Christians are a pro-life people. In the past, the pro-life strategy was fairly straightforward: help pregnant moms and work toward the repeal of Roe v. Wade. But the Dobbs Decision in 2022 brought about a shift in legislative strategy and tactics. In this episode, Bob uses Rusty Reno's categories of principle and prudence to discuss political platforms, state-level ballot initiatives, and how Christians can work together with grace and charity.

Article: https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2024/07/the-republican-party-sidelines-the-pro-life-cause

The whole Old Testament points beyond itself for fulfillment and anticipates the coming of Jesus Christ. In this episode from 2017, we discuss how understanding typology can enrich our reading of the Bible and sharpen our theological clarity.

It’s an election year, friends! And newsworthy events in American politics are taking place almost every day. Recently, Donald Trump decided to make JD Vance his running mate. That choice marks a new moment in American politics: it signifies that populism is here to stay. In this episode, Bob unpacks some insights from political scientist Damon Linker about how this new populism differs from traditional conservatism, what it means for the Republican and Democratic parties, and how Christians should think about their political identity.

Article: https://damonlinker.substack.com/p/the-convert

What does gospel renewal look like as Christians mature in their walk with the Lord? Drawing from the work of Tim Keller and John Newton, we look at how even our strengths and virtues have a "shadow side" that leads to selfishness and sin. We talk about how we can humbly acknowledge these “small faults" and cultivate the fruit of the Spirit more fully in our lives.

Article: https://quarterly.gospelinlife.com/wisdom-of-john-newton/

In an article for First Things, Brad Littlejohn uses traditional Christian moral theology to tackle the issues of immigration and national borders. In this episode, we summarize Littlejohn’s arguments, how the analogy of a house and home helps create distinctions, and how governments and Christians are called to act with wise judgment and prudence within our finitude and limitations.

Article: https://www.firstthings.com/article/2024/06/theology-of-immigration

Wiley and Sons, the largest publisher of scientific journals in the world, announced that they had found over 8,000 junk papers—papers written by artificial intelligence but attached to the name of a researcher—and were pausing publications of several scientific journals. Bob takes some time to unpack the implications of this and what happens when we make “The Science” the ultimate authority.

In a recent article, Mary Harrington uses the term “omnicause” to describe how progressivism opposes whatever is considered mainstream, institutional, or Western. In this episode, we discuss where Harrington’s analysis has validity, where we might disagree, and how Christians can practice good cultural apologetics in this moment.

Harrison Butker, the placekicker for the Kansas City Chiefs, has received a lot of ire from media outlets following a speech he made at the commencement of Benedictine College. In this episode, Bob breaks down the context in which his speech was given, what Butker said and didn’t say, and what it looks like for Christians to live with courageous convictions in their vocations.

Speech Transcript: https://www.ncregister.com/news/harrison-butker-speech-at-benedictine

What does discipleship to Jesus look like over the course of your life? And how does that change as you move into different seasons of life? In 2018, we used Ronald Rolheiser’s book “Sacred Fire” to discuss the three phases of discipleship and how that helps us to frame discipleship in the local church.

How can we have meaningful evangelistic conversations with our non-Christian friends and family? In his book “Making Faith Magnetic,” Dr. Dan Strange develops the work of J.H. Bavinck, proposing 5 "magnetic points" that are present within every human and every culture. In this episode, we analyze these magnetic points, explore their "subversive fulfillment" in Jesus, and consider how they can be useful in talking about faith.

Book Link: https://www.thegoodbook.com/making-faith-magnetic