So We Speak

This is one of my favorite episodes of the podcast. Daryl Kent is one of my good friends and has one of the best stories. As he talks about coming to know Christ, we talk about taking up the cross every day, winning the battle against lust and pornography, and the power of redemption. 

This week we had the opportunity to go to the Oklahoma Counsel on Public Affairs to talk about some of the policy work they’re doing on education. The OCPA is an Oklahoma think tank committed to advancing principles and policies that support free enterprise, limited government, and individual initiative. Some of their work pertains to Oklahoma but most of our discussion has to do with the tensions over religion and education seen in things like the gender and bathroom disputes, whether or not Christian curriculum should be used in public schools, and the importance of school choice.

In the beginning of our conversation, we talk about the difference between politics and policy, and I think you’ll start to hear why they have an interesting perspective on things like education, freedom, and being a Christian in America today. Their principles are not overtly Christian, but they do provide for a lot of Christian ideas and commitments to take root in our culture.

You’ll hear a bunch of voices on this episode – and because of that there are some places where the quality is not quite as good as usual.

Jonathan Small is the president of the OCPA.

Dave Bond is the VP for Advocacy, the lobbying side of the organization

Brandon Dutcher is a Senior VP and oversees a lot of their policy research.

I learned a lot in this conversation, and I hope you all enjoy it.

We're very excited to have Steve Trice as our first guest of the year! Steve was the founder and CEO of Jasco Products in Oklahoma City and now serves as the chairman of the board. When he gave his life to Christ, he decided to live as a Christian at work and at home. Steve and Terry discuss the importance of discipleship, trusting God in business, and the faithfulness of God's provision in their lives. 

To kick off the year, we're looking at the most important trends in the church and in politics and making a few predictions about what 2020 might hold. 

Terry’s Favorite Books:

Biographies (1:10):

• Victoria: A Life - A. N. Wilson 

Poetry (3:30)

• New and Collected Poems - Czeslaw Milosz

Let Me Finish - Chris Christie (5:20)

Human Nature - David Berlinski (6:00)

Understanding Gender Dysphoria - Mark Yarhouse (7:50)

The Upward Spiral - Alex Korb (8:50)

Christian Beliefs - Wayne Grudem and Elliot Grudem (9:45)

Views from the Mountain - James Earl Massey (10:15)

The Enduring Authority of the Christian Scriptures - D.A. Carson (10:40)

Failure of Nerve - Edwin Friedman (13:50)

How to Exasperate Your Wife - Doug Wilson (14:50)

Cole’s Favorite Books (16:00):

Crossing to Safety - Wallace Stegner (2:30)

Cultural Engagement - Josh Chatraw and Karen Swallow Prior (16:10)

Faith Among the Faithless - Mike Cosper (17:15)

Tending Soul, Mind and Body - Gerald Hiestand and Todd Wilson (19:10)

Captain Class - Sam Walker (19:30)

Reappearing Church - Mark Sayers (21:00)

NFL Century - Joe Horrigan (21:40)

Churchill: An Extraordinary Life - Sarah Gristwood and Margaret Gaskin (23:00)

Leadership in War - Andrew Roberts (24:45)

Hymns of the Republic - S.C. Gwynne (26:40)

Books of the Decade (39:40):

The Enduring Authority of the Christian Scriptures - D.A. Carson

The Coddling of the American Mind - Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff

12 Rules for Life - Jordan Peterson

How (Not) To Be Secular - James K. A. Smith

Paul and the Faithfulness of God - N. T. Wright

Plagues of the Mind - Bruce Thornton 

The Blessing of Humility - Jerry Bridges

Spurgeon on the Christian Life - Michael Reeves

The Second World Wars - Victor Davis Hanson

Churchill: Walking with Destiny - Andrew Roberts

Should Christians pray for people to rise from the dead? We discuss the tragic situation at Bethel, doing the things that Jesus did, and God's will in life and death. 

How should Christians steward the environment? In light all the talk about global warming, how should Christians working in oil and gas think Christianly about their industry? This week Terry Feix interviews Steve Slawson, Vice President of Operations at Slawson Companies, about how his faith impacts his work and how Christians can think about stewarding natural resources. 

We've got some big goals for So We Speak in 2020! Would you consider supporting us as we head into the new year?

Nahum isn't studied very often, but he gives us a stunning picture of the character of God. It's easy to forget that God is Lord, not just over the church, but over the whole world. With some historical background, the book of Nahum comes alive and shows that God rules over nations, kings, and empires.

In the book of Jeremiah, we get one of the most intimate portraits in Scripture. Through his calling, questioning, suffering, and proclamation of a new covenant, Jeremiah ties the entire Bible together around his life of everyday faithfulness. This week, we discuss all that we can learn from this extraordinary prophet.

Habakkuk is one of the best known of the minor prophets. His prayer shows the inner life of the Old Testament prophet, and God's answers to his prayers gives us a glimpse of what it looks like to trust God when things don't turn out the way we hope. 

Email us questions, comments, or suggestions at [email protected].