The Pugcast

The Pugs engage a fun piece by Malcolm Guite entitled: In Defense of Pints and Pipes. Here they delve into the fashionable cultural obsession with physical health and wellness which has led ironically to all sorts of psychological unhealthiness. Could the issue be a loss of a proper view of the human, especially a view that has no place for the human soul?

Article: https://www.plough.com/en/topics/life/health/in-defense-of-pint-and-pipe

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Learn more about First Pres. Battle Ground: https://www.solochristo.org/

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There is a new biopic about the founder of the Shakers entitled, The Testament of Ann Lee. If you've heard of the Shakers it is probably because of their furniture. This week the Pugs respond to a critical review of the new film in The Spectator World by Damian Thompson, entitled, Testament to Ignorance. Chris is quoted in the review because of an article he wrote on the Shakers. He has mixed feelings about them, as he explains in the show. But he suspects there is something going on with liberalism in the US and an attempt by liberals to recover their own version of American Christianity and that the biopic is part of a larger effort. Tune in to see if you agree.

Spectator Article: https://spectator.com/article/the-problem-with-the-new-shakers-biopic/?edition=us&fbclid=IwY2xjawQVh6FleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAEwAAEeqwHZmAt6XJKBJkvbQdfROjImhSiQ2wHHwAmsHTqWX2Lq3wToNKoL8jkb4GY_aem_QRjZgbJghxePthAtHKkYew

C.R. Wiley Article: https://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=24-04-017-v&fbclid=IwY2xjawQVh65leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAEwAAEeSZAAqidPifGEMM67DdHsMUyHSX1J3lmxe6U6qezgNCwHCBs_meovZETbduE_aem_H1EU9hYLJVYqfkOVEJDhgw

Ken Burn’s Shakers Documentary: https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-shakers/?fbclid=IwY2xjawQViLRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAEwAAEe4iQ0JzupT0tqAEgJW7Rwrw4D7P2ut1bHCDS6nHbdEjYmdGsDxT5NdWvjsp8_aem_fZUmGSCxslbsxJAMUZUIKQ

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Learn more about First Pres. Battle Ground: https://www.solochristo.org/

Connect with WileyCraft Productions: https://wileycraftproductions.com/

Glenn introduces the Pugsters to David Engels, a conservative Belgian historian and philosopher who focuses on a revival of Western civilization. Using one of his articles as a jumping off point, the guys discuss the marriage of ancient pagan virtues with Christian ideas of the Good, a combination which produced the chivalric ideal embraced by Tolkien in Middle Earth. But as usual, they cover a wide range of topics ranging from history to philosophy, to theology, to story, and others besides. It’s a fascinating discussion of the good in ancient paganism and the failure of neo-paganism to uncover what they think they are looking for.

Article:

https://davidengels.substack.com/p/jrr-tolkien-the-christian-west-and

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Learn more about First Pres. Battle Ground: https://www.solochristo.org/

Connect with WileyCraft Productions: https://wileycraftproductions.com/

In this episode, the pugs discuss a recent article by Christian Bioethicist and Psychiatrist Aaron Kheriaty in First Things concerning disturbing trends in the field of medicine where the production of living human bodies without consciousness are developed for scientific experimenting and use, especially organ harvesting. Drawing on Kheriaty's insights (and work elsewhere), the pugs unpack the radical implications of new medicine as it moves away from Hippocratic commitments.

First Things Article:

https://firstthings.com/zombie-bioethics/?fbclid=IwY2xjawQKpotleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAEwAAEeIEAeie6tJ1Lx-yY74Iy1gJUHZWqTO944x2Zg5IpA4YLGP2HEI8R-1YHybtY_aem_4nipo3kkaADILuYFWExd8w

MIT Article:

https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/03/25/1113611/ethically-sourced-spare-human-bodies-could-revolutionize-medicine/amp/?fbclid=IwY2xjawQKp2lleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAEwAAEeGmqimTl34lvudX46-tes97dv-_2No8xOiTFh1dW8JK0CAzNHsE-d4jS9u3k_aem_sp-LecNbwjCqNbn7K1PycQ

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Learn more about First Pres. Battle Ground: https://www.solochristo.org/

Connect with WileyCraft Productions: https://wileycraftproductions.com/

The Pugsters welcome Dr. Timothy Padgett, Theologian in Residence and Glenn’s colleague at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, for a conversation on constructive ecumenism. Working across denominational and theological lines raises a range of questions: how do you do it without compromising things you believe are true? Can evangelical and Reformed Christians work with Catholics? How about Mormons? What is the difference between ecumenism and co-belligerency? As usual, the guys have a wide-ranging conversation about these and other (mostly) related topics.

Links mentioned on the show:

What Would You Say: Are Mormons Christians: https://breakpoint.org/are-mormons-christians/

What Would you Say: What is Christian Nationalism?: https://breakpoint.org/what-is-christian-nationalism-exactly/

You can find Dr. Padgett’s work at https://breakpoint.org/

To learn more about the Colson Center, visit https://colsoncenter.org/

Support the Theology Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

Learn more about First Pres. Battle Ground: https://www.solochristo.org/

Connect with WileyCraft Productions: https://wileycraftproductions.com/

Today the guys reflect on an essay in the February 2026 edition of First Things by Liel Leibovitz entitled, AI as Liberation. Mr. Leibovitz strikes an optimistic note in the dirge preceding the triumph of AI over all things human. While the Pugs give him points for looking on the bright side, they're skeptical. Tune in and find out why AI is probably more likely to increase drug addiction than a revival of singing around the piano.

Article: https://firstthings.com/ai-as-liberation/

Support the Theology Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

Learn more about First Pres. Battle Ground: https://www.solochristo.org/

Connect with WileyCraft Productions: https://wileycraftproductions.com/

In this episode, the Pugsters discuss the relationship between nature and grace. In theology, this usually deals with how the two work in human life, and that’s where the guys start. But the topic can be bigger than that, so Glenn leads the discussion into whether grace can be conveyed through the physical world, such as the elements in the Lord’s Supper, and whether places can become sanctified or the opposite. It’s a wide-ranging conversation around topics that Reformed guys don’t often talk about.

Support the Theology Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

Learn more about First Pres. Battle Ground: https://www.solochristo.org/

Connect with WileyCraft Productions: https://wileycraftproductions.com/

Today the pugs look at recent events in culture where the 'woke warriors' appear to be at it again, especially in the recent march by immigration activists into an evangelical church worship service. The pugs analyze and speculate a bit about what appears to be going on with the most recent forms woke activism is taking culturally.

Support the Theology Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

Learn more about First Pres. Battle Ground: https://www.solochristo.org/

Connect with WileyCraft Productions: https://wileycraftproductions.com/

Today the Pugs discuss whether it matters or not if Francis Bacon was a sincere Christian. His ideas had consequences. In scholarly circles it is a matter of intense debate, but where the rest of us live, it doesn't matter--we're living in the world he helped to create. The Pugs discuss the consequences of "knowledge is power."

Support the Theology Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

Learn more about First Pres. Battle Ground: https://www.solochristo.org/

Connect with WileyCraft Productions: https://wileycraftproductions.com/

An article in Tablet magazine discussing the segment of the Gen Z population that is turning to conservative and demanding forms of religious practice provides the jumping off point for this episode. The article suggests that the turn toward rigorous religions comes from a reaction to the chaos of a rootless culture more than from a turn to faith. The guys discuss this idea and its implications for worship and for ministry to Gen Z.

Article: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/belief/articles/gen-z-religious-awakening?fbclid=IwY2xjawPU68FicmlkETFwT0VSR3JLRGFtTnBaSU1qc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHhYGocf3wl0nQ0rVeyaRZ0UZmoU_qiDjJcgT2fXaSc1YIB79rxn0lj0HZJnZ&brid=lWLmG5JSQ5QY8SI1aRYC1w

Support the Theology Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

Learn more about First Pres. Battle Ground: https://www.solochristo.org/

Connect with WileyCraft Productions: https://wileycraftproductions.com/