Refining Rhetoric with Robert Bortins

Parental rights: are these God-given, natural rights or state-defined? In this conversation, Robert talks with longtime friend Will Estrada, president of ParentalRights.org and the Parental Rights Foundation, two nonprofits holding fast to the belief that parents should be able to raise their children without undue government interference. Together, they explore what the term "parental rights" actually means and why it's important to enshrine parental rights in an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Plus, Will shares his personal journey from growing up homeschooled to now defending parents' rights to their children's education and freedom. Post-interview, Robert addresses recent advances in AI using the classical tools of learning and then explains an educational game about crypto created by a homeschool family called HODL Up.

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/william-estrada

Do we have a truly biblical view of masculinity and femininity? In this episode, Robert Bortins sits down with author and entrepreneur Dale Partridge to discuss how to bring the church back to the Bible, specifically on the topic of gender. Dale, the president of Relearn.org and Reformation Seminary and the author of several books, including People Over Profit, talks here about the modern church's move away from biblical masculinity, the manliness of Jesus Christ, his decision to write the children's book Jesus and My Gender, and the criticism he has received for several of his views. After their conversation, Robert turns toward current events, explaining Trump's decision not to attend a GOP presidential debate and the SEC's recent lawsuit against the crypto exchange Coinbase.

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/dale-partridge

Can tests actually inspire students rather than just stressing them out? Here, Robert talks with Jeremy Tate, founder and CEO of the Classic Learning Test, an education company that provides assessments that are intellectually richer and more rigorous than traditional standardized tests and college entrance exams. Jeremy discusses where standardized testing has gone wrong, the virtues and future of classical education, what sets CLT exams apart from other standardized tests like the SAT and ACT, and why so many colleges are gladly awarding scholarships based on students' CLT exam scores. After the conversation with Jeremy, Robert uses the classical tools of learning to help listeners understand Tucker Carlson's departure from Fox News and, in the "Classical Crypto" segment, considers why the federal government is selling its Bitcoin.

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/jeremy-tate

Where did the public school system go wrong? In this episode, Robert discusses the miseducation of America with David Goodwin. David is the president of the Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS), the managing director of The Classical Difference magazine, cofounder and former headmaster of The Ambrose School, and, most recently, coproducer, along with Pete Hegseth of Fox News, of the six-part docuseries The Miseducation of America. Together, David and Pete also authored the recent #1 New York Times Bestseller, The Battle for the American Mind: Uprooting a Century of Miseducation. In this conversation, David shares his perspective on the current state of education in the United States, explains the concept of "paideia" and how traditional schools have lost the Western Christian Paideia, and considers why classical education has been gaining so much recent attention nationwide. Later in the episode, Robert discusses the potential changes to Title IX, and Will theorizes on why Bitcoin's value has skyrocketed.

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/david-goodwin

Does God have an opinion on education? In this episode, Robert welcomes back Refining Rhetoric's first returning guest, Israel Wayne, who has spent decades researching the answer to this question. Together, they discuss Israel's new book Foundations in Faith, sharing homeschooling responsibilities with one's spouse, the fundamental thing missing from the traditional school system, whether education is morally neutral, and the importance of developing a Christian worldview, while also sharing helpful resources to help listeners get started along this path. After their conversation, Robert uses the classical tools of learning to analyze Brazil and China's recent agreement to trade oil outside the U.S. dollar, followed by a "Classical Crypto" segment on bear markets vs. bull markets.

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/israel-wayne-2

How can we assess progress and performance without assigning grades? In this episode, Robert talks with Amanda Butler, Vice President of Training and Support at Classical Conversations®, about what classical, Christian assessment should look like. From engineer to public school teacher to homeschool mom, Amanda draws from her unique experience to share what she has learned about how to encourage students to improve without stifling their motivation and creativity. She discusses how classical assessment is different from public school testing, the principles of classical assessment, the common pitfalls homeschool parents can fall into when assessing their children's learning, and advice for young parents at the start of the homeschooling journey. Post-interview, Robert uses the classical tools of learning to break down what is happening with Trump's indictment and then takes a critical look at FedNow, the new instantaneous digital transfer system from the U.S. Federal Reserve, and how it relates to crypto.

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/amanda-butler

Where has the fun gone in parenthood? In this special episode, Robert is joined by Delise Germond and Ginny Tran—hosts of the podcast Blessings and Motherhood from Classical Conversations®—to talk about the joys of parenting, the national birth rate decline, the behind-the-scenes of producing the Classical Conversations podcasts, and how to figure out major life decisions with your spouse. After their conversation, Robert provides insight into the recent bank failures and explains the Federal Reserve's balance sheet. Then, Will concludes the episode by considering how Silicon Valley Bank's collapse may impact the future of crypto.

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/blessings-and-motherhood

Can homeschooling give students the freedom to pursue their passions? In this episode, Robert chats with Classical Conversations® Challenge student and former National Memory Master champion Trevor Dolden about his promising acting career in Los Angeles, California. Since first becoming interested in acting at nine months old, Trevor has gone on to play roles in short films, TV shows, and movies, including Monsters at Large, the Apple TV+ original show Mr. Corman, and the 2021 horror film Not Alone. After participating in his local Classical Conversations Memory Master program no less than seven times, Trevor competed in and won the 2021 National Memory Master competition, taking home the grand prize of $10,000. Here, Trevor shares how homeschooling gives him more time to audition and prep for roles, how his family has supported him along his journey, and advice for upcoming Memory Master participants. After the interview, Robert uses the classical tools of learning to explain the third-largest bank failure in U. S. history, and Will returns to his discussion of whether Ripple's XRP token ought to be considered a security.

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/trevor-dolden

Just let boys be boys! In this episode, Robert talks with Mark Hancock, CEO of Trail Life USA. Trail Life is a Christ-centered, outdoor adventure program that teaches young men biblical values and outdoor skills through character and leadership development. Here, Mark describes how Trail Life stands out among other outdoor adventure programs by being Christ-focused, the three things boys need to give them a sense of fulfillment in life, and how dads' relationships with their sons have been strengthened through participating in Trail Life troops. After his conversation with Mark, Robert takes a sobering look at the increase in suicidal thoughts among teen girls and, in the "Classical Crypto" segment, provides an overview of the token ATOM by Cosmos.

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/mark-hancock

How can we improve our ability to anticipate and resolve relational conflicts? In episode 37, Robert speaks with Ken Sande, the founder of Peacemaker Ministries and Relational Wisdom 360 (RW360). Over the course of his career as a lawyer and professional mediator, Ken has mediated hundreds of conflicts in familial, business, church, and legal settings. Classical Conversations® Challenge B families should be especially excited to hear this episode because Ken is also the author of the bestselling book The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Conflict, a recommended resource for parents of students enrolled in our Challenge B program. Here, Ken discusses ways to improve our relational wisdom and peacemaking skills so that we can better love one another. After the interview, Robert uses the fifteen classical tools to analyze students' low math and reading proficiencies and then introduces two proposed bills that could ban the U.S. government from creating its own central bank digital currency (CBDC).

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/ken-sande