Join Conner Jones and Micah Tomasella on Culture Brief as they break down the week’s biggest headlines through a Christian lens. From the turbulence in financial markets to a new and deadly phase of the civil war in Syria and the latest developments surrounding the controversial Tate brothers, they cover the stories shaping our world. Plus, they unpack the latest player moves in the NFL’s open market, discuss updates on Gene Hackman’s death, check in on Canada’s new Prime Minister, mourn bags flying free on Southwest Airlines and preview two upcoming sporting events. 

• (00:23): Financial markets update
• (11:55): Civil war in Syria: Background and recent events
• (22:41): Introduction to the Tate brothers controversy
• (30:15): Biblical perspective on manhood
• (33:37): NFL free agency frenzy
• (42:39): Listener feedback and hot takes
• (44:42): Upcoming events and news

• Mailbag: [email protected]
• DenisonForum.org/subscribe
• Culture Brief on Instagram
• Morning Brew: International markets reversal
• Wall Street suffers ‘ugly’ sell-off amid US recession fears, as Musk’s Tesla falls 50% from all–time high – as it happened | Business | The Guardian
• Charted: The U.S. Stock Market vs. Rest of World (1979-2025)
• International-Stock Funds Finally Wake Up - WSJ
• Civil war in Syria escalates as rebels take Hama
• Introducing Culture Brief: A new Denison Forum podcast on sports, pop culture, and more
• The Conflict in Syria: Causes and Biblical Responses
• Chaos in Syria and the future of America
• Hundreds of Minorities, Including Christians, Killed in Syria—Reports - Newsweek
• Horror vids show 'brutal regime mutilations' & gunmen in Damascus after ‘1,500 die’ in 4 days of bloody clashes in Syria | The Sun
• 2 days of clashes and revenge killings in Syria leave more than 1,000 people dead
• More than 1,000 killed in Syrian crackdown on Alawite region, war monitor says | Reuters
• The Tate brothers left Romania and are facing an active criminal investigation in Florida. Here’s what we know | CNN
• Andrew Tate timeline: From kickboxing and webcams to criminal probe in Florida | The Independent
• Andrew Tate vs. Biblical Manhood | Summit Ministries

Micah Tomasella is the Advancement Officer at Denison Ministries and co-hosts Denison Forum's "Culture Brief" podcast. A graduate of Dallas Baptist University, Micah is married to Emily, and together they are the proud parents of two daughters. With an extensive background in nonprofit work, finance, and real estate, Micah also brings experience from his years in pastoral church ministry.

Conner Jones is the Director of Performance Marketing at Denison Ministries and Co-Hosts Denison Forum's "Culture Brief" podcast. He graduated from Dallas Baptist University in 2019 with a degree in Business Management. Conner passionately follows politics, sports, pop-culture, entertainment, and current events. He enjoys fishing, movie-going, and traveling the world with his wife and son.

Denison Forum exists to thoughtfully engage the issues of the day from a biblical perspective through The Daily Article email newsletter and podcast, The Denison Forum Podcast, as well as many books and additional resources.