In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer

Historian and ordained Episcopal priest Randall Balmer joins Frank Schaeffer to discuss his powerful new book, America’s Best Idea. Together they explore the true history of church-state separation, the myth of America as a Christian nation, the Treaty of Tripoli, the Supreme Court’s recent rulings, and why evangelical Christians may lose the most if Christian nationalism succeeds. A truth-telling conversation about democracy, faith, and the First Amendment.

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LINKS

https://bookshop.org/a/99692/9781586424145

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I have had the pleasure of talking to some of the leading authors, artists, activists, and change-makers of our time on this podcast, and I want to personally thank you for subscribing, listening, and sharing 100-plus episodes over 100,000 times.

Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.
 
Thanks!

Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth.
 
Subscribe to It Has to Be Said.

The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free.

Support the show

_____
In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip.

Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/

Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.

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In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

Why the MAGA movement is far smarter, and far more dangerous, than liberals want to admit.

Political theorist Laura K. Field joins me to expose the philosophical, religious, and institutional ideas driving the MAGA New Right. From elite Catholic theorists to post-liberal power strategies, this conversation reveals why Trumpism didn’t come out of nowhere, and why ignoring it is no longer an option.

Follow Laura’s Substack

I have had the pleasure of talking to some of the leading authors, artists, activists, and change-makers of our time on this podcast, and I want to personally thank you for subscribing, listening, and sharing 100-plus episodes over 100,000 times.

Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.
 
Thanks!

Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth.
 
Subscribe to It Has to Be Said.

The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free.

Support the show

_____
In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip.

Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/

Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.

https://frankschaeffer.substack.com
https://www.facebook.com/frank.schaeffer.16
https://twitter.com/Frank_Schaeffer
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In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

Journalist William J. Kole joins me to talk about In Guns We Trust and the rise of gun culture inside white evangelical Christianity. We discuss fear, politics, self-defense myths, suicide, and why firearms have come to occupy a moral place once reserved for Jesus.

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LINKS

https://www.billkolebooks.com

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I have had the pleasure of talking to some of the leading authors, artists, activists, and change-makers of our time on this podcast, and I want to personally thank you for subscribing, listening, and sharing 100-plus episodes over 100,000 times.

Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.
 
Thanks!

Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth.
 
Subscribe to It Has to Be Said.

The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free.

Support the show

_____
In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip.

Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/

Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.

https://frankschaeffer.substack.com
https://www.facebook.com/frank.schaeffer.16
https://twitter.com/Frank_Schaeffer
https://www.instagram.com/frank_schaeffer_art
https://www.threads.net/@frank_schaeffer_art
https://www.tiktok.com/@frank_schaeffer
https://www.youtube.com/c/FrankSchaefferYouTube

In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

Why Play Matters for Children and Families | Making It Up with Christopher Mannino

A conversation about play, attention, and why being fully present with children is some of the most important work we do.

I’ve spent a lifetime raising children and helping raise grandchildren. In this conversation with Christopher Mannino, I found myself recognizing ideas I’ve learned not from books, but from years of showing up. This is about play, imagination, and why presence — not performance — is what children remember.

LINKS

https://www.christophermannino.com

I have had the pleasure of talking to some of the leading authors, artists, activists, and change-makers of our time on this podcast, and I want to personally thank you for subscribing, listening, and sharing 100-plus episodes over 100,000 times.

Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.
 
Thanks!

Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth.
 
Subscribe to It Has to Be Said.

The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free.

Support the show

_____
In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip.

Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/

Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.

https://frankschaeffer.substack.com
https://www.facebook.com/frank.schaeffer.16
https://twitter.com/Frank_Schaeffer
https://www.instagram.com/frank_schaeffer_art
https://www.threads.net/@frank_schaeffer_art
https://www.tiktok.com/@frank_schaeffer
https://www.youtube.com/c/FrankSchaefferYouTube

In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

In this conversation, I speak with Sharon Eubank about what it really means to help other people without stripping them of dignity or agency.

Drawing on decades of humanitarian work, Sharon reflects on accountability, choice, faith, and why good intentions alone are not enough. We talk about suffering not as an abstract problem, but as something that asks something of us in our communities, our institutions, and our daily lives.

This is a thoughtful discussion about responsibility, humility, and the quiet power of doing small things with great love.

LINKS

https://www.justserve.org/

Doing Small Things with Great Love

https://bookshop.org/a/99692/9781639934287

I have had the pleasure of talking to some of the leading authors, artists, activists, and change-makers of our time on this podcast, and I want to personally thank you for subscribing, listening, and sharing 100-plus episodes over 100,000 times.

Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.
 
Thanks!

Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth.
 
Subscribe to It Has to Be Said.

The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free.

Support the show

_____
In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip.

Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/

Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.

https://frankschaeffer.substack.com
https://www.facebook.com/frank.schaeffer.16
https://twitter.com/Frank_Schaeffer
https://www.instagram.com/frank_schaeffer_art
https://www.threads.net/@frank_schaeffer_art
https://www.tiktok.com/@frank_schaeffer
https://www.youtube.com/c/FrankSchaefferYouTube

In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

Novelist TJ Poortinga joins me to discuss Electric Orange, a prophetic satire exposing Christian nationalism, evangelical power, masculinity, and political rage — written by someone who knows the culture from the inside.

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LINKS

Electric Orange by TJ Poortinga

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FRKVT7KX

https://bookshop.org/a/99692/9798999882400

I have had the pleasure of talking to some of the leading authors, artists, activists, and change-makers of our time on this podcast, and I want to personally thank you for subscribing, listening, and sharing 100-plus episodes over 100,000 times.

Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.
 
Thanks!

Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth.
 
Subscribe to It Has to Be Said.

The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free.

Support the show

_____
In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip.

Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/

Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.

https://frankschaeffer.substack.com
https://www.facebook.com/frank.schaeffer.16
https://twitter.com/Frank_Schaeffer
https://www.instagram.com/frank_schaeffer_art
https://www.threads.net/@frank_schaeffer_art
https://www.tiktok.com/@frank_schaeffer
https://www.youtube.com/c/FrankSchaefferYouTube

In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

Filmmaker Petra Costa and producer Alessandra Orofino join Frank Schaeffer to explore how evangelical movements fused with authoritarian politics in Brazil—and why the same forces are reshaping democracy in the United States.

Watch Apocalypse in the Tropics

I have had the pleasure of talking to some of the leading authors, artists, activists, and change-makers of our time on this podcast, and I want to personally thank you for subscribing, listening, and sharing 100-plus episodes over 100,000 times.

Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.
 
Thanks!

Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth.
 
Subscribe to It Has to Be Said.

The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free.

Support the show

_____
In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip.

Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/

Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.

https://frankschaeffer.substack.com
https://www.facebook.com/frank.schaeffer.16
https://twitter.com/Frank_Schaeffer
https://www.instagram.com/frank_schaeffer_art
https://www.threads.net/@frank_schaeffer_art
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https://www.youtube.com/c/FrankSchaefferYouTube

In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

What happens when a beagle bred for laboratory research gets a second life—and changes a human forever?

Journalist and author Melanie D.G. Kaplan joins me for a conversation about her book Lab Dog: A Beagle and His Human Investigate the Surprising World of Animal Research.

It’s also our December pick for It Has to Be Read.

At the center of the story is Hammy—a former lab dog who survived isolation, fear, and trauma, and went on to teach lessons about forgiveness, patience, joy, and what it truly means to be alive.

This episode explores:

• The hidden reality of animal research in the U.S.
• Why tens of thousands of dogs are still used in labs
• How love and companionship can rehabilitate trauma
• What dogs teach humans about forgiveness and presence
• Why compassion may be our last shared moral language

If you love dogs, care about ethics, or believe stories can change the world, I hope you’ll watch, listen, and share.

LINK

https://melaniedgkaplan.com

I have had the pleasure of talking to some of the leading authors, artists, activists, and change-makers of our time on this podcast, and I want to personally thank you for subscribing, listening, and sharing 100-plus episodes over 100,000 times.

Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.
 
Thanks!

Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth.
 
Subscribe to It Has to Be Said.

The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free.

Support the show

_____
In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip.

Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/

Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.

https://frankschaeffer.substack.com
https://www.facebook.com/frank.schaeffer.16
https://twitter.com/Frank_Schaeffer
https://www.instagram.com/frank_schaeffer_art
https://www.threads.net/@frank_schaeffer_art
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https://www.youtube.com/c/FrankSchaefferYouTube

In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

Frank Schaeffer talks with Tufts University Catholic Chaplain Lynn A. Cooper, author of Embracing Our Time: The Sacrament of Interfaith Friendship, about building real connection across difference in an era of polarization and loneliness. They explore the Interfaith Student Council model, how trauma reshapes a life, the pressure-cooker reality of campus faith after Hamas’ attack and amid Christian nationalism, and why “deprivatizing friendship” might be one of the most radical moves left. 

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LINKS

Lynn created and directs Be-Friend: The Interfaith Friendship Program at Tufts University. For the past five years, Tufts University Chaplaincy has offered this program to students, faculty, and staff across all four campuses (virtual and in-person options). In the next few months, a digital resource for download will be available thanks to Tufts University. If you would like to be notified when it is available for download, please register here.

https://tufts.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5dSdTNWSJI7mNpQ

https://chaplaincy.tufts.edu/lynn-cooper/

https://bookshop.org/a/99692/9781506499253

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I have had the pleasure of talking to some of the leading authors, artists, activists, and change-makers of our time on this podcast, and I want to personally thank you for subscribing, listening, and sharing 100-plus episodes over 100,000 times.

Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.
 
Thanks!

Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth.
 
Subscribe to It Has to Be Said.

The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free.

Support the show

_____
In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip.

Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/

Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.

https://frankschaeffer.substack.com
https://www.facebook.com/frank.schaeffer.16
https://twitter.com/Frank_Schaeffer
https://www.instagram.com/frank_schaeffer_art
https://www.threads.net/@frank_schaeffer_art
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https://www.youtube.com/c/FrankSchaefferYouTube

In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

What happens when the architect of a war knows—deep down—that it cannot be won?

In this episode of In Conversation with Frank Schaeffer, I speak with William Taubman and Philip Taubman about their new book, McNamara at War: A New History, which is our December “It Has to Be Read” selection.

William Taubman is a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian. Philip Taubman is a longtime journalist and former New York Times Washington bureau chief and associate editor. Together, they’ve gone back through diaries, letters, declassified documents, and interviews that were never fully used before. What they found is a more complicated and more troubling picture of Robert McNamara than we’ve had until now.

McNamara helped escalate the Vietnam War even as he came to believe it could not be won. Our conversation looks closely at how that happened, why he stayed silent for so long, and what that silence cost us all.

For me, this isn’t abstract. I lived through the Vietnam era, and years later my own son served as a U.S. Marine in Afghanistan and Iraq. As we watch Donald Trump blowing up and seizing boats in a march toward conflict with Venezuela, it’s hard not to notice how often the same patterns repeat themselves.

McNamara at War is our December “It Has to Be Read” because it doesn’t just explain a war we lost.

It forces us to reckon with why we keep losing them.

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LINKS

https://www.philiptaubman.com

https://williamtaubmanbooks.com

https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324007166

I have had the pleasure of talking to some of the leading authors, artists, activists, and change-makers of our time on this podcast, and I want to personally thank you for subscribing, listening, and sharing 100-plus episodes over 100,000 times.

Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.
 
Thanks!

Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth.
 
Subscribe to It Has to Be Said.

The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free.

Support the show

_____
In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip.

Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/

Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.

https://frankschaeffer.substack.com
https://www.facebook.com/frank.schaeffer.16
https://twitter.com/Frank_Schaeffer
https://www.instagram.com/frank_schaeffer_art
https://www.threads.net/@frank_schaeffer_art
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https://www.youtube.com/c/FrankSchaefferYouTube

In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast