Reflections on the present moment and Romans 8:18-24Intro/Outro attribution: David Bowman, “Se fue del Tiempo,” WikiCommonsRoosevelt, Theodore, and Theodore Roosevelt Association Collection. The Right of the People to Rule. New York: Thomas A. Edison, 1912. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/99391599/. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit upbuildingdiscourses.substack.com
We build on Part I in order to make the following argument: Dr. King’s message to moderates in 1963 defines a path between extremes that those who consider themselves moderates or conservatives today, in 2025, desperately need to hear. This new path for conservatives consists of three key elements: First, a commitment to Christian faith and a faith in America; Second, a real concern for justice; and Third, a commitment to the practices of observation and empathy.Intro/Outro attribution: David Bowman, “Se fue del Tiempo,” WikiCommonsRoosevelt, Theodore, and Theodore Roosevelt Association Collection. The Right of the People to Rule. New York: Thomas A. Edison, 1912. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/9 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit upbuildingdiscourses.substack.com
Read the Dr. King’s text in full here. Intro/Outro attribution: David Bowman, “Se fue del Tiempo,” WikiCommonsRoosevelt, Theodore, and Theodore Roosevelt Association Collection. The Right of the People to Rule. New York: Thomas A. Edison, 1912. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/99391599/. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit upbuildingdiscourses.substack.com
Final part of our series on theories of political economy. This is a bit of a “cheat,” since pragmatism isn’t a popular theory of political economy, but I make an argument that it gives a name to a space where the vast majority of Americans locate themselves—between more radical ideologies, but resonating with at least some of the societal critiques from more radical voices. Intro/Outro attribution: David Bowman, “Se fue del Tiempo,” WikiCommonsRoosevelt, Theodore, and Theodore Roosevelt Association Collection. The Right of the People to Rule. New York: Thomas A. Edison, 1912. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/99391599/. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit upbuildingdiscourses.substack.com
We build on the previous episode on anarcho-capitalism by discussing “socialism,” as it appears in the writing of its opponents, in the context of 18th-19th century history, and through the philosophy of Karl Marx (1818 - 1883)Intro/Outro attribution: David Bowman, “Se fue del Tiempo,” WikiCommonsRoosevelt, Theodore, and Theodore Roosevelt Association Collection. The Right of the People to Rule. New York: Thomas A. Edison, 1912. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/99391599/. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit upbuildingdiscourses.substack.com
We take our first look at contemporary theories of Political Economy by introducing “Anarcho-Capitalism” through Frédéric Bastiat’s The Law (1850)Intro/Outro attribution: David Bowman, “Se fue del Tiempo,” WikiCommonsRoosevelt, Theodore, and Theodore Roosevelt Association Collection. The Right of the People to Rule. New York: Thomas A. Edison, 1912. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/99391599/. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit upbuildingdiscourses.substack.com
We take a look at Teddy Roosevelt and his “Square Deal” to deepen our discussion of Political Economy in the context of American History.Intro/Outro attribution: David Bowman, “Se fue del Tiempo,” WikiCommonsRoosevelt, Theodore, and Theodore Roosevelt Association Collection. The Right of the People to Rule. New York: Thomas A. Edison, 1912. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/99391599/. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit upbuildingdiscourses.substack.com
We take a look at the hot topic of tariffs in the context of American history through the “Nullification Crisis,” the dispute over the Tariff of 1828 that nearly split the country in two—three decades prior to the Civil War. Intro/Outro attribution: David Bowman, “Se fue del Tiempo,” WikiCommonsRoosevelt, Theodore, and Theodore Roosevelt Association Collection. The Right of the People to Rule. New York: Thomas A. Edison, 1912. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/99391599/. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit upbuildingdiscourses.substack.com
Leftover thoughts from the two part episode on the Constitutional Convention, beginning with comments from Benjamin Franklin, quoted in the episode title. We discuss some of the philosophical principles and historical references made from Madison’s notes. Intro/Outro attribution: David Bowman, “Se fue del Tiempo,” WikiCommonsRoosevelt, Theodore, and Theodore Roosevelt Association Collection. The Right of the People to Rule. New York: Thomas A. Edison, 1912. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/99391599/. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit upbuildingdiscourses.substack.com
What is the relationship between trade and government? This is the broad guiding question of “Political Economy.” We walk through the basic terms of this discussion and how they change from the ancient Greeks to the modern era. Intro/Outro attribution: David Bowman, “Se fue del Tiempo,” WikiCommonsRoosevelt, Theodore, and Theodore Roosevelt Association Collection. The Right of the People to Rule. New York: Thomas A. Edison, 1912. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/99391599/. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit upbuildingdiscourses.substack.com
Is belief in God necessary to be a moral person? Does religious belief make someone moral or immoral? How do our answers to these questions affect us Americans, Christian or otherwise? Intro/Outro attribution: David Bowman, “Se fue del Tiempo,” WikiCommonsRoosevelt, Theodore, and Theodore Roosevelt Association Collection. The Right of the People to Rule. New York: Thomas A. Edison, 1912. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/99391599/. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit upbuildingdiscourses.substack.com
We take a look at the famous 1925 show trial that publicized the Faith vs. Science debate concerning the teaching of evolution in public schools. Learn a bit about the beginnings of Christian Fundamentalism and some surprising, problematic aspects of an early skirmish at the center of the culture wars. Intro/Outro attribution: David Bowman, “Se fue del Tiempo,” WikiCommonsRoosevelt, Theodore, and Theodore Roosevelt Association Collection. The Right of the People to Rule. New York: Thomas A. Edison, 1912. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/99391599/. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit upbuildingdiscourses.substack.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit upbuildingdiscourses.substack.com
Here’s the text I’m quoting from: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/105988/the-constitutional-convention-by-edward-j-larson-and-michael-p-winship/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit upbuildingdiscourses.substack.com
Intro/Outro attribution: David Bowman, “Se fue del Tiempo,” WikiCommonsRoosevelt, Theodore, and Theodore Roosevelt Association Collection. The Right of the People to Rule. New York: Thomas A. Edison, 1912. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/99391599/. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit upbuildingdiscourses.substack.com
We take a look at a quote from Richard Rorty’s Achieving Our Country and discuss calls to revolution from the left and right This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit upbuildingdiscourses.substack.com
This is an All Saint’s Day companion to the Halloween “Nevermore” episode on hope for people of faith and non-faith through a reflection on resurrection in the Bible. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit upbuildingdiscourses.substack.com
A special Spooktober episode on an American Horror classic, Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.” Read the full transcript here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit upbuildingdiscourses.substack.com
What does the Gospel have to do with society? We build on our last episode (The Civil War as a Theological Crisis) by examining the prophetic roots of the Gospel—the “good news” for the individual and society. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit upbuildingdiscourses.substack.com
This episode breaks down evangelical historian Mark Noll’s 2006 book The Civil War as a Theological Crisis, which describes the crisis of biblical interpretation regarding slavery and race leading up to the Civil War. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit upbuildingdiscourses.substack.com