Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt continues to churn out bestsellers and his latest book, The Anxious Generation, is adding a new level of urgency to the conversation around parenting. But do we really need Dr. Haidt to tell us that smartphones and social media shouldn’t be in the hands of young children? TOL listeners know we’re fans of Haidt’s work, so this isn’t a knock on him. It is, however, a bit of a nudge to stop outsourcing our parenting to so-called experts. Join us as we discuss this issue.

A conservative Catholic speaking to conservative Catholics at a Catholic university argues for the importance of God and family values. And breaks the internet? Unsurprisingly, those with progressive leanings take umbrage at a popular athlete arguing for the normative place of a traditional family in society. What is surprising, however, are some of the theologically conservative Christians who who have also taken offense at the man's speech. Join us as we parse some of the reactions and consider some of their larger implications.

As the title suggests, we’re delving into the ethics of church security and considering how Christ’s moral vision shapes our approach.

We recently received a thoughtful question from a listener in Canada about the issue of reparations. Though we certainly can’t close the book on such a complex subject, we did our level best to offer some constructive thoughts on the issue. We pray it’s helpful to you. 

We’ve talked about Ayan Hirsi Ali. We’ve talked about a grudging admission from professor Richard Dawkins that he’s now a cultural Christian. And now we’ll add the bubbly, charming, and highly articulate Russell Brand to the discussion. We’ve seen this before, right? Kanye West, anyone? How about Bob Dylan? But something feels different this time. Join us as we talk about that difference.

From Columbia University all the way to the University of Georgia, protests against the war between Israel and Hamas are erupting all over the nation. As Nathan observes on the podcast, these kinds of protests are a relatively recent phenomenon and depend upon a political framework that values the dignity and worth of the individual—something firmly rooted in Christianity. In this episode, we consider a Christian response to protesting in general, as well as a response to the specific protests taking place today.

Not all of today’s art is ugly, of course. But there is a rather pronounced flight from beauty in many contemporary cultural artifacts, from movies and television to novels and poetry. Why this principled interest in ugliness? Join us as we explore what some critics refer to as “the uglification of everything.”

In a viral article for the The Free Press, former NPR journalist Uri Berliner highlights a number of striking failures at NPR, as well as a broader push from the organization to stop its audience from thinking for themselves. Berliner’s piece is the latest installment in a growing distrust of mainstream media sources. Join us as we explore some of the implications of trying to separate fact from fiction in the world of current events.

Most people recognize that beauty as a broad category certainly isn’t restricted to a museum or an art gallery. However, the fact that lots of today’s artists seem committed to making aggressively ugly art has led to a widespread distrust. In this episode, we press into that distrust and aim to expand the conversation.

The baleful tone regarding generation z shows no sign of abating. But are these young people really facing such unprecedented challenges because of social media and smartphones? For that matter, isn’t smartphone addiction something that affects all of us, rather than one age demographic? Join us as we dive in.