The Pugcast

In this episode, Glenn walks us through a work by the early church father Athanasius about the reasons for the Incarnation. The introduction to the book by C. S. Lewis explains that we need to read old books to get around the blind spots of our own era, and Athanasius certainly helps reframe how we think about the incarnation. Tom points out that he starts with Creation, which is the foundation for the rest of his argument. He goes from there to the Fall and what that meant for Creation, and the Incarnation as the only way to restore Creation. Athanasius’s focus is primarily on God and his purposes. He doesn’t ignore our need and God’s love for us, but he takes a much bigger perspective beyond personal salvation. He also talks about why Christ had to die by crucifixion, the impact of the resurrection on the world, and a host of other topics. As usual each Pugcaster brought in his own angle on the issues Athanasius raised. Since we could do little more than give an introduction to the piece and hit a few of the places where it gives us a different perspective on the Incarnation than we usually see, we encourage you to read it for yourself.

It’s available as a downloadable PDF with Lewis’s introduction here: http://www.onthewing.org/user/Athanasius%20-%20On%20the%20Incarnation.pdf

"Life is short, but art is long"--so the saying goes. And anyone who has undertaken any significant task would probably say, "Amen". But when it comes to works of art there can be a sense of loneliness and futility that is singular. That was the case for J R R Tolkien. He had labored for decades on his great work--his legendarium of Middle-earth. It included histories, and languages, and mythical heroes. It was the world that The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings were situated in. It's all been published now, most of it posthumously. But when Tolkien wrote Leaf by Niggle the only thing he had to show for all of his work was The Hobbit. So Tolkien wrote a little allegorical short story of great profundity--Leaf by Niggle. And in it he proffers a consoling thought--our works will follow us. Join the Pugcast guys as they attempt to plumb the depths of Leaf by Niggle.

Glenn starts this episode with an overview of the medieval understanding of the liberal arts, then focuses in on music. Music was part of the quadrivium, the mathematical arts that described objective reality. Why is that? Why is music so significant for medieval thinkers? How does music relate to the human body or to the proper functioning of the universe? Glenn explores these questions, aided and abetted by Tom and Chris. We also get into more modern ideas about music, including its role in Christian thought and practice.

Tom reconnects with Thomas Hibb's book Shows About Nothing to engage topics like the Romantic alternative to Nihilism, Horror films and their critique of American Modernism, and other films- which show how the Enlightenment was too weak a framework to carry the Christian virtue system. Chris and Glenn bring fascinating reflections into the conversation, making for an illuminating conversation about the formative impact of film on contemporary life and places in which the Christian vision can speak with redemptive profundity.

In today's show Chris introduces listeners to his favorite magazine, and to one its Senior Editors, S. M. Hutchens (Steve to his friends). The magazine is a unique project which includes contributions from Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox writers. Chris has written for the journal a few times and has spoken at one of their conferences.

Tom and Glenn join in and the foursome not only discuss what makes Touchstone unique, but also why orthodox Christians (which is to say, in part, socially conservative ones) will find themselves banding together more and more as the larger culture of the West grows ever more hostile to the Christian faith.

If you would like to learn more about Touchstone, or subscribe, follow this link: https://touchstonemag.com/

The Pugcast is pleased to welcome to the show another one of Chris's dangerous friends--John Zmirak, Senior editor of The Stream. Chris describes John as "Don Rickles meets Pope Benedict"--when you listen, you'll see why. John is a frequent contributor to the Eric Metaxas Show, and was the editor Christ's book, Man of the House. Join the gang for an at times hilarious and rambling discussion--and learn, among other things, John's nickname for David French!

Article Referenced: https://stream.org/secondamendment/

John's Bio: https://stream.org/author/johnzmirak/

John on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/John-Zmirak/e/B001JS5XJU?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1602456384&sr=8-1

As Christians dwell in societies given over to nihilism, and as they encounter nihilism’s dreadful impact on institutions that once propped classical intellectual, spiritual, and moral virtues, they are left with limited options in preserving and protecting those virtues which sustain creaturely flourishing and aim towards their fulfillment in God. Tom, Glenn, and Chris consider ‘The Boniface Option’, a designation which Chris and Glenn bring out in relation to our friends in Idaho.

This week Tom introduces the topic about our intellectual appetites in relation to classical Christian insight. He looks into the virtue of proper studiousness as part of our intellectual vocation and its sinful distortion by the vice of curiosity. Glenn and Chris bring in plenty of additional insight and reflective comments to move the topic along.

In today's show Chris presents a book review published in First Things. The title of the review is "Postconstitutional America" and the book being reviewed is "The Stakes: America at the Point of No Return" by Michael Anton. The review can serve as an introduction to Leo Stauss and his followers, particularly the west coast Straussians of the Claremont Institute. These thinkers contend that America is experiencing a crisis of two constitutions--the original constitution of 1787 and what has been overlaid on it--the unwritten progressive constitution of expertise. These two constitutions emerge from two different philosophies and understandings of history and the nature of freedom and rights. If you've listened to the show before, you know that the Pugsters had plenty to grumble about--especially about the rise of the cult of expertise.

A proposal has been circulated among global elites and it goes by the name, ‘The Great Reset’. The values undergirding it are the standard cant—‘inclusion’, ‘fairness’, ‘equality’. It also includes promises of debt forgiveness and universal basic income. Alarmingly, the people behind it are some of the wealthiest and influential in the world. And wouldn’t you know it, their plan just so happens to include the abolition of property and the investiture of power in a global authority of some kind. Today on the Pug the guys grumble and bark back in defense of property rights as the most basic of human rights