In the final episode of 2020, Norman, Matthew, and Kerry join Doug for an extended episode with a heartfelt discussion about 2020. They reflect on their own experience with the pandemic, how it affected their church and families, as well as what pleasant surprises came about during the year. And don’t forget to stay tuned after the credits to hear the battle between Matt and Kerry over patriarchalism and feminism.
In this episode, Doug and Norman talk Church history with Prof. John Mark Hicks of Lipscomb University. Dr. Hicks's recent book Resisting Babel discusses the life and thought of David Lipscomb, an important historical figure in the American Churches of Christ in the 19th century. Living in Tennessee through the Civil War, his experience of the war greatly shaped his views on the state, and many people he influenced took a stand against violence entirely and refused to fight either for the Confederacy or the Union army during their conscription acts. Lipscomb's influence on the Churches of Christ as a "peace church" lasted until the mid-20th century. Resisting Babel was edited by Dr. Hicks and had contributions from multiple scholars from Church of Christ universities.
Ronald Bailey from Reason.com joins us to talk about his new book (co-authored with Marian Tupy), Ten Global Trends Every Smart Person Should Know. We discuss why people are unaware of the global trends, why some data doesn’t tell the whole story, and what humanity can do to keep the progress going.
Austin Rogers joins us to talk about his new book, The Third Temptation: Rethinking the Role of the Church in Politics. Austin believes that many in the church today have succumbed to the temptation to make political power their authority rather than Jesus Christ, and that there’s a better way to think about the role of the church and the role of the state in society.