Refining Rhetoric with Robert Bortins

Everyone knows George Bailey — but almost no one knows the war Jimmy Stewart came home from before he played him. In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Robert Bortins sits down with Aaron Burns — homeschool graduate, founder of Burns & Co. Entertainment, and producer behind Beyond the Mask, War Room, The Forge, and Sony's The Birthright Outlaw and Legacy Peak — to talk about Jimmy, the new Jimmy Stewart movie starring KJ Apa and made with Stewart's daughter, Kelly.

Aaron traces Stewart's path from his 1941 Oscar to being rejected by the Army as too skinny, to commanding B-24 bombing runs with the 8th Air Force — 20 official missions, with a flight log marking 13 planes lost on a single run — and home again with PTSD, until the prayer he cried out on the set of It's a Wonderful Life became his own. He also shares how unstructured homeschool summers spent building a log cabin and shooting short films launched his career, how Stephen Kendrick mentored him on War Room, why Poets' Corner and the original meaning of "propaganda" shape his view of the storyteller's role in culture, and what's next with his film on missionary Hudson Taylor.

For Christian homeschool families who love history, film, and faith, this is a behind-the-scenes look at what it means to tell stories worth telling. Catch Jimmy in theaters November 6 for Veterans Day weekend, bring a veteran if you can, and share this episode with a friend.

Watch Jimmy in theaters November 6 — tickets and VetTix donations for veterans.

Watch the trailer for Jimmy

Is keeping your kids in public school doing more spiritual damage than you realize? In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Robert Bortins sits down with Ray Moore — founder of the Exodus Mandate Project, retired Army chaplain, and executive producer of the documentary Indoctrination — to make the case that Christian education isn't a preference, it's a biblical mandate.

Ray lays out the argument from Deuteronomy 6 and the Great Commission, and takes aim at the "salt and light" defense pastors have long used to justify sending children into government schools. He also previews his new documentary Educated for Liberty — featuring David Barton, Michael Farris, Alex Newman, and Leigh Bortins — and flags new state laws, including one just signed in Connecticut, aimed at clamping down on homeschool freedom.

After 40+ years of homeschooling his own family, four homeschooled grandchildren, and three decades running Exodus Mandate, Ray isn't just making an argument — he's reporting from the front lines of a fight he believes will decide whether America's Christian foundation survives another 250 years. Watch Educated for Liberty free, then share it with your pastor.

Watch Educated for Liberty (free)

Exodus Mandate Project

What if the same currency collapse that gutted Venezuela's middle class is already unfolding, more slowly, in the United States? In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Robert Bortins talks with Jordan Bush — founder of Thank God for Bitcoin and head of development for TGFB Initiatives at Brilliance Labs — about the biblical case for sound money and why Christians can no longer treat currency as a morally neutral, "just politics" issue.

Jordan draws on his seven years as a church-planting missionary in Uruguay, where he watched Venezuelan refugees lose everything to hyperinflation, to explain what fiat currency actually is, why every historically great civilization was built on scarce money, and how currency debasement quietly functions as a tax on the poor and a subsidy for debt-driven governments — including our own $41+ trillion in U.S. debt. He also unpacks his books Thank God for Bitcoin, The Orange Umbrella, and The Gospel According to Bitcoin, and makes the case for Bitcoin as one practical, Christian response to a broken monetary system.

This isn't a get-rich-quick pitch — it's a call to think biblically about money, debt, and stewardship in a culture running on borrowed time.

📘 Get Thank God for Bitcoin (2nd edition, hardcover/softcover)

📘 The Orange Umbrella — a Bitcoin book that never says "Bitcoin"

📘 The Gospel According to Bitcoin

🎟️ TGFB Conference (Nashville, next July)

💛 Support Brilliance Labs' Christian nonprofit work (tax-deductible)

This episode of Refining Rhetoric is sponsored by HSLDA

Homeschooling gives you the freedom to direct your child's education and tailor it to their unique needs and abilities. At HSLDA, we passionately advocate for your right to homeschool and provide unwavering support along the way.

From personalized legal support for your family to exclusive articles, webinars, and downloads, plus discounts from major companies, HSLDA is there to help you with every step of the journey. Learn more about joining HSLDA.*

*CC family members can save $15 off their annual membership. Find your HSLDA discount code on the CC Member Advantage list in CC Connected.

Connecticut just made history — becoming the first state in over 70 years to make homeschooling harder, despite 98.5% of public testimony opposing the bill. In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Robert Bortins talks with Timothy Knotts, director of Classical Conversations' Challenge Development Program, homeschool dad of four, lawyer, and longtime Windsor, CT resident, about what actually happened with that law — and why he decided to do something about it.

Tim shares why he's now running for Connecticut's 2nd Senate District on a platform of local control, affordability, parental rights in education, and government transparency. He digs into the culture of waste and corruption in Hartford (including a former state budget official who fled to Greece after a bribery conviction), Connecticut's sky-high tax burden, and why he became the first Republican in over 20 years to qualify for the state's Citizen Election Program in his district. He also gets honest about running as an underdog in one of the bluest districts in the country — and why he's doing it anyway.

Whether you're a homeschool family watching your own state's legislature, or just want to see what it looks like when someone decides to stop complaining and actually run, this conversation is a reminder that showing up for what's right matters — win or lose. Tune in, and if you're in Connecticut, find out how you can help.

Tim Knotts for Senate website: https://timknottsforsenate.com/

This episode of Refining Rhetoric is sponsored by Classical Conversations Plus Online Learning Seminars

"CC Dads" is a 6-week online seminar exploring how fathers can take an active role, whether or not they are the main homeschool teacher in their home. Facilitated by Joseph Tokar, a homeschool dad who encourages fathers to be present as leaders, supporters, and encouragers in their God-given role, this seminar walks through six sessions grounded in Scripture on encouraging mothers, teaching sons and daughters, and finding a father's place in the classical education his family is already living out.

To learn more about the CC Plus Online Learning Seminars or to begin your journey of pursuing your next season of learning, go to https://ccnetwork.app/OnlineLearningSeminars and register today.

Courses begin October 1, 2026.

He was selling Christmas albums before he could drive — now he's building a blockchain-powered alternative to Instagram. In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Robert Bortins sits down with Classical Conversations graduate and entrepreneur Jacob Kite to talk about faith, freedom, and building companies in a culture that's lost its bearings.

Jacob walks through his winding entrepreneurial path — from a childhood Christmas album that funded his first "aha" moment at a CC Entrepreneur Day, to city youth councils, to studying stocks and crypto at 14. He unpacks his two current ventures: Activitree, a new-age social platform built on blockchain and AI meant to break Big Tech's monopoly on content, creators, and manipulation; and Pocket Truth AI, an app designed to put the Constitution and Bill of Rights literally in young people's pockets so they know their rights before they ever need them. Along the way, he opens up about lawsuits, cofounder fallouts, and what he calls "eating glass and staring into an abyss" — and how his classical Christian homeschool education gave him the confidence and the mental toolkit to keep building anyway.

Whether you're a homeschool parent wondering what classical education actually prepares kids for, or you just want to hear a 19-year-old talk about taking on Big Tech with a Bible in one hand and a business plan in the other — this conversation delivers. Tune in for a look at what it means to build with purpose in a post-truth world.

Connect with Jacob Kite (all platforms + projects): https://jacobgkite.com/

This episode of Refining Rhetoric is sponsored by the 2027 CC Family Cruise featuring the National Memory Master Competition, the National Number Knockout Competition, & the National Commencement.

The CC Family Cruise is setting sail May 2-8th, 2027, departing from Galveston, Texas, and your whole family is invited! Onboard, you can enjoy CC Signature events and exclusive perks like group dining, merchandise, events, onboard credit, and time with Leigh and Robert Bortins.

Space is filling up quickly, so visit classicalconversations.com/cruise to start your booking today!

Timothy Edwards spent nine years teaching in Idaho, taught himself out of the UK's university system entirely, and then went and built his own Christian college a stone's throw from Oxford. What could go wrong?

In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Robert Bortins sits down with Dr. Timothy Edwards — founder and first principal of Selden College, a new classical Christian liberal arts college in Oxford, England. Timothy holds a PhD from Oxford, an MA from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and spent nine years as Dean and Fellow of Theology at New St. Andrews College in Idaho before moving home to plant something new. He and Robert trace his path from a PE-teacher-in-training's senior thesis on Britain's burgeoning Christian school movement, to homeschooling his own six children, to finally founding Selden — and why he built it to bypass the UK's A-level system entirely in favor of a bespoke entrance exam and interview.

The conversation gets into the details that make this more than an origin story: why Selden's first cohort spent two weeks walking the actual sites of biblical Israel as part of their coursework, and why Hebrew — a language built on ambiguity rather than rigid grammatical forms — changes the way you encounter Scripture compared to reading it in translation. Timothy also makes the case that Christian higher education isn't just a shelter from a hostile culture but a good in its own right, worth building for its own sake.

For homeschool families wondering what a genuinely classical, Christian college pathway looks like — and what it could mean for programs like Classical Conversations that run all the way to 18 — this one's worth the full listen. Give it a listen and see what it takes to build something lasting out of nothing but conviction and prayer.

Learn more about Selden College: https://seldencollege.org

This episode of Refining Rhetoric is sponsored by Samaritan's Purse — Operation Christmas Child.

The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to children in need around the world. Your homeschool community can be part of this global mission by packing gift-filled shoeboxes full of quality toys, school supplies, and personal care items that are sent to children in over 100 countries. Through this project, Samaritan's Purse partners with the local church worldwide to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and make disciples of the nations.

Make Operation Christmas Child part of your school year leading up to National Collection Week, November 16–23.

Learn more about how you can join this ministry at https://samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/

What does the Bible have to do with how judges read the Constitution — and why should Christian parents be worried about AI chatbots raising their kids? In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Robert Bortins talks with Abraham Hamilton III — lawyer, homeschool dad of six, and General Counsel for the American Family Association — about biblical hermeneutics, constitutional originalism, and the fight for religious freedom in America.

Abe unpacks why the Founders expected lawyers to understand Scripture, how the "living Constitution" mindset severed law from its original meaning, and what Europe's collapse into censorship should warn American Christians about. He also gets personal — sharing why Ephesians 6:4 convicted him and his wife to start homeschooling 15 years ago, and how AFA is pushing back on AI's growing influence over kids.

Whether you're wrestling with how faith should inform civic life or just want a homeschool dad's take on keeping your kids safe online, this conversation is packed with conviction, clarity, and a challenge to be wise, not woke.

Follow Abraham Hamilton III: @HamiltonCorner (X, Instagram, Facebook)

Listen to The Hamilton Corner podcast: wherever you get your podcasts

Watch on AFA Streaming: https://www.afa.net/

American Family Radio: https://www.afr.net/

What happens to children when marriage gets redefined? In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Robert Bortins sits down with Katy Faust — founder and president of Them Before Us, a global movement defending children's right to their mother and father — to talk about the fallout of the Obergefell decision, the rise of commercial surrogacy, and how "big fertility" has turned children into a commodity.

Katy walks through how IVF and surrogacy have created what she calls a marketplace of children — one that preys on desperate infertile couples and economically vulnerable women alike (including military wives), and one where, as she puts it, no laws protect the child; the contract protects the adults. She and Robert also discuss the scrubbing of "mother" and "father" from parenthood statutes, the rise of designer babies and selective reduction, and why she believes Christians are uniquely called to defend the fatherless.

Katy closes with a direct challenge: become an expert on these issues, and join the Greater Than campaign — a coalition of conservative leaders working to overturn gay marriage on behalf of children. This is a heavy episode, but Robert calls it one of the most important the show has done all year.

Katy's website: https://katyfaust.com/

Them Before Us: https://thembeforeus.com/

Greater Than campaign: https://greaterthancampaign.com/

Why are so many historically Christian colleges quietly abandoning their roots — and what does it take to raise a generation that won't? In this episode of *Refining Rhetoric*, host Robert Bortins sits down with Dr. Albert Mohler, president of Boyce College and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, to talk about raising faithful Christian kids, the secular pressures pulling Christian colleges off course, and why parents need to be "loud" about their convictions instead of silent.

Dr. Mohler names the three "exit points" where Christian kids are most vulnerable — leaving the home, adolescence, and the transition from adolescence to adulthood — and explains why the 18-to-22 window matters more than parents think. He also unpacks his push to add the Truth in Unity Amendment to the Southern Baptist Convention's Constitution, why he believes Christian colleges are only ever one generation from drifting (citing Harvard's own Puritan founding), and why he's convinced America's Christian roots are recoverable, not lost.

Whether you're weighing where to send your student after homeschooling or just trying to raise kids who can articulate what they believe and why, this conversation is a bracing, hopeful case for staying convictional — and loud about it.

Dr. Albert Mohler's site & The Briefing: https://albertmohler.com/

Boyce College: https://boycecollege.com/

This episode of Refining Rhetoric is sponsored by the 2027 CC Family Cruise featuring the National Memory Master Competition, the National Number Knockout Competition, & the National Commencement.

The CC Family Cruise is setting sail May 2-8th, 2027, departing from Galveston, Texas, and your whole family is invited! Onboard, you can enjoy CC Signature events and exclusive perks like group dining, merchandise, events, onboard credit, and time with Leigh and Robert Bortins.

Space is filling up quickly, so visit classicalconversations.com/cruise to start your booking today!

What if employers — not politicians — are the last line of defense for freedom in America? In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Robert Bortins sits down with Linda J. Hansen — founder of Prosperity 101, former deputy chief of staff on Herman Cain's historic presidential campaign, and pioneering homeschool mom of six — to unpack why Christian employers can no longer afford to stay on the sidelines.

Linda traces the remarkable journey from a divine call at her firstborn's birth to the national stage of the 999 Plan, and explains how that same conviction birthed Prosperity 101 — a practical framework for equipping employees with the economic literacy, civic knowledge, and biblical worldview they need to protect their own freedom. She breaks down the seven mountains of culture, the real cost of minimum wage mandates, and why a legislator will always listen to 50 constituents before one lobbyist. The conversation covers everything from grassroots activism and the Tea Party movement to why classical education and critical thinking are the antidote to a culture that's lost its moral compass.

If you're a business owner, a homeschool parent raising the next generation of citizens, or a Christian who's been told to keep quiet about faith and politics — this episode will challenge you and equip you. Politics is involved with you whether you're involved with it or not. It's time to flip the script.

Prosperity 101: https://prosperity101.com

Follow Linda on X & LinkedIn: @Linda_J_Hansen