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In nineteenth-century poet Gerard Manley Hopkins’ sonnet “God’s Grandeur,” Hopkins celebrates the countless ways creation is “charged”—intensely filled—with “the grandeur of God.” In vivid imagery, Hopkins describes God’s breathtaking glory flaming and glistening “like shining from shook foil.” But if God’s beauty is so vivid, why do so many people miss it? Hopkins suggested one reason is that humanity has covered everything with “man’s smudge” and “man’s smell”—leaving many unable to see anything beyond themselves.

Psalm 104 is also a celebration of God’s beauty in creation. Using vivid imagery, the poet describes God “clothed with splendor and majesty” (v. 1), revealing His beauty, power, and care in wind and fire (v. 4), thunder and waves (v. 7), water, grass, and trees (vv. 10–16).

Countless gifts sustaining both body and soul (v. 15) point to “the glory of the Lord” (v. 31), whether we always realize it or not. In his poem, Hopkins concluded that, even when humanity is blind to God’s glory, because of His goodness, there always “lives the dearest freshness deep down things.” If only we’ll stop to see and wonder, there are countless reasons to see, believe in, and celebrate God’s beauty and goodness “as long as [we] live” (v. 33).

If you’ve ever wondered why the Constitution sometimes feels “blank” on the biggest moral questions of the day, we make the case that you’re reading it without its foundation. We start with a listener’s question about Article VII and trace the paper trail the Constitution leaves on purpose: it dates itself from the twelfth year of American independence, pointing straight back to the Declaration of Independence and its claims about natural rights, the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God, and government’s duty to protect liberty. 

From there we zoom out to the practical consequences of separating the Declaration from the Constitution. We talk through how that split has shaped arguments in American history, and why the founders and early legal thinkers (including Blackstone’s influence on common law) assumed a moral framework underneath the system. If the Declaration becomes “just a preface,” constitutional interpretation can turn into a power contest instead of a principled limit on government. 

Then we shift to Washington realities: the filibuster, the 60-vote threshold, and why the Senate often avoids the hard votes that voters want on issues like election integrity, voter ID, and the SAVE Act. We also touch midterm dynamics, redistricting, and why motivation and trust can matter as much as raw numbers. Finally, we answer a question about removing judges for bad behavior, breaking down the impeachment process and why even serious allegations rarely reach a two-thirds Senate conviction. 

If you care about constitutional original meaning, the Declaration of Independence, Article VII, Senate rules, and judicial accountability, this one connects the dots. Subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest question for our next Q&A.

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Visit our podcast website to learn more about this ministry, unshackledpodcast.org.

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How does the nation get out of debt? Are we locked into this mindset? Tune in to The Public Square® today to hear more.

Topic: Role of Government

The Public Square® with host Dave Zanotti

thepublicsquare.com

Air Date: Thursday, May 14, 2026

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