Happy 4th of July! How are you and your family celebrating Independence Day? In today’s culture, it’s become controversial to love and celebrate the United States. But should that stop us from teaching our kids about Independence Day and American history? In this episode, Brett and Erin discuss why we need to teach kids about their country and give you tons of practical tools to help you accomplish that.

Mentioned Resources:

Thomas Jefferson and Equality: Making America https://www.prageru.com/video/thomas-jefferson-and-equality-making-america

President Ronald Reagan’s Farewell Address https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjECSv8KFN4&ab_channel=ReaganLibrary

Declaration of Independence Morgan Freeman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W0a3pzF-5M&ab_channel=ChristianShively

John Adams - Writing the Declaration of Independence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7o5kWrbJJE&list=PL2TpMT6B_cnPIoPUBUkgEJqEpnpicsB8t&ab_channel=Doxa

His Excellency General Washington by Phillis Wheatley https://poets.org/poem/his-excellency-general-washington

Hillsdale Online Courses https://online.hillsdale.edu/

MAVEN is donor-supported. DONATE HERE: https://maventruth.com/donation/ 

What do Joel Osteen, Oprah, and the Law of Attraction all have in common? They are notorious proponents of a subtle and deceptive philosophy called New Thought that is linked to new-age beliefs. In this episode, Brett and Erin interview Christian YouTuber and Apologist Melissa Dougherty about her faith journey, the web of new age and new thought taking the church by storm, and strategies for inoculating your kids.

Check out Melissa's channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@MelissaDougherty

Will you be watching the presidential debate on June 27th? We are in an election year and presidential campaigns are already in full swing. This summer, the culture is handing us the perfect opportunity to model thoughtful political engagement for our kids. In this episode, Brett and Erin outline practical strategies for using the upcoming presidential debate as a tool to teach kids about a Christian view of politics, critical thinking, and civics—even if politics are not your thing.

Send in your debate watch party photos at [email protected]!

Okay, we don't actually want to destroy children's imaginations...in fact, we want to do the opposite. In a culture that discourages the development of healthy imaginations, we have to be intentional about fostering this in our children. In this episode, Brett and Erin discuss Christian thinker Anthony Esolen's book 10 Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child and unpack a few of the essential ways you can preserve and nurture your child's imagination.

Check out Anthony Esolen's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Ways-Destroy-Imagination-Your-Child/dp/1610170792

Parents! What are you passionate about? Our kids enthusiasm for hobbies often mirrors our own. Whether you love sports, hunting, movies, or whatever it is, no doubt you want to teach your interests to your kids so they can share in your enthusiasm. How much more do we want to pass on a love for the Christian worldview? In this episode, Brett and Erin unpack a helpful analogy that illustrates what it takes to catechize our kids into an effortless enthusiasm for Christ—-using the Kunkle family's love for the best football team in the world, naturally.

X/Twitter post mentioned: https://x.com/drantbradley/status/1520758405392179200

Football star Harrison Butker's comments on motherhood have sparked intense reactions from the culture over the past few weeks. Many are denouncing his comments as sexist, calling him a bigot, and saying he demeaned women by promoting the vocation of homemaker. In this episode, Brett and Erin examine Butker's comments and the culture's reaction and discuss how this viral moment is the perfect opportunity to practice critiquing the culture with your kids.

Articles Mentioned:

Harrison Butker doxxed on X: https://www.foxnews.com/sports/city-kansas-city-separated-employee-doxed-harrison-butker-following-speech-mayor-says

NFL's Senior Vice President and chief diversity and inclusion officer's statement: https://people.com/harrison-butker-nfl-does-not-share-views-in-graduation-speech-8649229

Kansas City Star Article: https://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/sam-mcdowell/article288517451.html

The issue of abortion is a hotly contested political issue and therefore, many Christians are tempted to ignore and avoid it. However, the issues underlying the abortion debate have far-reaching consequences beyond abortion itself. What is a human being? What makes people valuable? Our answers to these questions will impact not only the question of abortion but how we view those around us. At the 2024 Coram Deo Conference in Florida, Megan Almon addresses and answers the questions at the heart of the debate surrounding the greatest injustice of our time.

Watch the video version of this episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsbW9m0IOWM

A senior in high school…and pregnant?! That’s when God’s grace became so evident in Erin Kunkle’s life. At the 2024 MAVEN Coram Deo Conference in Florida, Erin talked about facing the reality of becoming a single teen mom months before her high school graduation and how God’s grace rescued her in her time of need. Her story is also a powerful reminder of the intrinsic value of every human life.

Parents struggle with how much to protect their kids from the difficulties of life, especially the passing of a loved one. When it comes to the reality of death, are our kids ready to confront the pain and suffering that accompanies it? The Kunkle Family recently experienced a loss and are navigating this as well. So we're replaying one of our early episodes on this very topic: Should we take kids to a funeral? In this episode, Brett and Erin discuss a biblical worldview perspective on life and death and how it should inform our parenting on this tough issue.

Should we even read the Old Testament to our kids? The Old Testament has some rough passages: genocide, sex, idol worship, etc. And it can raise some tough theological questions that we might not be prepared for. In this episode, Brett and Erin interview Dr. Paul Copan a professor of philosophy, a widely-published author, and a skilled apologist on why we should not shy away from navigating these tough Old Testament passages with our kids.

Watch our interview with Greg Koukl: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrpDIVMSwMA