The Intellectual Life and Discipleship

Dan Trippie joins us to discuss alcohol, marijuana, and soft drugs.

We discuss the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma.

We sit down with Dr. Phil Reed to discuss why the life of the mind is essential if we are to flourish as people of God.

Before:In the city,Empty lots areMonumentsTo scarcity.The soil is crackedAnd scarred,Overgrown with weedsWho offer some kind Of green,But only takes away.Now:In the city,Gentle hands trainedin Gospel abundanceOf the countryAre healing the soil,Kissing its scars,Breaking it openIn new ways for, Greener,Generative kinds.*Poem was written by James Kibby

How do children relate to faith? What is our culture’s narrative? How does it fall apart? And what does it look like for the gospel to open up from within that secular culture?We interview Danielle Hitchen from Catechesis Books.

Fr. Bryan ministers in a more progressive culture, within the city of Buffalo. Fr. Andrew ministers in a more conservative culture in Texas. How can we learn together how the gospel transcends these cultural forces and speaks the transformation of Jesus to all places?The Reverends interview each other about the various challenges they face in reaching their respective communities, and share some of the ways that they're meeting those challenges with the Gospel.

Here is just the tip of the iceberg of what you can expect in Season 02 of Devices and Desires.

In this episode, we talk about Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson. Peterson rose to fame in 2016 with a resistance to progressive academic culture, lectures on the pscyhological significance of biblical stories, and the best-selling book "12 Rules for Life."Why are young people - especially young men - drawn to a scholar like this?We talk with Joseph, an atheist philosophy major who converted to Christianity. Joseph turned toward Christian faith, not in spite of, but because he was drawn more deeply into ideas and truth, and this path included a major influence by Peterson, who is not a Christian.Join us for this fascinating conversation about today's campus culture, critical theory, and a great conversion story.

Part 2 of our Episode on the News. We apply the 7 Classic Virtues to being a reader of the news: Prudence, Courage, Temperance, Justice, Faith, Hope, and Love.Also, Andrew wades into a Saudi cultural controversy, and Bryan discusses specific news sources to read or avoid.

What news is really worth paying attention to?What's just entertainment, or divisive, or a diversion? How can we use the news to be better Christians, rather than to give into the spirit of the age?This is Part 1 of a two-part series on the News: What is the News?