Radical Optimism

The off-year elections in Virginia and New Jersey held clues for what is to come in the 2022 mid-terms. The Virginia election gave Republicans a roadmap for success and shocked Democrats. Rachel and Taylor talk about what happened and what it could mean for the future.

It's been a little busy for us so we've missed the last couple of weeks. But we will be back!

Taylor and Rachel welcome guest Neil Chilson to talk about his new book Getting Out of Control: Emergent Leadership in a Complex World. Neil talks about what “emergent order” is and how it applies to personal life, policy, and the world around us. We also talk about how to square this idea with a God who is in control, even in a world that often feels like chaos.

President Biden recently initiated a vaccine mandate for federal employees and companies that employ over 100 people. But this is not the first vaccine mandate in American history. Rachel and Taylor discuss these topics, the many differences in the phrase "vaccine mandate," the implications for our freedom, and a Christian perspective.

Congress has a whole lot on its agenda in the coming weeks, including avoiding a government shutdown and a debt default! Also in play: trillions of dollars in infrastructure funding, new social programs, and tax increases. Rachel and Taylor (but mostly Rachel) give insight into how it all works.

In this episode we have our first guest joining us to discuss the war in Afghanistan and the recent withdrawal. Beth Bailey has had a fascinating career working in intelligence with a focus on counterinsurgency and is now a writer covering topics about veterans, antisemitism, being a homeschooling mom, and the war in Afghanistan. She's also just a lovely person. We were so glad she could join us to discuss this important topic as well as her stinkers and thinkers.

The news was abuzz about the Texas bill that effectively bans abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat. We talk about the history and context around this bill, what comes next, and how we think about it as Christians.

We are back from our summer break! Sorry we didn't give any heads up that we were taking one. We explain why. Next week we plan to return to discussions on current events, but this week's episode we devoted entirely to media stinkers and thinkers to ease back into it.

The Biden administration has recently said they want to deal with vaccine misinformation on Facebook. Rachel and Taylor talk about why getting the government involved in speech is a bad idea, and how tricky it can be to discern what is true or not on the Internet.

It seems like the pandemic is moving to the rearview mirror, but the grief, and even some of the positive societal changes are with us to stay. What’s different about our relationships, our work lives, and our culture? How are Christians responding to these changes and gleaning wisdom from what we’ve learned? Taylor and Rachel share their experience and analysis of the trends.