Some say culture is the codification of a value system and the arts are reflective of our hopes. So what does it mean that Sherlock Holmes, Lord of the Rings, and Superman are such big movie franchises right now? What does this say about the times we’re living in and what we’re looking for? Listen in as I explain some historical parallels for today.

In the areas of economics, faith, patriotism, and family, there’s a generational disconnect between baby boomers and Gen Z. In this episode I quote some interesting survey results, talk about why there is such a huge gap between these generations, and suggest what we need to do to preserve our culture.

The press of world events and the 24-hour news cycle lead us to focus on the immediate, and we miss important trends. Every so often we need to take the 30,000-foot view to know what’s working and what’s not. Listen in for ten statistics showing positive trends in the areas of poverty, child welfare, life expectancy and more. Be encouraged and do the good that you can do.

To most Americans, the violent protests that have taken place on our American college campuses have come as a surprise. What caused these to erupt? Listen in as I describe three factors that have led to this moment.

There seems always to be a war occurring in some part of the world, but what moral framing should nations apply that keeps them from doing the kind of damage that will taint generations? Augustine proposed the conditions for a Just War, including the criteria that justifies going to war and if those are met, how to conduct that war. Listen in to this 15-minute primer of the Just War Theory.

Just before Easter, Joe Biden issued a presidential statement supporting March 31 as Transgender Day of Visibility and called on all Americans to observe it. How is it that President Biden, a Catholic, goes out of his way to announce support for Transgender Americans on Easter–the highest holy day for Christians—when previous presidents ignored it? It seems my government is going out of its way to say the traditional faith shared by the majority of Americans is increasingly in[read more]

In the wake of the attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow, two things become apparent: ISIS is not dead, and Vladimir Putin is looking incompetent. Listen in for more about ISIS-K, the US intelligence chatter, Putin’s laugh, and deflection of blame.

A two-state solution? It sounds fair and is the default proposal by most Western leaders. But did you know a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians has been proposed many times, and each time, it is rejected by Arab leaders? Listen in to learn more about the history of Israel and Gaza and my radical proposal.

Good men and women like US Congressman Mark Green (TN 7th congressional district) are leaving Congress because “You can’t get anything done in this place.” We have had an eroding of both the effectiveness and the checks and balances within Congress and it has become dysfunctional. But you can affect change. Listen in for some things you can do as an American citizen to break this cycle.

Shia Muslims are behind Hamas, the Houthi movement, and Hezbollah and many other independent militias around the world doing great damage. What is their end game? Many people in Washington, DC, and elsewhere fail to see things at 20,000 feet, but there’s a larger chess game being played and it’s important we understand what that chess game is. Iran is taking advantage of US weakness. They see America as a declining power, and not to be feared. Make no[read more]