On November 4th, a movie called Hacksaw Ridge will release nationwide. Stephen attended an early premiere of this film and is convinced it can help heal our country in the wake of a tumultuous presidential election. In this review of the film, Stephen tells the story of Desmond Doss, the film’s WWII hero subject, and explains why he believes it is one of the most significant “faith films” ever made.

Whatever else the 2016 presidential election means to us, it has been a heartrending look at the state of manhood today. We’ve had vile language, racism and sexual misconduct defended by one candidate—and his religious supporters—while the other candidate would return to the White House one of America’s most immoral presidents. Some commentators have treated all of this with a “boys will be boys” disregard. Stephen believes that this election amounts to a call to action for American men.[read more]

In this most unusual of all U.S. presidential elections, one constant theme has been the charge of corruption. In the party structures. In foundations started by the candidates. In the candidates’ professional lives. Even in the electoral process. Wikileaks and FBI investigations have only heightened these concerns. In this podcast, Stephen calls for reform of our electoral process and urges democratic reforms.

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A decade-old video capturing Donald Trump speaking about women in the nastiest terms has transformed the 2016 presidential race. It has created a firestorm of controversy and is likely to shape the outcome of the election. Stephen believes this race and the Trump video tell us much about who we have become as a nation and he explains what the resulting Trump explosion is likely to mean for the nation.

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Everyone’s doing it. Esquire. GQ. Men’s Health. Each of these and dozens more have offered their “style guide” for the modern man. Well, Stephen couldn’t resist the temptation. While admitting he’s not a clothes horse and that no one should follow his fashions, Stephen nevertheless offers some wisdom for men and how they present themselves. You don’t want to miss this!

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In a Monday night slugfest at Hofstra University, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump tried to win voters and damage each other while moderator Lester Holt struggled to play referee. It was a revelatory evening and in this podcast Stephen analyzes both the candidates and the issues at play in the first of three general election debates.

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Good news from the Middle East? Yes! And the Kurds are making it happen. In this week’s podcast, Stephen describes the good news—the liberation of Mosul!—and some of the challenges facing the Kurds. Then, he prepares us for what might be some of the biggest news yet—the move toward an independent Kurdistan. All in this exciting update on the Kurds.

 

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In this fast-paced episode, Stephen answers questions from his listeners. From theology to the election, from books to Stephen’s political aspirations, no topic is off-limits in these lightning-round free-for-alls!

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Some men and women come home from war and find themselves missing an important part of their lives: mission. The purpose, belonging and accountability that is a natural part of military life is often absent from civilian life, but that does not have to be the case. In this episode, Stephen recounts a discussion with former soldiers and urges all of us to build lives of passion and purpose.

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After the American Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, our country’s problems with racism remained subtle but persistent. But since the advent of the internet and our first African-American president, racial tension has stolen the stage and bigotry has reared its ugly head once more. In this important episode, Stephen reminds us of the righteous, redemptive side of our nation and challenges us to make a difference on a personal level.

 

CC image courtesy of Oregon Department of Transportation on Flickr