The Good Life

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

 

Honoring our Spiritual Fathers with Brandon Meeks

Brandon Meeks is a delightful writer, speaker, and theologian. He serves as a theologian in residence for his Anglican parish in Arkansas. He has written several books and has a substack newsletter that gives a good taste of his abilities. In this podcast, we discuss how he went from an Independent Baptist to an Anglican, the importance of honoring our spiritual fathers, and why Reformed ministers can't preach. 

Books by Brandon Meeks

• The Foolishness of God 
• God, the Universe, and Everything Else

Articles

• Why Calvinists Can't Preach
• Beauty Will Save the World: An Argument for Theological Aesthetics
• I Survived (Because of) Bible Belt Religion

The Old Time Religion Podcast

Poiema Substack Newsletter

Deeper Heaven - C.S. Lewis‘s Ransom Trilogy with Christiana Hale

While many love C.S. Lewis's Narnia Chronicles, they often neglect his lesser-known fiction, the Ransom trilogy. These books, in addition to being excellent storytelling, reflect a supernatural view of the cosmos. One of the reasons they are neglected is because they are denser and require more careful reading than the Narnia stories. That's where Christiana Hale comes to our rescue. She has written Deeper Heaven: A Reader's Guide to C.S. Lewis's Ransom Trilogy. Today we discuss the trilogy, the sources of influence on C.S. Lewis, and why calling these books the "space trilogy" misses the point. 

• Deeper Heaven: A Reader's Guide to C.S. Lewis's Ransom Trilogy
• Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis - Dr. Michael Ward

The Spiritual Formation of C.S. Lewis with Lyle Dorsett

Have you ever wondered what made C. S. Lewis such a strong Christian? That exact question stirred Dr. Lyle Dorsett years ago. In researching the spiritual life of the great author, Dr. Dorsett came to lead the Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College, which houses the largest number of C. S. Lewis artifacts in the U.S. His book on Lewis, Seeking the Secret Place, is a discussion of how Lewis grew as a Christian throughout his life. 

Most recently Dr. Dorsett has served as an Anglican clergyman in Birmingham, Alabama, while simultaneously serving as Professor of Evangelism at Beeson Divinity School. He is also the only man I know who, after finding there was no biography of someone, chose to fix the problem by writing it himself. Those biographies were of A. W. Tozer and Joy Davidman (C. S. Lewis's wife). He is now retired.

 

Books by Dr. Dorsett

• Seeking the Secret Place
• A Passion for God: The Spiritual Journey of A. W. Tozer
• And God Came In: The Extraordinary Story of Joy Davidman

Lectures by Dr. Dorsett

C. S. Lewis and the Care of Souls - Desiring God 2013 National Conference

Building Character in Young Men with Coach Grant Teaff

I interview Coach Grant Teaff, a former head football coach at Baylor University. Coach Teaff is a faithful Christian and has written several books on teaching character to young adults. He is a great storyteller and is currently working with his daughter to compile various speeches and lectures through the years into a podcast. 

Books by Coach Teaff

• A Coach's Influence - Beyond the Game
• Coaching in the Classroom

 

Notes for the Underground Church with Father Daniel French

In this episode I talk with Father Daniel French, a priest in the Church of England. In addition to his role as a shepherd, he is working with others both in the U.S. and the U.K. on an underground catechism for the church, a book that addresses how Christians from various backgrounds should think about basic moral issues like transhumanism, hierarchy, sexual confusion, abortion, and euthanasia. 

We discuss his background, the life of a parish priest, the importance of preparing for turbulence, and how Christians can work together despite various backgrounds. 

He blogs at Notes to the Underground Church. 

Some articles by Fr. French

• Could an underground church emerge in Britain?
• Recolonizing the Curriculum