Georgetown Professor Joshua Mitchell, author of the book American Awakening: Identity Politics and Other Afflictions of Our Time, joins me to talk about what factors caused the rise of identity politics in America. Buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/American-Awakening-Identity-Politics-Afflictions/dp/1641771305/?&_encoding=UTF8&tag=theurban-20 Su…

Newsweek opinion editor Batya Ungar-Sargon joins me to discuss her recent book Second Class: How the Elites Betrayed America's Working Men and Women. It's a look at the travails facing America's working class. Read my review of Second Class: https://www.city-journal.org/article/review-of-second-class-by-batya-ungar-sargon Buy the book: https://www.…

Richard V. Reeves is the president of the American Institute for Boys and Men. He's also the author of the acclaimed book Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do about It. He joins me to discuss the problems facing today's American men, and why he thinks "keep it boring" is the right strategy. Buy the book…

Farah Stockman is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and member of the New York Times editorial board. She's also the author of the great book American Made: What Happens to People When Work Disappears. Her book chronicles the closure and relocation to Mexico of a Rexnord bearing plant in Indianapolis in the wake of the 2016 presidential election.…

Jonathan Whitehead, a lawyer who has been active in Southern Baptist institutional life for many years, joins me to discuss the future of the SBC. We will focus on the SBC's upcoming convention in Indianapolis, where several key issues will be debated and addressed.Por Aaron Renn

Dr. Anthony Bradley joins me to talk about why the evangelical church struggles to attract men. We will discuss the state of men in America, the matrilineal nature of evangelicalism, and what needs to change to make the church more relevant. Bradley is the author of the book Heroic Fraternities: How College Men Can Save Universities and America. Bu…

Dr. Ewan Goligher is a scientist at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute. He's the author of the book How Should We then Die?: A Christian Response to Physician-Assisted Death. He joins me to discuss physician-assisted suicide from a Christian point of view. Buy his book: https://www.amazon.ca/How-Should-then-Die-Physician-Assisted/dp/16…

Three years ago I recorded a podcast series on the American postwar conservative moment. One of the episodes focused on the way that the nascent conservatives responded to the campus unrest of the 1960s. Since campus protests are again in the news, I'm reposting my thoughts from that old episode. Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.aaronrenn.co…

Paul Carrese is the founding director of the School for Civic and Economic Though Leadership (SCETL) at Arizona State University. SCETL was established by an act of the state legislature to reinvigorate the idea of civics education as a core function of the public university. It is also a model for many other similar centers that have been establis…

Luke Robson is on a mission to revitalize the downtown of Hillsdale, Michigan, the small town where Hillsdale College is located. He joins us to discuss his efforts and why he believes this is important. Subscribe to Luke's Hillsdale Renaissance Newsletter: https://hillsdalerenaissance.substack.com/ Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.aaronrenn…

Your identity is the foundation and the heart of everything. Because if you don’t know who you are, you don’t know what to do. In this month's newsletter I discuss the importance of identity, and why many people in power in our society want to sever you from yours. Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.aaronrenn.com/…

Leon Podles joins me today to discuss the deep roots of why men don't go to church, focusing on the male quest for honor. He is the author of The Church Impotent and Losing the Good Portion: Why Men Are Alienated from Christianity. Read The Church Impotent for free: https://podles.org/church-impotent.htm Buy Losing the Good Portion: https://www.ama…

Peter Ostapko joins us to discuss his project Kinsmen Journal, a high quality print magazine for Christian men and broader project to curate conversations around faith, fatherhood, and work. Kinsmen Journal featured original commissioned photography and writing, and the highest quality printing and packaging available. Buy Kinsmen Journal: https://…

This is my interview from two years ago with David Murrow, author of the influential book Why Men Hate Going to Church. Why does the American church skew female? How did he get interested in this topic? How did people receive his book and what changed as a result of it? What is the story arc of the church's attempts to reach men in recent decades? …

Paleoconservative military writer William Lind developed a concept he calls "4th Generation War," which is an insurgency conflict similar to Afghanistan or Iraq. 4GW is rooted in a decline of the legitimacy of the state, a fundamentally asymmetric conflict, and the criticality of winning at "the moral level of war." There are interesting parallels …

Sociologist Brad Wilcox joins to discuss his new book "Get Married." He explains why, despite its decline in our society, marriage remains the best path to success in flourishing in life. Buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/Get-Married-Americans-Families-Civilization/dp/0063210851/ Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.aaronrenn.com/…

Georgetown University professor Joseph Hartman joins me to discuss the 20th century theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, and why he still matters today.Por Aaron Renn

Sociologist Brad Vermurlen will join me to discuss his new book Reformed Resurgence: The New Calvinist Movement and the Battle Over American Evangelicalism. Vermurlen's book is an excellent overview of the New Calvinist movement, the backdrop of Evangelical fracture in which it developed, and the various strategies the movement implemented. This po…

Josh Abbotoy joins me to discuss his projects to built intentional communities of likeminded people in Kentucky and Tennessee. Ridgerunner USA: https://ridgerunnerusa.com/ Highland Rim Project: https://www.newfounding.com/highland Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.aaronrenn.com/Por Aaron Renn

One of the key events in the Christianization of the Roman Empire was when the children of the existing Roman elites turned aside from the status system of the Roman imperium in favor of new ways of pursuing and achieving elite status within the church. Today, in the Negative World, the church operates as a shadow status system that takes its cues …

Management is about the known. Exploration is about the unknown. Dwight Gibson has studied the techniques of the explorers from the great age of exploration. He will discuss how people and organizations can make use of those oft-forgotten methods to help navigate today's uncertain and unprecedented world. Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.aar…

John Burtka, president of ISI, joins me to discuss his new book Gateway to Statesmanship: Selections from Xenophon to Churchill. It's a collection of some of the best writing in history about the nature of the statesman. Buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/Gateway-Statesmanship-Selections-Xenophon-Churchill/dp/1684515432/ Subscribe to my newslette…

Lexi Hudson joins me to discuss her recent book The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves. Buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Civility-Timeless-Principles-Ourselves-ebook/dp/B0B9KTF7BP/ Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.aaronrenn.com/Por Aaron Renn

Too many people today have negative identities - they are defined by what they oppose not by what they are for or hope to create. Negative identities create asymmetries in which you are vulnerable to people with morally expansionist visions. They also make your identity dependent on the very thing you claim to oppose. While there are plenty of bad …

Notre Dame professor Darren Dochuk joins me to discuss his book Anointed with Oil: How Christianity and Crude Made Modern America. Every aspect of modern political, economic, and cultural development of the 20th century was bound up with various strains of the oil industry and Christianity. Dochuk explains this oft-overlooked history. Buy the book:…

Pragmatism is about what we can do with our own two hands with the material we see in front of us. It's an important perspective on the world - but very limiting as well. Too much devotion to pragmatism can blind us to the possibilities in the world and life.Por Aaron Renn

Brad Littlejohn and Chris Castaldo join me to discuss their book Why Do Protestants Convert?, which examines the psychological, theological, and sociological reasons that evangelical intellectuals often convert to Roman Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy. Buy the book: https://davenantinstitute.org/why-do-protestants-convert Subscribe to my newslette…

Ben Merkle, president of New St. Andrews College, joins me to discuss the broken financial model of higher education in America. Read Big Ed, Too Big to Fail: https://nsa.edu/blog/big-ed-too-big-to-fail Subscribe to my newspaper: https://www.aaronrenn.com/Por Aaron Renn

Nancy Pearcey, a professor at Houston Christian University, joins me to discuss her book The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes. Pearcey was named one of the top five women apologists by Christianity Today and hailed in The Economist as America's preeminent evangelical Protestant female intellectual. Buy The Toxic War o…

For this month's newsletter, John Seel shares an essay on masculinity and the quest to become a "holy man." He examines who a holy man is, the tools he uses, and the product he produces. Subscribe to my newsletter at: https://www.aaronrenn.com/Por Aaron Renn

John Seel joins me to discuss his thoughts on cultural engagement in today's negative world. Dr. Seel holds a Ph.D from the University of Maryland, and is a cultural renewal entrepreneur. Download Dr. Seel's white paper on The Challenge of Cultural Engagement: https://www.exploradelphia.com/publications Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.aaron…

Long time missionary Andrew Brunson joins me to talk about his two year nightmare in a Turkish jail after being falsely imprisoned by the government for spying. Wavestarters, a Ministry of Andrew and Norine Brunson: https://www.wavestarters.org/ Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.aaronrenn.com/Por Aaron Renn

John Lovell joins me to discuss his new book The Warrior Poet Way: A Guide to Living Free and Dying Well. Lovell is a former Army Ranger, combat veteran, and missionary. He runs the popular Youtube channel The Warrior Poet Society. Buy The Warrior Poet Way: https://www.amazon.com/Warrior-Poet-Way-Guide-Living/dp/0593541847/ John Lovell's Youtube Ch…

Why do men turn to online influencers instead of the church? One reason is that evangelicals promote a vision of masculinity that is so bleak and unappealing it turns men off. They sum this up under the heading “servant leadership” Properly defined I believe servant leadership is important and something we should all aspire to. But evangelicals use…

Gen Z Youtuber "Redeemed Zoomer," a member of the PCUSA, joins me to discuss his case for why Christians should not abandon mainline denominations. Visit Redeemed Zoomer's Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@redeemedzoomer6053 Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.aaronrenn.com/Por Aaron Renn

Eric Lefevre joins us to discuss the Concordia-Seminex Affair, in which the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod reversed a trend towards liberal theology in its flagship seminary and the denomination as a whole.Por Aaron Renn

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida joins me to discuss his new report, "The State of the Working (and Non-Working) Man," issued by his office as part of his Project for Strong Labor Markets and National Development. Read the report: https://www.rubio.senate.gov/rubio-releases-labor-report-the-state-of-the-working-and-non-working-man/ Subscribe to my newsl…

Presbyterian minister Daniel Howe joins us to discuss his new book Worship, Feasting, Rest, Mercy: The Christian Sabbath. Link to Buy: https://crownandcovenant.com/products/worship-feasting-rest-mercy-the-christian-sabbath Aaron Renn's Newsletter: https://www.aaronrenn.com/Por Aaron Renn

This month's newsletter looks at lessons from two contemporary novels, Guadalupe Nettel's Still Born and Vigdis Hjorth's Will and Testament. Buy Still Born: https://www.amazon.com/Still-Born-Guadalupe-Nettel-ebook/dp/B0BQ3ZRSK1 Buy Will and Testament: https://www.amazon.com/Will-Testament-Vigdis-Hjorth-ebook/dp/B07LDSXBTD/ Newsletter #39 on forged …

Sohrab Ahmari joins me to discuss his book Tyranny, Inc: How Private Power Crushed American Liberty - and What To Do About It. Buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/Tyranny-Inc-Private-American-Liberty/dp/0593443462/ Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.aaronrenn.com/Por Aaron Renn

Washington Post columnist Christine Emba joins me to discuss her viral feature essay, "Men are lost. Here’s a map out of the wilderness." "Men Are Lost" Article link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/07/10/christine-emba-masculinity-new-model/ Reader feedback on how to be a man article link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/…

This month's audio newsletter looks at the teachings of two online men's influencers whose work reflects something of a neo-pagan sensibility, Jack Donovan and his book The Way of Men, and Ryan Landry and his book Masculinity Amidst Madness. The Way of Men: https://www.amazon.com/Way-Men-Jack-Donovan-ebook/dp/B007O0Y1ZE/?&tag=theurban-20 Masculinit…

Denny Burk is the President of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, the organization charted with advancing complementarian gender theology. Complementarianism holds that only men can be pastors, and that husbands are the head of the home. The main rival system is egalitarianism, which affirms female pastors and says husbands and wives ha…

As the evangelical world begins to crack up and realign, a segment of "big eva" elites is promoting the idea of redefining the boundary of their community. They want to eliminate complementarianism (a male only pastorate) and replace it with anti-fundamentalism. What was previously a solidly conservative movement would instead be more self-consciou…

The Christian Reformed Church (CRC), a quasi-mainline denomination originating in the Dutch Reformed tradition, had been trending in a more liberal direction. It approved of ordaining women and its Calvin University took a more progressive tack. But recently the denomination has pivoted to the right on sexuality issues. What dynamics have been at p…

Conservatives have a strong preference to have other people make their points for them. Hence they love liberals who criticize wokeness, or Muslims who argue for religious freedom. There's nothing wrong with partnering with or promoting others who share your views, but there's something wrong with people who can't seem to advocate for themselves.…

The left frequently argues that "structural racism" and other factors dominate our societies. While conservatives rightly recognize these as code words for left ideology, they often react in ways that fail to recognize the way structural forces really do affect individual and group outcomes.Por Aaron Renn

The now disgraced Mark Driscoll was once one of America's hottest "bad boy" pastors. His church had 14,000 attendees, and he had a massive following on social media. Although his empire imploded in a cascade of scandals a few years back, it's still worth looking at his teachings on gender because stripped of his provocative style, the content is ac…

There's been a lot of discussion of the limits of the "winsome" model of cultural engagement in the evangelical world, and how it is no longer as effective as it once was and is even counter-productive in some ways. But the culture war model also has limits and is in many ways equally as obsolete. A new model for the negative world is needed that t…

Liberal pressure campaigns frequently work. Conservative ones are typically a failure. But the largely spontaneous Bud Light boycott was an exception. I look at why it was an exception - but one that most likely just proves the rule.Por Aaron Renn