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 started as two guys talking about life with what we thought (hoped?) was wit and insight, on our good days anyway. Then...a podcast.

New Persuasive Words on social media

Episodes

  • Episode 272: Kissing The Faith Goodbye

    July 31st, 2019  |  39 mins 45 secs

    In this episode we talk about renowned former megachurch pastor Josh Harris's announcement that he has left the Christian faith.

  • Episode 271: Us, Them, Trump, and The Squad

    July 23rd, 2019  |  29 mins 38 secs

    In this episode, inspired in part by David Fitch's new book, we talk about the recent inflammatory statements President Trump made about four women of color in the House of Representatives.

  • Episode 270: Apocalypse Now?

    July 10th, 2019  |  31 mins 23 secs

    Many are troubled by evangelical love affair with President Trump. Sometimes people talk like it means that the sky is falling or that the end is near. Is this overstated? Might historical perspective teach us a thing or two in this cultural moment?

  • Episode 269: The Gift of Wonder, with Christine Sine

    June 20th, 2019  |  40 mins 27 secs

    In this episode we talk with a special guest, Christine Sine. Her new book is entitled "The Gift of Wonder."

  •

    Episode 268: The One, The Three and The Many

    June 14th, 2019  |  29 mins 34 secs

    In this episode we talk about the Christian doctrine of the Trinity and it's connection to reality and everyday life.

  • Episode 267: Game of Thrones and the End of Empathy

    June 6th, 2019  |  31 mins 7 secs

    In this episode we discuss our thoughts on the Game of Thrones Finale and a recent Invisibilia episode on empathy.

  •

    Episode 266: Can a Command be a Gift?

    May 13th, 2019  |  28 mins 43 secs

    In this episode we continue to talk about the moral life, with some theological help from Karl Barth and John Milbank. We also talk a bit about Game of Thrones, and consider the reactions to the untimely and sad death of Rachel Held Evans.

  • Episode 265: The Battle of the Dead and the Source of Life

    April 30th, 2019  |  32 mins 53 secs

    In this episode we talk Game of Thrones, legalism and antinominiasm, in that order pretty much.

  • Episode 264: Is The Christian Life Worth Living?

    April 26th, 2019  |  49 mins 46 secs

    Check out this crossover episode we did with our friends from Crackers and Grapejuice in New York City. We talk about the nature of the Christian life and what it means to live it.

  • Episode 263: Christological Exegesis?

    April 21st, 2019  |  45 mins 31 secs

    In this episode, inspired by a post on Facebook by our friend Kenneth Tanner, we talk about how Christians ought to read the Hebrew Bible, which we call the Old Testament.

  • Episode 262: Navigating Social Change

    April 14th, 2019  |  28 mins 46 secs

    In this episode, inspired by revelations about Joe Biden's "touchiness", we talk about changing norms and navigating social change.

  • Episode 261: Bullgeschichte, with Adam Borneman

    April 7th, 2019  |  58 mins 9 secs

    In this Bullgeschichte episode we're joined by Adam Borneman. He's a Presbyterian minister (PCUSA) and the Program Director of Macedonia Ministries. We talk about 19th century theology, the relevance of the Gospel for public life, and a host of other things.

  • Episode 260: The Prodigal God

    April 5th, 2019  |  32 mins 12 secs

    In this episode we talk about the parable of The Prodigal Son, found in Luke 15. We consider what roles we play in it at different parts in our public and private lives, and how it speaks to them all.

  • Episode 259: The Mueller Malaise, Part 2

    March 25th, 2019  |  28 mins 41 secs

    In this episode we continue to discuss the Mueller Report now that Attorney General Barr's summary of it has been made public.

  • Episode 258: Are We Heading For Mueller Malaise?

    March 24th, 2019  |  22 mins 35 secs

    We recorded this episode a half hour before the release of the summary of the Mueller report by U.S. Attorney General William Barr. We talk about it what it might mean for the country. We also talk about how people generally deal with uncertainty.

  • Episode 257: The Person vs The Principle

    March 19th, 2019  |  28 mins 39 secs

    In this episode, inspired by a piece published on the site of our friends over at Mockingbird, we talk about the relationship of the person of Christ to principles that we devise and even cherish.