The Good Life

Progress, Technology, and Wisdom with Michael Sacasas

Michael Sacasas is the head of a Christian Study Center in Gainsville, Florida. He has written on the role of technology through the lens of writers like Hannah Arendt, Jacques Ellul, and Ivan Illich. Today we talk about why it's hard to define technology, the dangers of mechanistic thinking, and how limits help us pursue a good life. 

• The Convivial Society (Michael's Newsletter)
• The Human Condition - Hannah Arendt
• The Technological Society - Jacques Ellul
• Rebels Against the Future - Kirkpatrick Sale
• The Year of Our Lord 1943 - Alan Jacobs
• Life After Babel - Jonathan Haidt (article)
• Why American Teens Are So Sad - Derek Thompson (article)

The Church vs. Dark Magic

Recently I preached on magic from Leviticus 19 and 20. There was much more material than I could talk about and quite a few questions. This is my first podcast that's not an interview. Today I talk about the relationship between magic and nature, how our modern view of magic is quite new, and how the Reformation helped unite the church against the spread of dark magic. 

I'd love to hear from you if you have any suggestions for future topics. 

 

• Seven Brief Lessons on Magic - Paul Tyson
• Living in a World of Magic - Sermon

The Blessed Life of a Country Vet - Jim Wight

Who is the only writer who makes Queen Elizabeth laugh out loud when she reads him? The answer is James Herriot, (his actual name is Alfred Wight). His books, beginning with All Creatures Great and Small, are funny, interesting, and reveal a slower way of life from a bygone era. He was a practicing vet from 1939 to 1996 in the Yorkshire region of the U.K. Masterpiece Theater recently turned his novels into a television series (for the second time) and his books have sold over 60 million copies. 

Today I interviewed his son, Jim Wight, who wrote a wonderful biography of his father called, The Real James Herriot. We talk about the people behind the characters in the novels, what it's like to be a vet in rural England, and why so many people love James Herriot stories. 

 

Books

• The Real James Herriot
• All Creatures Great and Small
• All Things Bright and Beautiful
• All Things Wise and Wonderful
• The Lord God Made Them All

The Best Political Philosophy You’ve Never Heard Of - Michael Connolly

I'm joined by Dr. Michael Connolly, a history professor at Purdue University Northwest. He has written several articles about the best political perspective you've probably never heard about - Toryism. Most Americans only think of Toryism as a British idea, but it's much deeper than that. Far from being an ideology and bearing little similarity to the modern British political party of the same name, Toryism is a way of looking at the world. Beginning with an appreciation of the blessings from the past, it includes a love of the church, patriotism, the fundamental necessity of the family, the necessity of hierarchy, a slower pace of life, and protecting the weak in society, all with as little government involvement as possible. 

If these are ideas you appreciate, you'll certainly want to hear the rest. 

Article  by Dr. Connolly:

• The Tory Tradition
• The Tory Interpretation of History
• The Past as Battlefield
• Other Articles by Dr. Connolly

Bonus Episode - Books for kids of all ages - Phoebe Carpenter

Today I spoke with my daughter, Phoebe, about kids and young adult literature. We discuss some books we've read as a family and she talks about books she enjoys. We talk about books for boys, girls, and what makes for a good story. 

Books we discuss in this episode:

• The Mysterious Benedict Society - Trenton Lee Stewart
• Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers - Douglas Bond
• Mr. Pipes and Psalms and Hymns of the Reformation - Douglas Bond
• 100 Cupboards - N.D. Wilson
• Looking for the King - David C. Downing
• A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
• Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery
• Mitford Series - Jan Karon
• Cards on the Table - Agatha Christie
• The Labors of Hercules - Agatha Christie
• Complete Stories of Dorothy Sayers - Dorothy Sayers
• Father Brown Stories - G. K. Chesterton
• Russell Kirk Stories
• Not Exactly Ghosts - Andrew Caldecott
• Complete Ghost Stories - M.R. James
• Ade's Fables - George Ade
• Fables in Slang - George Ade
• Jeeves Omnibus - P.G. Wodehouse
• All Creatures Great and Small - James Herriot
• Favorite Poems Old and New - selected authors

Building Beautifully with Charles McRaven

Charles McRaven is quite literally a jack-of-all-trades. He is a carpenter, blacksmith, pastor, home builder, stonemason, architect, writer, and teacher. He restored his first log cabin when he was eleven years old. In this episode, we discuss what it means to build beautifully, how stonemasonry teaches patience, and why we should see ourselves as students of the land on which we live. If you love building, nature, or good craftsmanship, this episode is for you. 

Books by Charles McRaven

• The Class Hewn-Log House
• The Blacksmith's Craft
• Building With Stone

 

Christianity Comes to the Vikings with Lars Walker

Lars Walker is a librarian, historian, Viking reenactor, and writer. His fiction is outstanding. He has written a series of historical fiction about the Christian Viking ruler Erling Skjalgsson. There are four books in the series and they are all excellent, although not for kids (Vikings really were brutal). He has also written a modern dystopian fiction series based in a small Minnesota town (the Epsom series).

In this episode, Lars and I talk about all things Viking-related, including myths, the contribution of the Vikings to modern democracy, two methods of Christian evangelism practiced in Medieval Scandanavia, and how the Norse culture may have prepared the way for Calvinism to take root. 

Books by Lars:

Erling Series

1. The Year of the Warrior (incorporates Erling’s Word. No need to buy that one).
2. West Oversea
3. Hailstone Mountain
4. The Elder King

Epsom Series

1. Troll Valley
2. Wolf Time
3. Blood and Judgment
4. Death’s Doors

Viking Legacy (Translation of the work of Torgrim Titlestad)

Lecture: Christianity Comes to the Vikings (given at Union University in Jackson, TN)

The Monkhood of All Believers with Dr. Greg Peters

Dr. Greg Peters is an Anglican priest, professor at Biola University, and instructor at Nashotah House, an Anglican seminary in Wisconsin. He is a Protestant expert in the history of monasticism. Why would a Protestant study such things? There's more for us to learn than you might expect. In this episode we discuss the history as well as the different types of monasteries, what the Reformation fathers really thought about monasticism, and how Christians can apply monastic principles to their daily lives without running away from the world. 

 

Books by Greg Peters

• The Story of Monasticism: Retrieving an Ancient Tradition for Contemporary Spirituality 
• Reforming the Monastery: Protestant Theologies of the Religious Life
• The Monkhood of All Believers: The Monastic Foundation of Christian Spirituality 
• Thomas à Kempis: His Life and Spiritual Theology

Pursuing Virtue with Dean Abbot

Today I am interviewing Dean Abbot. He is an author, former college professor, and mentor to men across the country. He has written a couple of books, On Character and Community, and Common Good: Reflections on Everyday Vices and Virtues, the latter of which is the focus of this podcast. We talk about why philosophy is a benefit to everyone (not just philosophers), the difference between vice and sin, the role of religion in the pursuit of virtue, and why a good life means more than getting to heaven when we die. 

Dean's books:

• On Character and Community
• Common Good: Reflections on Everyday Vices and Virtues

Articles by Dean:

• The Quieter Life
• P.G. Wodehouse: Balm for the Modern Soul
• The Conservative Vision of Richard Vobbes

The Alternative American Tradition with Christopher Duncan

Today's interview was with an author whom I've admired for some time - Dr. Christopher M. Dunca. Dr. Duncan teaches political philosophy at St. Louis University and has written about some of my favorite groups: the Anti-Federalists and the Southern Agrarians. If you appreciate the ideals of community, family, and small government, this podcast is for you. We discuss all of the above, plus Dr. Duncan's new book, Radical Conversion. Although written to Roman Catholics, the book has much to teach Christians of all stripes about how we should live in modern society. 

• The Anti-Federalists and Early American Political Thought
• Radical Conversion