Alle afleveringen
32 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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Ep. 30 | Interview with Wilfred M. McClay | Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story
29 oktober 2026 · 1 uur 17 min
In this edition of the Reading Wheel Review, Dr. Stephen Presley, CRCD’s Director of Education and Engagement, and Dr. Hunter Baker, CRCD’s Senior Fellow for Civic Renewal and Religious Liberty, interview Dr. Wilfred M. McClay. Dr. McClay is a senior fellow at CRCD and the Victor Davis Hanson Chair in Classical History and Western Civilization at Hillsdale College. He is a leading scholar of American intellectual and cultural history as well as a prominent public intellectual and commentator. In this episode, Dr. McClay discusses his book: Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story. We hope you’ll enjoy this conversation about American history. Lees meer
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Ep. 29 | Interview with Thomas Kidd | Thomas Jefferson: A Biography of Spirit and Flesh
27 augustus 2026 · 45 min
In this edition of the Reading Wheel Review, CRCD Executive Director Dr. Jordan Ballor interviews Dr. Thomas Kidd, who serves as Research Professor of Church History and the John and Sharon Yeats Endowed Chair of Baptist Studies at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. In this conversation, they discuss Dr. Kidd’s book: Thomas Jefferson: A Biography of Spirit and Flesh, and explore Jefferson’s perspective on Christianity, championing of religious freedom, and flawed character. We hope you’ll enjoy this conversation about one of America’s most legendary yet tragic founding fathers. Lees meer
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Ep. 28 | Interview with Mark David Hall | Did America Have a Christian Founding?
23 juli 2026 · 50 min
In this edition of the Reading Wheel Review, CRCD Executive Director Jordan Ballor interviews Mark David Hall, who serves as a professor in Regent University’s Robertson School of Government, director of the CRCD’s Religious Liberty in the States project, and a senior research fellow at CRCD. This conversation centers around Dr. Hall’s book Did America Have a Christian Founding? Separating Modern Myth from Historical Truth. Dr. Ballor and Dr. Hall explore the influence of Christian ideas on the founding, the founders’ views on the separation of Church and state, and the nature of religious freedom. Lees meer
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Ep. 27 | Interview with Kirstin Anderson Birkhaug | Phillis Wheatley's Complete Writings
25 juni 2026 · 42 min
In this edition of the Reading Wheel Review, CRCD Executive Director Dr. Jordan Ballor interviews Dr. Kirstin Birkhaug. Dr. Birkhaug serves as a research fellow at the Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy and an assistant professor of political science at Hope College. Her conversation with Dr. Ballor centers around the life and work of the outstanding poet, Phillis Wheatley. Lees meer
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Ep. 26 | Interview with Matthew Spalding | The Making of the American Mind
28 mei 2026 · 44 min
In this edition of the Reading Wheel Review, Dr. Jordan Ballor, executive director of First Liberty’s Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy, interviews Dr. Matthew Spalding, the Kirby Professor in Constitutional Government and the Dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College’s Washington, D.C., campus. Their discussion focuses on Dr. Spalding’s book, The Making of the American Mind: The Story of Our Declaration of Independence. Their conversation examines the formation, argument, and significance of that revolutionary text from 1776, whose 250th anniversary we celebrate this year. Lees meer
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Ep. 25 | Interview with Jeff Polet | The Federalist Papers
23 april 2026 · 49 min
In this edition of the Reading Wheel Review, Dr. Jordan Ballor, executive director of First Liberty’s Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy, interviews Dr. Jeff Polet, Director of the Ford Leadership Forum at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation. Their discussion focuses on The Federalist Papers, which is the text of the month for April 2026 at the Reading Wheel Review. Their conversation covers the motives for publishing the papers, the context of the US Constitution and debates over its ratification, as well as enduring challenges to liberty and union faced by America over the previous two and a half centuries. Lees meer
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Ep. 24 | Interview with Erik Matson | The Wealth of Nations
26 maart 2026 · 48 min
In this edition of the Reading Wheel Review, Dr. Jordan Ballor, executive director of First Liberty’s Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy, interviews Dr. Erik Matson, Gibbons Fellow in Economics at the Catholic University of America and co-director of the Adam Smith Program at George Mason University. March marks the 250th anniversary of the publication of Adam Smith’s magnum opus, The Wealth of Nations, and Jordan and Erik discuss the significance of the great Scottish philosopher who has been called “the father of modern economics.” Lees meer
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Ep. 23 | Interview with Jana Novak | Washington's God
26 februari 2026 · 43 min
In this edition of the Reading Wheel Review, Dr. Jordan Ballor, executive director of First Liberty’s Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy, interviews Jana Novak, co-author of Washington’s God: Religion, Liberty, and the Father of Our Country. Continuing the Reading Wheel Review’s year-long celebration of the American semiquincentennial, Jordan and Jana discuss the religious beliefs and expression of America’s first president, George Washington, and his understandings of divine providence, civil liberty, and religious freedom. Lees meer
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Ep. 22 | Interview with Daniel L. Dreisbach | Reading the Bible with the Founding Fathers
29 januari 2026 · 45 min
In this edition of the Reading Wheel Review, Dr. Jordan Ballor, executive director of First Liberty’s Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy, interviews Dr. Daniel L. Dreisbach of American University in Washington, D.C. They discuss Dreisbach’s book, Reading the Bible with the Founding Fathers, which examines in detail the different ways that Christian scripture influenced and was used by leading figures in the revolutionary era. This discussion opens the Reading Wheel Review’s year-long celebration of the American semiquincentennial, and there is no better way to begin than with a conversation about the Bible and the American founding. Lees meer
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Ep. 21 | Interview with Paul Marshall | Called to Be Friends, Called to Serve
27 november 2025 · 43 min
In this edition of the Reading Wheel Review, Dr. Jordan Ballor, executive director of First Liberty’s Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy, interviews Dr. Paul Marshall, Wilson Professor of Religious Freedom at Baylor University. They discuss Marshall’s book, Called to Be Friends, Called to Serve, which documents the long and fruitful friendship of John Perkins and Howard Ahmanson Jr. These two men from different backgrounds model friendship based on an authentic Christian faith and vision of social life, offering inspiration for those seeking to promote peace and reconciliation in a world fraught by conflict and injustice. Lees meer
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Addendum | Decadence and Renewal in the Higher Learning
30 oktober 2025 · 46 min
In this special “addendum” edition of the Reading Wheel Review, Dr. Jordan Ballor, executive director of First Liberty’s Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy, interviews Dr. Jenna A. Robinson, president of the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal. They discuss Russell Kirk’s book, Decadence and Renewal in the Higher Learning. Their conversation explores Kirk’s insights into the challenges facing authentic schooling in wisdom and virtue in the twentieth century as well as today. Kirk’s book is nearly a half-century old, but in it we see both the origins as well as the consequences of the corruption of the purposes of higher education. Lees meer
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Ep. 20 | Interview with Luke Sheahan | The Social Philosophers
25 september 2025 · 44 min
In this episode, CRCD Executive Director Dr. Jordan Ballor interviews Dr. Luke C. Sheahan, associate professor of political science at Duquesne University. They discuss Robert Nisbet's classic work The Social Philosophers: Community and Conflict in Western Thought. This wide-ranging conversation reviews Nisbet's significant life and work, and examines his exploration of different types of community throughout Western civilization, as well as its relevance for today. Lees meer
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Ep. 19 | Interview with Melissa Moschella | Ethics, Politics, and Natural Law
28 augustus 2025 · 50 min
In this edition of the Reading Wheel Review, Dr. Jordan Ballor, executive director of First Liberty’s Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy, interviews Dr. Melissa Moschella, professor of the practice of philosophy at the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame. They discuss Dr. Moschella’s recent book, Ethics, Politics, and Natural Law: Principles for Human Flourishing, which serves as an introduction to the school of thought known as “new natural law” and covers topics related to personal virtue as well as social life. Lees meer
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Addendum | Interview with Hunter Baker | Postliberal Protestants
31 juli 2025 · 41 min
In this addendum edition of the Reading Wheel Review, Dr. Jordan Ballor, executive director of First Liberty’s Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy, interviews Dr. Hunter Baker, who serves as provost and dean of the faculty at North Greenville University as well as a senior fellow at the CRCD. They discuss Dr. Baker’s recent book, Postliberal Protestants: Baptists between Obergefell and Christian Nationalism, the challenges to religious liberty today, and the prospects for a renewed commitment to America’s founding ideals. Lees meer
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Ep. 18 | Interview with Miles Smith | Religion and Republic
24 juli 2025 · 44 min
In this edition of the Reading Wheel Review podcast, Dr. Jordan Ballor, executive director of First Liberty’s Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy, interviews Miles Smith, an assistant professor of history at Hillsdale College and author of Religion & Republic: Christian America from the Founding to the Civil War. The place of religion in public life in America’s Early Republic was a complicated and contested reality, and Smith’s volume helps unpack the complexity of what he calls “Christian institutionalism,” between disestablishment and secularism. Lees meer
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Ep. 17 | Interview with Jeff Mateer | To Kill a Mockingbird
26 juni 2025 · 45 min
This month marks the 65th anniversary of the original publication of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. On this episode, First Liberty’s Chief Legal Officer Jeff Mateer joins Dr. Jordan Ballor, executive director of the CRCD, to discuss the book's important themes, lessons, and inspiration, as well as its impact on Jeff personally. Lees meer
Recent Publications:
Adam MacLeod, “A Charity Case,” Law & Liberty
Trey Dimsdale, “Fight for the First Amendment,” Religion & Liberty Online
Hunter Baker, “A collision of American lives,” WORLD Opinions
Upcoming Events:
Shaftesbury Fellowship (May 19-July 25, 2025)
FLI Educational Tour: Boston (July 3-7, 2025)
Religious Liberty in the States 2025 Launch (July 14, 2025)
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Ep. 16 | Interview with Stephen Presley | Biblical Theology in the Life of the Early Church
29 mei 2025 · 44 min
In this episode, we engage with Dr. Stephen Presley’s Biblical Theology in the Life of the Early Church: Recovering an Ancient Vision. Dr. Presley is director of education and engagement as well as senior fellow for religion & public life at the CRCD. He is also professor of church history at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and his latest book serves as a kind of prequel to his earlier book, Cultural Sanctification, which was featured in the April 2024 edition of the Reading Wheel Review. This week, Dr. Presley joins CRCD executive director Dr. Jordan Ballor to talk about the role of Scripture in the early church, and how the Bible shaped the Christian life in the ancient world. There is much that separates us from the world of the church fathers, but Dr. Presley argues that there is much that we can learn from an approach to the Bible that views it as the life-giving, authoritative word of God that shapes our lives in service of God. Lees meer
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Ep. 15 | Interview with John D. Wilsey | Religious Freedom: A Conservative Primer
24 april 2025 · 45 min
In this month’s episode of the Reading Wheel Review, Dr. John D. Wilsey, a senior fellow at the CRCD and professor at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, sits down with the CRCD’s director of research Dr. Jordan Ballor to discuss some of the key features of his recent book, Religious Freedom: A Conservative Primer. Conservatism is a contested perspective these days, and one that is often contrasted with liberalism. But as we will learn throughout the course of this discussion, understanding the right relationship between order and liberty is essential to defending a truly principled conservatism and religious freedom. Dr. John Wilsey’s primer is a worthwhile starting point for this endeavor. Lees meer
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Ep. 14 | Interview with Gerald McDermott | Deep Anglicanism: A Brief Guide
20 februari 2025 · 1 uur 4 min
In this episode, Trey Dimsdale talks with Gerald McDermott about his book, Deep Anglicanism: A Brief Guide.
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Ep. 13 | Interview with Bryan T. McGraw, Jesse Covington, and Micah J. Watson | Hopeful Realism
23 januari 2025 · 48 min
In this episode, Trey Dimsdale talks with Bryan T. McGraw, Jesse Covington, and Micah J. Watson about their book, Hopeful Realism: Evangelical Natural Law and Democratic Politics.
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Ep. 12 | Interview with Catherine Ruth Pakaluk | Hannah's Children
26 december 2024 · 1 uur 6 min
In this final issue of the inaugural year of the Reading Wheel Review, CRCD executive director Trey Dimsdale interviews Dr. Catherine Ruth Pakaluk, a Harvard-trained economist and professor at the Busch School of Business at the Catholic University of America and a senior fellow at the CRCD. They discuss Pakaluk’s book, Hannah’s Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth, as well as its reception and its resonance with her own experience as the mother of eight, step-mother to six, and grandmother to 29. Lees meer
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Ep. 11 | Interview with Carl Trueman | To Change All Worlds
28 november 2024 · 43 min
In this episode, Trey Dimsdale talks with Dr. Carl Trueman about his newly released book, To Change All Worlds: Critical Theory from Marx to Marcuse.
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Ep. 10 | Interview with Ruth Wisse | If I Am Not For Myself
24 oktober 2024 · 54 min
In this episode, Trey Dimsdale talks with Dr. Ruth Wisse about her book, If I am Not for Myself: The Liberal Betrayal of the Jews.
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Ep. 9 | Interview with Katharine Birbalsingh | The Michaela Way
26 september 2024 · 54 min
In this episode, Trey Dimsdale talks with Katharine Birbalsingh about her book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Teachers: The Michaela Way.
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Ep. 8 | Interview with Daniel Mark | The Nature of Law
29 augustus 2024 · 39 min
In this episode, Trey Dimsdale talks with Dr. Daniel Mark about his book, The Nature of Law: Authority, Obligation, and the Common Good.
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Ep. 7 | Interview with Mark David Hall | Who’s Afraid of Christian Nationalism?
25 juli 2024 · 42 min
In this episode, Trey Dimsdale talks with Mark David Hall about his book, Who’s Afraid of Christian Nationalism: Why Christian Nationalism Is Not an Existential Threat to America or the Church.
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Ep. 6 | Interview with John Arthur Nunes | W. E. B. DuBois’s The Gift of Black Folk
27 juni 2024 · 39 min
In this episode, Trey Dimsdale and CRCD’s senior fellow John Arthur Nunes discuss W. E. B. DuBois’s The Gift of Black Folk. Nunes is currently serving as interim president at California Lutheran University.
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Ep. 5 | Interview with Michael Wear | The Spirit of Our Politics
30 mei 2024 · 36 min
This episode features a special interview with Michael Wear, the founder of the Center for Christianity in Public Life about his new book, The Spirit of Our Politics. The conversation between Michael and the CRCD’s executive director, Trey Dimsdale, mentions a review of the book published in the Acton Institute’s quarterly magazine, Religion & Liberty. That review can be found at this link. Lees meer
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Ep. 4 | Interview with Stephen Pressley | Cultural Sanctification
25 april 2024 · 49 min
Dr. Stephen Presley, senior fellow in religion and public life at the CRCD and author of Cultural Sanctification: Engaging the World Like the Early Church, joins CRCD executive director Trey Dimsdale for an engaging discussion on bridging divides, engaging the world, and building and preserving institutions on this week’s Reading Wheel Review podcast. Lees meer
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Ep. 3 | Interview with Francis Beckwith | Never Doubt Thomas
28 maart 2024 · 39 min
This episode features a discussion with Francis Beckwith regarding his book, Never Doubt Thomas: The Catholic Aquinas as Evangelical and Protestant. This month marks the 750th anniversary of the death of St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the Christian faith’s most influential theologians. Trey Dimsdale and Dr. Francis Beckwith dicuss St. Thomas’s influence across Christian traditions and the ways that his thought might be used to find common ground for ecumenical, and even interfaith, cooperation on matters that concern all of us. Lees meer
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Ep. 2 | Interview with Kevin Vallier | All the Kingdoms of the World
22 februari 2024 · 42 min
This episode features a discussion of Kevin Vallier’s All the Kingdoms of the World. Vallier is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Bowling Green State University.
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Ep. 1 | Interview with Mark Dooley | Sir Roger Scruton's Conservatism: An Invitation to the Great Tradition
25 januari 2024 · 48 min
This month, Dr. Mark Dooley joins us to discuss the work of the late Sir Roger Scruton. Mark is an Irish philosopher who has the honor of being Sir Roger’s literary executor. He is the author or editor of several books related to Sir Roger’s life and legacy including an intellectual biography, Roger Scruton: The Philosopher on Dover Beach. The second edition this work is due out this year from Bloomsbury. Lees meer