Of Flames and Crowns

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. If this is true, then theology must undergird every disciplined school of thought and practice. Yet for too long, theology has been pushed to the margins of intellectual engagement in the public square, dismissed as a concern for abstraction rather than a foundation for truth. Christians who have treated theology in this way have weakened the cultural and intellectual influence of Christianity itself. It is time to recover theology as fundamental to true learning and ordered wisdom. Tim Harmon joins Lennox Kalifungwa for a discussion on theology as the queen of the sciences—and why this recovery matters now more than ever. For more information on New Saint Andrews College, go to https://nsa.edu Interested in supporting the work of NSA? Send a tax-deductible gift at: https://give.nsa.edu/gifts

The ability to work with one’s hands is often pitted against the intellectual vocations, as though the two were sworn enemies—disciplines incapable of reconciliation. The notion that college weakens the hands is not an argument but a symptom: the fruit of a misguided and miseducated populace that reduces academia to little more than white-collar job placement. A true understanding of the liberal arts reveals something far richer. A good education is one that forms the whole person—cultivating the holistic faculties of the human being. A genuinely classical liberal arts education should train its adherents to build with their minds while strengthening the disciplined use of their hands. In this episode, Lennox Kalifungwa is joined by New Saint Andrews College alumnus Brad Covington, a firefighter and successful business owner. Brad reflects on his time at NSA and offers a compelling account of how a blue-collar man was not hindered, but strengthened, by a Christian liberal arts education. For more information on New Saint Andrew’s College, go to https://nsa.edu Interested in supporting the work of NSA? Send a tax-deductible gift at: https://give.nsa.edu/gifts

The modern West suffers not from a lack of information, but from a collapse of memory. We argue fiercely about politics, culture, and truth while forgetting the intellectual architecture that once taught us how to think in the first place. The history of thought—especially the history of philosophy—has quietly slipped from the modern mind. When a civilization loses touch with its intellectual ancestry, it loses the categories necessary to reason, to judge, and to learn from its own successes and failures. Greece understood this well. Long before the modern state or the modern university, Greek philosophers asked the most enduring questions: What is truth? What is justice? What is the good life? And how should a people order themselves accordingly? In this episode, Lennox Kalifungwa is joined by Dr. David Talcott, Fellow of Philosophy and Graduate Dean at New Saint Andrews College, for a penetrating conversation on what ancient Greek philosophy can still teach America today. From the formation of reason and virtue to the dangers of intellectual amnesia, this discussion traces how Greek thought shaped Western civilization—and why recovering it may be essential to our cultural renewal. If we wish to think clearly, govern wisely, and live meaningfully, we must first remember where our thinking came from. For more information on New Saint Andrews College, go to https://nsa.edu Interested in supporting the work of NSA? Send a tax-deductible gift at: https://give.nsa.edu/gifts

The Sexual Revolution didn’t free anyone—it fractured a civilization. In this episode, Lennox Kalifungwa is joined by Katy Faust, who dismantles the lies of feminism, gender ideology, IVF culture, and the assault on marriage and family. They expose how the revolution produced child victimization, fatherlessness, moral collapse, and a society addicted to self-worship. Katy reveals how every cultural battle—from abortion to surrogacy to transgenderism—comes down to one thing: adults demanding sacrifices from children. For more information on New Saint Andrew’s College, go to https://nsa.edu Interested in supporting the work of NSA? Send a tax-deductible gift at: https://give.nsa.edu/gifts

The West has lost its will to contend for the good, numbed by guilt, confusion, and educational collapse. Entertainment and schooling—our modern liturgies—have reshaped loyalties and hollowed cultural resolve. As the project A Nation at Risk warned, mediocrity has become a form of self-inflicted disarmament. Secularized education now relativizes truth, mocks Christian faith, and forms citizens unable to resist tyranny or build anything lasting. The crisis is fundamentally a war against truth—and therefore against Christianity. Only a robust Classical Christian Education, rooted in Scripture and the fear of the Lord, can produce courageous leaders who confront evil, cultivate excellence, and rebuild civilization. In this episode, Lennox Kalifungwa is joined by David Goodwin to discuss the role classical Christian education plays in building civilizations. For more information on New Saint Andrew’s College, go to https://nsa.edu Interested in supporting the work of NSA? Send a tax-deductible gift at: https://give.nsa.edu/gifts

Over the past two centuries, a series of erroneous ideas have taken root—chief among them the claim that faith is inferior to reason, and that the two stand in opposition. This has been accompanied by the notion that science has rendered God unnecessary, establishing itself as the ultimate arbiter of truth—untainted, we are told, by metaphysical assumptions. Yet upon closer scrutiny, every scientific endeavor rests upon philosophical and theological presuppositions that shape both its method and its purpose. Mathematics and logic themselves presuppose a universe in which order, intelligence, and design are woven into the very fabric of reality. In this episode, Lennox Kalifungwa is joined by Dr. Mitch Stokes to discuss the relationship between philosophy, faith, reason, and science. Purchase books by Mitch Stokes here:How to Be an Atheist: https://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Atheist-Skeptics-Skeptical/dp/1433542986Calculus for Everyone: https://romanroadspress.com/calculus-for-everyone/ Apply to NSA by visiting https://nsa.edu/academics/undergraduate

College used to be a forge for wisdom and virtue. Now it’s a factory of debt and disillusionment. For millions, the “dream” of higher education has turned into a nightmare—high tuition, empty promises, and minds poisoned by ideology. The old formula — go to college, get a job, live the dream — doesn’t work anymore. The system is broken. Modern academia no longer forms thinkers or builders; it manufactures cynics and conformists. But there’s a better way. In this episode, Lennox Kalifungwa sits down with John Lewis, a 2004 graduate of New Saint Andrews College, former Goldman Sachs professional, and now Founder & CEO of Beam Reach, a thriving real estate investment firm. Lewis embodies what true education should do: train leaders who think clearly, build boldly, and shape culture for generations to come. He shares how NSA’s classical, Christ-centered education gave him the tools to solve complex problems and build successful institutions. This is the conversation every student, parent, and educator needs to hear. Apply to NSA by going to https://nsa.edu/academics/undergraduate

In 2020, when riots erupted after the death of George Floyd, a moment of reckoning took place. That event shook the trees and revealed what people truly believed. It exposed the compromise of many evangelicals who were found to have—whether inadvertently or intentionally—bought into cultural Marxism, embracing the popular narratives of systemic black oppression, police brutality, and the illusion that the blue side of the American political system is pro-black and anti-racist. These blatant lies have become the assumed narrative in much of the world today. Although proponents of woke ideology have overplayed their hand, their dogma still permeates many influential institutions. In this conversation, Lennox Kalifungwa is joined by Chad O. Jackson to discuss how history has been revised to accommodate false narratives, how Marxism has poisoned society, and why Martin Luther King Jr. is dishonestly revered as a hero. To learn more about New Saint Andrews College, go to https://nsa.edu Support the work of NSA by sending a tax-deductible gift at: https://give.nsa.edu/gifts To watch the MLK Project, go to https://www.historev.com/

This present moment in America is an opportunity we ought not miss. The assassination of Charlie Kirk was a tragic moment that will long live in infamy, but in God’s providence, it could well be the spark that ignites reformation and revival. The question is, how do we now live? What does a life of true meaning and purpose look like? Christ the King has given us a mandate to disciple the nations and establish His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Some of the tools God gives His ambassadors in this cause are truth and speech. These tools are the substance for shaping culture. Cultures rise and fall to the degree to which they either embrace or reject Christ. In this American moment, the goal should be to proclaim Christ, speak the truth boldly, give a reason for the hope that is in you, and be salt and light in all the spaces God has placed us in. Having lived in two of the same countries and being involved in the same work for several years, Lennox Kalifungwa and Voddie Baucham sit down for an insightful conversation about culture, suffering for truth, Marxism, and patriarchy. For more information about New Saint Andrews College, go to https://nsa.edu

Where tyranny reigns, weak men lie at its feet. They’ve abandoned their post—no longer leading their homes, protecting their families, or standing firm for their churches. Instead, they cling to the State like orphans, begging it to do the work they were called to do: to build, to guard, to rule. The result is predictable—freedom dies, vice thrives, and culture rots. A nation of emasculated men will never be free. What we need are men with spines—men who wield strength, courage, and conviction to crush evil and cultivate good. In this episode, Lennox Kalifungwa is joined once again by NSA President Dr. Ben Merkle to talk about raising men in an age that neuters them, the power of multigenerational faithfulness, and how households can become the frontlines in the war against tyranny. This podcast was produced by New Saint Andrews College. Learn how to attend or give to the college at https://nsa.edu

In a world gripped by climate panic, environmentalism has become a new religion—and its doomsday prophets dominate the global stage. But is the threat as real as we're told, or is something deeper at play? In this episode, Lennox Kalifungwa is joined by Dr. Gordon Wilson, Senior Fellow of Natural History at New Saint Andrews College and creator of The Riot and the Dance. Together they explore the theological roots of climate alarmism, the billion-dollar industry it fuels, and why biblical dominion offers a better way to love and steward the earth. Drawing from his book A Different Shade of Green, Dr. Wilson calls Christians to reject fear-based propaganda and recover a joyful, thankful, and faithful approach to creation. A Different Shade of Green: https://www.amazon.com/Different-Shade-Green-Biblical-Environmentalism/dp/1947644572 The Riot and the Dance: https://canonplus.com/tabs/none/video-series/39009 This podcast was produced by New Saint Andrews College. Learn how to attend or give to the college at https://nsa.edu

What will it take for Christians to reclaim their place as the world’s leading storytellers? The Inklings—Lewis, Tolkien, and their circle—once set the gold standard, crafting tales so rich in meaning they transcended religious and philosophical divides. Why? Because all great stories, at their core, reflect the way God made the world—with truth, beauty, and goodness woven into their fabric. On this episode of Of Flames and Crowns, Lennox Kalifungwa sits down with Christine Cohen, author of The Winter King and The Sinking City. A proud mother of three, Christine is not only a gifted novelist but also a seasoned editor and teacher of the writing craft. She is a graduate of New Saint Andrews College and holds the distinction of being the first-ever graduate—and now director—of the Camperdown MFA program. Together, they explore how Christians can recover a vision of wonder, wield words with wisdom, and write stories that leave a lasting mark on culture. To learn more about the MFA in Creative Writing, go to https://www.camperdownmfa.com/ Christine Cohen books: The Winter King: https://www.amazon.com/Winter-King-Christine-Cohen-ebook/dp/B081VV255Q The Sinking City: https://www.amazon.com/Sinking-City-Christine-Cohen/dp/1954887272 This podcast was produced by New Saint Andrews College. Learn how to attend or give to the college at https://nsa.edu