Reflections on first leg of the road trip through the American Southeast, and an interview of three committed Christian kids in the Bible belt who defy easy categorization. Julia, Luke and Calista share their candid thoughts on hot button topics. Not a debate but fact finding. 

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Jenn Koiter shares her poetry with us as we discuss her nonprofit work in India, the value of poetry, the problems of poverty tourism and cultural appropriation, suffering, sex trafficking in Asia, Zen, and why one might stick with their Western spiritual heritage through it all.  We did not censor this episode, though even grandma should find it tame overall.  This is episode 106.  

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Philosopher of science Dr. Angus Menuge joins us to talk about the vocation of a scientist, especially that of a scientist who is also religious.  Prof. Dan Deen (Concordia University, Irvine), another philosopher of science is along for the expedition.  We talk about new atheism, virtue, epistemology, science, biology, physics, paradigms, theories, and Motörhead (that's right).  Dr. Menuge is professor of philosophy at Concordia University Wisconsin and is the president of the Evangelical Philosophical Society. His research interests include philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, apologetics, and C. S. Lewis. He earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Diploma in Christian Apologetics from the International Academy of Apologetics, Evangelism and Human Rights, Strasbourg. He is editor of C. S. Lewis: Lightbearer in the Shadowlands, Christ and Culture in Dialogue, Reading God's World and of Legitimizing Human Rights (forthcoming). He is author of Agents Under Fire: Materialism and the Rationality of Science (Rowman and Littlefield, 2004). His most recent work focuses on libertarian free will and the creative powers of agents.

Tucker Kaas, from Kaas Tailored (kaastailored.com) talks about quality, ethical business practices, beauty, reduction of waste, kai zen, continuous improvement, vocation, Design on Stock, and the good life.

We explore the nature and history of evil regimes, their ability to kill people on large scales, and how to oppose such things with Marc Thomas Voss, a historian and German language instructor, who is completing his doctoral work on this topic in Germany.  Hitler, Stalin, Polpot, oh my.  

Bonus b-sides are shows where we go deep into content with a professor or a professional in some specialized field.

Civil engineer and League of Faithful Masks chairman of the board talks about vocation, David's story of deciding to leave seminary for a different, public calling, and the ways in which he has contributed to landmarks throughout Southern California.  It turns out, civil engineers save lives, quietly and behind the scenes.

This one is just a bunch of fun conversation tossed together like your favorite salad.  But it all revolves around emotional wellbeing and how external factors like the food we eat or our physiology affect our mood.  We learn a bit too about what we are able to do to eat ourselves to a bit more happiness.  Check out this conversation about psychology and happiness. 

We also check with her on the nature of addiction and prisons, following up on our last episode on the War on Drugs.

We explore the beauty of language, classic and contemporary with Dr. Stanley Lombardo, a translator of classics like the Illiad and Aeneid.  Listen even if classic Latin and Greek epics aren't familiar to you.  If nothing else, listen for the first twenty minutes to hear Dr. Lombardo recite poetry in classical Greek.  The sound itself will demonstrate the importance of our topic.  Topics include the art of translation, Homeric legends, Virgil, Zen Buddhism, and poetry in general.  

B-Sides are in depth discussions with professors and professionals about the beauty and importance of their callings.

Dr. Uwe Siemon-Netto has seen it all.  The JFK assassination coverage, the rise of the Nazis, a famous drinking horse in Germany, the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall, and of course the Vietnam War.  Uwe talks about getting a doctorate after a not so good high school experience.  We learn why our news media has gone so far away from its original calling or vocation today.  Learn why you should not criticize a German town’s beer. Learn who can drink more beer and not slur: Catholic priests or Lutheran pastors.  Find out how clumsy and immature JFK was, but also how he rose to the occasion when global annihilation loomed.  What should a journalist do when they come across a scandal?  Find out why Uwe wouldn't mind being a horse poop specialist.  By the way, you wish you were as cool as the guy in the picture here.  I suppose you can be.  Just become a journalist in the old school style.  Learn about how Uwe came to study with Peter Berger, thanks to his wife, Gillian's wise sense of Uwe's suitability for the clergy ranks, or lack thereof.  

Veteran journalist, author of a new book on the Vietnam War,  Triumph of the Absurd: A Reporter's Love for The Abandoned People of Vietnam shares a story from his travels, and explains how unethical journalism failed the people of Vietnam.