarly, I considered other women whose company I frequently kept…I could not see or realize how [the great men] claims could be true when compared to the natural behavior and character of women...[I concluded that] the man or the woman in whom resides greater virtue is the higher; neither the loftiness nor the sex, but in the perfection of conduct and virtues." ~Christine de Pizan, from The Book of the City of Ladies, 1405

“…moral education amends and ennobles [women]. How could anyone think or believe that whoever follows good teaching or doctrine is the worse for it? Thus, not all men (and especially the wisest) share the opinion that it is bad for women to be educated.” ~Christine de Pizan, from The Book of the City of Ladies, 1405

“Possibly the book may not sell, but that is nothing—it was written for love.” ~Mark Twain about his book Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc

“Twain decided to publish the early serialized version of Joan of Arc anonymously so the book could be judged on its merits. His request for anonymity clearly shows the magnitude of his admiration for the character of Joan, and his high regard for her life story. Twain’s meticulous research—a true labor of love—spanned a dozen years, with an additional two years devoted to writing the work.” ~Mark Twain, Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc

“All will be well and every manner of thing will be well in spite of how circumstances might appear.” ~Julian of Norwich

“It's not as if,

“Lord, if you will show me the way, I will follow you. Amen.” ~Brother  Andrew

Once there was a boy who grew up poor, uneducated, with a deaf father, an ill mother and a handicapped brother. This boy's life was full of troubles and heartaches. Yet, despite the challenges, his family deeply loved each other and God. 

Unfortunately, despite being taught all the right principles this boy, Andrew, still lacked clarity, self-confidence and direction. Rather than turning to God to solve these problems, Andrew chose to lean on other things for strength -- changing his environment, giving in to peer pressure, chain smoking, getting drunk, even risking his life in battle.

Of course, none of the things he had chosen to lean on restored his love of self, removed his grief and shame, took away his resentments, made him happy or brought him comfort, peace, or joy.

Like Andrew, when the pain of the world descends upon us we must lean on something for support! What will we choose to lean on? 

That makes all the difference!

Listener's Guide:

Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast. 

3:54        Andrew's story

8:31        What do you want to do with your life, Andrew?

10:30     Killing is not the adventure he sought

13:57      Leaning on all the wrong things

25:00     The Bible

28:46     Letting go and Freedom!

30:00     God's smuggler

33:15      Audrey's challenge and the 1st Law of Life Mission

Quotes from this episode:

“I left home emotionally as well as physically…how I liked being treated like an adult.” ~Brother Andrew

“And instantly I knew that I had been wrong about this adventure. It wasn’t the danger—I liked that—it was the killing. Suddenly targets were no longer pieces of paper stuck up on an earth background, they were fathers and brothers like my own. Often our targets weren’t even in uniform. What was I doing? How had I gotten here? I was more disgusted with myself than I had ever imagined possible.” ~Brother Andrew

Brother Andrew's prayer: “Today help me not take a step outside Your will.” 

“That was the final irony, the final failure. I hadn’t even managed to get my brains blown out. Just a foot. Somehow in all my furious self-destructiveness I had never considered this possibility. I had always seen myself going out in a blaze of contempt for the whole human farce. But to live—and crippled!—that was the meanest fate of all. My great adventure had failed. Worse, I was twenty years old, and I had discovered that there was no real adventure anywhere in the world.” ~Brother Andrew 

“I said thanks but I didn’t pick [the Bible] up. I doubt if I ever would have, except for the nuns….The hospital to which I had been assigned was run by Franciscan sisters. I soon fell in love with every one of them…" ~Brother Andrew

“He asks for so little in order to give us so much.”  ~Brother Andrew

“'Why, Andrew, you ought to know the answer to that—a good Dutch boy like you. It’s the love the Christ.’ When she said it, her eyes sparkled, and I knew without question that for her this was the whole answer...” ~from God's Smuggler

“It is just when we are weakest that God can use us most.” ~Brother Andrew

“What was I hanging on to? I lay on my back with my hands under my head staring at the darkened ceiling and all at once, very quietly, I let go of my ego. With a new note in the wind yelling at me not to be a fool, I turned myself over to God—lock, stock, and adventure. There wasn’t much faith in my prayer. I just said, ‘Lord, if You will show me the way, I will follow You. Amen.  ...although I had thrown away every shred of self-defense, I felt secure in a way I had never before known. I woke up with such joy welling in me that I had t...

“No mere acquisition of knowledge was of any value in her eyes in comparison with a longing to dedicate it to the service of humanity.” ~Francis Tiffany about Dorothea Dix

Dorothea Dix was remarkable! 

Despite being raised by a mentally ill father, deprived of a proper education, born down by the early responsibility of two younger brothers and suffering from her own physical illnesses, Dorothea determined to make something beautiful and purposeful of her life. 

Not surprisingly, her life perfectly exemplifies the 7 Laws of Life Mission. Through her determination to love God and serve Him, she learned to better care for her health, studied hard to gain a deep classical education, took on adult responsibilities at a young age, and came to love people of all cultures and faiths. Then, as it always does, her calling came when she visited insane women in prison. Moved by deep compassion for their helpless state, she determined to spend the rest of her life championing the cause of the insane poor in a world that was indifferent to their plight. 

The story of Dorothea's life will encourage and inspire you to strive a little harder to fulfill your own life mission!

Listener's Guide:

Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast. 

4:47       Her feelings on being a public figure

9:22       Her father

12:20     Leaving home-Her grandmother

15:10      Determined to teach

18:37      Law 1 - Letters of examination

20:09     Law 2 - Love of self

22:25      Law 3 - Love of truth

23:51      Law 4 - Love of humanity

26:20     How she gained a love of humanity

31:42      Law 5  - The catalyst for her work    

34:25      Law 6 - She studies insanity

36:04     The Massachusetts Legislature

39:04     Law 7 - Being a voice for good

Quotes from this episode:

“I feel it right to say to you frankly that nothing could be undertaken which would give me more pain and serious annoyance, which would so trespass on my personal rights,…or interfere more seriously with the real usefulness of my mission. I am not ambitious of nominal distinctions, and notoriety is my special aversion. My reputation and my services belong to my country.” ~Dorothea Dix

“I never knew childhood!” ~Dorothea Dix

“Eager for knowledge, ambitious for more refined and intellectual social opportunities, loaded down already with a premature sense of responsibility, thus early had the iron entered her soul, and the conviction been developed in her of the reality and sharpness of the battle of life.” ~Francis Tiffany 

“To become independent in means, to educate herself for a position that would command support and respect, to be able to get her two younger brothers under the same roof with her and enact the part of child-mother to them—this early developed into the indomitable purpose of her life.” ~Francis Tiffany 

“Happily preparation for this calling [teacher] was in the line of the deepest instincts of her nature. These were at that time thirst for knowledge and longing to exert direct moral influence.” ~Francis Tiffany 

“Her sense of pitiful compassion for the ignorant, degraded, and suffering was the strongest element in her being.” ~Francis Tiffany 

“The hour of bodily suffering is to me the house of spiritual joy. It is then that most I feel my dependence on God and his power to sustain.” ~Dorothea Dix

“No mere acquisition of knowledge was of any value in her eyes in comparison with a longing to dedicate it to the service of humanity.” ~Francis Tiffany 

“…vivid interest in all the branches of natural history, which unquestionably would have asserted itself as the dominant passion of her mind, had it not been overmastered by the still stro...

In 2006, an unknown woman was instrumental in creating and releasing a little documentary titled "The Secret." Its fame grew rapidly through unconventional avenues until it achieved massive worldwide impact. Now, in 2020, a sequel to this documentary is being released in movie form titled: "The Secret: Dare to Dream."

The release of the new movie reminded Audrey of how deeply she had been impacted by the original version in 2006. She decided to returned to it and reviewed its teachings from the new place she finds herself in 15 years later. As she studied it, she was struck by how much she agreed with what was taught--but she was also surprised by how much she argued with it as well. 

In this podcast, Audrey shares what she loved and hated most in this documentary and why. She shares her perspective, after 20 years of studying history and learning from the world's greatest philosophers and thinkers, what she believes to be true and false in this movie and why. Then she goes on to share key pieces she believes are missing  and why their absence in discussing the law of attraction and envisioning can be so detrimental. 

She hopes, through analyzing this documentary, that she can help others on the mission path to look more critically at what is being taught about how we can create the lives we want. She encourages everyone to consider more closely what ideas and principles they adopt.  Most of all, she hopes that this podcast will empower everyone to better understand how to move forward in their own mission.

Listener's Guide:

Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast. 

2:00     An Overview of The Secret

5:50     Infinite power and Natural Law

6:32     The basic premise of The Secret

8:48     Thoughts on positive thinking

9:27      Why Audrey is responding

11:20    Is "the secret" like  a genie in a bottle?

13:20    What is missing and cosmic humanism

15:04    Are all desires of equal value?

20:00   Where does God fit in?

21:58    Service and sacrifice

Quotes from this episode:

“Creation is always happening.” ~'The Secret'

“Positive thoughts are 100x more powerful than negative ones.” ~'The Secret'

“You are the Michelangelo of your own life. The David you are sculpting is you.” ~Joe Vitale

“You’re getting what you’re feeling about.” ~'The Secret'

“Whatever the mind of man can conceive, it can achieve.”~W. Clement Stone

“I could not allow anything to come in to my mind that would distract me from my goal and my vision.” ~Morris E. Goodman, 'The Miracle Man'

“The idea that all desires are equal is simply not a true principle.” ~Audrey Rindlisbacher

“The universe is abundant.  We are meant to be happy and fulfilled, but we are here to learn and grow. Sometimes that includes suffering and sacrifice.” ~Audrey Rindlisbacher

Books from this episode:

       

Links from this episode:

“As the rest of the world grew stranger, one thing became increasingly clear....our Bible was the center of an ever-widening circle of help and hope. Like waifs clustered around a blazing fire, we gathered about it, holding out our hearts to its warmth and light. The blacker the night around us grew, the brighter and truer and more beautiful burned the word of God.” ~Corrie ten Boom

This is a central classic.

It is the book that gives your life meaning; the book that tells you who you are, why you are on earth and where you will go after death. It governs the choices you make. It tells you what is real. It is the book that is so important to you that you would, like Corrie, risk even life to have it. To you, it is the truth.

Mission driven men and women throughout history have always chosen to make their central classic the center of their lives. In this way, they adopt a truth higher than their own opinions, emotions and tendencies. Through their central classic they become grounded in true principles from which to govern their lives - creating stability and leading them ever closer to peace and happiness.

In this podcast, Audrey discusses not only the importance of making your scripture of utmost importance in your life, but she also gives tips to help your study of scripture come alive. As you emulate the greats in this way, you will watch your life become happier, more joyful, more faithful, and more hopeful.

Listener's Guide:

Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast. 

2:16      We are moral beings

3:09     The importance of a central classic

6:00     The ten Boom family's commitment to the Bible

8:30     Choosing a central classic

12:07    The "most read book"

14:52    James Madison

17:18    Why live by a central classic

17:58    How we wrongly use the scriptures 

19:13    Recommendations for studying your central classic

21:25    Using the Five Types of Questions

Quotes from this episode:

“This is a central classic. It is the book that gives your life meaning. The book that tells you who you are, why you are on earth and where you will go after death. It governs the choices you make. It tells you what is real. It is the book that is so important to you that you would, like Corrie, risk even life to have it. To you, it is the truth. ” ~Audrey Rindlisbacher

“The Bible was a whole literature, a library. It was an anthology of poetry and short stories. It taught history, biography, biology, geography, philosophy, political science, psychology, hygiene, and sociology (statistical at that), in addition to cosmogony, ethics and theology. ” ~Jacques Barzun

“The Holy Scripture is to me, and always will be, the constant guide of my assent; and I shall always hearken to it, as containing the infallible truth relating to things of highest concernment…and I shall presently condemn and quit any opinion of mine, as soon as I am shown that it is contrary to any revelation in the Holy Scripture.” ~James Madison

“While the Bible has served as the central classic for the West, there are also central classics in the East—The Vedas, Bhagavadgita, The Koran, Writings of Confucius and others. Other civilizations such as the American Indians and the early Hindus have had oral traditions... All of these central classics, written or oral, have taught about the beginning of the world, how man came into being, why he is now on earth and what he should do with his life. These are timeless questions that all human beings have sought answers to. And a central classic lies at the center of whatever belief system you adopt. ” ~Audrey Rindlisbacher

“One day, in heaven, we will have complete insight and knowledge, but here below we have to grasp many things wit...

“It is shortsighted to say that feminism is a Biblical problem or that it is predominantly a Western  problem.”  ~Audrey Rindlisbacher

Although most women in medieval times did not have the opportunity to utilize all of their gifts and talents , some amazing women were able to rise above their status and have a positive impact on society. 

Here is your introduction to seven of them! Through learning their stories we are introduced to a different view of women in this time period. We see women leading in political positions, as artisans, through running organizations, as writers, and other capacities. We also come to see the reality that even in medieval times, there were men who respected women, believed in them and even followed them.  

Listener's Guide:

Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast. 

3:50     Women's inferiority owing to the Bible and church refuted

7:45      What we know about Medieval women

10:58    Theodora of  Byzantium

12:35    Hilda, Abbess of Whitby

14:03    Ende the Illuminator

14:47    Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians

15:55    Hrotsvitha of Gandersheim

17:57    Hildegard of Bingen

19:07    Marie de France

Quotes from this episode:

“It is shortsighted to say that feminism is a Biblical problem or that it is predominantly a Western problem.” ~Audrey Rindlisbacher

“The middle class has always been the core of any thriving society. Men relied on their wives to raise children, run the household, help with businesses, and to work hard physically.  Men treated them more equally than in the higher levels of society.” ~Audrey Rindlisbacher 

Books from this episode: