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Recent episodes
Book Launch: The American Book of Fables, by Dr. Matthew Mehan
May 19, 2026
1h 03m 44s
Eulogy for Charlie Kirk, Assessment Design, and Phonics: Dr. Tracy Gardner (10x9)
May 11, 2026
1h 04m 05s
Creating Classroom Culture with Mandi Gerth (10x8)
Apr 27, 2026
1h 21m 08s
Stranger Things Series Finale, with Brad Birzer (10x7)
Apr 15, 2026
1h 23m 47s
Annie Crawford and Ashley Lande: Psychedelics and the Incarnation (10/6)
Mar 23, 2026
1h 13m 21s
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| Date | Episode | Topics | Guests | Brands | Places | Keywords | Sponsor | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/19/26 | ![]() Book Launch: The American Book of Fables, by Dr. Matthew Mehan✨ | book launchfamily literature+3 | Dr. Matthew Mehan | Sophia Institute PressThales College+1 | — | fableschildren's literature+3 | — | 1h 03m 44s | |
| 5/11/26 | ![]() Eulogy for Charlie Kirk, Assessment Design, and Phonics: Dr. Tracy Gardner (10x9)✨ | psychometricsnational testing design+3 | Dr. Tracy Gardner | ClassicLearningTestPearson+3 | — | psychometricsnational testing+6 | — | 1h 04m 05s | |
| 4/27/26 | ![]() Creating Classroom Culture with Mandi Gerth (10x8)✨ | classroom cultureteaching philosophy+4 | Mandi Gerth | Cowan CenterUniversity of Dallas+3 | — | classroom cultureMachiavelli+6 | — | 1h 21m 08s | |
| 4/15/26 | ![]() Stranger Things Series Finale, with Brad Birzer (10x7)✨ | Stranger Things1980s mythology+4 | Dr. Brad Birzer | Hillsdale CollegeWall Street Journal+3 | America | Stranger Thingsseries finale+5 | — | 1h 23m 47s | |
| 3/23/26 | ![]() Annie Crawford and Ashley Lande: Psychedelics and the Incarnation (10/6)✨ | psychedelicsecstatic experiences+3 | Annie CrawfordAshley Lande | Davenant PressSalvo Mag+3 | — | psychedelicsChristianity+3 | — | 1h 13m 21s | |
| 3/3/26 | ![]() The Ciceronian Society - with Josh Bowman (10x5)✨ | Christian academicsCiceronian Society+5 | Josh Bowman | Ciceronian SocietyCreighton University+3 | Omaha, Nebraska | Ciceronian SocietyChristian academics+5 | — | 1h 09m 56s | |
| 2/17/26 | ![]() Only a Conservative Military Wins: Chase Spears (10x4)✨ | militaryconservatism+3 | Chase Spears | HarvardOnly a Conservative Military can Defend America.+1 | — | conservative militarydefense+3 | — | 1h 11m 30s | |
| 2/10/26 | ![]() Culture: Procreative or Decreative (10x3)✨ | culturephilosophy+5 | Graham Dennis | Veritas AcademyCREC+4 | — | procreativedecreative+5 | — | 58m 25s | |
| 2/3/26 | ![]() Death, Sex, and Birth: Nathan Gwinn on Biology Education (10x2)✨ | biology educationscience education+5 | Nathan Gwinn | Freedom of EducationFranklin Standards+1 | — | biologyeducation+5 | — | 53m 16s | |
| 1/20/26 | ![]() Classical Education and Christian Banking: Frank Clement of America's Christian Credit Union (10x1)✨ | classical educationChristian banking+3 | Frank Clement | America's Christian Credit Union | — | classical educationChristian banking+3 | — | 1h 11m 33s | |
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| 11/17/25 | ![]() The Faerie Queene: A Conversation with Junius Johnson (9x9) | Junius Johnson discusses Edmund Spenser's great poem, The Faerie Queene. With a great focus on allegory, symbolism, pageantry, and characters, this conversation is a great place to start if you want to get into Spenser. And if you've made the journey to Faerie, this conversation will be a great refresher on the best poem in 16th century England! Redcrosse Knight, Una, Duessa, Archimago, Britomart, Venus, Cupid, Athegall, Arthur, the Garden of Adonis, the Cantos of Mutabilities, and more! When is the right age to read The Faerie Queene? How should one approach it? We discuss these questions, and a lot more. Definitely check out Junius Johnson Academics - https://academics.juniusjohnson.com/ Here is Josh's preferred edition of The Faerie Queene - https://www.amazon.com/Spenser-Faerie-Queene-2nd-Edmund/dp/1405832819/ | 1h 06m 37s | ||||||
| 11/5/25 | ![]() Remember Remember the 5th of November (Bonus) | Josh interviews his students in Modern Communications as part of a bonus episode commemorating the Fifth of November. Guy Fawkes, traditions, integralism, constitutional order, "Jeeniors," and more. What happens when you have a good conversation with alert, well read students? Listen, and find out! And if you enjoy this one, be sure to check out Anya and Matthew's show, Broke but Balanced here: https://www.youtube.com/@BrokeButBalanced | 18m 55s | ||||||
| 10/27/25 | ![]() Read Plato's Republic: A Conversation with Dr. Thaddeus Kozinski (9x7) | Thaddeus Kozinski makes a compelling case for why every student should read Plato's Republic with an excellent teacher. Plato discourses on justice, reality, the human condition, and highlights the possibilities philosophy extends for comprehending our place in the cosmos. Kozinski explicates the Allegory of the Cave, and illustrates throughout the conversation the importance of classical education for recovering a healthy civilization. Dr. Kozinski's Books Modernity as Apocalypse: Sacred Nihilism and the Counterfeits of Logos - https://www.amazon.com/Modernity-Apocalypse-Sacred-Nihilism-Counterfeits/dp/1621384837/ Covid 19 and the War Against Reality - https://www.amazon.com/Covid-19-War-Against-Reality/dp/B0F131LDHS/ Amazon Author Page - https://www.amazon.com/stores/Thaddeus-J.-Kozinski/author/B00448NFJC?ccs_id=504bf5ee-4d59-43a5-b58d-8807a3692ed2 | 1h 03m 05s | ||||||
| 10/15/25 | ![]() Timothy Knotts: Reasoning Together Philosophy (9x6) | Timothy Knotts of @Classical_Conversations explains the latest CC textbook: Reasoning Together Philosophy. He outlines the nature, tradition, and value of philosophy, highlighting the need for homeschool families to be well versed in philosophy. Along the way, he discusses the nature of classical education, the role classical ed plays in creating culture, and the need for increasing biblical literacy. With much discussion of Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Rousseau, and a few others, this is a conversation not to miss! And be sure to check out Tim's other role as a founder of the New England Consortium of Classical Educators Conference! Links: Classical Conversations: https://classicalconversations.com/ The New England Consortium of Classical Educators: https://www.newenglandcce.com/ Buy the book here: https://tinyurl.com/5569uhcy | 1h 17m 26s | ||||||
| 10/2/25 | ![]() Failures of Modern Feminism - with Larissa Phillips (9x3) | Larissa Phillips, columnist at @thefreepress , shares her journey into and out of feminism. Raised in a radical Leftist family, Larissa experienced first hand the limitations of her own physiology. Over the course of her adulthood, she found peace and joy with her husband, her children, and now her farm. This is a rambling conversation that concludes with a discussion of Larissa's work teaching adults essentials of literacy. Check out her work via links below. "How I Became a Wife" - https://www.thefp.com/p/larissa-phillips-becoming-a-wife-marriage Larissa's Free Press author page: https://www.thefp.com/w/larissa-phillips "Toward Ruin or Recovery" on @Quillette (Warning: paywalled) - https://quillette.com/2024/03/20/toward-ruin-or-recovery-celeste-marcus-liberties-journal-yascha-mounk-feminist-metoo/ The Volunteer Literacy Project - https://www.volunteerliteracyproject.org/ | 1h 36m 52s | ||||||
| 9/22/25 | ![]() In the House of Tom Bombadil - with C.R. Wiley (9x2) | C.R. Wiley of @TheTheologyPugcast explains who Tom Bombadil is. Wiley wrote In the House of Tom Bombadil with @CanonPress , and that book opens a wide ranging conversation about masculinity, femininity, dominion, domination, dating, Adam, and the work of the logos in Tolkien's Legendarium. It's a wonderful discussion mostly grounded in The Fellowship of the Ring. Enjoy! Links: In the House of Tom Bombadil - https://canonpress.com/products/in-the-house-of-tom-bombadil The Theology Pugcast - https://thetheologypugcast.com/ Touchstone Magazine - https://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/author.php?id=939 | 1h 07m 10s | ||||||
| 9/9/25 | ![]() Greta Gerwig, Narnia, and the Culture War: Joseph Holmes (9x1) | Joseph Holmes advances his theory of feminism in contemporary Hollywood: only women are allowed to be positive spiritual figures. Holmes argues that Hollywood has shifted from "men bad, women good" and the "religious or atheist" dichotomy to "men are religious, women are spiritual." As such, Holmes thinks it fits Greta Gerwig's pattern to cast a female voice (rumored to be Meryl Streep) for Aslan in Netflix's forthcoming adaptation of The Magician's Nephew. If you love Narnia, enjoy thinking about Christian filmmaking, or have opinions about the Kendrick brothers' films, don't miss this one! Topics of discussion include: Barbie, Little Women, House of David, and more. This episode was inspired by Holmes' essay, "Greta Gerwig’s Aslan And The Coming Faith-Based ‘Gender Culture War’" on Religion Unplugged - https://religionunplugged.com/news/2025/5/9/greta-gerwigs-aslan-and-the-coming-faith-based-gender-culture-war Also - Check out Joseph Holmes's podcast The Overthinkers here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-overthinkers/id1510271421 Joseph's website: https://www.josephholmesstudios.com/ Coming Soon - Jim vs. the Future - check out the IMBD listing here: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33087557/ | 1h 05m 12s | ||||||
| 6/11/25 | ![]() Wrapping the Re-Enchanting Inklings - Season 8 Finale (8x13) | Dr. Josh Herring reflects on Season 8: The Re-Enchanting Inklings, drawing out connections between guests and suggesting what this season of The Optimistic Curmudgeon says about modernity, the Inklings, and our need to encounter reality. With shoutouts and callbacks to Annie Crawford, Andrew Lazo, Christiana Hale, Holly Ordway, Landon Loftin, Austin Freeman, Brent Weeks, Steve Beebe, Michael Ward, Sarah Waters, and Rhys Laverty. Many thanks to this season's sponsors: The C.S. Lewis Institute, and America's Christian Credit Union! https://americaschristiancu.com/personal/ https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/ We'll be back in the fall of 2025 with Season 9! Until next time, seek the good, live the true, and enjoy the beautiful. | 19m 50s | ||||||
| 6/5/25 | ![]() C.S. Lewis' Skepticism & The Silver Chair: A Conversation with Annie Crawford (8x12) | Annie Crawford explains Dr. Michael ward's theory of "donegality," and shows how reading The Silver Chair as C.S. Lewis's lunar novel helps explain the difference between Aslan's Country and the muddled world below. This conversation is largely based on an article Annie wrote for An Unexpected Journal entitled "Finding Faith in Fairy Tales: Answers for Modern Skeptics from C.S. Lewis's The Silver Chair" and Annie explains the nature of modern skepticism and how Lewis works in philosophical responses in the Green Lady's temptation and then Puddleglum's response. Pascal's Wager, the Ontological Argument, Plato's Cave, Freud, Marx, Feurbach, and more---all nestled within The Silver Chair. Link to Annie's article: https://anunexpectedjournal.com/finding-faith-in-fairy-tales-answers-for-modern-skeptics-from-c-s-lewiss-the-silver-chair/ Sponsor link - America's Christian Credit Union - https://americaschristiancu.com/personal/ | 1h 10m 42s | ||||||
| 5/30/25 | ![]() Till We Have Faces: A Conversation with Fr. Andrew Lazo (8x11) | Fr. Andrew Lazo offers his interpretation of C.S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces as Lewis's "best book." Lazo reads the novel through The Four Loves, and contends that Lewis's entire project, as it develops across a lifetime of spiritual writing, culminates in this final novel. This conversation also features discussion of the Mere Christians conference, differing views on definitions of love, and lots of Lewisian details. With shoutouts to Michael Ward, @PintsWithJack , @C.S.LewisUndiscovered , and many friends, this is an episode to savor. Link to Mere Christians: Inspiring Stories of Encounters with C.S. Lewis - https://www.amazon.com/Mere-Christians-Inspiring-Stories-Encounters/dp/1946708321 Sponsor Link: America's Christian Credit Union - https://americaschristiancu.com/personal/ | 1h 14m 12s | ||||||
| 5/21/25 | ![]() Medieval Cosmology, Enjoyment, and Feminine Identity: A Conversation with Christiana Hale (8x10) | Christiana Hale, author of Deeper Heaven: A Reader's Guide to C.S. Lewis's Ransom Trilogy, discusses her essay on pleasure and contemplation in Life on the Silent Planet: Essays on Christian Living from C.S. Lewis's Ransom Trilogy. Medieval cosmology, Perelandra, closing out the teaching season, the Un-Man's temptations of the Green Lady, right and wrong femininity, and more feature in this wide-ranging conversation. With shoutouts to Canon Press, New Saint Andrews College, Thales College, and the Undiscovered Lewis Conference, this conversation ties together a variety of institutions. Link to Deeper Heaven: https://www.amazon.com/Deeper-Heaven-Readers-Lewiss-Trilogy/dp/1944482563/ Link to Life on the Silent Planet: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Silent-Planet-Christian-Trilogy/dp/1949716252/ Sponsor Link: https://americaschristiancu.com/personal/ | 1h 03m 16s | ||||||
| 5/12/25 | ![]() Arthuriana in C.S. Lewis: A Conversation with Dr. Holly Ordway (8x9) | Dr. Holly Ordway discusses her essay "Arthur in Edgestow" in Life on the Silent Planet: Lessons in Christian Living from C.S. Lewis's Ransom Trilogy. She explain Lewis's love of Arthurian legends, the choices Lewis makes in incorporating, adapting, and tweaking elements of the Arthurian legendarium in That Hideous Strength. With discussion of Charles Williams, Roger Lancelyn Green, and Merlin, this is a delightful interview with one of the foremost Inklings scholars. Enjoy! Dr. Ordway's website - https://hollyordway.com/ Books discussed in the interview Link to Life on the Silent Planet: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Silent-Planet-Christian-Trilogy/dp/1949716252/ Link to The Inklings and King Arthur: https://www.amazon.com/Inklings-King-Arthur-Williams-Barfield/dp/1944769897/ Link to Taliessin through Logres: https://www.amazon.com/Taliessin-through-Logres-Region-Arthurian/dp/0802815782/ Sponsor link: America's Christian Credit Union - https://americaschristiancu.com/personal/ | 1h 09m 26s | ||||||
| 5/5/25 | ![]() Owen Barfield, Language, and Meaning, with Dr. Landon Loftin (8x8) | Landon Loftin, author of What Barfield Thought: An Introduction to the Work of Owen Barfield with Max Leyf, discusses Barfield's role in the Inklings, focus on language, and friendship with Lewis. The conversation draws mostly from Barfield's History in English Words. Loftin goes into specific detail about Barfield's pro-life work, and the connection between humans as rational, linguistic beings and protecting them from abortion. Lewis dedicated The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to Lucy Barfield, Owen Barfield's daughter (and Lewis's goddaughter); their friendship was rich, and Barfield's theory of language and human consciousness sits behind much of what Tolkien and Lewis wrote. Where is meaning? What is language? How does human consciousness relate to words? For these questions, Dr. Loftin is our best guide into Barfield. Link to What Barfield Thought: https://www.amazon.com/What-Barfield-Thought-Introduction-Work/dp/1666736767 Link to The Rediscovery of Meaning - https://www.owenbarfield.org/selected-books/the-rediscovery-of-meaning/ Sponsor Link: https://americaschristiancu.com/personal | 1h 01m 34s | ||||||
| 4/29/25 | ![]() Tolkien & Theology - with Austin Freeman (8x7) | Dr. Austin Freeman discusses his book, Tolkien Dogmatics. Doctrines of creation, eschatology, angels, demons, and Christian living all receive major consideration. Along the way, we discuss Kevin Vanhoozer, reflect on the 2024 election (we recorded on November 5, 2024), "Leaf by Niggle," what's happening theologically in the act of creating a story, and more. Austin tells us his view of Amazon's Rings of Power, and we discuss the nature and role of imaginative apologetics. Austin takes on woke Tolkien, and explains just how significant Tolkien's faith was for the legendarium. Books referenced in the show: Tolkien Dogmatics - https://www.amazon.com/Tolkien-Dogmatics-Theology-Mythology-Middle-earth/dp/1683596676/ Apologetics and the Christian Imagination - https://www.amazon.com/Apologetics-Christian-Imagination-Integrated-Defending/dp/1945125381 The Drama of Doctrine - https://www.amazon.com/Drama-Doctrine-Canonical-Linguistic-Christian/dp/0664223273/ Theology, Fantasy, and the Imagination - https://www.amazon.com/Theology-Fantasy-Imagination-Religion-Culture/dp/1978712189/ Sponsor link: America's Christian Credit Union - https://americaschristiancu.com/personal Don't forget the book giveaway contest - details are in the show introduction! | 1h 22m 25s | ||||||
| 4/16/25 | ![]() Faith, Fantasy, and the Imagination, with Brent Weeks (8x6) | Bestselling author Brent Weeks explains how he got into writing, from where he draws inspiration, how he builds characters, and details hidden in the Night Angel trilogy, the Lightbringer series, and the Kylar Chronicles. Brent comments on issues in modern publishing, Brandan Sanderson, and in general welcomes viewers into his world as an author. Brent is one of the best living fantasy authors; he is deeply shaped by C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and his years at Hillsdale College. How do you write strong female characters with authentic femininity? What advantages are there to writing male characters for reading men? Where does Dante come in? As a sincere, convictional Christian, Brent writes excellent mainstream epic fantasy. Don't miss his story about publisher responses to Kip the Brave being fat! Links to Brent's Books: Night Angel - https://shorturl.at/N8QCN Lightbrigner - https://shorturl.at/qU92o Kylar Chronicles - https://shorturl.at/KYqtq Brent's website - https://www.brentweeks.com/ Sponsor Links: America's Christian Credit Union - https://americaschristiancu.com/personal/ | 1h 37m 20s | ||||||
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