The Decadent Society with Ross Douthat Decadence isn’t a word most of us use on a daily basis, and yet author and columnist Ross Douthat believes that it perfectly captures the state of a largely stagnant and sclerotic American culture. In his book, The Decadent Society, Douthat explores both the meaning of decadence and the
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The Challenge of Christian Nationalism with Mark Noll and Vincent Bacote As the lines between faith, politics, and patriotism have become, in some quarters, increasingly blurred, it is increasingly important to understand the origin, ideas, and consequences of Christian Nationalism — what it means, why it matters, and how best to respond. “Responsible Christian patriots
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Rebuilding our Common Life with Yuval Levin One of the greatest problems in our civic life is that our institutions are weak. And they're weak not merely because they are distrusted by outsiders, but because their leaders fail to take their institution-building responsibilities seriously. Rather than submitting to the responsibilities and constraints that any functioning
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All the Lonely People with Ryan Streeter and Francie Broghammer Why is it, in the midst of relative peace and prosperity, we are increasingly alienated, lonely, and depressed? Even before we lived through a global pandemic, we were (and are) living through a deadly loneliness epidemic. In this conversation Ryan Streeter and Francie Broghammer join
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The Burden of Living and the Goodness of God with Alan Noble We don’t often talk about the courage required to face ordinary life. Such common human challenges as sorrow, despair, anxiety, and mental illness may cause us to experience life more as a burden than a gift. For many, this struggle is a constant
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The Blessing of Imperfect Days with Kate Bowler It’s easy to be caught in the trap of perfectionism, especially when those around us seem to have it all together. But we can find ourselves alone and discouraged when things don’t go as we’ve planned, and the lives we actually have fail to resemble those we’d
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Being, Living, and Dying Well with Lydia Dugdale In the wake of the Black Plague of the middle ages, people cried out for help to die well. What developed over the ensuing centuries was a work called the Ars Moriendi, a book designed to help Christians die well. In the midst of the global COVID-19
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Cultivating a Life of Learning with Zena Hitz How can we cultivate the habits and discipline required for a life of learning, especially in an age of distraction? And is such a life really worth it? Zena Hitz is a humanities scholar and author of Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life,
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Strength to Strength As we start to approach middle age (or beyond), how do we think about our vocation and purpose? Should our sense of mission change? What should we do to equip ourselves for a joyful, purposeful, and meaningful second half? Arthur Brooks joined us to discuss ideas in his latest book Strength to
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The Soul of Desire with Curt Thompson We all long to be fully known. Yet so often this desire for true connection and community is impaired by trauma, shame, and suffering. In October of 2021, we hosted psychiatrist Curt Thompson to discuss his book, The Soul of Desire: Discovering the Neuroscience of Longing, Beauty, and
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