Anna Palmer is the Founder and CEO of Punchbowl News and Co-host of The Daily Punch podcast. Punchbowl, the Secret Service nickname for the Capitol, is "...a content company and news community focused on Power, People and Politics in Washington" that publishes 3 newsletters and a podcast daily. We talk about Anna's journey from growing up on a farm in N. Dakota to contributing at the highest levels of journalism in D.C.; how to deliver great reporting; plus we get some behind-the-scenes insights into what politicians are really saying in their most candid moments; as well as Anna's thoughts on the attack on the Capitol and other salient issues.

Daniel Darling, SVP at Nat'l. Religious Broadcasters, came in for a healthy exchange about several pertinent issues such as sanctity of life, public heresies in the conservative Christian movement, online rhetorical combat and the "Pharisee fallacy."

Daniel Darling is also a bestselling author of several books including A Way With Words, released last summer, and is co-editor of The Church and the Racial Divide, a study for small groups on racial reconciliation. He’s also a regular contributor to a wide variety of publications such as In Touch Magazine and Christianity Today and has had op-eds in USA Today, National Review, Washington Times and the Washington Post and has appeared on CNN, Fox and MSNBC. He also has a popular podcast called The Way Home where he interviews Christian leaders, politicians and journalists.

Senator Scott Wilk of the 21st Senate District of California discusses the inner workings of CA politics, what it's like to be a Republican in a state heavily dominated by Democrats, how he works productively with folks across the aisle yet maintains his own principles and effectively represents his constituents. This was recorded prior to the attack on the Capitol, but it's interesting to hear some prescience in some of what we discuss such as the divisiveness and heated rhetoric around politics in the country. Fortunately, Scott is not one of those exacerbating these problems but is part of the solution in the way his staff represents the diversity of his district and his record reflects his friendship and collaboration with Republicans and Democrats alike.

Kim Yaged has worked for the U.S. Department of State, the United Nations, and is also an award-winning writer having received the Kennedy Center Meritorious Achievement Award for her theater/dance hybrid America which explores ethnicity, race, religion, and culture in the United States as well as many other awards such as for her renowned work Hypocrites & Strippers. What’s even cooler is that Kim and Corey are from the same hometown in New Jersey. And, yeah, we both had the same high school English teacher as Bruce Springsteen! On this episode, Kim joins Ronnie and Corey for a very different conversation than we were planning.

On today's episode, our friend Paige Pendleton, who voted differently than Ronnie and Corey in the presidential election, came in for a great conversation about politics, the state of the media, how we engage and how we raise our kids among other topics. Paige is an author of children and adult fiction (including The Black Ledge series, The Keeper of the Rune Stone, The Keeper of the Alabaster Chalice and Reginald the Railway Rat). Paige also sits on the Maine Animal Science Committee and, with an educational background in biology/microbiology, has advised on infectious disease control. With the COVID-19 outbreak she's been working with businesses, schools and other organizations advising on infectious disease prevention full time all over the state of Maine.

Peter Englert, Adult Ministries Director at Browncroft Community Church in upstate NY, has a very innovative, practical approach to staying connected with his community using social and digital media, such as through his podcast Why God Why and his website peterenglert.com. We explore how he pastors at a church that has members who identify across the political spectrum. Ronnie also asks about the nature and purpose of prayer, the intersection of faith and politics (of course) and about a Christian pastor's mission.

On this bonus episode, our pal Harrison Leonard gets real about his journey from being a conservative (politically and theologically) to having a crisis (or crises) of faith, identifying as a libertarian, veering back towards conservatism and then ultimately to a more progressive political disposition and a "live and let live" theological one, all the while affirming both his Jewish heritage and Christian faith. 

R.C. Sproul, Jr. is a Christian writer and theologian who’s written over a dozen books on topics ranging from Homeschooling to Economics to Theology, including most recently a tribute to his  father, the renowned apologist and pastor of the same name, Growing Up (with) R.C. Ronnie and Corey have a candid conversation with R.C. about dealing with our own failings and scandal. They also do a deep dive on how to interpret Scripture and cover some current politics, each coming from a very different perspective.

On this episode, Ronnie and Corey talk with the brilliant, renowned economist, Michael Ferrantino. In his current role at the World Bank, Michael is ensconced in promoting recovery in global trade in the wake of COVID-19. We also mix it up with a discussion of our religious formation, get into some politics (of course) and even talk some baseball. Most importantly, back by popular demand is a special cameo by the now infamous Phyllis, aka Grandma. It's priceless. Trust me.

What is expertise? Does it still matter? How can we know things? How can we know what the truth is? How does our faith inform everything else? And what's up with anti-intellectualism? 

Dr. E. Johanna Hartelius is Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. She's the author of The Gifting Logos: Expertise in the Digital Commons and The Rhetoric of Expertise. She's also a co-host on the podcasts You're Not Accepted and Crackers and Grape Juice. And yeah, she's pretty bad-ass!