Refining Rhetoric with Robert Bortins

What does it mean to offer students a "whole-person education"? In this third conversation in our college series this July, Robert sits down with Dr. Charles Scott, the Vice President of External Affairs at Oral Roberts University (ORU), a private Christian college located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, whose mission is "to develop Holy Spirit-empowered leaders through whole-person education to impact the world." They discuss what a whole-person education looks like practically at ORU, what cultural challenges college students face today, how to prepare students for work as worship, how to engage Generation Z students for Christ, and how Christ-centered businesses can serve the community around them. After the interview, Robert addresses the lowest decline in writing and math scores in decades in the U.S. and Will explains Blackrock's proposed Bitcoin ETF.

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/charles-scott

"Learn to build a life, not just a living" is the slogan of Excel College in North Carolina, a unique higher education experience that equips students with skills for the whole of life, including their careers, relationships, and faith. In this conversation, Robert speaks with Andrew Chambers, Head of Campus Life at Excel. Andrew discusses Excel's unique philosophy and approach to higher education, emphasizing the two phases the college's students work through—the Core and the Practicum. In addition, Andrew describes the family-style campus environment at Excel, why companies are seeking liberal arts students, how Excel students can graduate with bachelor's degrees in just two and a half years, and much more. Afterward, in this episode's "Current Events Discussion," Robert uses the classical tools of learning to understand the Canadian wildfires and, in the "Classical Crypto" segment, debunks two popular myths about crypto: that it has no use cases and is untraceable.

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/andrew-chambers

What's wrong with masculinity? In this bonus episode of Refining Rhetoric, Robert interviews critically acclaimed author and speaker Nancy Pearcey about her new book The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes. Nancy is the author of several bestselling books, including Love Thy Body, The Soul of Science, Saving Leonardo, Finding Truth, and Total Truth. She is also a professor and scholar in residence at Houston Christian University and has been hailed in The Economist as "America's pre-eminent evangelical Protestant female intellectual." In this crucially important conversation, Nancy shares the research behind The Toxic War on Masculinity, examining the history of why modern culture is so hostile toward men, the Darwinian and Christian takes on masculinity, astonishing evidence that supports Christian evangelical men as the least likely to divorce or commit abuse, how the war on masculinity is affecting our culture at a large scale, and what men can practically do to stay involved with their families. This is an episode you won't want to miss!

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/nancy-pearcey

July is college month here on Refining Rhetoric! For the next four weeks, we'll feature a university that aligns with our values both in faith and education, as well as our mission to know God and to make Him known. This week, Robert speaks with Dr. Thomas White, the tenth president of Cedarville University in Ohio and a Classical Conversations® dad. Thomas explains how running Cedarville is a ministry opportunity, what a thriving Christian community looks like on their college campus, and how Cedarville is preparing for the college "enrollment cliff"—the decline in the population of college-age students starting in 2025. Plus, Thomas encourages parents homeschooling with Classical Conversations that they are doing more than enough to prepare their students for college-level education. And, if you or your student are considering pursuing a college degree, you'll discover what opportunities are available at Cedarville. After the interview, Robert considers why Greta Thunberg's doomsday prediction made five years ago did not happen, and Will theorizes why the U.S. government appears to be reversing some of its public opinions on crypto.

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/thomas-white

Where is your money safe: in the bank or in Bitcoin? In this episode's conversation, Robert interviews Classical Conversations® homeschool dad Alex Hays, the founder of Orion & Taurus, a company based in South Florida that specializes in repairs of ASIC machines and GPUs for Bitcoin miners. Alex shares his thoughts on questions that are on the minds of many Americans interested in personal finance and crypto: Where is our money safe? Is Bitcoin a hedge against inflation? And is Bitcoin mining sustainable? Alex also talks about balancing homeschooling with running a business, gives his best book recommendations for entrepreneurs, offers his opinions on the controversial yet highly influential book The 48 Laws of Power, and much more. After his conversation with Alex, Robert addresses the recent nationwide crackdown on remote work, and Will returns to give an update on the three recent SEC lawsuits against Coinbase, Binance, and Ripple (XRP).

Disclaimer: This episode is purely for education and entertainment purposes only. Nothing discussed in this conversation should be taken as financial advice.

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/alex-hays

What's wrong with the modern social justice movement? In this episode, Robert is joined by Dr. George Grant, a pastor, prolific author, and founder of several classical, Christian schools, colleges, and educational organizations. Here, George talks about the distinction between mercy ministry and the social justice movement, the importance of proclaiming biblical truth in a God-honoring manner, the role of classical education as discipleship, and practical ways Christians can help the homeless. Later, Robert uses the classical tools of learning to analyze the risks of generative AI art and to examine the SEC's legal action against Coinbase, the leading crypto exchange in the U.S.

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/george-grant

Ever wonder what the star of Bethlehem that led the wise men to Christ's birth really looked like? In this episode, Robert talks to Howard Hochhalter, a marine turned astronomer and NASA Solar System Ambassador and an atheist turned Christian and Classical Conversations® dad. In this powerful conversation, Howard tells his incredible testimony of coming to know Jesus through a chance meeting with a homeschool family, being welcomed by the believers in his family's Classical Conversations community, and studying the history and astronomy behind the real star of Bethlehem. He also shares what fascinates him about the night sky and what he does as a NASA Solar System Ambassador and director of a planetarium. In the "Current Events Discussion," Robert considers the possibility of a secret government program monitoring UFOs and then wraps things up by explaining USDT (Tether) in "Classical Crypto."

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/howard-hochhalter

Our emotions can be complicated, and understanding how they work and how to deal with them is crucial to maintaining healthy relationships both in the workplace and at home. In this episode, Robert chats with Classical Conversations® dad, former army ranger, and longtime friend Noble Gibbens about why Noble became an emotional intelligence (EQ) consultant and helps individuals and teams understand and manage their emotions. Noble explains what an EQ consultant does, narrates a powerful story of helping a stone-cold business leader develop empathy, offers numerous book recommendations for both readers wanting to grow in their EQ and for entrepreneurs, describes the purpose of EQ, gives advice to parents teaching their children about emotions, and finally tells the story of how developing his own EQ helped him become a better leader, husband, and father. After the interview, Robert addresses the Target/Pride Month controversy and explores why the UK Parliament is calling for crypto regulations. Tune in for another insight-packed episode of Refining Rhetoric!

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/noble-gibbens

Robert welcomes Classical Conversations® Challenge graduate Nathan Burns to the show for a wide-ranging conversation on homeschooling, machine learning, AI, acrobatics, Christian mentorship, and much, much more. Nathan narrates his journey from growing up homeschooled in a military family to studying economics in college to becoming a machine learning engineer and entrepreneur. Together, Robert and Nathan explore how AI can free up our time through automation, the danger in biased AI systems, the timeless wisdom in the book of Proverbs, why faith-based mentorship is needed among young men, the lessons Nathan gained from doing acrobatics through childhood, and his experience competing on America's Got Talent. Plus, Nathan shares tips for homeschool parents wanting to teach their children to code. Stay tuned after the interview to hear Robert examine the recent acquisition of three major U.S. education companies by a Chinese private equity firm and to listen to Will offer his thoughts on the current state of American politics and crypto.

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/nathan-burns

What does it take to leave an organization your family has been involved with for generations? On this episode of Refining Rhetoric, Robert interviews Patti Garibay, the founder and executive director of American Heritage Girls, an adventure program that encourages Christ-centered leadership and character development for girls ages 5–18. In their conversation, Patti discusses leaving Girl Scouts USA to start a Christ-centered alternative, how to avoid mission drift as an organization and stay fast to your core values, the significance behind the American Heritage Girls' oath and creed, helping start Trail Life USA, and what we can do about the disconcerting rise in mental health issues among teen girls. Stick around after the interview for our "Current Events Discussion" and "Classical Crypto" segments, where this week Robert explores the possibility of reaching the national debt ceiling and whether on-chain metrics and the upcoming Bitcoin halving are valid predictors of a crypto bull market.

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/patti-garibay