Shows
Faith and EconomicsHume's Guillotine and the Subjectivity of Value Claims | #383It is commonly asserted that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' and that 'there's no accounting for taste'. Views like this received their philosophical foundation from David Hume, who famously argued that it was impossible to validly derive an 'ought' claim from an 'is' claim. If Hume is right, then aesthetic and ethical judgments seem to be mere matters of taste, and disagreement beauty or morality means nothing more than "Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man."
2026-03-0235 min
Daily Advent DevotionalWho am I?ADVENT WEEK FOUR: LOVEDecember 23 Rev. Allie Utley, PhDWho am I?2 Samuel 7:18, 23-29Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, OLord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?”2 Samuel 7:18This chapter of 2 Samuel opens with King David pondering how to best playhost to God: “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God re-mains in a tent...
2025-12-2302 min
Daily Advent DevotionalHope is about Keeping PromisesADVENT WEEK ONE: HOPEDecember 2 F. Douglas Powe Jr., PhDHope is about Keeping PromisesJeremiah 33:14-16The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise Imade to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Jeremiah 33:14We all at one time or another have experienced someone promising us some-thing and we cling to the hope that one day the promise will be fulfilled. In thisJeremiah text, it begins...
2025-12-0201 minDaily Advent DevotionalPreaching and PraisePreaching and Praise Luke 2:8-20Angels and shepherds occupy center stage on this Christmas day. They provide interpretations of and model responses to Jesus’ birth.The stage is not the emperor’s palace nor the Jerusalem temple. It is a “nothing-place,” fields “in the region” of Bethlehem (2:8). Shepherds were of low social status. They had no social prestige or power. They were suspected of being dishonest in letting flocks graze in fields belonging to other people.An angel preaches the first Christmas sermon that announces good news of a savior born...
2024-12-2502 minDaily Advent DevotionalGiving Birth in a World Out of JointGiving Birth in a World Out of Joint Luke 2:1-8We often celebrate Jesus’ birth in very individualistic and spiritual terms. Jesus has come to forgive my sins or be my friend or help me when things get tough. Interestingly, these are not the emphases of these verses. Here the focus is on visions of a different world.Jesus’ birth occurs in the context of an imperially exploitative act (2:1-3). Emperor Augustus orders a worldwide census. This counting of residents asserts power and political control to secure a world that b...
2024-12-2402 minFaith and EconomicsHow to Tell a Story | #321What is Drama? The telling of stories is one of humanity’s most distinctive activities, and yet the basic mechanics of a good story often go unnoticed. Justin outlines the theory of Drama articulated by American playwright and director David Mamet. Listen in and learn how to tell your stories better, or at least learn how to critique your significant other!
2024-12-2233 minDaily Advent DevotionalJesus’ Conception and BirthJesus’ Conception and BirthLuke 1:26-45; 2:9-11It’s Christmas week. Conception leads to birth. Angels are prominent.Several contrasts mark the angel’s announcement to Mary about her pregnancy and the angel’s announcement to the shepherds about Jesus’ birth. While an angel and shepherds greet Jesus’ birth with joy (2:10), that emotion is missing from the conception story. Mary is perplexed not joyful (1:29, 34), submissive not celebratory, meditative not exuberant (1:38). An unplanned pregnancy for an unmarried young woman in a culture where virginity was expected until marriage hardly merits joy. I...
2024-12-2202 minDaily Advent DevotionalUnprecedented PeaceUnprecedented PeaceIsaiah 11:1-10This reading comes from an 8th century (BCE) prophet, Isaiah, whose mission was to the southern kingdom of Judah. The beginning of the 8th century BCE had been a time of prosperity for Judah, but everyone did not share this wealth. While the powerful were enjoying a life of luxury, most of the citizenry of Judah was struggling to survive. The ruling class imposed heavy tax burdens on them and required forced labor and military service. Survival was all that the people could hope to do.The...
2024-12-1202 minDaily Advent DevotionalPast, Present, FutureLuke 1:26–38He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give tohim the throne of his ancestor David. Luke 1:32 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2023-12-2403 min
Daily Advent DevotionalGrandparent StoriesGrandparent StoriesMatthew 1:1-17An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David the son of Abraham. Matthew 1:1The late New Testament scholar Doug Adams contrasted parent stories to grandparent stories. Parent stories tend to clean up and prettify their own youthful years in order to claim the moral high ground. “When I was a child, I never talked to my parents that way.” The grandparent version of the same story might be: “No, you did not talk back to me but instead gave me a grin that dr...
2022-12-2102 minDaily Advent DevotionalWhat is my House?What is My House?2 Samuel 7:18-22Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? 2 Samuel 7:18The ark of the covenant carried God’s presence. Up to this point, the ark was being carried around in a mobile tent, with no permanent home. After David is anointed as king, he defeats the Philistines and after defeating them, David is tasked with building a house for God’s presence to dwell in. David sees t...
2022-12-1602 minDaily Advent DevotionalA New Kind of MusicWeek TwoDecember 10, 2022A New Kind of Music1 Samuel 2:1-8He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. 1 Samuel 2:8aFaithful Hannah sings thanksgiving and praise. With God’s help, she who was thought barren, has brought new life to the world! Her nation is in crisis. Her son, Samuel, will be Israel’s dynamic prophet-leader. Kings Saul and then David whom he anoints, will lead the Israelites to defe...
2022-12-1002 min
Daily Advent DevotionalOur ResponsibilityWeek OneNovember 30, 2021Our Responsibility2 Samuel 7:18-29…for you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever. 2 Samuel 7:29bIn our reading from 2 Samuel, David is sitting before the Lord, confidently spinning out a theology of conquest, celebrating the way God has chosen Israel, and seen fit to use Israel’s military success to establish his, God’s (or might David mean his own) reputation. David’s humility is eloquent, deferring to God’s power and righteousness, but celebr...
2021-11-3003 minFaith and EconomicsFaith, Work, and Deming with Dr. David Church | #145This week the Gwartney team has a very special guest on the show. Dr. David Church joins the team to talk about faith, work, and Deming. The team talks about leading and managing with faith. How do we build trust in our society today. What does Christ have to do with all of this? We hope you enjoy the show.
2021-08-0936 min
SAL/on airBarry LopezWhen Barry Lopez died at the age of 75 this past December, we knew we had lost one of the greats. His writings have frequently been compared to those of Henry David Thoreau, as he brought a depth of erudition to the text by immersing himself in his surroundings, deftly integrating his environmental and humanitarian concerns. In his nonfiction, he examined the relationship between human culture and physical landscape. In his fiction, he addressed issues of intimacy, ethics, and identity.In this talk, recorded in April of 2010, Barry Lopez spoke about the anthology, Home Ground (2016), which Lopez edited along...
2021-02-1853 min
SAL/on airBarry LopezWhen Barry Lopez died at the age of 75 this past December, we knew we had lost one of the greats. His writings have frequently been compared to those of Henry David Thoreau, as he brought a depth of erudition to the text by immersing himself in his surroundings, deftly integrating his environmental and humanitarian concerns. In his nonfiction, he examined the relationship between human culture and physical landscape. In his fiction, he addressed issues of intimacy, ethics, and identity.
This new episode of SAL/on air was recorded in April of 2010. In it, Barry Lopez speaks about the anthology Home...
2021-02-1853 minFaith and EconomicsGameStop, Hedge Funds, and David vs. Goliath | #120This week the Gwartney team talks about an event that has been all over the news. The stock price of GameStop flew through the roof this last week because of some Reddit users on WallStreetBets. Give a listen to what the team thinks about this recent craze on Wall Street and how faith can be brought into the discussion.
2021-02-0833 minDaily Advent DevotionalDance with JoyADVENT WEEK THREEDecember 18, 2020Dance with Joy2 Samuel 6:12-19David, dressed in a linen priestly vest, danced with all his strength before the Lord. This is how David and the entire house of Israel brought up the Lord’s chest with shouts and trumpet blasts. 2 Samuel 6:14-15 (Common English Bible)On a brisk, sunny morning last January, our assembly of jet-lagged seminary students passed underneath the Dung Gate of Jerusalem, emerging in awestruck joy within the walls of Old Jerusalem. The sacred geography pressed me with its we...
2020-12-1802 min
Committing Faith in PublicCommitting Faith in Public: Talking Reconciliation is Not Enough with the Rev. Robert Turner and the Rev. David WiggsCommitting Faith in Public: Talking Reconciliation is Not Enough with the Rev. Robert Turner and the Rev. David WiggsIn this special collaborative edition of the Boston Avenue United Methodist Churchpodcast ASCENDS, its hosts are joined by co-host, Dr. Gary Peluso-Verdend from the Committing Faith in Public podcast. The guests are the Rev. Robert Turner and the Rev. David Wiggs to discuss the relationship between Historic Vernon AME and Boston Avenue UMC and why talking reconciliation is not enough. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2020-03-0132 minFaith and EconomicsEntrepreneurship with David Price | #56We talk with Dr. David Price of Washburn University about his research and experience as an entrepreneur.
2019-11-1135 minFaith and EconomicsProfessor Hunter Baker on Faith and Politics | #51Professor Hunter Baker talks with us about important current issues including the current problems facing Cold War conservative/libertarian fusionism, policy issues related to Big Tech, and the importance of culture in politics.
Political Thought: A Student's Guide by Hunter Baker and David S. Dockery
2019-10-0946 minFaith and EconomicsInflation and Middle Class Life | #23We discuss an interesting graph of changes in the cost of products and services over the past few decades. Does the increasing cost of health care and education make a normal, prosperous middle class life more difficult? Does the reduction in cost of other things offset this pernicious effect?
Show notes:
AEI inflation chart
Acton institute blog article
From Mutual Aid to the Welfare State by David Beito
Atlas MD
American Association of Physicians and Surgeons
2019-03-2535 minFaith and EconomicsMoral Hazard | #19In this episode, Russ, Jacyn, and Jacob discuss biblical and financial instances of moral hazard, asymmetric information, and "Too Big to Fail."
Show notes:
Malcolm Gladwell's TED Talk on David and Goliath
David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell
2019-02-2534 minFaith and EconomicsEconomics of David and Goliath | #17We discuss Malcolm Gladwell's unique take on the story of David and Goliath. What can we learn about markets from Gladwell's perspective on this famous story?
Show notes
Malcolm Gladwell's TED Talk on David and Goliath
David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell
Luigi Zingales on social media antitrust at Free Market Forum
2019-02-1135 min
Think Rank25.1 - The Law of Attraction – Round 3Like the law of gravity, the law of attraction is universal. It’s powerful. It’s profound. It’s personal.
David’s passionate about the power of the Law of Attraction. It’s a series he’s serious about. Episode 25 in the Monster in the Making® podcast is round three in the series. It’s a continuation of his conversations with others about how recognizing this law helps you take responsibility for the results you get in your life every day – good or bad. David’s long-time friend, Jim Gwartney, is this episode’s guest. It’s a conversation they’ve had often over the yea...
2018-12-301h 17