Distinctive Christianity

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Bradley Green to discuss his book Augustine of Hippo: His Life and Impact. Called “the greatest figure of Christian antiquity”, who was Augustine (AD 354-430) – and why does he matter? What are some key highlights of his major works? Writing: “Augustine helped lay the foundation for the church’s thinking about who God is and how we properly speak about God” – we hear about how Augustine helped develop and clarify so much of how we understand the architecture of a faithful Christian worldview. Dr. Green breaks down Augustine’s major work into three major doctrinal controversies: The Pelagian Controversy, “centering on sin and grace”; The Donatist Controversy, “centering on the nature of the church – and ultimately of the sacraments”; and The Pagan Controversy, “resulting in Augustine’s magnum opus, The City of God” – a “history of redemption” that deals with nearly everything pertaining to the Christian worldview and the Christian life. Augustine champions the inspiration of Scripture, the greatness of the Triune God, the seriousness of sin, the preciousness of Christ – and the incredible wonder of the Grace of God. Listen in as Dr. Green takes us through this and more, including Augustine’s epistemology and his (perhaps underrated) doctrine of illumination. How should we understand Augustine’s place in the debate between Protestantism and Roman Catholicism? Far from championing the achievement and progression of man to the gods, based on knowledge and obedience – Augustine consistently championed the Biblical gospel of how God became man to save a people in his incredible and mysterious grace. To quote Augustine himself: “You [God] stir man to take pleasure in praising you, because you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”

Book: Augustine of Hippo: His Life and Impact

Some other resources by Dr. Green:

- “Is Nicaea Enough?” in The Nicene Creed

- The Gospel and the Mind

- Covenant and Commandment: Works, Obedience and Faithfulness in the Christian Life

- Shapers of Christian Orthodoxy

Please check out the new book: What is Critical Theory?: A Concise Christian Analysis

Some resources by Augustine:

- Confessions

- On the Trinity

- The City of God

- On the Teacher

- The Enchiridion

Check out: New City Press Editions (and here)

Some other resources:

St. Augustine by Serge Lancel

Augustine of Hippo: A Life by Henry Chadwick

Augustine of Hippo: A Biography by Peter Brown

Studies in Tertullian and Augustine by B. B. Warfield (also here)

The Light of the Mind: St. Augustine’s Theory of Knowledge by Ronald Nash

Augustine and the Limits of Politics by Jean Bethke Elshtain

Saeculum by R. A. Markus

Justified in Christ by Chris Castaldo

Original Sin by Henri Blocher

Sovereignty and Responsibility by Henry Krabbendam

Engaging Thomas Aquinas by Leonardo De Chirico

Karl Marx by William Dennison

Biblical Theology by Geerhardus Vos

The Trinitarian Theology of Cornelius Van Til by Lane Tipton

- “The Trinitarian Theology of Thomas Aquinas”

- “Thomistic Sacerdotalism and Reformed Federalism”

- “Theological Topics in Romans”

LDS apologist article mentioned:“Early Christian Belief in a Corporeal Deity: Origen and Augustine as Reluctant Witnesses” by David L. Paulsen (also, here)

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Stephen Wellum to discuss his book God the Son Incarnate: The Doctrine of Christ. Jesus himself asked Peter: “Who do you say that I am?” in Matthew 16:15. Ever since, some of the most key and important debates have been about how to best understand and communicate all of what Scripture teaches regarding the Eternal Son, the Word become Flesh. What is Christology, and what is at stake in the subject? Does Scripture teach that Jesus is God? What is the “communicatio idiomatum” and what should we understand by the use of the terms: “Nature” and “Person”. With Leo’s Tome and the Definition of Chalcedon articulating the Person of Christ as “two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation” – why does it matter whether Christ had two wills, or one? Moreover, does the development in our understanding of Christology help or hurt the reading of the Bible in passages such as Mark 13:32 and John 14:28? What is Kenotic Christology, and what is the proper reading of Philippians 2: 5-11? Listen in as Dr. Wellum takes us through this and more, as we also ask about how an understanding or misunderstanding of Christology impacts the understanding and practice of the sacraments, as well as an understanding of the church.

Book: God the Son Incarnate: The Doctrine of Christ

Other resources by Dr. Wellum:

- Check out: Christ Over All

- The Person of Christ: An Introduction

- Kingdom through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants

- Christ Alone: The Uniqueness of Jesus as Savior

- Systematic Theology, Volume One: From Canon to Concept

Other resources cited:

- Book of Mormon: Mosiah15, Ether 3, 3 Nephi 11:36;

Notice also Joseph Smith Translation Luke 10:22: “No man knoweth the Son is the Father, and the Father is the Son, but him to whom the Son will reveal it.”

- “To Know God is Eternal Life – God the Father of Our Spirits and Bodies – Things Created Spiritually First – Atonement by the Shedding of Blood” by President Brigham Young (Feb. 8, 1857)

- A Rational Theology by Elder John Widtsoe (also here)

- Q15 Statement: “The Father and the Son” (August 1916)

- Jesus the Christ by Elder James Talmage

-“The Living Christ” by Elder Bernard P. Brockbank

- “The Only True God and Jesus Christ Whom Thou Hast Sent” by Elder Jeffrey Holland

Gospel Topics Essay: “Are ‘Mormons’ Christian?”; “Becoming Like God”; “Mother in Heaven”

Wrestling the Angel by Terryl Givens

Also recommended: The Mormon Jesus by John Turner

The Unseen Realm; “You’ve Seen One Elohim, You’ve Seen Them All? A Critique of Mormonism’s Use of Psalm 82” by Michael Heiser

The City of God by Augustine

Dialogue on the Two Natures of Christ by Peter Martyr Vermigli

The Flesh of the Word by K. J. Drake

Amidst Us Our Beloved Stands: Recovering Sacrament in the Baptist Tradition by Michael Haykin

Scourby: Matthew, Mark, John, Philippians

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Peter Barnes to discuss his book Athanasius of Alexandria: His Life and Impact. Who was Athanasius of Alexandria (AD 289/299-373), and why does he matter? What was and is Arianism, and why does it matter for the faithfulness of the church? From an attendee at the Council of Nicaea with Bishop Alexander of Alexandria to becoming Bishop of Alexandria himself, listen in as Dr. Barnes helps us understand one of the most pivotal figures in all of Christian history. Born into a transitional world from persecution into power, we hear about Athanasius navigating the complexities of the Roman world – while facing the spread of an Arian heresy that denied the full deity of Christ, as well as those who sought peace at the expense of the truth of Scripture. Indeed, contrary to the common misconception that the Council of Nicaea settled the issue (via the use of political power) – Nicaea in its time was overturned in the space of two years, and there were many church councils ruling in favor of a more Arian position (or even agnosticism on the issue). Though it may seem to outsiders as merely a quibble over letters and words - “to view Christ as God is one thing, to view Him as the highest of the angels is quite another.” To Athanasius, confessing anything less than a substantive commitment to the full deity of the Son was not Biblical and not Christian, at all. Dr. Barnes writes, “Essential to Athanasius’s thought is the premise that only God can redeem what He has created. Therefore, the Word must be truly God, for a creature cannot join other creatures to God.” Indeed, if Christ is not fully God (and by God, mean God) – then we are still dead in our sins. The irony is that though his life has been so important, we actually have little we know with certainty about his life. Yet, Athanasius’ book On the Incarnation of the Word has been one of the most important texts in the history of Christian theology – and is part of a batch of texts that give us insight into Athanasius’ thought, as well as glimpses into his pastoral priorities and ministry. In addition to this, we also ask Dr. Barnes his thoughts about Athanasius oft-quoted line that “God became man so that man might become God”, and hear his thoughts about “deification” in the thought of Athanasius. In conclusion, we ask Dr. Barnes about the legacy of Athanasius of Alexandria and why people should care today.

Book: Athanasius of Alexandria: His Life and Impact

Other resources by Dr. Barnes:

- Living in a Halfway House: The Rise of Liberal Evangelicalism in the Presbyterian Church of New South Wales, 1865-1915

- The Gospel: Did Paul and Jesus Agree?

- Galatians (EP)

- Philippians (EP)

- Handful of Pebbles: Theological Liberalism and the Church

- Pain of a Particular Kind: The Loss of a Child

Other resources:

On the Incarnation of the Word by Athanasius

“‘The Brilliance of the Rainbow’: Athanasius of Alexandria, the Cappodocian Fathers, and the Defense of the Doctrine of the Trinity” by Michael Haykin (hear interview here)

The Spirit of Truth: Johannine Pneumatology in the Letters of Athanasius to Serapion by Haitham A. Issak

Early Arianism: A View of Salvation by Robert Gregg and Dennis Groh

“A Critical Examination of the Roman Catholic Definitions of Dulia and Latria” by Lauren Montenegro

Resurrection and Redemption: A Study in Paul’s Soteriology by Richard Gaffin, Jr.

Union with the Resurrected Christ by G. K. Beale

God the Son Incarnate: The Doctrine of Christ by Stephen Wellum

The Lord Jesus Christ: The Biblical Doctrine of the Person and Work of Christ by Brandon Crowe

The Incarnate Christ and His Critics: A Biblical Defense by Robert Bowman and J. Ed Komoszewski

In this episode, we welcome by Dr. Matthew Emadi to discuss Romans 1-3. Listen in as Dr. Emadi takes us on a tour of one of the most important and insightful texts of Scripture, as the apostle Paul proclaims “the Gospel of God” for all who will hear.

Please read (and even listen) to Romans (ESV, KJV).

Check out Crossroads Church Utah

Other resources by Dr. Emadi:

The Royal Priest: Psalm 110 in Biblical Theology

“The Fulfillment of the Land Promise In the Epistle to the Hebrews: A Critique of Dispensationalism”

What Is a Church?; How Can I Serve My Church?

“The Leper’s Cleansing and Our Salvation” (TGC)

“What Do Mormons Believe About God” (TGC)

Check out past episodes with Dr. Emadi:

“Melchizedek and his Priesthood”

“The Church”

“John 14:28: ‘for the Father is Greater than I’”

“The Temple”

Other resources:

“Cleansing the Inner Vessel” by Elder Boyd K. Packer

Check out The Blessed Hope podcast with Dr. Kim Riddlebarger

The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross by Leon Morris

Uncovering the Theme of Revelation in Romans 1:16-3:26 by Marcus Mininger

Thanksgiving: An Investigation of a Pauline Theme by David Pao

Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?; Numbers 1-19; Numbers 20-36 by L. Michael Morales

The Pauline Eschatology; Biblical Theology by Geerhardus Vos

Father, Son, and Spirit in Romans 8: The Roman Reception of Paul’s Trinitarian Theology by Ron C. Fay

Cracking the Foundation of the New Perspective on Paul by Robert Cara

Perspectives Old and New on Paul; Justification Reconsidered; Understanding Paul; Romans: Text, Readers, and the History of Interpretation by Stephen Westerholm

Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free by F. F. Bruce

By Faith, Not By Sight by Richard Gaffin

Paul: An Outline of His Theology by Herman Ridderbos

Original Sin: Illuminating the Riddle by Henri Blocher

American Awakening by Joshua Mitchell (also, here)

Envy: A Theory of Social Behavior by Helmut Schoeck

Alexander at the End of the World by Rachel Kousser

Augustine of Hippo: His Life and Impact by Bradley Green

Sermon Series by Charlie Dennison

In this episode, we welcome back Dr. Stanley Payne to discuss his book The Spanish Civil War, The Soviet Union, and Communism. The Spanish Civil War is “the most mythified civil war of the twentieth century.” Commonly misunderstood and distorted into a conflict of “Democracy” versus “Fascism”, the truth involves a revolutionary-counter-revolutionary struggle, more akin to a post-WWI political crisis than a prelude to WWII. Yet, the “grand camouflage” representing propaganda rather than history persists. How do we get at the truth of what actually happened and sift fact from fiction? How do we know the Spanish revolution actually happened – and what led to it? Indeed, what would likely have occurred (or kept occurring) had not General Francisco Franco began the military insurrection on July 18, 1936? Moreover, Communist involvement in Spain, and Soviet policy regarding the Spanish Civil War has been “the major mystery” of the conflict. What were the “real goals” of Soviet policy in the Spanish war, and what light has been shed by the documents available after the fall of the Soviet Union? Listen in as Dr. Payne takes us through the grand chessboard of Soviet goals and politics – and how Spain fit into those goals and plans. Though the primary goal is to get the history of the period right – it turns out there are lessons to be learned, even for today.

Book: The Spanish Civil War, The Soviet Union, and Communism

Other resources by Dr. Payne:

The Spanish Civil War

- hear our previous interview here

The Collapse of the Republic, 1933-1936: Origins of the Civil War

Franco: A Personal and Political Biography

Franco and Hitler: Spain, Germany and WWII

A History of Fascism, 1914-1945

Spain: A Unique History

“The Road to Revolution”

“Antifascism without Fascism”

Other resources:

Fascism: Career of a Concept; Antifascism: The Course of a Crusade by Paul Gottfried

Lenin: The Man, the Dictator, and the Master of Terror by Victor Sebestyan

Stalin, Volume I: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928; Stalin, Volume II: Waiting for Hitler, 1929-1941 by Stephen Kotkin (also here, here, here and here)

In this episode, we welcome back Dr. Darryl Hart to discuss his book Protestants and Patriots: Presbyterians in the Age of Revolution. What is Presbyterianism, and “why did Prebyterianism so often emerge as an irritant in British and American Politics between 1630 and 1800?” How did John Calvin, and his Ecclesiastical Ordinances of 1541 come to influence (and be influenced by) a British context – in which debates over Biblical ecclesiology so often involved challenges to both the Crown and bishops. What were the political implications of Presbyterianism? In “the first English installment of the case for Presbyterianism” - who was Thomas Cartwright and what was the nature of some of the debate with future archbishop of Canterbury, John Whitgift? Taking us into the unity and diversity of Presbyterian emphases and development across the Anglo-American world, we see how the emphasis on the spiritual independence of the church stayed consistent even as support for religious establishment in the Old World gradually shifted in the New World toward a support of “the emerging structures of liberal society”. Moreover, there was an irony in the fight for requiring confessional subscription in American Presbyterianism – as the issue of church authority was a real struggle in the church as a church, even apart from the shifting political ideals. Listen in, as Dr. Hart takes us through the place of Presbyterian Minister John Witherspoon (the only active minister to sign the Declaration of Independence) in the general story of Presbyterianism – as well as how the Presbyterian story was such a “necessary stimulant for the orthodoxy of liberal democracy” in the broader society.

Book: Protestants and Patriots: Presbyterians in the Age of Revolution

Other resources by Dr. Hart:

Defending the Faith: J. Gresham Machen and the Crisis of Conservative Protestantism in Modern America

Also: Hear our interview on this book here

Check out his course for Reformed Forum here

Calvinism: A History

Seeking a Better Country: 300 Years of American Presbyteriansim

The Lost Soul of American Protestantism

Benjamin Franklin: Cultural Protestant

From Billy Graham to Sarah Palin: Evangelicals and the Betrayal of American Conservatism

Other resources:

The Institutes of the Christian Religion; Ecclesiastical Ordinances of 1541 by John Calvin

The Westminster Confession of Faith

The Church of Christ by James Bannerman

The Doctrine of the Spirituality of the Church in the Ecclesiology of Charles Hodge by Alan Strange

“No Faith Worth Defending” by Carl Trueman

The Puritans by David Hall

The Reformation of Rights by John Witte Jr.

Hot Protestants by Michael Winship

How the Scots Invented the Modern World by Arthur Herman

American Heretics: Religious Adversaries of the Liberal Order by Jerome Copulsky

John Witherspoon and the Founding of the American Republic by Jeffry Morrison

Roger Sherman and the Creation of the American Republic by Mark David Hall

The Declaration of Independence in Historical Context by Barry Alan Shain

In this episode, we welcome back Dr. Paul Gottfried to discuss his book Leo Strauss and the Conservative Movement in America: A Critical Appraisal. Who was Leo Strauss, and why does he matter? Deeply influencing the conservative movement in America - what was Strauss’ distinctive interpretive approach to texts, including his understanding of “Jerusalem and Athens” as well as his distinction between exoteric and esoteric readings? Leo Strauss was a veteran of WWI for Germany who will eventually be an academic exile at the University of Chicago very much shaped and motivated by the trauma of WWII and the threat of the Cold War. Both connecting and distinguishing Strauss from many of his later students and varying schools of his thought – how should conservatives view the strengths and weaknesses of his/their work? Although often framed as an exercise in retrieving wisdom from the ancients, Gottfried questions how truly committed the Straussian method is to true historical awareness regarding ancient texts, rather than simply an exercise in quirky appropriation for modern concerns - or the selective use of ancient texts for a predictable story leading invariably to the assumed goodness of the modern democratic state. Though Straussians are often critiquing the “triple scourge” of relativism, historicism and postivism against the Left, what are some fundamental concerns that conservatives should have with Strauss, coming from the Right? Is a deep commitment and concern for historical context to be guilty of “historicism”? Indeed, why should Protestant Christians care about this debate, especially how Strauss’ approach can impact both the approach to ancient texts, such as Plato’s Phaedrus (and by implication, the Bible), as well as how those ancient texts may speak to the world today? Though sometimes only seen in a debate over the American founding, it is a symptom of a much larger conflict over the value of history, and even how that should or shouldn’t connect to modern concerns.

Book: Leo Strauss and the Conservative Movement in America: A Critical Appraisal

Also check-out Chronicles Magazine (especially the print magazine):

- “Three Conceptions of Conservatism”

- “The ‘Creedal Nation’ Myth Just Won’t Die”

- “Further Thoughts on a Creedal Nation”

Also: “Getting Rights Wrong”

Check out our previous interviews: here, and here

Other books by Dr. Gottfried:

The Search for Historical Meaning: Hegel and the Postwar American Right

Multiculturalism and the Politics of Guilt: Toward a Secular Theocracy

After Liberalism: Mass Democracy in the Managerial State

Fascism: The Career of a Concept

Antifascism: The Course of a Crusade

Other resources:

Check out Bibliography of Leo Strauss

- Liberalism Ancient and Modern

- The City and Man

- Natural Right and History

Plato: Phaedrus, Republic, Timaeus, Phaedo (also here, here and here and here)

Aristotle: Politics, Nicomachean Ethics

Leo Strauss and Anglo-American Democracy by Grant Havers

“Harry Jaffa and the Demise of the Old Republic” by Barry Shain

“The Heresy of Equality” by M.E. Bradford

The Morals of History by Tzvetan Todorov

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Grant Havers to discuss his book Leo Strauss and Anglo-American Democracy: A Conservative Critique. Who is Leo Strauss, and why does he matter? One of the most important and influential philosophers of the twentieth century – Strauss is often seen as unquestionably conservative, committed to the reading of ancient philosophy and the retrieval of ancient wisdom. Strauss even opposes “the triple scourge” of relativism, historicism, and positivism – based on human reason. But is there more to the story? Listen in as Dr. Havers takes us through how Straussians often downplay the role of Christianity in the development of Western Civilization – as well as assume and project secularism into the convictions of the philosophers they read and analyze. Indeed, what Dr. Havers identifies as “the lacuna in Strauss’s hermeneutic” is the pivotal and essential role that Christianity played in shaping “the Anglo-American Tradition” – and this is paired with a tendency to reinvent (and even misrepresent) Plato and Aristotle into something akin to the modern post-WWII Liberal order that actually was the project to which Strauss was dedicated. Do the Straussians truly understand the Greeks accurately? And why are Plato and Aristotle seen as more universal and timeless than Biblical religion? Indeed, can Strauss truly defend the West without a clear and robust commitment to what the Bible has contributed to its uniquely blessed heritage and tradition? We end with Dr. Havers fascinating analysis of what Protestant Christians can both learn and avoid when it comes to even Strauss’ own analysis of the divide between Jerusalem and Athens. Perhaps Strauss’ dualism between the two both honors how uniquely valuable Jerusalem has been to our culture and institutions – but also downplays how great Christian thinkers, such as John Calvin, have not simply reduced the revealed religion of the Bible into fideism and blind obedience. We end with Dr. Havers thoughts about how dependent upon Revelation (that is, the Bible) is Western Civilization, and how is this recognition necessary for any attempt to revitalize it going forward.

Book: Leo Strauss and Anglo-American Democracy: A Conservative Critique

Other resources by Dr. Havers:

- The Medium is Still the Message: Marshall McLuhan for Our Time

- Lincoln and the Politics of Christian Love

Some resources by Leo Strauss:

Bibliography of Leo Strauss

• Liberalism: Ancient and Modern
• Natural Right and History
• Studies in Platonic Political Philosophy
• The City and Man

- “Progress or Return?”

- “Jerusalem and Athens” (also here, and here – and here)

- “On the Interpretation of Genesis” (also here)

- “Persecution and the Art of Writing”

 - Thoughts on Machiavelli

Other resources:

Leo Strauss and the Conservative Movement in America: A Critical Appraisal by Paul Gottfried

The Ancient Economy by M.I. Finley

Karl Marx by William Dennison

In the Beginning: The Opening Chapters of Genesis by Henri Blocher

The Bible Among the Myths by John Oswalt

The New Science by Giambattista Vico

The Anxiety of Influence; The American Religion by Harold Bloom

Between Philosophy and Religion, Spinoza, The Bible, and Modernity (2 vol.’s) by Brayton Polka

The Origin of Sin by David Konstan

In this episode, we welcome Reverend Stephen Atkinson of CWINA (Christian Witness to Israel North America) to discuss his article “Reformation and Re-Embracement: A Brief History of the Puritan Hope for Israel”. We start with a discussion of the oft-erroneous “gentile narrative” of the earliest Christian church that has often obscured the Jewish Christ, the Jewish Twelve, and Jewish disciples. How should the Reformed discuss the idea of the singular “olive tree” that avoids what has been the historical consequences and connotations of so-called “replacement theology”? What has Dispensationalism and then the reactionary Anti-Dispensationalism both missed in regard to the Protestant emphasis on relationship with the Jewish people that emphasized gospel ministry over the sundry politics of the Middle East? What does Romans 11 teach, and what has the range of debate been among Reformed interpreters? Listen in as we ask Reverend Atkinson about what he means by the “pirates of providence”, about his own involvement in CWINA, and his hope for the future.

Article: “Reformation and Re-Embracement: A Brief History of the Puritan Hope for Israel”

Check out: CWINA (Christian Witness to Israel North America)

- “Romans 11 and Israel’s Future in Christ” by Joel Beeke

- Awakening the Conscience Course

Please check out: "The Fulfillment of the Land Promise in The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Critique of Dispensationalism" by Matthew Emadi

Please also check out: “The Return of the Jewish Question” by David Azerrad

The Jewish State by Yoram Hazony

The Hebrew Republic by Eric Nelson

The Builder’s Stone by Melanie Phillips

On Democracies and Death Cults: Israel and the Future of Civilization by Douglas Murray

- Note this critical review by Dr. Paul Gottfried

Israel by Daniel Gordis

The Gospel of Matthew (NICNT) by R.T. France

The Letter to the Romans (NICNT) by Douglas Moo

The Pauline Eschatology by Geerhardus Vos

The Case for Amillenialism by Kim Riddlebarger

“The Church Impotent: The History and Theology of Dispensationalism” (Jason Wallace)

From Every People and Nation by J. Daniel Hays

Destroyer of the Gods by Larry Hurtado

Also, a relevant sermon by Rev. Dr. William Dennison on Revelation 14:14-20: "John's View of History: Reap What You Sow (Part 1)"

Hitler’s Religion by Richard Weikart

The Pope and the Jews; The Pope at War by David Kertzer

The Aryan Jesus by Susannah Heschel

Europe and the Jews by Malcolm Hay

Theologians Under Hitler by Robert Ericksen

The Lie That Will Not Die by Hadassa Ben-Itto

Stalin and the Jews by Arno Lustiger

Ordinary Men; The Origins of the Final Solution; The Path to Genocide by Christopher Browning

Black Earth by Timothy Snyder

clips: Romans; “O Come, O Come Immanuel” ; Luther; John Hagee; Yamma Ensemble: Psalm 104

In this episode, we welcome back Dr. Richard Weikart to discuss his book From Darwin to Hitler: Evolutionary Ethics, Eugenics, and Racism in Germany. We begin the interview with the question of methodology, and hear about the nuances needed to understand what is, and is not, being argued in the book. How does the historian accurately and responsibly track the impact of ideas, texts, and thinkers over time? From Darwin’s On the Origin of Species being published in 1859 to Adolf Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor of Germany in 1933 – how did Darwinists, themselves, promote and develop these ideas? Was was “the gospel of Darwinism”, and what was the type of rhetoric so many Darwinists used to describe their “conversion”, in addition to promoting a “new morality” in the form of some version of “social gospel”? Listen in as Dr. Weikart covers this and more, including an oft-forgotten genocide of the Hereros during the Herero Revolt (1904-06) - annihilating around 81% of the people, being justified explicitly using Darwinian concepts and thus, using scientific sanction long before Hitler did the same. Demonstrating that Darwin – and those he influenced undermined the sanctity and value of human life, we underscore that the ideas utilized by the Nazis were often mainstream, “scientific”, academic, and indeed promoted as rooted in “natural law”. Though the trail is somewhat crooked at points - in the end, perhaps Hitler demonstrated the true horror entailed by the ideas of the Darwinist worldview when a tyrant is sincerely dedicated to applying them.

Book: From Darwin to Hitler: Evolutionary Ethics, Eugenics, and Racism in Germany

Other books by Dr. Weikart:

- Hitler’s Ethic: The Nazi Pursuit of Evolutionary Progress

- Hitler’s Religion: The Twisted Beliefs that Drove the Third Reich

- hear past interview on this book here

- Darwinian Racism: How Darwinism Influenced Hitler, Nazism, and White Nationalism

- The Myth of Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Is His Theology Evangelical?

- hear past interview on this book here

- Unnatural Death: Medicine’s Descent from Healing to Killing

Unbelievable Debate with Peter Singer

Other resources:

The Aryan Myth by Leon Poliakov

Woodrow Wilson: The Light Withdrawn by Christopher Cox

The Presbyterian Controversy by Bradley Longfield

Process and Providence: The Evolution Question at Princeton, 1845-1929 by Bradley Gundlach

- also, interview about B.B. Warfield here

Darwinian Fairytales by David Stove

Forgotten Science by S. D. Tucker

Scientific Mythologies by James Herrick

Admirable Evasions by Theodore Dalrymple

On the point of LDS Disaffiliation and politics, there is some nuance that could’ve been said:

- Check out our interview with Jeff Strong

- “Why Latter-day Saints appear to be politically shifting to the Left” by Ciara Hulet (KUER 90.1)

- “Ex-Mormons Are the Most Republican Religious Leavers in America” by Alex Bass (also, check out part two)

The American Religious Landscape; The Nones; The Vanishing Church by Ryan Burge