The Pugcast

What happened to fertility around the world? The numbers have dropped dramatically. Once we talked about the "Population Bomb.” Now people talk about the "Birth Dearth.” It seems counterintuitive that we have fewer kids the more we can afford them. Kevin DeYoung recently discussed the Case for Kids in an important essay published in First Things in the November 2022 issue. The Pugsters talk to Kevin about this important subject and why he thinks that it is a spiritual malaise that is at the root of it.   Connect with Kevin’s work at https://kevindeyoung.org/   Support the Theology Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

Today on the Pugcast Glenn and Chris interview Dr. John West of the Discovery Institute of Seattle, Washington. Glenn and Chris had the privilege of speaking alongside Dr. West at the Slaying Leviathan conference sponsored by Evangelical Reformed Church in Tacoma. The interview covers a wide range of topics including: intelligent design, Darwinism and its weaknesses, and why there is a drift in Christian higher education into liberalism. Enjoy!   Find more about the Discovery Institute at https://www.discovery.org/   Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

Today the Pugcast is joined by Brad Littlejohn and Steven Wedgeworth of The Davenant Institute to discuss a new book entitled, Protestant Social Teaching. The Pugsters have long admired the work of the Davenant Institute and are impressed with their new book. Please join us as we think about social issues in light of the Christian faith and the contributions Protestants have made to the teachings of the Church.   Learn more about The Davenant Institute: https://davenantinstitute.org/ Order Protestant Social Teaching: https://davenantinstitute.org/protestant-social-teaching Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8  

Mere Christianity might be the most important work of apologetics in the last 100 years or more. Copies sold are in the millions. But it is not only a popular success, it is a profoundly insightful and deep work--C. S. Lewis understood the Christian faith better than any other writer in living memory, with the possible exception of G. K. Chesterton. Today the Pugsters reflect on the riches of Lewis's greatest apologetic work.   Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

On today’s ‘live’ episode Tom unpacks insights from John Rist's book: What is a Person?  After noting the rich conception of the human person which arose out of classical realist and Christian theological sources, which supplied a robust view of the unique gift and dignity of each human made in the image of God, called by the Gospel to eternal communion with God, Rist then notes the rise of philosophical and political elites who rejected the transcendent vision of Christianity, and embraced philosophies which undercut the personhood of human beings, to the point that apart from themselves, elites began to promote visions which saw the bulk of human beings as inferiors and dependent on their lies for their own safety and survival. Glenn and Chris bring into the discussion many fascinating insights, and all three recognize the elitist agenda continues today, often out in the open.   Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

Listen in for a quick question and answer session following yesterday's episode: The Elites vs. Humanity.   Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

Since we’re getting close to Halloween, Glenn brings the topic of witchcraft to the table today. The guys begin by discussing historic ideas of witchcraft and the witch trials of Renaissance and early modern period. Note that some of these beliefs get us into PG-13 territory. The Pugsters then turn to witchcraft in the modern world, discussing Wicca and witchcraft around the world as well as the growing belief in the supernatural among college students. Although the kinds of witches described in witch hunting manuals only existed in the minds of the people of the day, the guys agree that demonic manifestations are very real even if only obvious in some parts of the world today.   Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

Dirty Harry is one of Clint Eastwood's best known films. It is also violent, full of profanity, and sprinkled with gratuitous nudity. How could anyone possibly mistake it for a Christian film? Today Chris makes a case for just that--he's not saying you should watch it as a family--or even that you should watch it. He makes the argument instead that it is a film that only makes sense within a Christian worldview--within a Christian framework of meaning. It is filled with subtle allusions to Christ--but the Jesus hinted at in Dirty Harry is not meek or mild. He's angry--and for good reason.    Today's episode was inspired by an essay published in Law and Liberty by Titus Techera--you can find it here: https://lawliberty.org/dirty-harrys-justice/   Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

Today the Pugcast welcomes French Reformed theologian Yannick Imbert onto the show! Yannick is the author of a new book on J. R. R. Tolkien, "From Imagination to Faerie: Tolkien's Thomist Fantasy". The book is a scholarly treatment of Tolkien's theological outlook and how it shaped Tolkien's understanding of language, myth and imagination. The Pugsters focus in primarily on Tolkien's views on language and how those conflict with contemporary understandings which are largely based on a set of assumptions informed by materialism. Enjoy!   Purchase From Imagination to Faerie: Tolkien's Thomist Fantasy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Imagination-Faerie-Tolkiens-Thomist-Fantasy/dp/1666710458   Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

Today the Pugcast is joined by Ken Myers, the man behind Mars Hill Audio. Mars Hill Audio was founded by Ken in 1993 after working for National Public Radio and serving as editor of Eternity Magazine. Among conservative Christian intellectuals Mars Hill Audio is an important resource for keeping up with the intersection of Christian thought and cultural trends in the western world. Ken is a long time friend of Chris, but all the Pugsters are big supporters of Ken's work. By the time the interview is over you'll probably want to download the Mars Hill Audio app to your phone. Unfortunately there were some technical glitches during the recording of the interview--but we think this is a pretty great episode nonetheless. We hope you enjoy it!   Visit https://marshillaudio.org/ to find Ken’s work with Mars Hill Audio.   Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

On today’s show Tom unpacks insights from Rhys Laverty's article: A Theory of Everything: Christology as a Hope for Evangelical Metaphysical Revival. The guys delve into fascinating topics of how the early theologians of the Church redefined the philosophical as they put its tools and insights into the service of unpacking the Biblical doctrines of Trinity and Christology. The guys look into the question of how Christology in particular gave a set of categories which can help us today in clarifying the biblical understanding of human nature and ethics by supplying it with resources to spell out these core claims in fuller and richer ways, helping us engage the philosophical and metaphysical claims of today's pagan alternatives with a robust Christian vision of completeness in Christ.   Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

Today’s show returns to the subject of the disenchantment and reenchantment of the world. The Pugsters discuss an article arguing that technology in the form of the bots and algorithms that control so much of online life function today much like the angels and demons of the premodern world, with the tech gurus who are behind it all functioning like priest-kings with data analysts as their prophets. A lively conversation around techno-paganism, techno-gnosticism, and the implications of online life in general follows. Article: https://thesymbolicworld.com/articles/technology-and-the-return-of-the-old-gods/ Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

There is something new under the sun—totalitarianism. Often confused with authoritarianism or tyranny, totalitarianism is a modern phenomenon, only possible in modernity. It is also uniquely deadly in its implications. So, what is it about modernity that makes totalitarianism feasible, and what makes it different from earlier forms of political oppression? The pugsters explore the modern character of totalitarianism on today’s Pugcast.   Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

Today the Pugcast welcomes Dr. David Deavel on to the show to discuss G. K. Chesterton in all of his enormity. Perhaps best known among evangelicals for his book Orthodoxy, Chesterton also wrote detective fiction about a priest named, Father Brown, as well as longer works of fiction such as the remarkable, The Man Who Was Thursday, biographies about Francis of Assisi and Thomas Aquinas. He’s also known for a “Third Way” economic theory known as Distributism. Today’s show ranges over all the large legacy of this larger than life man. Enjoy!   Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

On today’s show Tom unpacks Hans Boersma’s short article: Viral Submission:  on the Emerging Totalitarianism of the New Biopolitics. The guys define and engage biopolitics and how the recent pandemic exposed how it’s encroachment into the sacred territories of our life, health, work, and community relationships are becoming claimed by governing and global political agendas at fundamental odds with true human flourishing and our higher spiritual ends.   Article (Available to Touchstone Subscribers) : https://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=35-03-021-v   Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8   Register for the Welcome to Negative World conference:  https://www.negworldconference.com/   Our recording platform has been dealing with some bugs lately, so please excuse the bit of glitchiness at points.

Today’s Pugcast walks through a blog post by Jason Ananda Josephson Storm, an important secular philosopher who, among other things, is engaged in a systematic critique of Postmodernism and where things should go from there. This post deals with Zuckerberg’s Metaverse and assesses it from the perspective of 1990s Cyberpunk, where the term originated. Hint: Cyberpunk always presented a dystopian vision of the future; Zuck and others missed the point and have turned it utopian. The Pugsters walk through the blog post and riff on ideas of cultural despair, escapism, consumerism vs. capitalism, and transhumanism, among other things.   Article: https://absolute-disruption.com/2021/11/04/hack-the-metaverse/   Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

In today's show the Pugs discuss a recent article in First Things by Joshua Mitchell, By the Sweat of Our Brow. It's a free ranging, yet profound treatment of the erosion of competence in daily life, among other things. Mitchell makes the argument that citizenship requires "mediating institutions" (families, small businesses, churches, neighborhoods, and the like), because without them people lack the environments in which their actions have any meaningful difference in the world. And it is only when our actions matter that we learn competence. And competence is necessary for citizenship.   Article: https://www.firstthings.com/article/2022/08/by-the-sweat-of-our-brow?fbclid=IwAR3xPk1N9oE9KgRnH3aVgZ4G2Els149nFpJfS9MQ7nGDM-gFmpYyFvMpH8A     Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8  

On today’s show Tom brings into discussion themes from Robert Geraci’s book: Apocalyptic AI: Visions of Heaven in Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and Virtual Reality. The conversation focuses on ways in which the Western Christian Apocalyptic emphasis gets changed and rethought by several key figures in the Robotics and AI research fields and promoted as a new form of salvation and immortality. Glenn and Chris add a wellspring of insight and drive the topic into fascinating places.   Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

Join us for a mini-episode of the Pugcast in which Chris talks to James Wood about the talks he will be delivering in September at the Welcome to Negative World Conference, September 9-10 in Battle Ground, Washington!    To learn more about the conference: https://www.negworldconference.com/

That’s the provocative title of a series of articles that the guys discuss today. Belief in nature spirits was universal around the world, including among the church fathers and Christian theologians, until the 17th century, when Enlightenment rationalism consigned them to the realm of superstition. Even today, though, there are people who talk about encountering them. So what are we to make of this? Is it possible that God created intelligent beings invisible to us in most circumstances but part of the natural world? The Pugsters discuss the possibilities suggested in the articles.   Articles Referenced: https://classicalu.com/why-everyone-should-believe-in-fairies/ https://classicalu.com/why-everyone-should-believe-in-fairies-part-two/ https://classicalu.com/why-everyone-should-believe-in-fairies-part-three/ https://classicalu.com/why-everyone-should-believe-in-fairies-part-four/   Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8   Register for the Welcome to Negative World Conference: https://www.negworldconference.com/

Join us for a mini-episode of the Pugcast in which Chris talks to Joe Rigney about the talks he will be delivering in September at the Welcome to Negative World Conference, September 9-10 in Battle Ground, Washington!    To learn more about the conference: www.negworldconference.com To learn more about Bethlehem College and Seminary: https://bcsmn.edu/

On today’s show Chris guides a conversation on the nature of justice and its relationship to the given order of nature. For many intellectuals “justice” is an ideal that is imposed on society. Innate differences between people should be either compensated for, denied, or surgically removed. But is this really just? Perhaps the differences we see between individuals, or the sexes, are actually givens to be received with gladness and were intended to enrich our lives by making us mutually dependent on each other. Join the Pugcast as the guys discuss the limits of justice and the gifts of creation.   Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8     Register for the Welcome To Negative World Conference: https://www.negworldconference.com/

Join us for a mini-episode of the Pugcast in which Chris talks to Aaron Renn about the talks he will be delivering in September at the Welcome to Negative World Conference, September 9-10 in Battle Ground, Washington!    To learn more, follow this link: www.negworldconference.com

The trials and triumphs of Christian life as pilgrims in the world but not of the world. Tom introduces the topic by way of David Elliot’s article: Passing through the Sirens, the Trials of the Christian Wayfarer in the World. The conversation discusses the various biblical senses of ‘world’ and engages the biblical call to live a life resisting and renouncing the fallen world and its lingering impact while journeying deeper into the joy of Christ in Union with God. Chris and Glenn enrich the conversation, especially noting many of ways in which the contemporary church embraces much of the fallen world to its detriment.   Article Referenced: https://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=25-04-034-f&readcode=&readtherest=true&fbclid=IwAR2Jc9XELqbBzsCCNlZSZkHkEPZs3ACvSdiCS-DrCvBR7QrgCdWLCHLLlUA#therest   Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

This week, the Pug has a special guest, Max McLean, the founder of the Fellowship for the Performing Arts. Max has brought to the stage “The Screwtape Letters,” “The Great Divorce,” and “The Most Reluctant Convert,” the story of C.S. Lewis’s conversion; most recently staring in a film adaptation of the last of these. For the first half hour of the show the pugsters spoke with Max about his work and C.S. Lewis, but continued the conversation after Max left for another interview.

We wouldn’t have Christianity without miracles, and one miracle in particular—the resurrection and ascension of Jesus of Nazareth. Odd then, isn’t it, that not so long ago, there were some people who said that we could? C. S. Lewis knew that was nonsense, and he set out in his great book, “Miracles,” to set down a case for miracles in general, and specifically, the miracles that gave us Christianity. Join the Pugcast in this episode as they discuss C. S. Lewis and Miracles.

In this episode, the Pugsters look at the idea of courtesy and manners through the lens of medieval courtesy books. These were instructions to children on how to behave derived from chivalry and from instructions to novices in monasteries. Their goal was to inculcate virtue in children before they had a chance to develop vices. The guys discuss how manners reflect how we think about other people and note that William Wilberforce’s decades-long campaign to abolish the slave trade in England was accompanied by a “reformation of manners” to change how people thought about each other as a necessary preliminary to abolition. The need to recover courtesy in our day is obvious, especially given online interactions.   Article Referenced: https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2021/08/time-return-medieval-courtesy-books-john-horvat.html?fbclid=IwAR0WKjJ3ZOFdDTYoSOuwnNuEF4RIAZRUfAGga4hq9z3OQzlfvCJCnGro710

In today’s show Tom introduces the topic: how contemporary secular and nihilistic thinking owes its form to material deviations from the classical Christian understanding of God and final things. Once set in play, such altered understandings about God and final things led to the wide host of competing secular and nihilistic views about the end game of our actions and lives. Glenn and Chris bring into the talk angles and insights which show the many ways such secular and nihilistic thinking creeps into the church.

Is writing objective history impossible? Many today believe so. To these folks everything is "text,” meaning something we can interpret however we please, the implication being facts must be interpreted, and since we're the only interpreters "history" is nothing more than one person, or group's tendentious interpretation of things. (You have your interpretation and I have mine, in other words, and who's to say who is right?) This presupposes that facts don't have an author. But if there is a creator, and if he makes his purposes known, then history truly is possible, and is worth the effort. Today we explore these ideas in relation to the Book of Acts (among other things). There we get a glimpse of the end of history and what it all is leading to. Join the Pugsters as they discuss God and history in Acts and the academy.

In this semi-live episode, the Pugsters return to Romanticism, a topic we’ve touched on in a number of other Pugcasts. After a quick explanation of Romanticism as a response to cultural stress, the guys discuss some of the pathologies that have entered Western society as a result of the Romantic movement, including Expressive Individualism. But it turns out that not everything about Romanticism was a negative. Both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were influenced by a positive version of Romanticism that rejected elements of modernity in favor of a more traditionalist vision of society.

On today’s show the guys unpack aspects of contemporary culture and its move away from ontological truth. Language, once it’s detached from referencing the real, becomes a field of competing power plays and conflict. How are Christians to enact truthfulness, avoid falsehood in their discernment of truth, and speak the truth as it become increasingly costly to do so? The Pugsters consider such questions and various ways forward.

Today the Pugsters are joined by Dr. Luke Sheahan, President of The Academy of Philosophy and Letters, and Editor of The University Bookman. Among other things, Luke is an authority on the intellectual history of conservatism in the United States. The conversation includes a discussion of some of the more important luminaries in American Conservatism, the nature of "freedom of association" and why traditionalist conservatives from a range of theological traditions often have more in common with each other than with people in their own communions.   Why Associations Matter: The Case for First Amendment Pluralism Amazon;  Kansas   Academy of Philosophy and Letters (APL) www.philosophyandletters.org  Conference in College Park, MD, June 2-4 Conference Schedule Register for the Conference (Put C.R. Wiley or Luke Sheahan as sponsor)   The University Bookman https://kirkcenter.org/bookman/   Russell Kirk The Conservative Mind (1953)   Robert Nisbet The Quest for Community (1953)   Edmund Burke   Robert P. George, Princeton University   History of the Postwar Conservative Movement

In this episode, Moira Greyland Peat and Rachel Fulton Brown return for the first time together as Pugcast guests to explore the importance of story and imaginative fiction as a vehicle for communicating truth in ways that can transcend nonfiction. Along the way, Moira, Rachel, and the Pugsters talk about what makes stories fail, the impact of substituting ideology for truth in pop culture, the relevance of these ideas to music, and a host of related ideas.   Moria’s Book: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Closet-Dark-Side-Avalon-ebook/dp/B0787XLK4H?fbclid=IwAR2Q0CTcN3yBO_dtI682Pk8TsycvpXYAgBgLWX_mpp4Njk--gcvC3JyxBGs   Moria’s Music: https://soundcloud.com/moira-greyland?fbclid=IwAR3zoziXcVJZBQvR7D-Buolej162FLLBO_RMWVhjCLhaktXnYjVFMroetlE   Rachel’s Poetry: https://www.dragoncommonroom.com/?fbclid=IwAR0NjL42V6WBsw-6fquyvUpeAcgO5dkRwOfPe_GXl902TsyY3gL3pxrsA10 

Today the Pugsters are happy to welcome Jason Baxter on the show! Jason is the author of a new book on C. S. Lewis entitled: The Medieval Mind of C. S. Lewis: How Great Books Shaped a Great Mind. Have you ever wondered why no one seems to come close to C. S. Lewis when it comes to apologetics and fiction (except J. R. R. Tolkien, of course). Jason Baxter knows why--C. S. Lewis had a medieval mind and all of his admirers have think like modern people. So, what does it mean to think like a Medieval man? Well, for one thing, you need to read old books, really old books. But that's just a start. Listen in and find out what else is involved. We hope you like the show!   Find more from Jason at jasonmbaxter.com

Ever feel like an upgraded body would be good to have? You're not alone, and there are people who are ready to help--for a price. How about an extra 10 years of life, wouldn't that be nice? Why stop there? Why not an extra 20, or 100, or 10,000? Believe it or not, there are people who think that mortality is an engineering problem. Now here's another wrinkle, there are theologians that agree. What should we think about all of this? Today the Pugsters take up the topic of H+ (or Humanity 2.0).

Today the Pugcast is joined by Mark Bauerlein, professor emeritus of English at Emory University and an editor at First Things. Mark made waves back in 2008 with his book, The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don’t Trust Anyone under 30). He was accused of being a luddite, and an alarmist in those halcyon days of Web 2.0. Unfortunately for us all, he turned out to be right in many of his predictions. It wasn't so much that the millennials he describes were incorrigible so much as they were betrayed by their so-called educators and technophile utopians. Tune in and find out how bad things are and what can be done about it!

This is the time of year when we get a lot of memes about how Easter is a warmed-over pagan holiday. Everything from the name “Easter” to the use of eggs and rabbits is a claimed to be connected to a pagan fertility goddess. Our resident historian Glenn takes great delight in debunking these kinds of myths, and in this episode he and the guys talk about the historical and linguistic facts about Easter and how it is celebrated along with the implications of C.S. Lewis’s idea of the “good dreams” of the pagans and why Christians buy into these misrepresentations of their own history.

Tom introduces one of the driving assumptions that is underwriting the flux and chaos of current social trends: the assumption that truth is relative, perspectival, unable to be attained apart from our individual or group filters. The guys join in with many historical and contemporary insights into some key figures and ideas which have played into the rise and dominance of contemporary relativism and they set forth some initial steps in engaging it from a rich Christian vision.   Relativism (New Problems of Philosophy) by Maria Baghramian and Annalisa Coliva:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07T3DQ4Y5/ref=KC_GS_GB_US_nodl#

Many Christians today reject altogether the idea of Christian mysticism, but it has a long history in the church going back to the first centuries. The early church recognized three different types of mysticism: scriptural, which involved looking for symbolic or allegorical meanings in Scripture; liturgical, focused usually on the Eucharist; and contemplative. The guys discuss each of these, arguing that although excesses have occurred, mysticism in these senses can be a legitimate expression of the faith. So if you’re skeptical about Christian mysticism, tune in to see if your misconceptions are valid!

Well, which is it, a duck or a rabbit? Today the Pugsters examine the notorious duck/rabbit problem. You probably have seen the drawing, look at it one way, and you see a duck, look at it another way and you see a rabbit. Often the drawing is used to illustrate the ambiguity of signs, and the inevitably subjective character of interpretation. But are we doing justice to the signs, or the world we live in? What if the world at large represents something larger and more real than itself? Perhaps it's not interpretation all the way down so much as it is signs pointing to the source of all meaning. Join the Pugsters as they discuss the problem.

Tom unpacks themes from David Blount's essay on Hobbits, Tolkien and Nietzsche in relation to the differing way power and is understood and related to. Blount compares the Hobbits rejection of becoming Überhobbits in contrast to Nietzsche's dark vision of embracing the will to power. The guys engage in a variety of matters related to power, the will to power, the ring of power, and the counter vision which Christianity offers, especially as it’s expressed in the rich form of Tolkien's stories and characters.

Aaron Renn joins the show once again, this time to discuss an article he wrote for First Things entitled, The Three Worlds of Evangelicalism. It’s hard to miss that the social climate in which Christian ministry is conducted in the western world has become more antagonistic towards the Christian faith. What social and political developments have contributed to that, and how should Christians respond? Tune in and see what Aaron and the Pugsters think!   Find more from Aaron at aaronrenn.substack.com  

With the Russian invasion of the Ukraine, Glenn thought it a good time for a history lesson on Ukraine and Russia. As you might expect, he started over 1000 years ago, but noted especially more recent history and why the Ukrainians want to get out from under Russian domination. Along the way, he noted some genuine problems with Ukraine and their treatment of Russian minorities, part and parcel of the messy way borders work in Central and Eastern Europe. The guys finish with a discussion of the theological significance of nations, noting that they seem to survive in a purified form into eternity.

Philip Rieff was one of the most incisive critics of the postmodern turn in western culture of the last 50 years. A secular Jew, he longed for a world that reflected a sacred order. His insights were as penetrating as those of Charles Taylor, but with this important difference—while Taylor described our secular age, Rieff wanted to destroy it. Tune in as Chris describes his own process of incorporating Rieff’s insights into his own thinking and writing. Naturally, Tom and Glenn have plenty to add.

What does it take to make it in the highly competitive world of New York City art? Arthur Kwon Lee knows, he’s a young painter who won awards and was featured in prestigious galleries. He worked hard and developed his skills, but led a secret life as a conservative and a Christian. Then, everything changed when he came out of the closet. Soon he was blacklisted. Join the Pugcast today as we talk about the creative process, aesthetics, and beauty—as well as what sticking to what you know to be true can cost you.   Find more about Arthur Kwon Lee at arthurkwonlee.com Find more about the Genesis Council at genesiscouncil.com

Tom adds to his previous topic of speaking properly about God and takes it into the other direction. He notes that shifts in ideas of God led to shifts in ideas about Creation, the Human, and language in particular. By making God part of the same chain of 'being', language become 'capable' of referencing God without radical qualification. This leads to two idolatrous ways of referencing God: Univocally and Equivocally. The guys introduce what this means and add many insights into the significance of such a change in language for our reference to God and all else.

Today the Pugcast is joined by David Stocker, architect, and one of the principals of SHM Architects in Dallas, Texas. David is a great friend of the show, and a long-time friend of Chris. Today David will help the Pugsters reflect on the ways in which architecture speaks to us theologically--especially sacred architecture and the larger lived-in spaces known as neighborhoods, towns, and even cities.

This weeks Pugcast was recorded live (for Chris) at Fractal Brewing in Huntsville, Alabama, with Glenn and Tom coming in virtually. The topic, “The Fairy Tale Wars,” was based on an article from Touchstone by Vigen Guroian (see the link below). Glenn walked the guys through some of the key ideas in the article, particularly how modern scholars of fairy tales don’t like them much, and modern retellings of fairy tales twist them to support contemporary agendas and sensibilities. Chris and Tom talk about the philosophical ideas and assumptions that lead to this kind of distortion of fairy tales, including particularly the rejection of traditional wisdom in favor of current fashionable interests.   https://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=33-02-045-f

Tom delves into many of the often taken for granted reality implications of the Christian teaching about the Incarnation of God the Son. He explores the riches of wisdom such biblical teaching has for a true understanding of divinity, humanity, creation and its relation to God. Chris and Glenn bring into the conversation many fascinating insights, angles, and draw out further some of the deep implications of the riches we’ve been given in Christ.

Welcome to a funeral for the Church Growth Movement, Pugsters! In today's show Chris explains what the Church Growth Movement was, how it changed the character of evangelicalism and helped to destroy it, and why the movement has been killed by Covid-19, and the Woke-world that has followed. Church Growth was supposed to save the church--so why is it a good thing that it is dead? Join the Pugcast crew as they reflect on what's next for Christianity in the west now that Church Growth is dead.