Cross & Gavel Podcast

Jason Guinasso shares his journey of integrating faith and legal practice—reflecting on the challenges, sacrifices, and opportunities that come with living authentically as a Christian attorney. Drawing from his experience in firms of all sizes, he explores what it means to maintain a faithful presence in the legal profession, serve people in difficult circumstances, and make career decisions rooted in an identity in Christ. Jason also offers encouragement to law students and attorneys seeking to follow God's calling while navigating the pressures of the profession. Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. 

Ronald J. Colombo, professor at Hofstra University's Maurice A. Deane School of Law, joins Cross & Gavel to explore the unexpected connection between contract law and petitionary prayer. Drawing from his scholarship in corporate law, religious freedom, and Christian thought, Colombo explains how prayer can be understood as a relationship with God that involves trust, perseverance, proper intention, and alignment with God's will. The conversation also examines how prayer shapes the person praying, why unanswered prayers may reflect God's providence rather than His absence, and how legal principles can offer a fresh framework for understanding Christ's promises about prayer. Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.

Heather Rice-Minus, CEO of Prison Fellowship, joins us to discuss the importance of second chances for people with criminal records. She shares how Second Chance Month is helping break down barriers to employment, housing, and successful reentry while bringing together churches, employers, and communities to recognize the power of redemption and restoration.  Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.

The legal profession tends to breed a type of disposition more akin to something in Homer than The Wonder Years. A rooted posture towards adversity rather than compromise or even common ground. Much of this is taught in law school, even if indirectly, with a ruthless employment competition cycle the second 1Ls start their fall semester and that infamous curve that pins students against one another and judged over the smallest of differences. My guest today is David A. Grenardo and our topic is an antidote to this madness, which is civility. We discuss not only what it is, but more importantly, how it tends to improve the quality of the legal profession and those inside. His latest paper in the Toledo Law Review is called Why Civility?, but his record on this goes back 15 years. David is a professor of law and associate director of the Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions. He joined St. Thomas Law in 2022. He was previously a professor at St. Mary's University School of Law (Texas) where he taught Professional Responsibility, Contracts, Sports Law, Business Associations, Civil Procedure, and International Sports Law. Full bio. Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.

Today, I discuss a book that goes to the heart of why religious freedom matters and how protecting its exercise confounds the forces of disintegration and violence. My guest is Allen D. Hertzke, whose book Why Religious Freedom Matters is an indispensable resource for not only showing the true value of religion, but also why it remains so important that people of all stripes band together to protect it from forces of coercion and restriction. Allen is professor emeritus of political science at the University of Oklahoma. He is author or editor of ten books, including Freeing God's Children and The Future of Religious Freedom. He served a ten-year term on the prestigious Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences at the Vatican. Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.

In the last few years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a household name, slowly creeping into the corners of every technological device we've all grown to depend on. But what happens if the underlying training data and the people training the models perpetuate the common biases that we all from time to time commit against our neighbors—whether intentionally or not. That is the focus of our conversation today. Joining us is Sonia Gipson Rankin, whose 2024 paper, Mitigating Algorithmic Bias: Strategies for Addressing Discrimination in Data, serves as a jumping off point for this discussion. Sonia is a legal scholar and educator whose work combines her background in computer science with her passion for legal justice. She teaches in the fields of Torts, Family Law, Technology and the Law, and Introduction to Lawyering at the University of New Mexico School of Law. She is also Affiliated Faculty in the Department of Africana Studies. Full bio. Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.

The John Witte, Jr. Lecture Series on Christianity & Law is back! A new venture from Christian Legal Society aimed at advancing the conversation surrounding the integration of Christianity & law. In our third lecture inspired by the Düsseldorf School of painting, we discuss law, family, and religion in late antiquity. Our keynote is Dr. Maria Doerfler, an Associate Professor of Late Antiquity at the Yale University's Department of Religious Studies. Before joining the Yale faculty, she held the position of Assistant Professor of Christianity in Late Antiquity at Duke Divinity School, as well as serving as director of the Duke/UNC Center for Late Ancient Studies. Her work focuses on the interpretation of authoritative texts, of law, philosophical writings, and scripture, in the second through sixth centuries C.E., with particular emphasis on how contexts of personal or communal crisis shape exegesis. She was joined by Elizabeth Kirk for a period of Q&A after the lecture. Elizabeth is the Co-Director of the Center for Law & the Human Person and an Assistant Professor at the Columbus School of Law. To listen to the full event and see all of the illustrations, click here. A Special Thanks to the event sponsor: Trinity Law School.

Many who discuss political theology run to the likes of Augustine or Aquinas to explain the ways their minds express the world and treat its people. And while those thinkers are profound and helpful, the idea of political theology carries a lifeblood that invites Christians to think creatively about its seams and the ways it informs and binds our common connections. That is why I'm excited to produce this conversation with Vincent Lloyd, who co-authored a recent book entitled What Is Political Theology (Columbia University Press 2026) that touches on the multifaceted concepts of political theology and what it means today. Vincent and I discuss the meaning of the term and its scandals, the idea of domination that undergirds his writing, the way academics and activists work together on advancing a political theology from below, and so much more. This is a dense episode: for those who listen 1.2x speed, you've been warned! Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.

One of the most difficult issues to solve is the careful balance of criminal reform with the punitive aims of state power. While most of us don't want to needless lock up our neighbors, we are also in favor of the systematic creation of spaces of safety for our families and friends. But with underlying aims of justice comes the sins of man's overreach in search of solutions. Alas, enters mass incarceration. I talk today about this pervasive problem through the lenses of Christian Realism. My guest once again is Jeff Baker, the first Associate Dean of Experiential Learning and Clinical Professor of Law at the University of Alabama School of Law. His scholarship focuses on issues of human rights and dignity, social justice, legal education, and ethics, at the intersections of law, theology, jurisprudence, and public policy. Full bio. His paper, Christian Realism and The Sins of Mass Incarceration, is a clarion call for applying ethical lawyering to issues of present concern. We discuss what is mass incarceration, how it's connected to financial incentives, ways we come to appreciate the prisoner as an image bearer, and so much more. [NOTE: A few other conversations I've had along this topic includes the history of law and order, reforming criminal justice, prison abolition, second chances, and prison ministry.] Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento

One of the things that we at Christian Legal Society constantly implore law students to do is to think about what sort of lawyer they want to be. Yes, we want them to be successful, but more than that, we want them to bear witness to the grace of God and to manifest His character across the legal profession. My conversation today provides a much needed resource for those looking to develop their reputation as Christian lawyers and for those hoping to make a positive difference in the lives of those they encounter. My guest is Jeff Baker, the first Associate Dean of Experiential Learning and Clinical Professor of Law at the University of Alabama School of Law. His scholarship focuses on issues of human rights and dignity, social justice, legal education, and ethics, at the intersections of law, theology, jurisprudence, and public policy. Full bio. His paper, A Sermon on the Law, is a clarion call for ethical lawyering on behalf of the marginalized and oppressed.  Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.