Rob Ager is a culture, film and video game critic with more than 280,000 subscribers on YouTube who specializes in deep psychological analysis of classic films. In this conversation he reveals how his early study of hypnosis led him to discover hidden layers in movies by directors like Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock. The episode explores how filmmakers use subliminal techniques to manipulate audience consciousness and why modern cinema has declined in artistic depth compared to classics from the 1970s-80s.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Hypnosis techniques overlap significantly with cinematic storytelling methods used by master directors
2. Kubrick encoded multiple layers of meaning using visual symbols, spatial design, and psychological manipulation
3. The monolith in 2001 represents the movie screen itself, not an alien artifact
4. The Shining depicts generational cycles of family abuse rather than supernatural horror
5. Modern films rely on CGI spectacle over practical effects and genuine psychological depth
6. Political correctness has created conformity that stifles creative originality in contemporary cinema

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

"Codebreakers" by David Kahn

CONNECT WITH ROB AGER

https://collativelearning.com

https://www.youtube.com/@collativelearning

https://www.youtube.com/@robag555

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Ready to Become the Man You Were Created to Be?

Feeling disconnected from your true purpose? My biblical mentorship offers both challenge and support for men ready for authentic transformation. We work through proven approaches to help you discover the strength, purpose, and clarity God designed for you.

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Take this step. Schedule your discovery call and use code "BALANCE" for 10% off. Explore how biblical mentorship might be the turning point you've been seeking.

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Dr. Joel Beeke is chancellor of Puritan Reformed Seminary, pastor, and prolific author who has written over 100 books on Reformed theology and Christian living. In this conversation, he shares his revolutionary approach to biblical manhood through the offices of prophet, priest, and king in the home. Dr. Beeke reveals how daily family worship and passionate prayer can transform families, drawing from his experience growing a seminary from 4 to 530 students and raising three children who remained faithful to Christ.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Fathers must be prophets, priests, and kings to their wives and children
2. Daily family worship is non-negotiable for Christian households
3. Couples who pray together passionately stay together spiritually
4. Most men fail at family leadership because they don't know how to start
5. Children need to see their father's soul-love through earnest prayer
6. Discipline done in love, not anger, builds loyalty rather than rebellion

CONNECT WITH DR. BEEKE

https://heritagebooks.org

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

"How to Lead Your Family: A Guide for Men Wanting to Be More" - Joel Beeke

"Family Worship Bible Guide" - Joel Beeke

"How to Cultivate Private Prayer" - Joel Beeke

"Reformed Systematic Theology" (4 volumes) - Joel Beeke

"Meet the Puritans" - Joel Beeke

"Shepherding a Child's Heart" - Ted Tripp

"Valley of Vision" - Arthur Bennett

Mentioned in this episode:

From Stuck to Strength: Your Transformation Awaits

Feeling trapped in your own life? You're not alone. Men everywhere are wandering through life disconnected and purposeless, carrying wounds they refuse to acknowledge.

My biblical mentorship transforms men through two uncompromising approaches: inside-out using Scripture to confront deep-rooted lies, and outside-in building practical frameworks for daily victory.

The evidence is clear: Men are gaining confidence, healing relationships, and refusing to remain spectators in their own stories. They're becoming strong, purposeful, and spiritually dangerous.

Your transformation awaits. Schedule your discovery call and use code "TRANSFORM" for 10% off. Discover what it means to move from stuck to strength.

Biblical Men's Mentorship - START HERE

Dr. Michael Egnor is a professor of neurosurgery at Stony Brook University who has performed over 7,000 brain operations throughout his 40+ year career. In this conversation, he shares groundbreaking evidence from neuroscience that challenges materialist assumptions about consciousness and provides scientific support for the existence of the human soul. The episode explores split-brain surgery, near-death experiences, and how his own conversion from atheism to Christianity was informed by what he observed in the operating room.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Brain surgery can remove major portions without affecting abstract thought or consciousness
2. Split-brain patients remain unified persons despite severed hemispheres
3. Children missing two-thirds of their brain can develop completely normally
4. Near-death experiences show consciousness operating independently of brain function
5. Materialism fails to explain how perfect concepts emerge from imperfect brains
6. Artificial intelligence cannot achieve true consciousness because machines lack souls

CONNECT WITH DR. EGNOR

• Buy "The Immortal Mind" on Amazon
• https://mindmatters.ai/
• https://evolutionnews.org/
• https://www.discovery.org/p/egnor/

🌟 The Will Spencer Podcast was formerly known as "The Renaissance of Men."

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The Will Spencer Podcast is a weekly interview show featuring extended discussions with authors, leaders, and influencers who help us make sense of our changing world today. I release new episodes every week on Friday.

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Ready to Become the Man You Were Created to Be?

Feeling disconnected from your true purpose? My biblical mentorship offers both challenge and support for men ready for authentic transformation. We work through proven approaches to help you discover the strength, purpose, and clarity God designed for you.

Men are finding their identity in Christ, healing relationships, and stepping confidently into their calling. This isn't about avoiding difficulty—it's about walking through it with wisdom and brotherhood.

Take this step. Schedule your discovery call and use code "BALANCE" for 10% off. Explore how biblical mentorship might be the turning point you've been seeking.

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Jon Root is a conservative sports commentator who built his career as one of the youngest hosts in major professional sports before joining Turning Point USA. In this conversation, he exposes the increasing politicization destroying American sports culture, from Pride Night mandates to the shocking treatment of WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark. Root reveals how woke ideology has infected everything from player empowerment to the racial targeting of the league's biggest draw, while calling for a return to sports as America's great unifying force.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Pride Nights evolved from marriage equality celebrations to drag queen performances targeting children
2. Caitlin Clark receives unprecedented hatred despite being the WNBA's greatest economic asset
3. "Load management" culture disconnects millionaire athletes from working-class American fans
4. Christian athletes are leading a quiet revival through bold faith declarations
5. The NBA facilitated a suspicious trade sending Luka Doncic to the Lakers
6. Sports card collecting has returned as a major investment opportunity

CONNECT WITH JON ROOT

• Website: https://www.jonrootlive.com/
• X: https://x.com/JonnyRoot_
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/JONNYROOT_
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JONROOT

🌟 The Will Spencer Podcast was formerly known as "The Renaissance of Men."

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The Will Spencer Podcast is a weekly interview show featuring extended discussions with authors, leaders, and influencers who help us make sense of our changing world today. I release new episodes every week on Friday.

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Ready to Become the Man You Were Created to Be?

Feeling disconnected from your true purpose? My biblical mentorship offers both challenge and support for men ready for authentic transformation. We work through proven approaches to help you discover the strength, purpose, and clarity God designed for you.

Men are finding their identity in Christ, healing relationships, and stepping confidently into their calling. This isn't about avoiding difficulty—it's about walking through it with wisdom and brotherhood.

Take this step. Schedule your discovery call and use code "BALANCE" for 10% off. Explore how biblical mentorship might be the turning point you've been seeking.

Biblical Men's Mentorship - START HERE

Seth Troutt is the teaching pastor at Ironwood Church in Phoenix and holds a doctorate focused on digital technology, Generation Z, and gender identity. In this conversation, he shares his powerful "masculinity pyramid" framework and reveals how God transformed him from an arrogant high school athlete into a humble pastor through painful but necessary humiliation. The episode tackles controversial topics like TRT abuse among Christian men and offers biblical alternatives to toxic masculinity culture.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. True masculinity starts with humility - recognizing you are not God
2. Toxic masculinity is often the absence of virtue, not excess of it
3. TRT creates psychoactive changes that damage relationships and character
4. Passive men cause as much relational damage as aggressive ones
5. The masculinity pyramid: humility, discipline, responsibility, chivalry
6. Personal transformation requires receiving correction from loving mentors

MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST

"Humility" by Andrew Murray

CONNECT WITH SETH TROUTT

https://sethtroutt.com

🌟 The Will Spencer Podcast was formerly known as "The Renaissance of Men."

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The Will Spencer Podcast is a weekly interview show featuring extended discussions with authors, leaders, and influencers who help us make sense of our changing world today. I release new episodes every week on Friday.

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Ready to Become the Man You Were Created to Be?

Feeling disconnected from your true purpose? My biblical mentorship offers both challenge and support for men ready for authentic transformation. We work through proven approaches to help you discover the strength, purpose, and clarity God designed for you.

Men are finding their identity in Christ, healing relationships, and stepping confidently into their calling. This isn't about avoiding difficulty—it's about walking through it with wisdom and brotherhood.

Take this step. Schedule your discovery call and use code "BALANCE" for 10% off. Explore how biblical mentorship might be the turning point you've been seeking.

Biblical Men's Mentorship - START HERE

Reverend Dr. Uri Brito serves as Senior Pastor of Providence Church and was elected Presiding Minister of the CREC in 2023. In this conversation he shares his recent 17-day journey through Asia, visiting CREC church plants in the Philippines and Japan while exploring how Reformed liturgical worship translates across wildly different cultures. The episode reveals surprising insights about global Christianity's future and the strategic church plant launching in Washington D.C.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. The CREC has grown to 153 churches worldwide with surprising international expansion
2. Reformed liturgical worship translates effectively across diverse cultural contexts
3. Japanese culture shows remarkable openness to Western Christian influence among youth
4. Becoming Protestant often means family rejection in non-Western cultures
5. Common grace in Japan may be preparing ground for redemptive grace
6. The CREC is launching strategic church plant in Washington D.C. in June 2024

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

"How Should We Then Live" - Francis Schaeffer

CONNECT WITH URI BRITO

Website: https://www.uribrito.com/

🌟 The Will Spencer Podcast was formerly known as "The Renaissance of Men."

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The Will Spencer Podcast is a weekly interview show featuring extended discussions with authors, leaders, and influencers who help us make sense of our changing world today. I release new episodes every week on Friday.

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Ready to Become the Man You Were Created to Be?

Feeling disconnected from your true purpose? My biblical mentorship offers both challenge and support for men ready for authentic transformation. We work through proven approaches to help you discover the strength, purpose, and clarity God designed for you.

Men are finding their identity in Christ, healing relationships, and stepping confidently into their calling. This isn't about avoiding difficulty—it's about walking through it with wisdom and brotherhood.

Take this step. Schedule your discovery call and use code "BALANCE" for 10% off. Explore how biblical mentorship might be the turning point you've been seeking.

Biblical Men's Mentorship - START HERE

Sam Rotman is a classically trained pianist who graduated from the Juilliard School and has performed over 3,400 concerts in 62 countries. In our conversation he shares his dramatic conversion from Orthodox Judaism to Christianity in 1971, which transformed not just his faith but his entire approach to music and performance.

The episode explores how his newfound faith led him to play concerts everywhere from prestigious concert halls to jungle villages, always with the goal of sharing the gospel through classical music excellence.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. True heart transformation can only come through Jesus Christ, not through religious activity or moral behavior
2. Excellence in your craft creates the platform to share what matters most in your life
3. Serving Jesus means playing any piano, staying anywhere, going wherever He opens doors
4. Family relationships may suffer when choosing Christ, but God's faithfulness endures through difficult seasons
5. Professional practice requires dedication - Rotman practiced 10 hours daily at Juilliard for five years straight
6. Real ministry happens when you're willing to go to places others won't consider beneath them

CONNECT WITH SAM ROTMAN

https://samrotman.com

🌟 The Will Spencer Podcast was formerly known as "The Renaissance of Men."

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The Will Spencer Podcast is a weekly interview show featuring extended discussions with authors, leaders, and influencers who help us make sense of our changing world today. I release new episodes every week on Friday.

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The Time for Half-Measures Has Passed

Ready to stop drifting in mediocrity? My "Stuck to Strength" biblical mentorship cuts against our emasculated culture, forging men who refuse to remain spectators in their own stories.

This isn't for the faint-hearted—it's for men willing to confront their weakness and build authentic strength through biblical fire. Men are losing 30+ pounds, starting businesses, healing marriages, and becoming the leaders their families need.

The time for half-measures has passed. Schedule your discovery call and use code "STRENGTH" for 10% off. Your transformation awaits—but only if you're willing to leave comfort behind.

Biblical Men's Mentorship - START HERE

Lucas Curcio is the pastor of The Mission Church in New Jersey, and the host of the Method Ministries podcast.

In our conversation, he shares his journey from an aimless young man to finding purpose through reading Scripture and accepting Christ at age 18. The episode discusses how true Christian masculinity requires taking responsibility for your life instead of blaming others, and why many modern movements targeting young men miss the simple gospel message.

Lucas emphasizes that real revival comes through prayer and holiness rather than political power, and that a quiet, faithful life often brings more eternal reward than internet fame.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

1. True masculinity requires taking responsibility, not victimizing yourself or blaming others for your circumstances.
2. Men must reconcile with their earthly fathers to understand their relationship with God the Father.
3. Revival comes through prayer, holiness, and God's power, not political movements or human strategies.
4. The gospel calls men to die to themselves, not pursue power and glory through worldly means.
5. Online ministry should never replace real-world relationships, evangelism, and serving your local church community.
6. A quiet, faithful life devoted to Scripture and prayer often brings more eternal rewards than public fame.

CONNECT WITH LUCAS

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@methodministries
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/MethodMinistry
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/method_ministries/

🌟 The Will Spencer Podcast was formerly known as "The Renaissance of Men."

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• Biblical Men's Mentorship - START HERE
• Will Spencer Podcast Home
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FREE Men's Chastity Guide

The Will Spencer Podcast is a weekly interview show featuring extended discussions with authors, leaders, and influencers who help us make sense of our changing world today. I release new episodes every week on Friday.

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Mentioned in this episode:

Ready to Become the Man You Were Created to Be?

Feeling disconnected from your true purpose? My biblical mentorship offers both challenge and support for men ready for authentic transformation. We work through proven approaches to help you discover the strength, purpose, and clarity God designed for you.

Men are finding their identity in Christ, healing relationships, and stepping confidently into their calling. This isn't about avoiding difficulty—it's about walking through it with wisdom and brotherhood.

Take this step. Schedule your discovery call and use code "BALANCE" for 10% off. Explore how biblical mentorship might be the turning point you've been seeking.

Biblical Men's Mentorship - START HERE

Dr. Joe Rigney is a Fellow of Theology at New Saint Andrews College. In his controversial bestselling book "The Sin of Empathy" (Canon Press) he argues that empathy becomes sinful when divorced from truth and biblical standards.

In our conversation, Dr. Rigney explains how weaponized empathy manipulates through emotional validation demands rather than genuine care. He describes how many Christians have internalized a "progressive gaze" that judges their faithfulness by secular approval rather than biblical standards.

The episode explores practical alternatives to toxic empathy, including Christ-centered compassion that stays anchored to truth while genuinely caring for hurting people.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Empathy becomes sinful when untethered from truth and biblical standards of compassion.
2. Weaponized empathy manipulates through emotional blackmail, demanding validation over truth-seeking.
3. Christians must resist the progressive gaze that judges faithfulness by secular approval.
4. True compassion involves staying anchored to reality while helping those who suffer.
5. Playing the victim differs from being a victim - Christ suffered without self-pity.
6. Good pretending means acting as your Spirit-filled self would in difficult situations.

CONNECT WITH DR. RIGNEY

• "The Sin of Empathy" - https://a.co/d/fKGbwti
• "Leadership and Emotional Sabotage" - https://a.co/d/9C2obRX
• "Live Like a Narnian" - https://a.co/d/bFfV1rD
• "Lewis on the Christian Life" - https://a.co/d/bKPdHea
• https://canonplus.com/ - use code WADE for $0.99 first month

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

• "A Failure of Nerve" by Edwin Friedman - https://a.co/d/iOlbrzf
• "Against Empathy" by Paul Bloom - https://a.co/d/2gTyntc
• "Toxic Empathy" by Allie Beth Stuckey - https://a.co/d/2gTyntc
• "Shepherds for Sale" by Meg Basham - https://a.co/d/aD7uiLy

🌟 The Will Spencer Podcast was formerly known as "The Renaissance of Men."

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• Biblical Men's Mentorship - START HERE
• Will Spencer Podcast Home
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FREE Men's Chastity Guide

The Will Spencer Podcast is a weekly interview show featuring extended discussions with authors, leaders, and influencers who help us make sense of our changing world today. I release new episodes every week on Friday.

ADVERTISERS

Mentioned in this episode:

Ready to Become the Man You Were Created to Be?

Feeling disconnected from your true purpose? My biblical mentorship offers both challenge and support for men ready for authentic transformation. We work through proven approaches to help you discover the strength, purpose, and clarity God designed for you.

Men are finding their identity in Christ, healing relationships, and stepping confidently into their calling. This isn't about avoiding difficulty—it's about walking through it with wisdom and brotherhood.

Take this step. Schedule your discovery call and use code "BALANCE" for 10% off. Explore how biblical mentorship might be the turning point you've been seeking.

Biblical Men's Mentorship - START HERE

James Lindsay is an author and founder of "New Discourses," and he's studied the influence of Gnostic ideas on Western politics and culture.

In this conversation, he explains how ancient mystical traditions transformed during the Enlightenment into social and political movements that promise to elevate humanity to higher levels of consciousness.

Lindsay argues that both woke leftism and emerging radical right-wing movements share the same underlying Gnostic patterns of claiming special knowledge and dividing the world into enlightened elites versus the masses. The discussion reveals how these ideas have parasitized both religious faith and secular reason, the two pillars that built Western civilization.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Three religions of the West: Faith, reason, and a secret third - Gnosticism - that parasitizes both legitimate traditions.
2. Modern Gnosticism transformed: During the Enlightenment, spiritual mysticism became social mysticism, replacing spirit world with sociological forces.
3. Gnostic parasite operates through: Fear, desperation, and resentment, attaching to good impulses in faith and reason systems.
4. Wizard circle creates hyper-reality: Distorts logical and moral perception, making people believe they have secret knowledge others lack.
5. Woke right mirrors woke left: Same Gnostic patterns of critical consciousness, us-versus-them thinking, and elite knowledge claims.
6. Faith and reason must shake hands: America's founding principles require both biblical faith and rational inquiry working together against mysticism.

"SECRET RELIGIONS" LECTURES

• Ep. 1 - The Negation of the Real
• Ep. 2 - The Gnostic Parasite
• Ep. 3 - As Below, So Above
• "Hegel and the Hermetic Tradition" by Magee

CONNECT WITH JAMES LINDSAY

• Website
• YouTube
• X/Twitter

🌟 The Will Spencer Podcast was formerly known as "The Renaissance of Men."

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FREE Men's Chastity Guide

The Will Spencer Podcast is a weekly interview show featuring extended discussions with authors, leaders, and influencers who help us make sense of our changing world today. I release new episodes every week on Friday.

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Mentioned in this episode:

Ready to Become the Man You Were Created to Be?

Feeling disconnected from your true purpose? My biblical mentorship offers both challenge and support for men ready for authentic transformation. We work through proven approaches to help you discover the strength, purpose, and clarity God designed for you.

Men are finding their identity in Christ, healing relationships, and stepping confidently into their calling. This isn't about avoiding difficulty—it's about walking through it with wisdom and brotherhood.

Take this step. Schedule your discovery call and use code "BALANCE" for 10% off. Explore how biblical mentorship might be the turning point you've been seeking.

Biblical Men's Mentorship - START HERE