On this episode Chris is joined by Prof. Joe Rutten, director of the Benedictine Leadership Institute at Mount Marty University. Chris and Joe discuss faith and reason, talking about hard topics with our fellow citizens, the necessity of citizens and politicians to have formation in reason, and good philosophy as the foundation to well-ordered political life.
Chris welcomes back Dr. Chris Burgwald. First, they discuss Pope Francis's recent invitation to the bishops of the world to join him in consecrating Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. They then discuss a book they're reading together, After Virtue, by philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre. They specifically dive into the themes of Chapter 12, titled "Aritsotle's Account of the Virtues," using a reading guide authored by Christopher Lutz. They discuss the connections between virtue, law, and community; the virtue of prudence; and Aristotle's view of "friendship" as a foundational virtue for a polis or civil community, prior even to the virtue of justice!
The Problem of Evil. Chris is joined again by Dr. John Schaff, Professor of Government and Director of the Center for Public History and Civic Engagement at Northern State University. They discuss the problem of evil, what evil "is" (or rather, "is not"), historical errors in understanding it, natural evil and moral evil, and why God might permit it. Show notes: As mentioned by Dr. Schaff, here's Peter Kreeft's Critique of the Philosophy Behind Star Wars
On this episode, Chris welcomes back Norman Woods, executive director of the Family Heritage Alliance. Chris announces his departure from the helm of the Catholic Conference and gives Norman a book as a parting gift, Evangelicals & Catholics Together: Toward a Common Mission, a 1995 book co-edited by Evangelical leader Chuck Colson and Catholic priest Fr. Richard John Neuhaus. Norman shares a quick take on "Catholics" and Chris does the same on "Protestants," then they turn to their "top 3" bills to review for the session. They discuss mobile sports betting, surrogacy, parents rights, marijuana, education choice, and bathroom privacy.