The Good Life

The Reactionary Mind with Michael Warren Davis

What is a reactionary and why would anybody claim to be one? That's the question I discuss today with Michael Warren Davis, author of The Reactionary Mind: Why Conservative Isn't Enough. Michael has written for Crisis, The American Conservative, and many other magazines. He describes a reactionary not as one pining for a return to a pristine order, but who purposefully reorients one's life toward what is eternal. We discuss the Middle Ages, Savonarola, the Puritans, and others who teach us how societal blessings come to those who pursue eternal things.

The Reactionary Mind

Articles at The American Conservative

 

The Gift of Christmas

In this bonus episode, I read an article by David Frost, entitled, "Christmas Offers a Glimpse of a World That is Lost" from The Telegraph, a UK newspaper. He tells the story of a Christmas carol written in 1400 and later lost but was rediscovered in the mountains of Appalachia. There is a deeper meaning behind the story as well.

Merry Christmas!

What Are Christians to Do? - Rod Dreher

Rod Dreher joins me for a wide-ranging discussion of his previous book, The Benedict Option , and his most recent book, Live Not By Lies. We talk about what changed between his writing the two books, how Christians choose to sleepwalk through much of the cultural onslaught, and what we should do in preparation for what is coming. 

 

Books: 

The Benedict Option

Live Not By Lies

Blog

The American Conservative

 

Inoculation vs. Insulation: How do we prepare our children for living in the world?

In our recent paideia sermon series, we looked at many passages that give us wisdom when training our children. This article by John Stonestreet at the Colson Center speaks to that topic. He contrasts inoculation with indoctrination as two methods of preparing our children to be "in the world but not of it." In this episode, I cover the article's highlights and offer some brief commentary on why parents should guide their kids through cultural questions rather than pretending those questions don't exist. 

A Practical Guide to Culture - John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle

 

Grace and Gratitude

These are just a few thoughts on the need to cultivate gratitude since it doesn't come naturally. I read a brief article by my friend Brandon Meeks on showing God's love to the least around us and talk about our responsibility to look beyond ourselves and see how we too can show God's grace to others. 

 

Brandon Meeks' Substack Newsletter

Cultural Marxism and the Liberal Arts Cure

My guest today is Dr. Scott Masson, a professor of literature at Tyndale University in Toronto. We talk about the origins and growth of cultural Marxism in North America, how ancient and medieval writers approached literature, and the importance of the liberal arts in fortifying our children against cultural corrosion.

Dr. Masson is a gifted lecturer and publishes his lectures freely on Youtube. You can find his channel here. 

His excellent lecture on cultural Marxism can be found here. 

His Paideia Today podcast can be found here. 

How to Defeat Communism in Your Spare Time with C.R. Wiley

Today I welcome Chris Wiley back to the Good Life podcast. We met in person and discussed the book he is working on, tentatively titled, How To Defeat Communism in Your Spare Time. We discuss the origins of totalitarianism and how it morphed into the bizarre form it now takes in seemingly free countries. We conclude with what everyday people can do to escape the heavy chains of twenty-first-century politics. 

40 Years on the Front Line of Africa- Peter Hammond

Today I interview Dr. Peter Hammond, the president of Frontline Fellowship. Frontline is a mission organization taking the gospel throughout Africa and Europe. Peter was born and raised in Rhodesia and later moved to South Africa where he has worked for the last forty years. He has amazing stories to tell, including his first mission trip when he traveled into Communist territory, how God orchestrated a secret church service that lasted thirteen hours, and what happened when he led a march in South Africa against abortion and was called in to meet Nelson Mandella. 

Frontline Fellowship

Books by Peter

• Frontline - Behind Enemy Lines for Christ
• Victorious Christians Who Changed the World
• A Christian History of Africa

 

”I See That Hand” - A History of the Altar Call

For hundreds of years, Evangelical worship services have ended with an altar call - the pastor asks people to bow their heads and close their eyes while musicians play softly, and he pleads with them to make a decision for Christ. But that is a recent innovation in worship. For centuries churches ended worship with the communion meal, or a simple hymn and prayer/benediction. What changed? That's the story we talk about today.

My guest is Jason Cherry, a fellow elder at Trinity Reformed Church and author of the book, The Culture of Conversionism and the History of the Altar Call. We talk about what conversion meant prior to the First and Second Great Awakenings, and how those events and the ministers involved changed the culture. But we also talk about what conversion, repentance, and faith should look like, as well as the means God has given: discipleship, preaching, the sacraments, and prayer. 

The Culture of Conversionism and the History of the Altar Call

The Medieval Mind of C. S. Lewis

When we read C. S. Lewis, we think of Mere Christianity or The Chronicles of Narnia. But how did he become the man who would write beautifully about so many disparate topics? Dr. Jason Baxter joins me today in a stimulating discussion on how C. S. Lewis was intellectually and spiritually formed. Dr. Baxter's book, The Medieval Mind of C. S. Lewis, is a short, well-crafted work that introduces us to many thinkers whose influence prepared one of the greatest Christian minds of the twentieth century. If you choose to purchase the book, please do so from his website, https://www.jasonmbaxter.com/. He will sign all books purchased through his site. 

 

Books:

• The Medieval Mind of C. S. Lewis
• An Introduction to Christian Mysticism
• A Beginner's Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy