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 337: American Political Heresies

    January 29th, 2025  |  37 mins 35 secs

    In this episode we examine the current intellectual and ideological foundations of the New Right in America, and consider how the right and the left seem to mirror some ancient Christian heresies.

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    Episode 336: An Ode To Repugnance

    January 27th, 2025  |  33 mins 1 sec

    In this episode we talk about what to do when you come across a repugnant idea. With T.S. Eliot as our guide, we consider what strong visceral reactions to ideas and ideologies might tell us about ourselves.

  • Episode 335: What would Capon have said to President Trump?

    January 24th, 2025  |  24 mins 25 secs

    In this episode we talk about Bishop Mariann Budde's recent sermon, in which she personally addressed and exhorted President Trump. We wonder what the Gospel is for President Trump, and the great Robert Farrar Capon would have done in Bishop Budde's shoes.

  • Episode 334: Shall We Overcome?

    January 22nd, 2025  |  31 mins 17 secs

    In this episode we talk about what it means to walk by faith and not by sight in public life.

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    Episode 333: Has Democracy's Expiration Date Passed?

    January 19th, 2025  |  40 mins 36 secs

    In this episode we consider whether our democracy can adequately respond to the concerns and crises that face the American citizenry.

  • Episode 332: Monday Monday!

    January 13th, 2025  |  34 mins 35 secs

    It's Monday and we have a few things to say with the Inauguration just a week away!

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    Episode 331: The Philosophical Roots of "Wokeism"

    January 9th, 2025  |  42 mins 3 secs

    In this episode we engage with a talk given by Bishop Robert Barron at the Acton institute. The topic of the address is the philosophical roots of "wokeism."

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    Episode 330: The Quest for the Historical Adam

    January 4th, 2025  |  42 mins 20 secs

    In this episode we talk about Original Sin and human origins, inspired in part by an essay on the work of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin that appeared in a recent issue of the Christian Century.

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    Episode 329: A Shocking Faith

    December 28th, 2024  |  47 mins 39 secs

    In this episode we talk about a recent piece by New York Times columnist David Brooks Entitled "The Shock of Faith: It’s Nothing Like I Thought It Would Be." We also consider some of the response it's generated in public discourse by people of many faiths and no faith at all.

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    Episode 328: The Jewishness of Jesus

    December 23rd, 2024  |  38 mins 42 secs

    In this episode we talk about the Jewishness of Jesus and what it means in the context of contemporary antisemitism.

  • Episode 327: The Ecology of Christmas

    December 20th, 2024  |  29 mins 58 secs

    In this episode we contrast the ecology of the Roman Empire with the ecology of the Christmas story.

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    Episode 326: The Wind Cries Mary, with special guest Matt Milliner

    December 18th, 2024  |  46 mins 45 secs

    In this special holiday episode we talk with our good friend Matt Milliner about the Virgin Mary and her significance for the spiritual life.

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    Episode 325: Bad Religion?

    December 10th, 2024  |  30 mins 27 secs

    Can we have a truly secular society, or does religion always play some animating role in public life? If this is the case, are all religious cultural foundations created equal? And what does any of this have to do with Christmas?

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    Episode 324: An Address to some of Christianity's "Cultured Despisers"

    December 7th, 2024  |  31 mins 59 secs

    In this episode we address a listener's question and concerns. She is currently pursuing a graduate degree and is finding herself consistently confronted with criticisms of her religious faith. We offer some insights into how we might approach some of the criticisms of Christianity that she's regular hearing.

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    Episode 323: The Rise of Cultural Christianity

    December 2nd, 2024  |  37 mins 15 secs

    In this episode we talk about the new "cultural Christianity" that's growing in the United States. Is it taking over the conservative movement?

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    Episode 322: A Manichean Memento

    November 29th, 2024  |  17 mins 12 secs

    In this episode we talk about the new HBO Max series "The Penguin." We consider what it tells us about the nature of good and evil, the dangers of dualism and the goodness of creation.