New Persuasive Words

"The revival in religion will be a rhetorical problem - new persuasive words for defaced or degraded ones." - Thornton Wilder

About the show

New Persuasive Words is a sharp and insightful podcast that dissects the intersections of culture, politics, and theology with intellectual rigor and a conversational ease. Hosted by Scott Jones and Bill Borror, the show offers a thoughtful examination of contemporary issues, blending humor, historical perspective, and philosophical depth. With a keen eye for nuance and a willingness to challenge conventional wisdom, New Persuasive Words invites listeners into a space where ideas are tested, assumptions are questioned, and meaningful dialogue thrives.

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Episodes

  • Episode 146: Secular Modern Life?

    July 3rd, 2017  |  37 mins 33 secs

    In this episode we reflect on a 2008 article by the recently deceased Peter Berger which originally appeared in First Things.

  • Episode 145: Freedom then and Now

    June 30th, 2017  |  33 mins 24 secs

    In this episode, in light of the upcoming Fourth of July celebration, we reflect on the nature of freedom and life together in the United States.

  • Episode 144: Why The Saved Need Saving

    June 28th, 2017  |  36 mins 27 secs

    Do you think you're right and they're wrong? Who's on your heretic list? Liberals? Conservatives? Calvinists? Vegans? Valentians? We continue our musings on truth, heresy and learning the art of life together.

  • Episode 143: Truth, Heresy...can you know the Difference?

    June 26th, 2017  |  32 mins 55 secs

    In this podcast we talk about a recent statement by Pope Francis, an article about Rob Bell, and the nature of disagreement in communities that care about their convictions.

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    Episode 142: Love The World?

    June 23rd, 2017  |  32 mins 43 secs

    We go back to Tomas Halik's work "I Want You To Be: On The God Of Love", considering how Christians can really love the world.

  • Episode 141: Narcissism and the Love of Self

    June 19th, 2017  |  28 mins 46 secs

    We go back to our teacher Tomas Halik to consider narcissism and the possibility of really loving and being loved.

  • Episode 140: Why Can't We All Just Get Along?

    June 17th, 2017  |  38 mins 10 secs

    In light of the recent shooting of Congressman Steve Scalise and the combative political and cultural rhetoric of the day, we consider what it means to be in the American project together.

  • Episode 139: Highway to...Hell?

    June 15th, 2017  |  35 mins 17 secs

    Our guest for this midweek Bullgeschichte episode is Jason Micheli. He's an author, pastor and podcaster and he's not sure he believes in hell, which is the topic for our conversation.

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    Episode 138: Can God Be God Without Us?

    June 12th, 2017  |  32 mins 6 secs

    In this episode we talk about Pope Francis' recent statement, "God Cannot Be God Without Man."

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    Episode 137: Friday Night Lights: More on the Spirit

    June 9th, 2017  |  29 mins 16 secs

    In this Friday Night lights episode, recorded on Bill's birthday, we continue reflecting on the Holy Spirit and spirituality.

  • Episode 136: The Holy Spirit

    June 5th, 2017  |  34 mins 54 secs

    In this episode, the day after Pentecost, we talk about the Holy Spirit.

  • Episode 135: Friday Night Lights: Gods Old & New

    June 2nd, 2017  |  32 mins 39 secs

    We talk about an article in the Aeon journal on the Frankfurt School entitled "Theory from the ruins", among other things.

  • Episode 134: Monuments and Memory

    May 30th, 2017  |  37 mins

    In this episode we talk about the recent removal of Confederate Civil War monuments in New Orleans and the nature of historical memory.

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    Episode 133: Ascension Matters

    May 25th, 2017  |  28 mins 13 secs

    Today is Ascension day 2017, the most overlooked day on the Christian religious calendar. We think that's a shame. It's an important doctrine that offers real hope to real people living a complex, messy world.

  • Episode 132: The Alienated Mind

    May 23rd, 2017  |  38 mins 19 secs

    This is a bullgeschichte episode where we're joined by our friend Jace Broadhurst to talk about a recent David Brooks column in the NY Times entitled "The Alienated Mind".

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    Episode 131: Where Do Words Come From?

    May 20th, 2017  |  32 mins 26 secs

    In this episode, inspired by a short essay written by the renowned novelist Cormac McCarthy. It deals with the origins of human language, and whether evolutionary explanations do it justice.