The Cross & Gavel Podcast: Recent Episodes
Anton Sorkin
A production of Christian Legal Society — focusing on the interaction between law, religion, and public policy, with an emphasis on building-up Christian students and attorneys to intelligently engage in public life and better love their neighbors.
The legal profession tends to breed a type of disposition more akin to something in Homer than The Wonder Years. A rooted posture towards adversity rather than compromise or even common ground. Much of this is taught in law school, even if indirectly, with a ruthless employment competition cycle the second 1Ls start their fall semester and that infamous curve that pins students against one another and judged over the smallest of differences.
My guest today is David A. Grenardo and our topic is an antidote to this madness, which is civility. We discuss not only what it is, but more importantly, how it tends to improve the quality of the legal profession and those inside. His latest paper in the Toledo Law Review is called Why Civility?, but his record on this goes back 15 years.
David is a professor of law and associate director of the Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions. He joined St. Thomas Law in 2022. He was previously a professor at St. Mary's University School of Law (Texas) where he taught Professional Responsibility, Contracts, Sports Law, Business Associations, Civil Procedure, and International Sports Law. Full bio.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
Today, I discuss a book that goes to the heart of why religious freedom matters and how protecting its exercise confounds the forces of disintegration and violence. My guest is Allen D. Hertzke, whose book Why Religious Freedom Matters is an indispensable resource for not only showing the true value of religion, but also why it remains so important that people of all stripes band together to protect it from forces of coercion and restriction.
Allen is professor emeritus of political science at the University of Oklahoma. He is author or editor of ten books, including Freeing God's Children and The Future of Religious Freedom. He served a ten-year term on the prestigious Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences at the Vatican.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
In the last few years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a household name, slowly creeping into the corners of every technological device we've all grown to depend on. But what happens if the underlying training data and the people training the models perpetuate the common biases that we all from time to time commit against our neighbors—whether intentionally or not.
That is the focus of our conversation today. Joining us is Sonia Gipson Rankin, whose 2024 paper, Mitigating Algorithmic Bias: Strategies for Addressing Discrimination in Data, serves as a jumping off point for this discussion. Sonia is a legal scholar and educator whose work combines her background in computer science with her passion for legal justice. She teaches in the fields of Torts, Family Law, Technology and the Law, and Introduction to Lawyering at the University of New Mexico School of Law. She is also Affiliated Faculty in the Department of Africana Studies. Full bio.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
The John Witte, Jr. Lecture Series on Christianity & Law is back! A new venture from Christian Legal Society aimed at advancing the conversation surrounding the integration of Christianity & law.
In our third lecture inspired by the Düsseldorf School of painting, we discuss law, family, and religion in late antiquity. Our keynote is Dr. Maria Doerfler, an Associate Professor of Late Antiquity at the Yale University's Department of Religious Studies. Before joining the Yale faculty, she held the position of Assistant Professor of Christianity in Late Antiquity at Duke Divinity School, as well as serving as director of the Duke/UNC Center for Late Ancient Studies. Her work focuses on the interpretation of authoritative texts, of law, philosophical writings, and scripture, in the second through sixth centuries C.E., with particular emphasis on how contexts of personal or communal crisis shape exegesis.
She was joined by Elizabeth Kirk for a period of Q&A after the lecture. Elizabeth is the Co-Director of the Center for Law & the Human Person and an Assistant Professor at the Columbus School of Law.
To listen to the full event and see all of the illustrations, click here.
A Special Thanks to the event sponsor: Trinity Law School.
Many who discuss political theology run to the likes of Augustine or Aquinas to explain the ways their minds express the world and treat its people. And while those thinkers are profound and helpful, the idea of political theology carries a lifeblood that invites Christians to think creatively about its seams and the ways it informs and binds our common connections.
That is why I'm excited to produce this conversation with Vincent Lloyd, who co-authored a recent book entitled What Is Political Theology (Columbia University Press 2026) that touches on the multifaceted concepts of political theology and what it means today. Vincent and I discuss the meaning of the term and its scandals, the idea of domination that undergirds his writing, the way academics and activists work together on advancing a political theology from below, and so much more.
This is a dense episode: for those who listen 1.2x speed, you've been warned!
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
One of the most difficult issues to solve is the careful balance of criminal reform with the punitive aims of state power. While most of us don't want to needless lock up our neighbors, we are also in favor of the systematic creation of spaces of safety for our families and friends. But with underlying aims of justice comes the sins of man's overreach in search of solutions. Alas, enters mass incarceration.
I talk today about this pervasive problem through the lenses of Christian Realism. My guest once again is Jeff Baker, the first Associate Dean of Experiential Learning and Clinical Professor of Law at the University of Alabama School of Law. His scholarship focuses on issues of human rights and dignity, social justice, legal education, and ethics, at the intersections of law, theology, jurisprudence, and public policy. Full bio.
His paper, Christian Realism and The Sins of Mass Incarceration, is a clarion call for applying ethical lawyering to issues of present concern. We discuss what is mass incarceration, how it's connected to financial incentives, ways we come to appreciate the prisoner as an image bearer, and so much more.
[NOTE: A few other conversations I've had along this topic includes the history of law and order, reforming criminal justice, prison abolition, second chances, and prison ministry.]
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento
One of the things that we at Christian Legal Society constantly implore law students to do is to think about what sort of lawyer they want to be. Yes, we want them to be successful, but more than that, we want them to bear witness to the grace of God and to manifest His character across the legal profession.
My conversation today provides a much needed resource for those looking to develop their reputation as Christian lawyers and for those hoping to make a positive difference in the lives of those they encounter.
My guest is Jeff Baker, the first Associate Dean of Experiential Learning and Clinical Professor of Law at the University of Alabama School of Law. His scholarship focuses on issues of human rights and dignity, social justice, legal education, and ethics, at the intersections of law, theology, jurisprudence, and public policy. Full bio.
His paper, A Sermon on the Law, is a clarion call for ethical lawyering on behalf of the marginalized and oppressed.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
Our first episode of the year takes us to Dayton, Ohio, where under the auspices of the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court sits the Kushinda Court ("the Court") under the vision and direction of the Honorable Gerald Parker. This Court is part of the wider strategy to create specialized dockets that allow for a therapeutic approach to law. My guest is Judge Parker, who talks to me about his journey to the Court, his vision for the Court, and how his faith plays a role in the ministry he performs.
Judge Parker was elected to the Common Pleas Court Bench, General Division, in November of 2018, taking office in early January of 2019. He serves on the Offender Supervision and Security Committee. Judge Parker received his B.A. from Georgetown College (KY) in 2004 and his J.D. from Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University in 2007. From 2007 to 2011, he was an Assistant Montgomery County Prosecuting Attorney spending a majority of his time on felony dockets. In 2012, Judge Parker joined the civil litigation team with the Dayton firm of Dyer, Garofalo Mann and Schultz. He would then be appointed as juvenile magistrate for Montgomery County Juvenile Court in 2016.
I have written more on the Kushinda Court here.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
One of the chief affections we as humans should pursue along with truth and virtue is the appreciation for beauty. As lawyers, we are uniquely predisposed to ignoring this element of human life for want of loveliness in our work and in the people we come across.
My discussion today is an attempt to rethink the Christian attorney's relationship with beauty. My guest has written a seminal work (here) on the importance of beauty in the law, providing an essential primer for inquiring minds committed to the common good.
Mark Fowler is a practicing lawyer whose specialist areas of advice include the law applying to not-for-profit organisations, income tax exempt institutions, charities and deductible gift recipients. He has advised a wide range of schools and other educational institutions, international aid organizations, charitable housing associations, benevolent institutions, disability service providers, peak bodies, arts and cultural organizations and religious organizations. For more.
Happy New Years!
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
The question of natural law continues to come up in the context of Christian jurisprudence, and for good reason. It is a topic both fascinating and formative, touching on topics as vast as the origins of the American constitutional experiment, human vulnerability, and modern society. And so with the new book from Alex Deagon (here) on the interaction of Christian natural law and religious freedom, I get an opportunity to learn something new on this mysterious topic.
Alex and I talk about his intellectual journey, the shaping of his thesis, the meaning and application of natural law, the importance of religious freedom, and more.
Alex is an Associate Professor in the School of Law, Queensland University of Technology. He is an international expert in religious freedom and the author of From Violence to Peace (2017) and Reconciling Freedom and Discrimination (2023). Full bio.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
All year, we've witnessed in America a law enforcement presence dedicated to a single mission: mass deportation. While initially this mission was centered on the eradication of dangerous criminals, those now detained with no criminal history has outpaced those with convictions or pending criminal charges. The stories have been saddening and legally complex, leaving Christians with a tension between the mandates of "loving the foreigner in our midst" and the respect we owe to the ruling authorities appointed by God. A tension that cannot be broken by partisanship or by reducing this multifaceted issue to a binary designation of legal vs. illegal.
In today's episode, I talk to two World Relief staff members working in this area about the state of things in our country in an effort to continue my own education and to show just how complicated this all is. Ted Oswald and Anna Colby are both attorneys with World Relief's Immigration Legal Services helping immigrants and refugees in the Sacramento area. (You can find some of Anna's writing here.)
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
In 2010, the Supreme Court issued a consequential opinion that stifled the freedom of association across countless campuses when it came to religious groups. In CLS v. Martinez, in a divided 5-4 opinion, the Court opened the way for universities to limit group association by refusing to grant them power to elect those leaders best suited to carry on that group's mission and purpose.
In a forthcoming article (here) in the Texas Review of Law and Politics, my guest today, Benjamin Fleshman, covers the infamous Martinez decision and the problem it created for student organizations across the country. Given the closeness of this topic to my own work, we discuss in some detail the infamous "all comers" policy (see this and this) still upheld in some law schools, e.g., UC-Berkeley (see this), nature of student organizations, the importance of recent Supreme Court decisions (see recent FCA en banc decision in the Ninth Circuit and then the other mentioned FCA case in Washington, D.C.), the recent attempts to strengthen group access (see this), and more.
Benjamin joined The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty as Counsel in 2023. His work there focuses on appellate litigation in both state and federal courts. Prior to joining Becket, Ben worked as an associate at Shearman & Sterling in Washington, D.C., where he practiced antitrust law and complex commercial litigation. Before entering private practice, he served as a law clerk to Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Full bio.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
One of the cliches of culture is that we are polarized. Perhaps because it has become so commonplace to speak of our divisions, our divisions have become normalized. In my conversation today, I speak with someone who is very much at the heart of the American political order and has a unique vantage point for elucidating the cosmic significance of our clashes.
Jim DeMint is an American businessman, author, and retired politician who served as a United States Senator from South Carolina and as president of The Heritage Foundation. A leading figure in the Tea Party movement, Jim is a member of the Republican Party and is the founder of the Senate Conservatives Fund. His most recent accomplishment was serving as the founding chairman of the Conservative Partnership Institute.
Jim and I talk about his new book entitled What the Bible Really Says About Creation, End Times, Politics, and You. I ask him about his faith inside the many offices he held, the church and whether he trusts the pastors to deliver the "right" message, his reading of Ephesians 6 and the cosmic war at play, and much more.
Today marks the 200th episode of the Cross & Gavel. As part of that celebration, I have brought back the original host to have an unscripted and (mostly) unedited conversation about all things ministry, movies, books, and more.
Mike Schutt is now the Executive Director of Worldview Academy, the director of the CLS Law School Fellows Program, and the author of the seminal work for Christian law students, Redeeming Law: Christian Calling and the Legal Profession. Mike is also an affiliate professor at Trinity Law School and a decent human being (I don't care what Myron says).
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
My guest today comes from outside the United States and has been studying the religious freedom landscape in Australia for quite some time. In his new book—Unshaken Allegiance: Living Wisely as Christians with Diminishing Religious Freedoms—he chronicles many of these challenges, offering a constructively approach to matters of difference and the various ways to express our Christian identity in the heat of public contest.
Patrick Parkinson (AM, MA, LLM, LLD) is an Emeritus Professor of Law and former Dean of Law at the University of Queensland. He has been involved in advocacy for religious freedom in Australia for many years, in particular as board member and sometime Chair of Freedom for Faith. He is an expert on family law and child protection and has held various positions chairing governmental advisory bodies in Australia in these areas, leading to significant law reform.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
My guest this week is Whittney Barth, an associate teaching professor at Emory Law School and the Executive Director and Charlotte McDaniel Scholar at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion. Our conversatiion centers around her new piece arguing that religious actors act as friction creators in the discussion and development of AI tools, ethics, and regulation.
Full paper: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-471X/14/5/67
Full bio: https://cslr.law.emory.edu/people/cslr-leadership/barth-whittney.html
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
In this special film festival edition, I talk with Crystal L. Downing about the medium of film and how to approach the viewing experience. At the heart of our discussion is her new book, The Wages of Cinema: A Christian Aesthetic of Film in Conversation with Dorothy L. Sayers.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
One of the major challenges in religious freedom law is figuring out to what extent a claim of accommodation is justified given the low barrier of entry for claims of sincerity. While American law tries to prevent a man from becoming what Justice Scalia in Smith called “a law unto himself,” something of the sort is happening when a person claims that his faith prevents him from following the normal course of obedience. My conversation today helps illuminate some of this in a profound way, specifically looking at Soren Kierkegaard’s ethical system and considering its corollary in the rule of law.
My guest is Joshua Neoh, a senior lecturer in law at the Australian National University (ANU), Australia. He has an LLB, LLM and PhD from the ANU, Yale and Cambridge, respectively. Full bio.
His paper at the heart of this conversation is called Kierkegaardian Ethics and the Rule of Law, available here.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
In Part I, Ross Halperin and I laid a foundation for the work of ASJ in Honduras under the leadership of Kurt Ver Beek and others. In this episode, I am joined by Kurt himself to discuss his exchange of letters between Nicholas Wolterstorff in a wonderful book, Call for Justice: From Practice to Theory and Back, which looks at the meaning of justice and the work ASJ.
Kurt is joined by Emily Cole, who has focused on Latin America most of her career and remains a passionate advocate for the well-being and development of that region. I speak to them about a number of things, focusing on the structural details of working in the area, including the difference between social justice and community development, the importance of long-term missionary work, the significance of elections, working with the government, and more.
Kurt and his wife, Jo Ann Van Engen, are currently the directors of Calvin University’s Justice Studies Semester, which studies the concept of justice in relation to history, economics, politics, sociology, and development in Honduras. Both are founding members of the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ) in Honduras. ASJ seeks to do justice in Honduras and inspire others around the world to seek justice in their own contexts. For more.
Emily Cole is a lawyer and an advocate, writing about poetry, human rights, and community development, with a focus on Latin America. For more on her work on covenantal pluralism, go here. She also recently wrote for the Journal of Christian Legal Thought considering the role of the poetic imagination in Latin America. Read it here.
Both are Fulbright recipients, with a focus on work in Honduras and Ecuador, respectively.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
Today, we start a two-part journey into the heart of Honduran society. Our focus will be on one man, Kurt Ver Beek, and the organization he co-founded, Association for a More Just Society (ASJ). Kurt is a professor of Sociology (Emeritus) at Calvin University and lead investigator for an agreement between Transparency International, the Honduran Government, and ASJ. For this first episode, we are joined by the reporter Ross Halperin, whose recent biography (here) of Kurt’s ministry (New York Times profile here) paints a fascinating picture of a man dedicated to the cause of justice.
While Ross and I do not discuss the entire scope of the book, we do focus on the criminal justice system and the many barriers erected for victims seeking relief. Ross and I talk about how he came to write the book, the work of ASJ in helping reduce the violence in Honduras, some of the main characters in the story, and much more.
Ross attended Harvard University and worked under Mark A. R. Kleiman, one of the world’s leading criminal-justice scholars. He started reporting this story in 2018 and has since spent much of his time in Honduras.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
My conversation today is on the necessity of adaptive leadership in the coming wave that is artificial intelligence. My guest is Kevin Frazier, the newly minted AI Innovation and Law Fellow at The University of Texas School of Law. His article (here) in Law & Liberty is called Building an AI-Savvy Workforce. His new podcast, Scaling Law (here), is excellent. Find his other work at Lawfare (here).
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
On June 20, 2025, the Fifth Circuit returned its decision in the Louisiana Ten Commandments case (here), upholding the District Courts order blocking the law from going into effect. This was followed by a petition on June 26 for a rehearing en banc by the State (here). At the same time, Texas passed its on bill (here) requiring displays of the Ten Commandments in classrooms. On June 24, that law was challenged in the Northern District of Texas (here) by a group of parents seeking to stop the bill from going into effect. Needless to say, our topic today is very timely, discussing the history of public displays of the Ten Commandments in public schools.
My guests are Mark David Hall and Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, who wrote an article on the topic pending publication in the William and Mary Bill of Rights Journal entitled Ten Commandments in the Public Square and Public Schools (draft here).
Mark David Hall (bio) joined the faculty of the Robertson School of Government at Regent University in 2023. He is one of the most outstanding scholars of early America, whose many distinguished publications have argued persuasively for the crucial importance of Christianity in the flourishing of America’s experiment in ordered liberty.
Andrea Picciotti-Bayer (bio) is Director of the Conscience Project. A Stanford-educated lawyer, she has dedicated her legal career to civil rights and appellate advocacy. She got her start as a trial and appellate attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Prior to leading the Conscience Project, she served as the legal advisor for the Catholic Association, filing amicus briefs with federal courts of appeal and the U.S. Supreme Court in key religious freedom and free speech cases.
Resources noted by the guests: RFI, John Witte's book, and The Sacred Rights of Conscience (Liberty Fund) book.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
This week, we have a special episode. One near and dear to my heart and my own intellectual history. It is a conversation with professor Marc O. De Girolami on his piece published in the Oxford Journal of Law & Religion covering the life and death of law and religion. Read it here.
In it, he takes us into the first wave of this movement and its advent forces with those like Harold Berman and John Witte, Jr., who took on the critical mantle of reacting to “the deconstruction of the American Christian legal heritage proceeding apace in the courts and the academy.” De Girolami discusses the priorities that animated the early scholars of this movement and its eventual decline due not only to various forms of categorical capitulations and concept desuetude, but also the ravages of retirements and the changing landscape of legal discourse. We talk about all this and more!
Marc is the inaugural St. John Henry Newman Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Center for Law and the Human Person. Full bio.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
The Foundations Series is a new web content venture from CLS aimed at helping Christian law students transition from 3Ls to first-year associates. It features Christian practitioners skilled in the integration of faith and practice, offering guidance in conversation with students at the early stages of their legal development.
My guests today are James A. Boatman & Stephen Schahrer, collectively from the Florida law firm Boatman Ricci. James is a commercial litigator with extensive experience in both federal and state courts. He has handled a broad spectrum of matters including: contract enforcement; foreclosure prosecution/defense; internet wire fraud prosecution; special asset recovery; construction defect litigation; common law tort cases (fraud, defamation, etc.) and many others. Stephen handles legal matters for clients from “all walks of life” in the area of business and commercial litigation including business litigation, construction defect and lien litigation, real estate litigation, general contract litigation, and trust and estate litigation. Stephen also serves as outside General Counsel to several local businesses and nonprofits. For more.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Chris Zabriskie.
With the release of U.S. News Rankings last month, renewed interest has surfaced regarding the parameters and impact of placement. Where law schools fall speaks to not only the quality of their percieved education, but also success regarding student employment and faculty publication. On this episode, I speak with Michael Conklin, a scholar who’s been measuring bias within the Rankings system, this time focusing his attention on religious law schools. His paper, soon to be published in the Florida Journal of Law & Public Policy, is entitled Religious Law Schools, Rankings, and Bias: Measuring the Rankings Penalty at Religious Law Schools.
Dr. Michael Conklin is the Visiting Assistant Professor of Business Law at Texas A&M University Central Texas and a lecturer at Texas A&M University School of Law. Full bio and SSRN papers.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
It is no secret that law students and attorneys exist in a stressful environment. As Amy Levin recently wrote, "[l]aw student mental health is at an all-time low." The American Bar Association (ABA) has conducted a study that shows how this environment tends to contribute to high rates of mental health disorders and substance abuse. In an effort to face this challenge, LSM has launched the Wellness Program—focused on providing students resources and discussions to face this issue, together.
In this special episode, Michelle Williams talks to Ken Sande about relational wisdom, emotional intelligence, and developing healthy habits in navigating the challenges of legal pratice.
Helpful resources for continuing education:
- Relational Wisdom 360 [Home Page]
- A Stolen Baby, $200M Lawsuit and an Astonishing Reconciliation [READ]
- Attorneys as Peacemakers and Conciliators [PDF]
- Reconciled by a Baby Moose [READ]
- Lincoln's Relational Wisdom [READ]
- Emotional Intelligence for (Secular) Attorneys [READ]
For more with Ken Sande, listen to our other conversatioin here.
Link to SUBSTACK here.
Music Credit: Tokyo Music Walker
For most of the second half of 20th century, the Supreme Court has wrestled with finding a balance between the Free Exercise of religion and the Establishment Clause, offering several tests to test the limits of permissible accommodation without the undue appearance of government endorsement. Among those tests has been a little-thing called the “play in the joints,” famously introduced in Walz v. Tax Commissioner of New York (1970). In this episode, I explore this concept with Falco Anthony Muscante II, whose paper in the Ave Marie Law Review is called “Play in the Joints” Among the Religion Clauses: Rebuilding the Strong Joints the Framers Formed.
In our conversation, we discuss the history of the religious clause and what the framers intended, how the concept emerged and became weaponized in Locke v. Davey (2003), why the Court has latched on to the idea of state neutrality and how that impacts religion, and more.
Falco Anthony Muscante II earned his J.D. in 2023 from the Duquesne University School of Law, where he served on the executive boards for the Law Review and Appellate Moot Court Board. He is an alumnus of Grove City College, where he graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. Management, minor in Pre-Law, and concentration in Human Resources. Falco is a litigation associate at a big law firm in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, soon headed to clerk for the Third Circuit.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento
The Foundations Series is a new web content venture from CLS aimed at helping Christian law students transition from 3Ls to first-year associates. It features Christian practitioners skilled in the integration of faith and practice, offering guidance in conversation with students at the early stages of their legal development.
My guests today are Joe Ruta and Stephen Lyon. Joe is a Partner of Ruta, Soulios, & Stratis LLP. He is outside general counsel to over 30 corporations ranging from startups to public companies as well as not-for-profits. For more.
Stephen is a deputy assistant public defender working in Connecticut. For more.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Chris Zabriskie.
The recent publication of Melissa Moschella’s Ethics, Politics, and Natural Law has renewed interest in the application of natural law to human flourishing. A topic that has undergone a resurgence among not only Catholics, but also Protestants with seminal publications from those like David VanDrunen, Micah Watson, and Andrew T. Walker. Seeing students engaging in this tradition has been rewarding and today I speak to one of those students, Josiah Wolfe, and his article in the Campbell Law Observer entitled, Natural Law and Its Discontents.
We talk about the early stages of his interest in the topic, whether he’s seeing the natural law in his assignment, how he approaches Aquinas and law, the relationship between legislation and divine ordinance, and much more.
Josiah is a second-year law student at Campbell University School of Law and is a Staff Writer for the Campbell Law Observer. He grew up in North Carolina and graduated summa cum laude from Charter Oak College with a B.S. in Business Administration. He was also a CLS Fellow in 2024.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
A popular refrain from both the left and the right in American society is one concerning the importance of liberty for the flourishment of their respective communities. But what does true freedom look like and, perhaps more importantly, how does one come to attain it and then keep it in a world like our own. This week, I am joined by Brad Littlejohn to talk about his new book, Called to Freedom: Retrieving Christian Liberty in an Age of License.
In our conversation, we discuss the journey of writing this book, the nature and meaning of liberty in all of its areas, role of obligation and virtue, the influence of modern technology on freedom, and more.
Brad is the Director of Programs and Education at American Compass and president emeritus at Davenant Institute.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
The John Witte, Jr. Lecture Series on Christianity & Law is back! A new venture from Christian Legal Society aimed at advancing the conversation surrounding the integration of Christianity & law.
In our second lecture inspired by the American 19th century painters, we go international and ask what contributions Christianity made to advancing human rights. Our keynote is Kristina Arriaga, who digs deep into her Cuban heritage to bring us a fascinating lecture on the Christian jurists who paved the way for our modern rights framework. She was joined by Justice Jamie R. Grosshans (Florida Supreme Court) for a period of Q&A after the lecture.
For more on Kristina's work, see here. If you would like to hear the introductions by Anton Sorkin and John Witte, Jr., and the Q&A with Justice Jamies R. Grosshans, check out the full version here.
SPONSOR: The Witte Lectures are sponsored by TRINITY LAW SCHOOL.
SOUND: Special thanks to Josh Deng for his technical support in getting this audio ready.
MUSIC: Prelude No. 2 by Chris Zabriskie.
SPECIAL THANKS to Stephanie Barclay for writing a wonderful biogrpahy for Kristina in the Program.
Today, a sharply divided Supreme Court reinstated a lower-court order for the Trump administration to release frozen foreign aid. In this episode, I talk with Matthew Soerens of World Relief about some of the recent executive orders and how marginalized voices can help restore the American church in its places of prominence.
Matt began his World Relief journey in 2005 as an intern in Nicaragua. Since then he served as a Department of Justice-accredited legal counselor in Chicagoland before assuming the role of U.S. Director of Church Mobilization and Advocacy. He is the co-author of three books including Welcoming the Stranger (InterVarsity Press, 2018) and Inalienable (InterVarsity Press, 2022). He is a graduate of Wheaton College, where he has also served as a guest faculty member in the Humanitarian & Disaster Leadership program, and earned a master’s degree from DePaul University’s School of Public Service.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
Today we delve into the world of Title VII by looking at the pending case in Carter v. Transp. Workers Union of Am. Local 556. The focus of our discussion will be on the paper from Blaine Hutchison in the Texas Review of Law & Politics, entitled Title VII’s Religious Liberty Rules in Carter (here). Blaine is joined by one of the premier experts in the field of employment law and also my old professor, Bruce Cameron.
As part of this conversation, we lay out some history for Religious Accommodation claims, the importance of protecting the conscience, the freewheelin’ accommodation claim (for more, see this), the background in Carter, and more.
Professor Bruce Cameron (profile) teaches employment discrimination law at Regent University School of Law and has been litigating religious accommodation cases for the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation for four decades. Blaine Hutchinson (profile) is a staff attorney with the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
Many people hate the tax system. It is perhaps the one universal solvent that can bring people together. In this episode, I discuss the income tax system and whether it can actually produce a more equitable society. My guest is Andrew Hayashi, whose paper we discuss is entitled Christianity and the Liberal(ish) Income Tax and was printed in the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics, & Public Policy.
We discuss some basics of income tax, the Christian critics of liberalism, whether the tax system is in fact liberal, what it can do to achieve the common good, and must more.
Andrew is an expert in tax law, tax policy and behavioral law and economics. He joined the University of Virginia School of Law's faculty in July 2013. He is a McDonald Distinguished Fellow at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University. Prior to joining the Law School, he was the Nourallah Elghanayan Research Fellow at the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy at New York University, where his research focused on the effects of tax policy on real estate and housing markets. Before joining the Furman Center, he practiced tax law as an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell. Faculty profile here.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
It is no secret that law students and attorneys exist in a stressful environment. As Amy Levin recently wrote, "[l]aw student mental health is at an all-time low." The American Bar Association (ABA) has conducted a study that shows how this environment tends to contribute to high rates of mental health disorders and substance abuse. In an effort to face this challenge, LSM has launched the Wellness Program—focused on providing students resources and discussions to face this issue, together. Our first episode was with Ruth Haley Barton on Establishing Rhythms & Abiding in God (here). Our second was with Dr. Barbara L. Peacock on developing spiritual disciplines for soul care (here).
On this episode, we are joined by Starr Tomczak to discuss her brand new book called Living Well: Inspired by the Story behind the Bible. Starr not only went to law school and had a succesful law practice as a corporate lawyer, but she also felt the calling to enter seminary and eventually write this book. She has a BA from Carleton College, a JD from New York University Law School, and an MDiv from Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Check out her website here.
Music Credit(s): Tokyo Music Walker & Rexlambo.
Many people use the language of "calling" without considering the scope and duration of that word and what it really means to align one’s gifts with community need. In this episode, I get to explore some of these issues with Steven Zhou, a postdoc researcher on the meaning of calling and the author of a Christianity Today piece entitled Calling Is More Than Your Job.
Steven and I delve deep into the sociological understanding of calling, what it means to align skills with need, to what extent pride and perserverance play a role in self-understanding, and more. At the heart of our conversation is this academic study.
Steven completed his Ph.D. in Industrial & Organizational Psychology from George Mason University, studying under Dr. Stephen Zaccaro and Dr. Philseok Lee. He previously received a B.A. in Industrial & Organizational Psychology and M.A. in Religion from Pepperdine University. He also has four years of full-time applied work experience in human resources, data analytics, and non-profit management along with consulting experience in leadership development and data analysis. Full bio here.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
Happy New Years!
To start off the year right, I wanted to go back to basics: faith through lawyering. My guest is Randy Lee, a veteran in the field, writing on the topic of the Christian lawyer for over three decades. His insights can be found within a body of work (see links here), but the paper we mostly focused on (here) was a book review he did on Joseph G. Allegretti's The Lawyer's Calling: Christian Faith and Legal Practice.
Randy teaches constitutional law, professional responsibility, torts and various writing and advocacy courses. Professor Lee has taught previously at the Villanova and University of Pittsburgh Law Schools and in the Harvard University Summer Program.
NOTE: This episode pairs well with the one featuring Jeff Ventrella on his experiences as a man of faith in big law (here).
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
In the last few weeks, there has been two excellent podcasts that showcase the depths of what legal learning could provide. In the first, a conversation (here) about the history and framework for the federal constitution, taught largely from an incredible five volume work entitled The Founders’ Constitution. The second comes from our friends at the Mattone Center for Law and Religion (here), featuring two Fordham law professors who have launched a forum for law students looking to discuss C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity.
Fortuitous as it is, we have supplemented on this Christmas Day with a third dimension of legal education, which is the question of access to justice and the role of lawyers in improving the lives of their neighbors. My guest is Kevin T. Frazier, who has written an excellent, short piece for the Federalist Society (here) entitled Artificial Intelligence Can Improve Access to Justice, But the Legal Profession Has a Role to Play.
Kevin and I talk about a number of things, including what access to justice means, what are legal deserts, why representation is so important, the various digital tools already out there, and more.
Kevin joined St. Thomas University Benjamin L. Crump College of Law as an Assistant Professor of Law in 2023. He teaches administrative law, constitutional law, and civil procedure. Prior to joining STU Law, he served as a Judicial Clerk on the Montana Supreme Court and conducted research on regulating AI as a Research Fellow with the Legal Priorities Project. As of September 2024, he became a Senior Research Fellow in the Constitutional Studies Program at the University of Texas at Austin. Faculty page here.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
In this special end of the semester episode, I get to talk to two amazing black Christian women about their experiences in law school. And not just in law school, but also the entire process surrounding getting in and getting out. The book at the heart of this discussion is from Jeanelle Angus entitled Unveiling Strength and Faith: The Diary of a Black Christian Female Law Student.
As part of this conversation, we talk about the path of “most” resistance in getting to law school, what it was like realizing their minority status once there, the pressure of having to represent for their communities, various ways they overcame struggles, and much more.
My first guest is Jeanelle C. Angus, a law student at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law, graduating in May 2025. My second guest is attorney Lakuita Bittle, who attended the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law in Washington, D.C.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
This week, we continue our conversation on mental health and the various reasons why law students don’t get the help they need. My guest is Amy Levin—someone who not only understands the legal profession but has also spent much time studying mental health. Amy has written a new paper entitled The Kids Aren’t Alright, in which she discusses the decline in law student mental health and encourages law schools to take steps to normalize mental well-being and to support students in seeking help.
In our discussion, we focus on common stressors, which students struggle the most, why other professions seem to be doing better, and how law students can improve their own mental health.
Amy is a Clinical Professor of Law at LMU Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. She graduated from the UCLA School of Law, Program in Public Interest Law and Policy, and the Department of Social Welfare, where she earned a JD/MSW. Amy also worked for ten years at Arnold & Porter as a litigation attorney and clerked for the Honorable Richard A. Paez of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Faculty bio.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
NOTE: In an effort to help normalize the conversation surrounding mental health, CLS launched the Wellness Program as part of Law Student Ministries. We hope to provide you not only training and support, but also forums where these topics can be discussed and destigmatized. Our first three conversations can be found here (w/ Dr. Tina Armstrong on healthy leadership), here (w/ Ruth Haley Barton on daily rhythms), and here (w/ Dr. Barbara L. Peacock on soul care).
It is no secret that law students and attorneys exist in a stressful environment. As Amy Levin recently wrote, "[l]aw student mental health is at an all-time low." The American Bar Association (ABA) has conducted a study that shows how this environment tends to contribute to high rates of mental health disorders and substance abuse. In an effort to face this challenge, LSM has launched the Wellness Program—focused on providing students resources and discussions to face this issue, together. Our first episode was with Ruth Haley Barton on Establishing Rhythms & Abiding in God (here). This week, we are joined by Dr. Barbara L. Peacock to talk about spiritual disciplines as soul care.
Dr. Peacock is the author of the award-winning book Soul Care in African American Practice (book + workbook). Her newest book is Spiritual Practices for Soul Care 40 Ways to Deepen your Faith (buy). She is passionate about the disciplines of prayer, spiritual direction (soul care), lectio, and visio divina. In 2013 she founded Barbara L. Peacock Ministries. This ministry is committed to providing safe spaces for encounters with God. She founded Peacock Soul Care, whose mission is focused on nurturing souls, educating minds, and cultivating spirituality through soul care and spiritual experiences.
Her personal website is here. Her ministry website is here.
Music Credit(s): Tokyo Music Walker & Rexlambo.
This week, I talk to Lael Weinberger about the doctrine of church autonomy—what it is and, more importantly, where it came from. Lael has written an excellent paper on the origins of church autonomy (here), as well as put to practice his musings in a recent amicus brief he filed in the D.C. Circuit in the case of O’Connell v. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (here).
After we spent some time digging into Lael’s past, we got to business discussing his paper and brief. Some of the topics we discussed included the definition and scope of church autonomy, the jurisdictional nature of this topic as it relates to the state and the church, the history of its development in the 19th century, and much more.
Lael Weinberger is an attorney and legal scholar. He currently works of Gibson Dunn in Washington, D.C. (bio), and serves as a nonresident fellow at Stanford Law (bio). In the past, he clerked for Justice Neil Gorsuch on the United States Supreme Court, Judge Frank Easterbrook on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and Chief Justice Daniel Eismann on the Idaho Supreme Court. He earned a law degree with high honors from the University of Chicago Law School. He also holds a PhD in history from the University of Chicago, with a focus on American legal history.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
This week, we are joined once more by our friend and comparative constitutional law expert from the mean streets of Padua—Andrea Pin. We discuss his brand new book from Brill entitled, Religious Freedom without the Rule of Law: The Constitutional Odysseys of Afghanistan, Egypt, and Iraq and the Fate of the Middle East (here).
Whereby last time we spoke about the development of religious freedom jurisprudence in Europe (listen here), this time we venture into the Islamic world by considering the rule of law and its implications in Afghanistan, Egypt, and Iraq. I ask him about the meaning of “rule of law” and whether it remains a purely Western convention. I ask about the role of community life in his focused regions as it relates to the ways they negotiate legal disputes and tribal tensions. I ask about the role of religious conversion and what happens after. And much more.
Andrea Pin is the Associate Professor of Comparative Public Law at the University of Padova Law School and a senior fellow in the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University. Full bio.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
This week, we have a special guest from the University of Florida Levin College of Law—Christopher D. Hampson. Our topic is a good one: the cancellation of debt. To that end, Chris and I discussed his forthcoming article tentatively entitled Law and the Jubilee Tradition.
Some of the things we spoke about was the jubilee tradition in the Old Testament text, the many ways that tradition connects with the history of American society, his approach based on a Rawlsian ideal of practical reason, principle of equality undergirding his project, and more.
Chris is a scholar of bankruptcy, insolvency, and the ethics of debt. His research focuses on how legal institutions can best serve our shared values during times of financial distress. Chris served as a law clerk for Judge Richard A. Posner on the Seventh Circuit in Chicago and practiced law at a number of promient law firms in Miami and Boston. Full bio and CV here.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
This week, we have a special episode with a return guest of mine—Nicholas Aroney, who recently delivered the Sir John Graham Lecture in New Zealand. You can listen to that here or read it here.
Nick and I talk about this lecture, entitled The Compass of Character, delving into questions relating to the definition of good character, the role that catastrophes play in bringing out an individual's true self, the limits of law and education for the inculcation of good character, and the role of religion in helping bridge the gap.
Nicholas Aroney is Professor of Constitutional Law at The University of Queensland, Director (Public Law) of the Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law and a Senior Fellow of the Centre for Law and Religion at Emory University. As mentioned in our conversation, he has also edited an impressive volume entitled, Christianity and Constitutionalism—this is well worth the money! Faculty bio.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
In this episode, I talk about a new book that models the ten habits that any peacemaker should adopt. The author is Steven T. Collis and the book is Ten Habits of a Peacemaker.
For those wondering how this book compares to the work of Ken Sande’s The Peacemaker, the two are excellent companions. While Ken’s is more theological (LISTEN), Steven’s project looks at the process and psychological challenges of creating a space for constructive dialogue and common life. To that end, him and I spoke about the importance of habit formation, the challenges of navigating perception, the psychology underlying group-think, the various steps that an individual can take to develop the heart of a peacemaker, and much more.
Steven researches and teaches on religion law, productive discourse, and other First Amendment topics at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. He is the founding faculty director of the Bech-Loughlin First Amendment Center and its Law & Religion Clinic. Before joining Texas Law, he was a Research Fellow in the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford Law School. Faculty bio. My first conversation with Steven can be found here.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
This week, I discuss a recent piece (here) in Touchstone Magazine with Adam J. MacLeod entitled “How Law Lost Its Way: An Abandoned Ruling Principle & How to Get It Back.” In it, Adam discusses the role of practical reason in the development of law and the change that took place after the Enlightenment toward a positivistic conception of law rooted in power and force.
We discuss his move to Texas, the meaning of the rule of law and how it was developed throughout history, the role of deliberation in the legal process, how the law was lost through power jurisprudence, and much more.
Adam is Professor of Law at St. Mary’s University (profile) and a Senior Research Fellow of the Center for Religion, Culture and Democracy (for more).
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
This week, we enter the world of labor law theory — more specifically, the question of faith as it relates to the rights of workers.
In this episode, I am joined by law professor Alvin Velazquez to talk about a paper (here) he presented at the St. Louis University School of Law Symposium focused on the question of workplace justice. We talk about his transition from serving with a major American trade union to becoming a law professor at IU-Maurer, the role of faith in advancing workplace justice, the restoration of dignity in the labor market, the application of “prophetic pragmatism” in his developing theory, and much more.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
This week, we talk about an all too familiar topic for law students: contracts.
In this episode, I am joined by law professor C. Scott Pryor to talk about his soon to be published paper in the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics, and Public Policy: Person-Centered Pluralism About Contract Law (download here). Scott and I talk about the fundamentals of contract law, the moral obligation of promise, the significance of binding obligations, and much more.
Scott holds a B.A. from Dordt College and an M.A. from Reformed Theological Seminary. He earned his J.D. from the University of Wisconsin College of Law. You can find many of his other thoughts in his blog here.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
This week, we begin a new chapter in the life of the Cross & Gavel podcast, with a renewed effort to explore the interaction of Christianity and law. This new focus will be exclusive to the work being done by practitioners and academics in their field of knowledge, offering their small contributions to the great intellectual tradition that has made the “cathedral of the law” such a formative discipline to shape society and culture.
We begin our journey thinking about what happens when a Christian attorney walks into a Bar. No, not that kind of bar . . . THE BAR. Yes, the dreaded exam, but also the very life of legal practice it entails. Our Virgil on this voyage is Dr. Jeff J. Ventrella. An adjunct at Trinity Law School and the Director and Chair of the truthXchange Fellowship.
We welcome you on this journey with us and hope it proves fruitful in your own study and practice of law.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
Joining me this week to talk about his brand new autobiographical work on prison ministry is Joe Ingles, who spent over 40 years ministering to prisoners on death row. His powerful book is called Too Close to the Flame: With the Condemned inside the Southern Killing Machine.
RELATED CONTENT
- God's Law & Order - Aaron Griffith (Episode # 164)
- Second Chance Month - Heather Rice-Minus (Episode # 163)
- Break Every Yoke - Vincent Lloyd and Joshua Dubler (Episode # 138)
A note to the audience: change is coming!! We will be back in a few weeks with a brand new logo and a new focus on bringining you the best conversations strcitly focused on the intersection of Christianity and law. Stay tuned and subscribe today!
Joining me today to talk about her new book on extermisn is a former homeland security official, Elizabeth Neumann. Her book is called Kingdom of Rage: The Rise of Christian Extremism and the Path Back to Peace, which looks at how we develop habits of extremism and how we can break the cycle.
RELATED CONTENT
- Agents of Grace - Dan Darling (Episode # 168)
- Learning to Disagree - John Inazu (Episode # 162)
We have a very special episode today with David L. Bahsen about work and the meaning of life. His book, Full-Time, is a challeging and important contribution for resetting our worldviews to fully embrace our role as workers and Christians.
I wrote a short introduction on the Cross & Gavel Substack (here) incorporating David's work with Matthew Kaemingk's Work and Worship (listen to our chat with him here) and John Witte, Jr.'s Table Talk.
Joining me this week to talk about reconciliation and civil discourse is the author of Agents of Grace: How to Bridge Divides and Love as Jesus Loved — Dan hosts the weekly podcast The Way Home, leads the Land Center for Cultural Engagement, and speaks at churches and conferences around the country.
RELATED CONTENT
- Joy For The World - Greg Forster (Episode # 127)
- Learning to Disagree - John Inazu (Episode # 162)
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
Joining me this week to talk a little church history and political theology is the author of Cultural Santificaiton: Engaging the World like the Early Church — Stephen O. Presley. Stephen is a senior fellow for religion and public life at the Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy (CRCD) and associate professor of church history at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS). Profile page here.
RELATED CONTENT
- The Contested Public Square - Greg Forster (Episode # 113)
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
Joining me this week to talk about her new spiritual biography of J.R.R. Tolkien is Holly Ordway. She is the Cardinal Francis George Professor of Faith and Culture at the the Word on Fire Institute and Visiting Professor of Apologetics at Houston Christian University. Her other two books on Apologetics and Tolkien can be found here and here (respectively). For more, check out her website and Twitter account (@HollyOrdway).
The Namárië Forum ("go towards goodness") is an opportunity for us to step back from the mandates (and madness) of law and practice, and into a space for contemplation and imagination regarding the outworking of God in our day and age. In the words of Makoto Fujimura, "[c]ultivating our imagination is essential to fully realizing our potential as God's creatures." For a brief background to this Forum, check out my article here.
In this week's discussion, David VanDrunen returns to the studio to talk about his new short companion on the natural law (buy here). David is the Robert B. Strimple Professor of Systematic Theology and Christian Ethics at Westminster Seminary California (faculty page here). He has written a number of other popular books, ranging from Divine Covenants and Moral Order: A Biblical Theology of Natural Law, Natural Law and the Two Kingdoms: A Study in the Development of Reformed Social Thought and Politics after Christendom: Political Theology in a Fractured World.
RELATED CONTENT
- Bridging the Civil & Divine - Karen Taliferro (Episode # 133)
- Mere Natural Law - Hadley Arkes (Episode # 159)
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
In honor of Second Chance Month, we continue our conversation on criminal justice by focusing on the history of law and order in America. My guest today is Aaron Griffith—assistant professor of modern American history at Whitworth University and the author of God's Law & Order: The Politics of Punishment in Evangelical America.
RELATED CONTENT
This is our third episode on criminal justice this spring. Watch the first episode with Matthew T. Martens here and the second with Heather Rice-Minus here.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
In honor of Second Chance Month, I am joined by the President of Prison Fellowship, Heather Rice-Minus, to talk ministry in cells and the work that remains to be done for reintroducing prisoners into normal life. Follow their work on their website, here.
RELATED CONTENT
This is our second episode on criminal justice this spring. Watch the first episode with Matthew T. Martens here.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
Joining me this week to talk about his brand new book, Learning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect, is John Inazu. He is the Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law & Religion and Professor of Political Science (by courtesy) (bio page). Also check out his Substack here.
RELATED CONTENT
- Confident Pluralism - John Inazu (Episode # 55)
- The Witte Lectures - John WItte, Jr. & John Inazu (here)
- Blessed Are The Peacemakers - Ken Sande (Episode # 114)
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
Joining me this week to talk about reforming criminal justice is the preeminent Christian thinker on matters of law and order, Matthew T. Martens. His new book, Reforming Criminal Justice: A Christian Proposal, is an essential text for helping students and practitioners alike integrate their faith with the legal profession. Buy it here.
This is the first of three Spring episodes looking at the criminal justice system.
RELATED CONTENT
- Break Every Yoke (Episode # 138).
- Romans 13 (Epsiode # 131)
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
Joining me this week to talk a little jurisprudence is an Associate Professor at the Singapore Management University School of Law, Seow Hon Tan (faculty page). She is the author of the book Justice as Friendship: A Theory of Law (purchase), which looks at the idea of friendship and how it can help us formulate a more just legal system.
RELATED CONTENT
- Bridging the Civil & Divine - Karen Taliaferro (Episode # 133)
- Christianity & Constitutionalism: Higher Law - Li-ann Thio (Episodes # 148)
- Mere Natural Law - Hadley Arkes (Episode # 159)
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
The John Witte, Jr. Lecture Series on Christianity & Law is here! A new venture from Christian Legal Society aimed at advancing the conversation on the integration of Christianity & law.
In our inaugural lecture inspired by the Dutch Golden Age painters, we venture into the future of Christian jurisprudence with John Witte, Jr. himself. His remarks focus on the future of Christianity and law, with reference to a few of his recent articles on domestic and international religious freedom (provided here and here). He was joined by Professor John Inazu (Wash. U. School of Law) for a period of Q&A after the lecture. His new book comes out in April so pre-order today (here). Also check out his Substack here.
Finally, if you would like to hear the introductions and concluding remarks, go here. For more on John's publications, check out his website here.
SPONSOR: The Witte Lectures are sponsored by TRINITY LAW SCHOOL.
SOUND: Special thanks to Josh Deng for his technical support in getting this audio ready.
MUSIC: Prelude No. 2 by Chris Zabriskie.
Joining me in conversation on immigraiton and Christian character is Rev. Dr. Jonathan C. Augustine.
He recently released the book When Prophets Preach: Leadership and the Politics of the Pulpit and published a shorter version in the JCLT (here) of his upcoming article with the Howard Law Journal entitled And Who is My Neighbor?: A Faith-Based Argument for Immigration Policy Reform in Welcoming Undocumented Refugees.
For an introduction to our conversation and a summation of Jay's many, many bona fides, check out our Substack article here.
Joining me this week in our first episode of the new year is a renowed thinker and writer on constitutional theory and natural law, Hadley Arkes. Hadley is the Edward N. Ney Professor of Jurisprudence and American Institutions emeritus at Amherst College and the founding director of the James Wilson Institute on Natural Rights and the American Founding. His new book and the focus of this episode is called Mere Natural Law: Originalism and the Anchoring Truths of the Constitution.
RELATED CONTENT
- Bridging the Civil & Divine - Karen Taliferro (Episode # 133)
- Summer Series on "Christianity & Constitutionalism" (see Episodes # 141 to 151)
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
Joining me this time to talk The Abolition of Man on its 80th Anniversary is Joe Kohm, the C.S. Lewis Institute Vice President for Development and City Director for Virginia Beach. Check out their study guide here. I wrote an introduction to our conversation on our Substack here.
The Namárië Forum ("go towards goodness") is an opportunity for us to step back from the mandates (and madness) of law and practice, and into a space for contemplation and imagination regarding the outworking of God in our day and age. In the words of Makoto Fujimura, "[c]ultivating our imagination is essential to fully realizing our potential as God's creatures." For a brief background to this Forum, check out my article here.
Other Forum-specific episodes include: Jason Thacker (Following Jesus in a Digital Age | Episode # 128), Crystal L. Downing (The Subversive Sayers | Episode # 112), and Holly Ordway (There Will Be Dragons | Episode # 108).
Enjoy!
In this special Christmas Day episode, I am joined by the President of the C.S. Lewis Institute to talk about all things Narnia and Lewis. Learn more about the Institute here. Check out the devotional resource Joel's recommends for studying the Series here.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Joining me this week is a return guest and the author of a brand new (and final) book in the Ministry in a Secular Age Series—Andrew Root. His new book is The Church in an Age of Secular Mysticisms: Why Spiritualities Without God Fail to Transform Us [BUY]. For more information on Andy, check out his faculty page here.
RELATED CONTENT
- The Church After Innovation - Andrew Root (Episode # 130)
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
In this episode of the Leadership Roundtable, we are joined by Zachary German of Arizona State University, who talks about the leadership prowess of Abraham Lincoln and how it relates to civic faith.
Zack German is an assistant professor in the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership (SCETL). His research focuses broadly on American political and constitutional thought, along with early modern thought, on questions of statesmanship, political culture and civic character, politics and religion, civic education, and constitutional design.
For more on Zach and his work, check out her faculty page here.
Zach was gracious to offer a reading list as well for those interested in digging deeper. Check out the descripton here.
Joining me this week to talk about the love of learning within the life of faith is Matthew Lee Anderson. Matt is an assistant professor in Baylor University’s Honors College and the Associate Director of Baylor in Washington. He founded Mere Orthodoxy and co-hosts Mere Fidelity, a podcast on faith, theology, and ethics. His new book is titled Called Into Questions. Follow him on Twitter: @mattleeanderson.
RELATED CONTENT
1) Conversations About Books - Byron Borger & Richard Leiter (Episode # 140)
2) What It Means To Be Human - Jeff Brauch (Episode # 81)
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
Joining me this week to talk about the role of religion in the history of America is Mark David Hall, professor at the Regent University School of Government and the author of the brand new book Proclaim Liberty Through All the Land: How Christianity Has Advanced Freedom and Equality for All Americans. Check out his faculty bio for more.
RELATED CONTENT
1) Reformation & Constitutionalism - John WItte, Jr. (Episode # 143)
2) 2000 years of Christian public philosophy - Greg Forster (Episode # 113)
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
Joining me this week to talk about the history and development of the Establishment Clause is Nathan Chapman, the Pope F. Brock Professor of Law at the University of Georgia School of Law. He is the co-author of the new book with Michael McConnell entitled Agreeing to Disagree: How the Establishment Clause Protects Religious Diversity and Freedom of Conscience. Nathan is a preeminent scholar in the areas of constitutional law, religious liberty and ethics. His faculty page here.
RELATED CONTENT
1) Religious Liberty in a Polarized Age - Tom Berg (Episode # 152)
2) Confident Pluralism - John Inazu (Episode # 55)
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
Joining me this week to discuss one the most consequetial cases in years on the freedom of association for religious groups is two Christian Legal Society attorneys, Kim Colby (Of Counsel) and Steve McFarland (Director, Center for Law & Religious Freedom). This case was years in the making and came out of the Ninth Circuit sitting en banc, which gave it increased weight. The opinion can be found here.
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
It is no secret that law students and attorneys exist in a stressful environment. The American Bar Association (ABA) has conducted a study that shows how this environment tends to contribute to high rates of mental health disorders and substance abuse. In an effort to face this challenge, LSM is proud to launch the Wellness Program—focused on providing students resources and discussions to face this issue, together.
For our inaugural event, the Wellness Program is privileged to host a very special guest—Ruth Haley Barton. Her topic will focus on pursuing wellness through established rhythms and an abiding relationship with God. Ruth has spent over 20 years as a student, a practitioner, and a leader in the area of Christian spirituality and spiritual formation. She served on the staff of several churches before founding the Transforming Center, a ministry dedicated to creating space for God to strengthen the souls of leaders, equipping them to lead transforming communities. Her website here.
She is the author of numerous books, including Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership, and Invitation to Solitude and Silence (purchase here).
Music Credit(s): Tokyo Music Walker & Rexlambo.
Joining me this week to talk religious freedom and the culture at large is Tom Berg, the James L. Oberstar Professor of Law and Public Policy at St. Thomas School of Law. Tom has written approximately 75 book chapters and journal articles and dozens of op-eds and shorter pieces on religious freedom, constitutional law, and the role of religion in law, politics and society. His work has been cited multiple times by the U.S. Supreme Court and federal courts of appeals. He is the author of the recent bestseller (among some circles), Religious Liberty in a Polarized Age. Faculty bio here.
RELATED CONTENT
1) Cancel Wars - Sigal R. Ben Porath (Episode # 137)
2) Religion and Its Dicontents - Kelsey Dallas (Episode # 102)
3) Confident Pluralism - John Inazu (Episode # 55)
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
Today, we conclude our summer series looking into the essays in a brand new volume entitled Christianity and Constitutionalism (Oxford University Press 2023) (PURCHASE HERE). In this episode, we head back to my time zone in speaking with a Canadian man of mystery, Douglas Farror. Our topic today is how the end times contributes to our understanding of constitutionalism. Douglas is a professor of Theology and Ethics at McGill University and the author of numerous books, including a commentary on 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Ascension Theology, and Desiring a Better Country: Forays in Political Theology. Check out his faculty bio (here) and his Subtack (here).
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
Today, we continue our summer series looking into the essays in a brand new volume entitled Christianity and Constitutionalism (Oxford University Press 2023) (PURCHASE HERE). In this episode, we return to Australia States and tackle the question of God's revelation and how it relates to constitutionalism. Our guest today is Iain Benson, professor of law at the University of Notre Dame Australia and author of the article discussed here entitled Subsidiarity: Origins and Contemporary Aspects. See his full bio.
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
Today, we continue our summer series looking into the essays in a brand new volume entitled Christianity and Constitutionalism (Oxford University Press 2023) (PURCHASE HERE). In this episode, we return to the States and tackle the question of God's revelation and how it relates to constitutionalism. Our guest today is David VanDrunen — Robert B. Strimple Professor of Systematic Theology and Christian Ethics at Westminster Seminary California (faculty page here). David has written a number of popular books, ranging from Divine Covenants and Moral Order: A Biblical Theology of Natural Law, Natural Law and the Two Kingdoms: A Study in the Development of Reformed Social Thought, and most recently Politics after Christendom: Political Theology in a Fractured World.
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
Today, we continue our summer series looking into the essays in a brand new volume entitled Christianity and Constitutionalism (Oxford University Press 2023) (PURCHASE HERE). In this episode, we discuss the essay from Li-ann Thio looking at the confluence of higher law and the rule of law. Li-ann is the provost chair professor of law at the National University of Singapore and a renowed expert in public international law, human rights, constitutional and administrative law. Her faculty bio can be found here.
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
Today, we continue our summer series looking into the essays in a brand new volume entitled Christianity and Constitutionalism (Oxford University Press 2023) (PURCHASE HERE). In this episode, we discuss the essay from Ricahrd Ekins looking at the confluence of self-government and the Kingdom of Heaven. Richard is a Professor of Law and Constitutional Government at the University of Oxford. He is co-author of Legislated Rights: Securing Human Rights through Legislation (CUP, 2018) and author of The Nature of Legislative Intent (OUP, 2012). Check out his faculty profile, with a full list of publications, here.
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
Today, we continue our summer series looking into the essays in a brand new volume entitled Christianity and Constitutionalism (Oxford University Press 2023) (PURCHASE HERE). In this episode, we discuss the essay from David McIlroy looking at the impact of Trinitarian theology for constitutionalism. David is Head of Chambers at Forum Chambers in London and a visiting professor at Queen Mary University of London and the University of Notre Dame. David's books are numerous, relevant to this podcast are A Trinitarian Theology of Law and A Biblical View of Law And Justice: Christian Perspectives on Law. Check out his website (here) where he aims to help people think deeply about the integration of work and faith.
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
Today, we continue our summer series looking into PART II in the essays in a brand new volume entiteld Christianity and Constitutionalism (Oxford University Press 2023) (PURCHASE HERE). In this episode, we have the privilege of speaking with the former justice on the Constitutional Court of Colombia and now a professor at the University of Dayton School of Law (faculty bio here). He is a world travel, having studied and lived in Spain, Germany, Colombia, and Australia. He's worked on a myriad of publications, including the recent volume called Constitutional Change and Transformation in Latin America. In this episode, we talk about the separation of powers, the catalytic role of the judiciary, and more.
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
Today, we continue our summer series looking into the essays in a brand new volume entiteld Christianity and Constitutionalism (Oxford University Press 2023) (PURCHASE HERE). In this episode, we discuss the essay from Dr. Joan Lockwood O'Donovan on the English Reformation, modernity, and public theology. Joan is an Honorary Reader at the University of St. Andrews School of Divinity and author of Theology of Law and Authority in the English Reformation and English Public Theology: A Reformation Response to the Crisis of Natural Rights (forthcoming). She also co-authored a seminal work of political theology with Oliver O'Donovan entitled From Irenaeus to Grotius: A Sourcebook in Christian Political Thought.
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
Today, we continue our summer series looking into the essays in a brand new volume entiteld Christianity and Constitutionalism (Oxford University Press 2023) (PURCHASE HERE). In this episode, we discuss the essay from Professor John Witte, Jr. on the Protestant Reformers and their contribution to the development of constitutionalism. John is the Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Law at Emory University School of Law and one of the preminent scholars on the confluence of Christianity and law. He has written more books that I can count, recently including The Blessings of Liberty: Human Rights and Religous Freedom in the Western Legal Tradition (here) and Church, State, and Family: Reconciling Traditional Teachings and Modern Liberties (here). Last year, he delivered his Gifford Lecture at the University of Aberdeen on a new calvinist tradition of rights (watch). His complete inventory of publications can be mined here.
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
Today, we continue our summer series looking into the essays in a brand new volume entiteld Christianity and Constitutionalism (Oxford University Press 2023) (PURCHASE HERE). In this episode, we discuss the essay from Professor R.H. Helmholz on what the canon law can teach us about constitutionalism. Dr. Helmholz is the Ruth Wyatt Rosenson Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Law at the University of Chicago, the Nation's leading scholar on medieval legal history, and the author of several books, including The Profession of Ecclesiastical Lawyers: An Historical Introduction (here) and Natural Law in Court (here). His full bio can be found here.
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
Today, we begin our summer series looking into the essays in a brand new volume entiteld Christianity and Constitutionalism (Oxford University Press 2023) (PURCHASE HERE). In this episode, co-editor Nick Aroney discusses his introduction, his essay on Federalism, as well as offering a lengthy breakdown of the volume itself (i.e., 47:12 et al). Nick is a professor of constitutional law at The University of Queensland and an external fellow of the Centre for Law and Religion at Emory University. For more, see his full bio here.
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
Books, books, books—that is our focus today, with two individuals who spent their lives surrounded by them. Joining me is the bookseller (Hearts & Minds) out of Pennsylvania, Byron Borger. And, law librarian from Nebraska University School of Law, Richard A. Leiter (bio here).
RELATED EPISODE:
1) Previous episodes with Byron (56, 64, 71)
2) Previous episode with Richard (48)
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
Joining me this week to talk about her new book on theology and environmental stewardship is Sandra L. Richter. She is a renowed expert on the Old Testament, who currently holds the Robert H. Gundry Chair of Biblical Studies at Westmont College. See her faculty bio here and buy her new book here.
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
In this episode of the Leadership Roundtable, we are joined by Dr. Tina Armstrong from Fuller Theological Seminary. Her topic is on forming emotionally healthy leaders, including practices you can adopt today for calm and control.
Dr. Armstrong is a renowned expert on clinical psychology and leadership, researching and teaching in areas involving community mental health, wellness and resilience in helping professionals. She is a director at one of the most renowned seminaries in the country and an accomplished speaker and writer..
For more on Dr. Armstrong, check out her faculty page here.
Joining me this week to talk about abolitionism and religion are the authors of Break Every Yoke: Religion, Justice, and the Abolition of Prisons (buy here). Joshua is the associated professor of religion and director of the Rochester Education Justice Initiative at the University of Rochester (faculty bio). Vincent is an associate professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University, where he directs the Villanova Political Theology Project (faculty bio).
RELATED CONTENT
- Justin Giboney at CLSNC 2012 (Special Episode).
- Ministry of Presence (Episode # 125)
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
With widespread protests on university campuses, the question of reconciling free speech and inclusion is more important than ever for instutitional integrity. Joining me this week to talk about this balance is professor of education, philosophy, and political science at the University of Pennsylvania, and author of Cancel Wars: How Universities Can Foster Free Speech, Promote Inclusion, and Renew Democracy — Sigal R. Ben-Porath.
RELATED CONTENT
- What Happened to Civility (Episode # 121).
- Blessed Are The Peacemakers (Episode # 120).
- Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory (Episode # 110).
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Joining me this week to talk about the AI revolution and its impact on the legal profession is the Intel Social Justice and Racial Equity Professor of Law at North Carolina Central University, Kevin Lee. Check out his bio here and some of his publications here.
RELATED CONTENT
- Following Jesus in a Digital Age (Episode # 128).
- The Religion of Techtopia (Episode # 120).
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Joining me today to talk tax justice and church history is adjunct professor at Trinity Law School and author of the formative study — Tax Law, Religion, and Justice: An Exploration of Theological Reflections on Taxation — Allen Calhoun. Buy his book today (here).
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Over the 2023 March for Life, CLS co-sponsored an event Thursday night with FCLNY and Guiding Star Project as part of the Reframing Agency series. This is the second installment of that series, covering the future of intimacy after Dobbs. For this event, we are joined by two panelists, Louise Perry, columnist at The New Statesman and author of The Case Against the Sexual Revolution: A New Guide to Sex in the 21st Century, and Helen Roy, contributing editor of the American Mind and host of the podcast GIRLBOSS INTERRUPTED. Our moderator is Dr. Alisia Chase, Professor of Art History and Visual Culture at SUNY Brockport and FCLNY's resident feminist scholar.
Relevant Content
PART I (w/ Christine Emba, Erika Bachiochi, and Destiny Herndon-De La Rosa) can be accessed through here.
The episode was produced by FCLNY.
In this episode of the Leadership Roundtable, we are joined by Chaplain (MAJ) Mark Lee to discuss moral leadership in an institutional setting hostile to it. Chaplain Lee has an incredible bio, including a number of civilian and military degrees, several commendation medals, and a ministry background across the world, including serving as the CLS President at the University of Hawaii and pastoring the largest congregation in the U.S. Army.
For more on Chaplain Lee, check out the YouTube here.
A conversation with Andrew Speicher about navigating faith from the big law to the small in the State of Kansas. For more on Andrew, visit his firm page here.
This conversation was part of the Foundations Series, a new web content venture from Christian Legal Society aimed at helping Christian law students transition from 3Ls to first-year associates. To listen to the first conversation with Bob Cochran, go here.
Over the 2023 March for Life, CLS co-sponsored an event Thursday night with FCLNY and Guiding Star Project as part of the Reframing Agency series. The event featured Christine Emba (Washington Post), Erika Bachiochi (EPPC), and Destiny Herndon-De La Rosa (Moderator). The heart of the discussion was premised on Christine's Rethinking Sex: A Provocation and Erika's The Rights of Women: Reclaiming a Lost Vision. Both great books worth reading.
Destiny is part of New Wave Feminists, who's making her third appearance on the Cross & Gavel (see Episode #109 and Episode #122).
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Joining me this week to talk about how we can birdge the vices and virtues of our character gap is the A. C. Reid Professor of Philosophy at Wake Forest University, Christian Miller (more information). He is the author of several books on moral psychology, moral character, and honesty. The book in question for this episode is called The Character Gap: How Good Are We?, which can be purchased here.
RELATED CONTENT
-
Discussion on public witness and living with joy (Episode # 127).
-
Discussion on civility through the eyes of Montainge (Episode # 121).
-
Discussion on how to practice peacemaking (Episode # 114)
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Joining me on this first-of-the-year episode to talk about the civil and divine law, and what can bridge the difference, is assistant professor and author at Arizona State University, Karen Taliaferro (faculty bio). Her book is called The Possibility of Religious Freedom and can be purchased here.
RELATED CONTENT
-
Panel discussion on Romans 13 and Christian public theology (Episode # 131).
-
Discussion on religion and its discontents (Episode # 103).
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Joining me today to talk about the debate surrounding what Paul meant when he invokes "works of the law" (Romans 3:20, Galatians 2:16) is Matthew J. Thomas. He is an assistant professor of biblical studies at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, California [bio]. He is also the author of the book, Paul's "Works of the Law" in the Perspective of Second-Century Reception, which can be purchased here.
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY.
The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
In this episode of the Leadership Roundtable, we are joined by Dean Eric Enlow, calling in from South Korea. His topic is a fascinating one: public witness and persecution, with an emphasis on the political theology of Pastor Wang Yi, a house-church pastor currently serving a prison term in China. Eric is the dean and a professor of law at Handong International Law School (HILS). He is an expert on Christian legal theory and teaches courses covering the biblical, systematic and historical relation between Christ and the law.
Pastor Wang Yi's declaration (read by Eric) can be accessed here and Yi's new book can be purchased here.
For more on the forum and the speaker, check out the YouTube page here.
Lecture from Tom Lin (President of Intervarsity) at this year's CLS National Conference in Newport Beach, CA.
Lecture from Jennifer (Marshall) Patterson (RTS) at this year's CLS National Conference in Newport Beach, CA.
Lecture from Justin E. Giboney (AND Campaign) at this year's CLS National Conference in Newport Beach, CA. Following him on Twitter at @JustinEGiboney.
A special group of perfect strangers got together one evening during the 2022 CLS National Conference to talk about Aquinas, swingsets, and the authority of God. A few week later their audio was found. Caveat Emptore.
PARTICIPANTS: Eric Enlow, Myron Steeves, Frank Beckwith, Eddie Colanter, Mike Schutt (aka "Not a Dean of Anything").
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Ghostrifter. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
A special group of perfect strangers got together one evening during the 2022 CLS National Conference to talk about Aquinas, swingsets, and the authority of God. A few week later their audio was found. Caveat Emptore.
PARTICIPANTS: Eric Enlow, Myron Steeves, Frank Beckwith, Eddie Colanter, Mike Schutt (aka "Not a Dean of Anything").
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Ghostrifter. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Joining me this week to talk about the dangers of adopting an "always be innovating" model for the church is Andrew Root. His new book ("The Church After Innovation: Questioning Our Obsession with Work, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship") is now available (here).
RELATED CONTENT
-
Religion of Silicon Valley (#120)
-
Christian Leadership in Uncertain Terrain (#110)
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Joining me this week to talk about the dangers of adopting an "always be innovating" model for the church is Andrew Root. His new book ("The Church After Innovation: Questioning Our Obsession with Work, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship") is now available (here).
RELATED CONTENT
-
Religion of Silicon Valley (#120)
-
Christian Leadership in Uncertain Terrain (#110)
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
This week, I talk with two executive directors for their respective organizations about modern day slavery in the form of sex trafficking. Liz runs the International Organization for Stopping Exploitation of Women (IoSEW) and Brianna runs Triad Ladder of Hope (here). For more on this heionous crime, check out the memoir Girls Like Us from Rachel Lloyd.
RELATED CONTENT
- Prosecuting Human Trafficking (#50)
Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Joining me today to talk about the all important work of preparing the church to tackle the technological age is Jason Thacker — the chair of research in technology ethics and director of the research institute at The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). Jason's new book is out now and can be purchased here.
For more on Jason's work, I recommend subscribing to his own excellent podcast (Digital Public Square), following him on Twitter (@jasonthacker), & getting his newsletter on weekly tech—all of which can be found here.
Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
Joining this week to talk about how Christianity lost its cultural influence and can begin rebuilding it anew is assistant professor of biblical and systematic theology at Trinity International University—Greg Forster. His book, Joy for the World, can be purchased here.
RELATED CONTENT
-
My first discussion with Greg on the history of political theology (#113).
-
On Christian leadership in uncharted territory (#110).
Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
For our first ever Leadership Roundtable, the students and I were joined by Dr. Jason Lepojärvi on the topic of overcoming resentment culture and better loving our neighbors. Jason is the C.S. Lewis Associate Professor of Theology & Literature (Honors Program) at George Fox University.
For more on the forum and the speaker, check out the event page here.
Finding contentment is difficult. So, instead, we replace that pursuit with temporal acts of distraction and pleasure. Joining me this week to discuss the search for meaning through the eyes of four french philosophers is AEI Fellow and author of "Why We Are Restless" — Benjamin Storey. Get his latest book here. Read his latest NY TIMES op-ed, with co-author Jenna Storey, here.
RELATED CONTENT
-
How and How Not To Be Happy (#118).
-
On Civility and Montainge (#121)
Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A special thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Joining me today talk about the ministry of presence and the role of chaplaincy on university campuses is Dr. Winnifred Sullivan – professor of religious studies and co-director of the Center for Religion and the Human at Indiana University. And, Pete Williamson, staff members with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and a chaplain at Harvard University.
Check out Winnifred's fauclty page here and Pete's article in Christianity Today — "Why I Voted For the Atheist President of Harvard's Chaplain Group."
RELATED CONTENT
-
Steve Collis talks heroic chaplains durnig WWII (#105).
-
Doing religion in Silicon Valley (#120).
Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Closing out our summer of Dobbs is a discussion about the opinion itself and the looming state of demedicalized aborton. Joining me today is senior counsel at Americans United for Life — Clarke Forsythe. Check out his work at AUL (here) and read his latest paper on State Regulation of Chemical Abortion After Dobbs (here). His seminal study on Roeis a must read (available here).
RELATED CONTENT
-
Discussing the Post-Roe Society (#109 and #122).
-
Diving into the neuroscience and theology of the body (#107 and #123).
Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
With the end of Roe comes a renewed conversation about the meaning of sex and the purpose of our physical bodies. Here to discuss the theology of the body and his new book — Wonderfully Made — is a Lutheran man from a land down under: John Kleining. Check out John's faculty page at Australian Lutheran College (here) and buy his book (here) today!
Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
With the end of Roe v. Wade comes the next chapter of the abortion saga. Here to discuss whether the pro-life movement has adequately prepared us for this moment, and what States must do next to help women, is three experts on the topics of employment, community, and life: Amelia Ragan (employment attorney and partner), Destiny Herndon-De La Rosa (Founder of New Wave Feminists), and Cherilyn Holloway (Founder of Pro-Black Pro Life). Also, check out this article from Destiny in the Church Life Journal at Notre Dame University: The Bigger Vision of a World Without Roe v. Wade.
Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
The loss of civility has not gone unnoticed, as more and more of us seek the institutional self over the service of community and higher principles. Discussing the intellectual history of the self in the work of Michel de Montainge — and, how his understanding of civility has failed today — is philosopher Ann Hartle. For more on Ann's work, check out her faculty page and buy her new book today!
Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
When work becomes religion in Silicon Valley — that is the topic for this episode. With UC-Berekeley sociologist Carolyn Chen serving as our guide, helping us understand how tech workers have ushered in a new era of ritual and life in the shadows of productivity. For more on Carolyn's work, check out her page and buy her new book today!
Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Finding a healthy work-life balance in the legal profession is a challenge. Here to discuss what students and faculty must do to help cultivate this balance is law professor at Georgia State University College of Law — Jonathan Todres. Check out more of this work here and read his brand new paper "Work-Life Balance and the Need to Give Law Students a Break."
Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
With rates of suicide going up and depression rampant among teens, it is clear that many Americans are struggling to find some semblance of an enduring peace. Here to discuss the timeless question of how and how not to be happy is professor of government and philosophy at the University of Texas and the author of the new book entitled “How and How Not To Be Happy” – J. Budziszewski. Check out his faculty page and his personal website here. And, buy his book today!
Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
School officials at Bremerton High School suspended—and later fired—football coach Joe Kennedy because of his on-the-field prayer practice that drew widespread attention from students and press. Here to talk about Kennedy v. Bremerton School District and school prayer more generally is Keisha Russell — an attorney from First Liberty Institute. For more on Keisha's work, check out her profile at FLI here. For more on the case, check out the SCOTUSblog page here. Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
In a time when protest reigns supreme, the right to associate under a common banner seems intuitive. But, as more and more of us become subservient to the will of the state and personal preference, the space for pure intermediate association dwindles. Here, to discuss the history and philosophy behind the freedom of association is Dr. Luke Sheahan of Duquesne University. For more on Luke, check out his page and buy his book, today!
Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Our Founding Fathers knew well the importance of religion to education. And, yet today, many have dismissed the utility of faith in the development of character. Here to discuss religion's surprising impact on academic success is author of "God, Grades, and Graduation" — Ilana Horwitz. For more on Dr. Horwitz, check out her website and her recent op-ed in the New York Times. More importantly, buy her book here. Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his disciplines: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
Joining me today to talk about peace and the making therein is the founder of Peacemaker Ministries, now dedicating his time to Christian reconciliation and building his network through Relational Wisdom 360 – Ken Sande. Buy his groundbreaking book today.
Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
The public engagement of the church has been anything but boring. Joining me today to talk through 2,000 years of Christian public philosophy in 50 minutes is the director of the Oikonomia Network and a visiting assistant professor of faith and culture at Trinity Graduate School – Greg Forster. We discuss Greg's excellent overview study of the political philosophy of the church in The Contested Public Square (buy here). Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
The co-director of the Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College, Crystal L. Downing, joins me this week to talk about the subversive Dorothy L. Sayers. Discover more about Crystal's work here and buy her wonderful biography of Sayers here. Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
The formation of good habits and the appropriation therein by the bad is a perennial topic of concern for Christians aiming to live a life worthy of their calling. See Ephesians 4:1. My guest today has written two books that will form the basis of our two part discussion on this very issue. In this first part, we will talk about The Common Rule. Then, later in the semester, we will tackle Habits of the Household. For more on Justin and his work, go here and here. You can also follow him on Twitter at @Justin_W_Earley. Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
It should come as no surprise that we are living in complex times. Christians are called to such a moment and should act accordingly by engaging more, not less, with the changing landscape. My guest today (Tod Bolsinger) has written two books helping us do just that (Canoeing The Mountains and Tempered Resilience): developing a vision for adaptive leadership. For more on Tod and his work, go here and here. You can also follow him on Twitter at @todbol. Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
A recording of Lee Strobel's presentation at the 2021 CLS National Conference in San Antonio, Texas. For more on Lee's work, go here and follow him on Twitter at @LeeStrobel. Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
A recording of James K.A. Smith's presentation at the 2021 CLS National Conference in San Antonio, Texas. For more on Jamie's work, go here and follow him on Twitter at @James_ka_smith. Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
With the Supreme Court on the verge of overturning Roe v. Wade, questions emerge concerning the state of our society and the ability of mothers to participate fully, therein. Here to talk about that whole life is the founder of New Wave Feminists — Destiny Herndon-De La Rosa. Follow her and NWF on Twitter (i.e., @DestinyHDLR, @NWFproTX) and read more about her work here. Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Joining us today to talk about the cultivation of the Christian imagination and the life J.R.R. Tolkien is the fellow of faith & culture at the Word on Fire Institute and visiting professor of apologetics at Houston Baptist University – Holly Ordway. Her two books on Apologetics and Tolkien can be found here and here (respectively). For more, check out her website and Twitter account (@HollyOrdway). JOIN US next week in San Antonio for the CLS National Conference. This year's event will feature Lee Strobel, Ruth Okediji, James K.A. Smith, and Laudir Lugo. Register today.
Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Scripture instructs believers to "be anxious for nothing," creating the illusion that how we respond to stress is entirely a product of personal agency. Our guest today pushes back on this notion, calling for a holistic vision of anxiety rooted in theology and science. Dr. Matthew Lapine has written a wonderful book on the topic, and an accessible article for Christianity Today (here). For more, check out his website and his Twitter account (@matthewalapine). JOIN US this month in San Antonio for the CLS National Conference. This year's event will feature Lee Strobel, Ruth Okediji, James K.A. Smith, and Laudir Lugo. Register today.
Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
Every Sunday, pastors across the nation are telling their congregants to leave the stresses of work behind and focus instead on Jesus. Here to discuss this separation between work and worship, and how the church can do a better job in promoting the integration therein, is Matthew Kaemingk – assistant professor, director of the Richard John Mouw Institute of Faith and Public Life, and associate dean of Fuller Theological Seminary in Houston, Texas. Find his work here and here. Purchase his books on work + worship, immigration, and political theology today [link]. Find him on Twitter at @matthewkaemingk. JOIN US this October in San Antonio for the CLS National Conference. This year's event will feature Lee Strobel, Ruth Okediji, James K.A. Smith, and Laudir Lugo. Register today.
Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
In 1943, a German U-Boat attacked an American ship off the coast of Greenland. In the moments thereafter, courage and panic proved to be the currency of choice; some, succumbing to the moment in sheer terror. While others, embodying the sacrificial tenor of true heroes, gave their lives to save their friends. Here to discuss the sinking of the USS Dorchester and the awe-inspiring rescue that followed is law professor and founding director of the religious freedom clinic at the University of Texas, Steven T. Collis. Buy his book, The Immortals, today; and, follow his work at the law school. JOIN US this October in San Antonio for the CLS National Conference. This year's event will feature Lee Strobel, Ruth Okediji, James K.A. Smith, and Laudir Lugo. Register today.
Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
The rampant flood of misinformation has made it increasingly difficult to be a member of the reality based community. Here to diagnose this problem and to offer a solution is senior fellow at the Brookings Institute and contributing writer for The Atlantic, Jonathan Rauch. Discover his writing and follow him on Twitter at @jon_rauch. Purchase his important new book – The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth – today! JOIN US this October in San Antonio for the CLS National Conference. This year's event will feature Lee Strobel, Ruth Okediji, James K.A. Smith, and Laudir Lugo. Register today.
Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento. A Special Thanks to Nick and Ashley Barnett for their contribution in making this podcast possible.
It's no secret that religion of late has lost its luster in the eyes of many Americans. Cast into relative disrepute for seemingly disrupting the momentum in the fight for equality, religion is no longer seen as the preeminent value once deemed by both political parties. Joining the show today to discuss these issues is the national religion reporter at Deseret News: Kelsey Dallas. Read her articles and subscribe to her newsletter today to keep up with the latest developments. JOIN US this October in San Antonio for the CLS National Conference. This year's event will feature Lee Strobel, Ruth Okediji, James K.A. Smith, and Laudir Lugo. Register today.
Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
Another term, another Supreme Court review! Kim Colby and I talk about the cases that impacted the state of religious liberty in America and what the future may bring. Learn more about her work at CLS' Center for Law & Religious Freedom here. Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
Joining us today to talk about conservative Christianity and racial identity in the segregation era is historian Daniel Bare. We talk about the fundamentalist tradition in the early twentieth century and why the influence of the black church was lost during this period. For a sample, read his article in Christianity Today entitled The Uneasy Conscience of Black Fundamentalism and check out the review of his book from historian Thomas Kidd. Learn more about Daniel in his bio for Texas A&M and on Twitter via @Daniel_Bare. But, most importantly, buy his book today through NYU Press.
Finally, JOIN US this October in San Antonio for the CLS National Conference. This year's event will feature Lee Strobel, Ruth Okediji, James K.A. Smith, and Laudir Lugo. Register today.
Episode produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.
From the Book of Numbers to the storming of the Capitol, Andrew L. Whitehead joins us today to discuss Christian Nationalism and its impact on American religion. His new book, with co-author Samuel Perry, offers a seminal sociological study for understanding this new movement, including the various ways Christian Nationalists think, vote, and manifest their desires for a renewed Christian America. To learn more about the work that Andrew is doing, check out his bio, his new book, and follow him on Twitter at @ndrewwhitehead.
Finally . . . join us this October in San Antonio for the CLS National Conference. This year's event will feature Lee Strobel, Ruth Okediji, James K.A. Smith, and Laudir Lugo. Register today.
[This episode has been produced by Josh Deng. Music comes from Vexento.]
Volume 4 of "Small Brains on Big Books" features Drew Nelson and Mike Schutt discussing Beowulf. You'll love this discussion, even if you didn't love Beowulf in High School.
Andrew Nelson is preacher at Southside Church of Christ in Mount Pleasant Texas, and Mike Schutt is the host of Cross and Gavel audio, Executive Director of Worldview Academy, and Clinical Associate Professor at Trinity Law School.
Join host Mike Schutt, Law Student Ministries Communications Coordinator Joan McElveen, Pepperdine 3L Reed Bartley, and law student leaders from other law schools across the country, as they share and discuss virtual meetings that work.
Listen in on excerpts from our first-ever national Law Student Leaders' Summit, featuring an introduction to Law Student Ministries, an overview of Christian Legal Society's four ministries, an exhortation on the calling of the leader, and some questions and sharing by campus leaders from all over the country.
On Wednesday, September 9, the Department of Education announced a new rule that will protect religious groups meeting on public university campuses. Kim Colby, the director of the Center for Law and Religious Freedom at Christian Legal Society, lays out why the regulation was necessary, and what it will mean for students.
The Department's announcement is here.
Join Drew Nelson and Mike Schutt as they discuss the insights and admonitions of Rod Dreher‘s 2017 The Benedict Option. The book has been widely discussed, and rightly so, in Christian circles since its publication, and, as Drew and Mike discuss, Dreher’s challenge to the Church to be the Church is a welcome one, regardless of the relative dangers of secular culture. Yet the book’s insights on that score are helpful, too, and Drew and Mike highlight Dreher's key insights on politics, education, and technology as they relate to his main thesis.
Andrew Nelson is preacher at Southside Church of Christ in Mount Pleasant Texas, and Mike Schutt is the host of Cross and gavel audio, the director of Christian Legal Society’s Law Student Ministries, and Clinical Associate Professor at Trinity Law School.
Kim Colby and Reed Smith of the Center for Law and Religious Freedom unpack the troubling Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, handed down June 15. Justice Gorsuch seems to abandon his vaunted "textualism" in favor of a convoluted "literalism" with disastrous results. This is part three of three episodes discussing the important Supreme Court decisions of the last three weeks.
Between June 15 and June 30, 2020, the US Supreme Court handed down three significant decisions of critical interest to religious conservatives. Colby and Smith join host Mike Schutt to discuss each case. Their conversation is divided into three episodes, one for each case.
Episode 92 features Kim Colby on Espinoza v. Montana Dept of Revenue, episode 93 focuses on June Medical Services v. Russo with Reed Smith, and episode 94 unpacks Bostock v. Clayton County, GA, a particularly troubling case on the meaning of the word "sex" in Title VII.
Kim Colby is Director of the Christian Legal Society'sCenter for Law and Religious Freedom, and Reed Smith is the Center's Director of Litigation.
Between June 15 and June 30, 2020, the US Supreme Court handed down three significant decisions of critical interest to religious conservatives. Kim Colby and Reed Smith, attorneys at the Center for Law & Religious Freedom, join host Mike Schutt to discuss each case. Their conversation is divided into three episodes, one for each case.
Episode 92 features Kim Colby on Espinoza v. Montana Dept of Revenue, episode 93 focuses on June Medical Services v. Russo with Reed Smith, and episode 94 unpacks Bostock v. Clayton County, GA.
Kim Colby is Director of the Christian Legal Society'sCenter for Law and Religious Freedom, and Reed Smith is the Center's Director of Litigation.
Between June 15 and June 30, 2020, the US Supreme Court handed down three significant decisions of critical interest to religious conservatives. Kim Colby and Reed Smith, attorneys at the Center for Law & Religious Freedom, join host Mike Schutt to discuss each case. Their conversation is divided into three episodes, one for each case.
Episode 92 features Kim Colby on Espinoza v. Montana Dept of Revenue, episode 93 focuses on June Medical Services v. Russo with Reed Smith, and episode 94 unpacks Bostock v. Clayton County, GA.
Kim Colby is Director of the Christian Legal Society's Center for Law and Religious Freedom, and Reed Smith is the Center's Director of Litigation.
Kim Colby, Director of the Center for Law & Religious Freedom, says that the Supreme Court will decide at least eight important religious freedom cases between now and next June. This term and next are "dream terms," she says, for religious freedom lawyers and court watchers.
In this episode, she highlights five of these cases, beginning with the "church re-opening" case, South Bay United Pentecostal Church v. Newsom, decided on an emergency appeal earlier this month ("I am concerned and disappointed, but not flipping out," she says of Chief Justice Roberts's concurring opinion). From there, she discusses the import of four major cases that have been argued or will be argued later this year:
- Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue. She expects an announcement of the decision any day now, and she predicts a win for religious freedom;
- Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, "an extremely important case" in which the Center filed an amicus brief;
- St. James School v. Biel/Our Lady of Guadalupe v. Morrissey-Berru, consolidated and addressing an issue that tests the limits of the unanimous decision in the 2012 Hosanna-Tabor case;
- Little Sisters of the Poor v. Azar, featuring the order's third trip to the Supreme Court.
It's always a great time when Kim Colby visits Cross & Gavel. She is the director of Christian Legal Society’s Center for Law and Religious Freedom , where she has worked since graduating from Harvard Law School in 1981. She has represented religious groups in several appellate cases, including two cases heard by the United States Supreme Court. She has filed numerous amicus briefs in federal and state courts. Ms. Colby has prepared several CLS publications addressing issues about religious expression in public schools, including released time programs, implementation of the Equal Access Act, and teachers’ religious expression.
Visit the Center's website for resources on its first amendment work.
Cross & Gavel is a production of Trinity Law School and Christian Legal Society. Mike Schutt is director of Law Student Ministries for CLS and Clinical Associate Professor at Trinity.
Dr. Drew Trotter, executive director of the Consortium of Christian Study Centers, is a film critic who understands the role that movies play in shaping us as a society. His lecture, The Movies and America: What the Nominees for Best Picture Tell Us About Ourselves, is an annual favorite around the country.
In this episode, Dr. Trotter sits down with host Mike Schutt to discuss the nominees for best picture. They discuss how we love our neighbors through watching movies, how to better understand what we watch, and the issue of difficult or graphic content in today's movies. They also consider what these nominees might tell us about ourselves.
Drew Trotter is the Executive Director of the Consortium of Christian Study Centers. He was for twenty-two years the Executive Director and President of the Center for Christian Study in Charlottesville, VA. Drew has written on film and popular culture for over thirty years in such publications as Books & Culture, Christianity Today and Critique, and in the field of Biblical studies. For over twenty years, he has presented a seminar entitled Show and Tell: How to View a Movie Responsibly, helping laypeople and students in churches, Christian college and secular university environments understand this powerful medium and how to think about its influence both on the individual and the society. He has taught seminars on popular culture, university education in America today, a Biblical model of discipleship and how to interpret the Scriptures. Drew has three sons, two daughters-in-law and six grandchildren and lives with his wife of forty-five years, Marie, in Charlottesville, VA.
Mike Schutt is host of the Cross & Gavel Podcast. He is Clinical Associate Professor at Trinity Law School, Director of the Institute for Christian Legal Studies, and director of Law Student Ministries at Christian Legal Society. He is the editor in chief of the Journal of Christian Legal Thought and director of the CLS Law School Fellows program.
Pastor Mark Bertrand has turned to the Psalms for his sermon texts during the global pandemic, and he joins Mike Schutt to discuss insights and encouragement from this rich source. You'll be encouraged as Mark explores how the "Songbook of the Church" speaks to us about lessons in crisis, sources of hope in trial, and the joys inherent in the life of faith.
J. Mark Bertrand is the pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He is also a novelist and author, and he teaches on the Worldview Academy faculty. His crime noir works are Back on Murder, Pattern of Wounds,and Nothing to Hide. His book [Re]Thinking Worldview: Learning to Think, Live, and Speak in this World (Crossway 2007) is a great primer on Christian thought and action. He blogs at the world-renowned Bible Design Blog, sharing thoughts and photos on a multitude of design issues.
His real claim to fame is that he was interviewed by Ken Myers on Mars Hill Audio Journal, volume 90, which also features Mike Schutt discussing Redeeming Law.
Mark was also a guest on Episode 46 of Cross & Gavel, one of the most popular episodes in the podcast's history. More recently, he joined Mike to discuss the "New Moralism" in Episode 70 and law and government on Episode 73.
Cross and Gavel is a project of Trinity Law School and Christian Legal Society.
Host Mike Schutt again welcomes East Texas preacher Drew Nelson to the podcast to discuss The Odyssey, Homer's ancient epic poem about . . . well, wait. What is it about?
Mike and Drew explore that question and more-- including why good Christians should read good pagan literature and why you might like The Odyssey-- as they highlight its major themes and give some background to the poem. Their hope is that a couple of regular guys reading big books might encourage other regular folks to do the same.
Drew Nelson is preacher at Southside Church of Christ in Mount Pleasant, TX, and Mike Schutt is host of the Cross & Gavel podcast, director of Christian Legal Society's Law Student Ministries, and Clinical Associate Professor at Trinity Law School.
Cross & Gavel is a project of Trinity Law and CLS.
Greg Rummel, President and CEO of Rummel Agency in Frankenmuth, Michigan, has a word of encouragement for us in this global pandemic: God's got this, too.
Listen in as Greg shares with host Mike Schutt how battling cancer helped hm to think well about living in difficult times-- and to focus on what is really important. You'll be encouraged!
Cross & Gavel podcast is a project of Christian Legal Society and Trinity Law School.
"The efficiency brought by new forms of technology has just made us demand more of one another," says Myron Steeves, dean of Trinity Law School. "Our important innovations sometimes give us the opposite of what we desire."
In this episode, Dean Steeves and Mike Schutt explore the topic of technology and the tyranny of time. If advances in technology and greater efficiency in our lives don't make us better people all by themselves, why do we keep chasing them as ends in and of themselves? Is too much of a good thing still good? Join the conversation as they ask these questions and others!
Cross & Gavel is a project of Trinity Law School and Christian Legal Society.
Carl Caton is the founder and president of the San Antonio Marriage Initiative, a ministry focused on bringing help and hope to the city of San Antonio. Carl and his team, in partnership with volunteers around Texas, seek to network, equip, and mobilize the local church community to strengthen marriages in the city.
One of the organization's key strategies is to "identify best practices and resources" and to "collaborate with like-minded individuals who will deploy that knowledge throughout the local faith community." This, amazingly, includes the family law community.
Listen in as Carl describes a vision for the family that includes reliance on the expertise of lawyers, judges, and others invested in the family law system. Carl also sees the need to minister to and encourage those attorneys and judges in the system, who see, day after day, the toll taken divorce and custody battles. His compassion for the legal professionals runs deep in his own history, and listeners will be inspired by his wisdom for those seeking to do redemptive work in this field. Carl Caton's message is a message of hope and redemption in a troubled world and profession.
For more information on the San Antonio Marriage Initiative, visit their website.
Mike Schutt is host of Cross & Gavel and is Clinical Associate Professor at Trinity Law School and director of Law Student Ministries for Christian Legal Society.
Join host Mike Schutt as he welcomes local preacher Drew Nelson to the podcast to talk about the classic "On the Incarnation," by Saint Athanasius, 4th Century Bishop of Alexandria.
As a young man, Athanasius attended the Council of Nicea and spent the rest of his life standing firm against the Arian heresy that remained popular, despite its condemnation by Nicea.
On the Incarnation is a wide-ranging apologetic regarding the eternal Son of God taking on flesh to reveal the Father and save humanity.
Drew and Mike read the book with their Wednesday morning men's group, and they report on their impressions.
Drew Nelson in preacher at Southside Church of Christ in Mount Pleasant, TX, and Mike Schutt is host of the Cross & Gavel podcast, director of Christian Legal Society's Law Student Ministries, and Clinical Associate Professor at Trinity Law School.
Cross & Gavel is a project of Trinity Law and CLS.
The CLS Law School Fellows program is designed to build a community of scholars around the topics of professional formation, vocational stewardship, and Christian jurisprudence. Each year, CLS gathers a group of students in Washington, DC for an intense week of lectures, mentoring, discussion, and fellowship. CLS pays the expenses of accepted candidates.
In this episode of Cross & Gavel, Fellows Founding Director Mike Schutt discusses the program with CLS CEO David Nammo, Trinity Law School Dean and Fellows faculty member Myron Steeves, and two 2018 Fellows, Ronia Dubbaneh and Paulina Belovarski, who are both attorneys.
For more information on the Fellows program, visit the website. Rising 1Ls and 2Ls should apply before midnight on March 1!
Cross & Gavel Audio is a cooperative project of Christian Legal Society and Trinity Law School.
The Department of Education has proposed new regulations that are open for comment by the general public. Two sections of the new regulations are designed to protect religious student groups from being singled out and denied benefits because of their religious identity.
Kim Colby, Director of the Center for Law and Religious Freedom at Christian Legal Society, summarizes the proposed regs and why they are needed. She also suggests that those who are in support of these regs should take action to comment in support of their final adoption.
Here are the regulations Kim addresses on the podcast:
Proposed regulation 34 CFR § 75.500(d) (§ 76.500(d) is essentially verbatim):
“A public institution shall not deny to a religious student organization at the public institution any right, benefit, or privilege that is otherwise afforded to other student organizations at the public institution (including full access to the facilities of the public institution and official recognition of the organization by the public institution) because of the beliefs, practices, policies, speech, membership standards, or leadership standards of the religious student organization.”
The Center for Law and Religious Freedom has a guide to the regs and tips on how to comment at CLSReligiousFreedom.org/CampusComments. Here are the basic steps on how to submit a comment on or before February 18:
- Go to https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=ED-2019-OPE-0080-0001 (You are at the right place if the title is “Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, Direct Grant Programs, State-Administered Formula Grant Programs, Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program, and Strengthening Institutions Program” and the ID No. is ED-2019-OPE-0080-0001.)
- In the upper right hand of the page, press “Comment Now.”
- Write your comment in the large blank space in the middle of the page (up to 5000 characters).
- At the top of your comment, type ID: ED-2019-OPE-0080-0001.
- If your comment is a document longer than 5000 characters or you want to include an attachment, type in the blank space, “I support the Department’s proposed regulations 34 CFR § 75.500(d) and § 76.500(d) for the reasons given in the attached comment” and upload the longer document or other attachment below the large blank space.
- Fill in your first and last name (or initial). Note that your name will appear on the public website.
- Hit “continue” to go to the next page.
- Check the small box indicating that you “have read and understand the statement.
- Hit “submit comment.”
Cross & Gavel Audio is a cooperative ministry of Christian Legal Society and Trinity Law School. Mike Schutt is director of CLS Law Student Ministries and the Institute for Christian Legal Studies. He is a Clinical Associate Professor at Trinity Law.
Law professor Jeff Brauch argues that our beliefs about human nature will drive our politics, our policy, and our culture. In his recent book, Flawed Perfection: What It Means to Be Human and Why It Matters for Culture, Politics, and Law (2017), he lays out a compelling case for the importance of an accurate understanding of human nature.
He begins with the idea that our fundamental presuppositions about the nature of human beings will drive how we approach almost anything in the public sphere. From there, he provides examples from the fields of human rights, criminal justice, and bioethics, to name a few.
Join Professor Brauch, Executive Director of Regent Law School's Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law, as he and host Mike Schutt discuss this important topic.
Professor Brauch joined the Regent Law faculty in 1994 and served as dean from 1999-2015. He has taught Christian Foundations of Law, International Human Rights, Civil Liberties and National Security, Torts, Negotiations, International Criminal Law and other courses.
Prior to teaching, Brauch served as a law clerk for Justice William Callow of the Wisconsin Supreme Court and then worked five years as an associate with Milwaukee law firm Quarles & Brady, where he specialized in commercial litigation.
Cross and Gavel is a project of the Institute for Christian Legal Studies, a cooperative ministry of Regent University School or Law and Christian Legal Society, founded eighteen years ago through the collaboration of Dean Brauch and CLS in the work of Cross & Gavel host Mike Schutt.
Pick up a copy of Flawed Perfection from our friends Byron and Beth Borger at Hearts & Minds Bookstore.
On the 80th episode of Cross & Gavel, August Huckabee, economics professor at Worldview at the Abbey in Colorado, returns ("Feel the Bern," Ep. 52) to discuss cultural trends and countermeasures in these strange times.
August teaches students at the Abbey, directs TeenPact programs around the country, and lectures at Worldview Academy. Host Mike Schutt asks him about trends he is seeing in this generation and what educators and parents might do to cultivate both courage and grace in the face of the challenges facing people of faith as they both engage and create culture.
Join the conversation and pass it on to friends! You'll be encouraged and edified by the conversation.
If you'd like to learn more about Worldview Academy or Worldview at the Abbey, follow the links.
Here are some of the books Huck and Mike discuss on this episode. Visit our friends at Hearts & Minds Books to order:
- F.A. Hayek, The Road to Serfdom
- Burton W. Folsom, The Myth of the Robber Barons
- Milton Friedman, Capitalism and Freedom
Cross & Gavel is a project of Regent University School of Law and Christian Legal Society.
This week, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, holding that the Commission's "clear and impermissible hostility toward" religious beliefs violated the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Already, commentators dispute the breadth and lasting import of the Court's 7-2 holding on narrow legal grounds.
In this episode, Mike Schutt talks with Kim Colby about these questions. Kim is Director of Christian Legal Society's Center for Law & Religious Freedom, an expert in First Amendment law and a long-time friend of religious freedom.
Listen in as the discuss what the case held, why, and what the holding may mean for future cases. Also learn what Constitutional lawyers mean by GVR.
Kim Colby is the director of Christian Legal Society’s Center for Law and Religious Freedom , where she has worked since graduating from Harvard Law School in 1981. She has represented religious groups in several appellate cases, including two cases heard by the United
States Supreme Court. She has filed numerous amicus briefs in federal and state courts. Ms. Colby has prepared several CLS publications addressing issues about religious expression in public schools, including released time programs, implementation of the Equal Access
Act, and teachers’ religious expression.
Visit the Center's website for resources on its first amendment work.
Cross & Gavel is a production of Regent University School of Law and Christian Legal Society.
Episode 78 is Part 2 of our conversation about three Academy Award-nominated films, and it focuses on Call Me By Your Name, a romanticization of predatory sexual relationship. It's visual beauty hides the reality behind the relationship at the heart of the story and the deadly message that sexual experience is the defining element of our lives.
Dr. Trotter and Mike Schutt discuss this film and its themes, and they wander into topics of movie-going, thoughtful criticism, and Christian worldview on the way. While the conversation is rated PG-16, you'll be edified by their approach to this movie and films in general.
Drew Trotter is the Executive Director of the Consortium of ChristianStudy Centers. He was for twenty-two years the Executive Director and President of the Center for Christian Study in Charlottesville, VA. Drew has written on film and popular culture for over thirty years in such publications as Books & Culture, Christianity Today and Critique, and in the field of Biblical studies. For over twenty years, he has presented a seminar entitled Show and Tell: How to View a Movie Responsibly, helping laypeople and students in churches, Christian college and secular university environments understand this powerful medium and how to think about its influence both on the individual and the society. He has taught seminars on popular culture, university education in America today, a Biblical model of discipleship and how to interpret the Scriptures. Drew has three sons, two daughters-in-law and six grandchildren and lives with his wife of forty-four years, Marie, in Charlottesville, VA.
Mike Schutt is host of the Cross & Gavel Podcast. He is Associate Professor at Regent University School of Law, Director of the Institute for Christian Legal Studies, and director of Law Student Ministries at Christian Legal Society. He is the editor in chief of the Journal of Christian Legal Thought and director of the CLS Law School Fellows program.
Dr. Drew Trotter, executive director of the Consortium of Christian Study Centers, is a film critic who understands the role that movies play in shaping us as a society. His lecture, The Movies and America: What the Nominees for Best Picture Tell Us About Ourselves, is an annual favorite around the country.
In this episode, Dr. Trotter sits down with host Mike Schutt to discuss three of the nominees, including the winner for best picture. In Part one, they discuss Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water and Greta Gerwig's Ladybird.
Drew Trotter is the Executive Director of the Consortium of ChristianStudy Centers. He was for twenty-two years the Executive Director and President of the Center for Christian Study in Charlottesville, VA. Drew has written on film and popular culture for over thirty years in such publications as Books & Culture, Christianity Today and Critique, and in the field of Biblical studies. For over twenty years, he has presented a seminar entitled Show and Tell: How to View a Movie Responsibly, helping laypeople and students in churches, Christian college and secular university environments understand this powerful medium and how to think about its influence both on the individual and the society. He has taught seminars on popular culture, university education in America today, a Biblical model of discipleship and how to interpret the Scriptures. Drew has three sons, two daughters-in-law and six grandchildren and lives with his wife of forty-four years, Marie, in Charlottesville, VA.
Mike Schutt is host of the Cross & Gavel Podcast. He is Associate Professor at Regent University School of Law, Director of the Institute for Christian Legal Studies, and director of Law Student Ministries at Christian Legal Society. He is the editor in chief of the Journal of Christian Legal Thought and director of the CLS Law School Fellows program.
In August 2016, the American Bar Association, seeking to impose a "cultural shift" on the legal profession and change how lawyers think about gender and marriage, amended Model Rule of Professional Responsibility 8.4. The rule has no legal force-- it simply suggests a "model" from the ABA for states to follow in their ethics codes-- until a particular state adopts it. Yet the Model Rules are influential, followed by many states as a matter of course.
The current rule-- the rule that ABA Model Rule 8.4(g) would amend-- combats invidious discrimination and disciplines lawyers who corrupt the legal process through bias and prejudice in the course of representing a client.
The proposed rule would expand the conduct for which lawyers could be disciplined to any "conduct related to the practice of law," which is defined to include "interacting with witnesses, coworkers, court personnel, lawyers and others while engaged in the practice of law; operating or managing a law firm or practice; and participating in bar association, business or social activities in connection with the practice of law."
In addition to this expansive reach into employment law and social activities, the rule does away with the requirement that the words or conduct that could be censured are "prejudicial to the administration of justice." Under the proposed rule, a mere "offense" given by words or conduct could subject a lawyer to a grievance, even though it has nothing to do with protecting clients, the court, or justice.
It's a bad idea. And it is a threat to religious liberty and lawyers' autonomy.
Host Mike Schutt, who taught Professional Responsibility as a Regent Law professor is joined by Kim Colby to discuss the rule and its implications.
Kim Colby is the director of Christian Legal Society’s Center for Law and Religious Freedom , where she has worked since graduating from Harvard Law School in 1981. She has represented religious groups in several appellate cases, including two cases heard by the United States Supreme Court. She has filed numerous amicus briefs in federal and state courts. Ms. Colby has prepared several CLS publications addressing issues about religious expression in public schools, including released time programs, implementation of the Equal Access Act, and teachers’ religious expression.
For more resources on this rule-- including videos explaining the issues and critical scholarship-- visit the Christian Legal Society 8.4 Resources page.
Cross & Gavel is a production of Regent University School of Law and the Christian Legal Society.
In our first episode of 2018, Trinity Law School Professor Myron Steeves draws on the work of Charles Taylor (A Secular Age) and Rod Dreher (The Benedict Option) to inform our understanding of the
cultural moment confronting the Church. Lately, it seems, the Church has found herself in a fully confrontational mode with the surrounding society, having moved from a period of general domination (after the Emperor Constantine) and then cultural accommodation. Professor Steeves contrasts these eras, suggesting that Christians of every age have faced challenges to faithful culture making and cultural renewal.
During this fascination conversation, host Mike Schutt and Professor Steeves discuss the importance of faithfulness, the difficulties of cultural confrontation in light of the temptation to be seen as "normal," and our call to courage and love.
Listen in on this interesting conversation!
Myron Steeves is Professor of Law at Trinity Law School, where he has served since 1992. A graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, Professor Steeves has practiced law in the nonprofit area, particularly advising churches. Professor Steeves frequently speaks on issues including the integration of faith and law, legal careers as tools for Christian ministry, law and public policy, and law and theology.
Mike Schutt is host of Cross & Gavel and is Associate Professor at Regent University School of Law and director of Law Student Ministries for the Christian Legal Society. He is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law.
One of the biggest free speech and religious liberty cases in decades, Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission was argued before the Supreme Court of the United States on December 5. On December 6, Cross & Gavel host Mike Schutt recorded this conversation with religious liberty attorney Kim Colby, who sat in on the argument. Kim gives a short background of the case, shares her observations, and discusses the important issues raised by the attorneys and justices.
Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Denver, did not deny service to homosexuals, as is sometimes reported. Jack served anyone who came into his shop to buy his ready-made cakes and cookies. Yet when he was asked to use his artistic talents to design a custom cake for a same-sex wedding ceremony, he politely declined. Jack declines to bake custom cakes for Halloween celebrations or divorce parties as well. He simply does not provide his artistic voice in support of things with which he fundamentally disagrees.
Is this unlawful discrimination, or is this his right as a shop owner with religious convictions?
Listen to Kim and Mike discuss the issues and the interesting questions asked by the justices during oral argument.
Read the transcript of the argument here.
Read the CLS Brief in support of Jack Phillips here.
Kim Colby is the director of Christian Legal Society’s Center for Law and Religious Freedom , where she has worked since graduating from Harvard Law School in 1981. She has represented religious groups in several appellate cases, including two cases heard by the United States Supreme Court. She has filed numerous amicus briefs in federal and state courts. In 1984, she assisted in congressional passage of the Equal Access Act, 20 U.S.C. § 4071, et seq., which protects the right of secondary school students to meet for prayer and Bible study on campus. Ms. Colby has prepared several CLS publications addressing issues about religious expression in public schools, including released time programs, implementation of the Equal Access Act, and teachers’ religious expression.
Kim graduated summa cum laude from the University of Illinois with a major in American History and a particular interest in slavery in colonial North America.
Cross and Gavel is a project of Regent University School of Law and Christian Legal Society. We value your comments. And if you enjoy the show, please rate us on iTunes.
It may be commonplace to say that God has instituted various governments and has delegated His authority to them in various ways, but speaking, for example, about the "government" of a family seems strange today. And even a bit scary.
Mark Bertrand says that we in the Church are pretty good at targeting failures of government when it comes to the state, but we need to do a much better job of thinking about governing well in the church and the family. What might that look like? How to think well about it? And who says, anyway? At one point, Mark suggests that listeners might be shouting "Hey, these guys are advocating theocracy! Or a bunch of little theocracies within a theocracy!" Are they?
Listen in and find out. Join Mark and C&G host Mike Schutt as they talk at length about the authority and roles of various governments in today's world and the resources available to help them govern well. Would the state be changed if other institutions-- family, church, state, corporations, universities-- were governed well? Are these governments dependent on one another?
Walk through the discussion with them as they suggest that what the Bible envisions is "a community of governments with overlapping authority . . . all backstopped by divine revelation."
We think you'll find this an encouraging and informative discussion.
J. Mark Bertrand is a novelist and pastor living in South Dakota. His crime noir works are Back on Murder, Pattern of Wounds, and Nothing to Hide. His book [Re]Thinking Worldview:Learning to Think, Live, and Speak in this World (Crossway 2007) is a great primer on Christian thought and action, and he serves on the faculty of Worldview Academy. He blogs at the world-renowned Bible Design Blog, sharing thoughts and photos on a multitude of design issues. His initial claim to fame was that he was interviewed by Ken Myers on Mars Hill Audio Journal, volume 90, which also features Mike Schutt talking about Redeeming Law.
Mark was also a guest on Episode 46 of Cross & Gavel, the most downloaded episode in the podcast's history. More recently, he joined Mike to discuss the "New Moralism" in Episode 70.
Cross and Gavel is a project of Regent University School of Law and Christian Legal Society. We value your comments. And if you enjoy the show, please rate us on iTunes.
There is a higher law than human law, one from which the authority and justice of man’s law flows into bountiful life. Accordingly, we often see Christian legal theories in terms of knowledge about law, so that what we know of the higher law informs what we should affirm or deny about human law. But Dean Eric Enlow says that another important kind of Christian knowledge about law is how to praise God in relation to it. This praise stirs up and responds to the joy which Christians experience in law, just as praise does when it recognizes and replies to God’s presence in other parts of creation.
Dean Enlow gave two addresses on this topic at the 2017 Christian Legal Society national conference in Newport Beach, encouraging those in attendance to learn to praise God in law.
His first presentation was Joyful Jurisprudence: God's Presence in Law and Man's Praise of God, the keynote for the annual Christian Legal Scholars' Symposium, sponsored by CLS friend and partner Trinity Law School. It was an inspiring presentation and discussion, and the conversation spilled over into the conference bookstore afterwards.
This episode of Cross & Gavel allows listeners to sit in on that conversation, with host Mike Schutt, Dean Eric Enlow, and our friend Byron Borger, owner of Hearts and Minds Bookstore.
Enjoy the conversation!
Dean Enlow graduated from Yale University and Washington University School of Law. During law school, Professor Enlow served on the editorial boards of the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy and the Washington University Law Quarterly.
He has clerked in the United States Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, and he was in private practice in intellectual-property, international, and appellate law. In addition to being dean of the Handong International Law School, Enlow teaches Christianity and Law, International Intellectual Property, Patents, Private International Law, and Torts.
Byron Borger has been talking books almost his whole life, and doing it well and for the good of Christ's kingdom. Since the early 80's, he and his wife Beth have, through Hearts and Minds Books in Dallastown, PA, lived out a mission to see the body of Christ encouraged and the world around them flourish. They believe that ideas matter and that books are an important part of Christian discipleship-- "a disciple is learner, after all," says Byron. Whether you're in his store, on the phone with him, or at one of the many conferences at which he and Beth serve, it is always a treat to talk books with Byron. Subscribe to his amazing Booknotes here. (He mentions this podcast in the latest edition).
Cross & Gavel Audio is a project of the Institute for Christian Legal Studies, a cooperative ministry of Regent University School of Law and Christian Legal Society.
Mike Schutt is associate professor at Regent and director of ICLS and Law Student Ministries for CLS.
Mark Bertrand says that the world he "had been led to fear growing up in the Church is not actually the world we live in." It turns out that the moral relativism that we feared would turn the world to anarchy and chaos never materialized. Much of what we feared actually came to pass, just not in the way we thought it would.
The new world has turned out to be a world that loves "the social gospel, but without the gospel," to paraphrase Joseph Bottum.
Mark talks with host Mike Schutt about this strange turn of events. We now live in the midst of "an irreligious culture" that still "behaves in fundamentally religious ways." As Mark says, "The moralist of today is the irreligious offspring of the mainline Protestants who dominated the society of yesteryear."
How did we get here, and what are thoughtful Christians to make of this state of affairs? It seems the best way to respond to the New Moralism is likely not to return to the Old Moralism. But what role does the Church have to play in all of this?
J. Mark Bertrand is a novelist and pastor living in South Dakota. His crime noir works are Back on Murder, Pattern of Wounds, and Nothing to Hide. His book [Re]Thinking Worldview:Learning to Think, Live, and Speak in this World (Crossway 2007) is a great primer on Christian thought and action, and he serves on the faculty of Worldview Academy. He blogs at the world-renowned Bible Design Blog, sharing thoughts and photos on a multitude of design issues. His initial claim to fame was that he was interviewed by Ken Myers on Mars Hill Audio Journal, volume 90, which also features Mike Schutt talking about Redeeming Law.
Mark was also a guest on Episode 46 of Cross & Gavel, the most downloaded episode in the podcast's history.
Cross and Gavel is a project of Regent University School of Law and Christian Legal Society. We value your comments. And if you enjoy the show, please rate us on iTunes.
In our first fall episode of Cross & Gavel, Worldview at the Abbey Provost Jeff Baldwin discusses the duty of the Church and Christian families with respect to education.
The conversation ranges from the role of the family to the religious nature of education itself, and then on to some of the problems inherent in state-sponsored education. Jeff tells host Mike Schutt that he thinks this may be "the most inflammatory episode of C&G to date," and he then sets the tone by suggesting that Christian parents should not think of their children as "salt and light" in the public schools until they are at least sixteen.
Listen in as Mike and Jeff discuss education, worldview, and the Christian family.
Jeff Baldwin is the author of The Deadliest Monster, founding faculty at Worldview Academy, and provost of the Worldview Academy bridge year program, Worldview at the Abbey in Canon City, CO.
Cross & Gavel is a project of Regent University School of Law and the Christian Legal Society. Host Mike Schutt is Associate Professor at Regent Law and director of Law Student Ministries for CLS.
On this episode of Cross & Gavel, host Mike Schutt talks with Christian Legal Society's new director of Attorney Ministries, Connie Bourne. Connie comes to CLS from a private law practice, with experience in the corporate world, as a judicial clerk, and working with attorneys in a local bar association. She loves Jesus and she loves lawyers!
Listen in to get acquainted with Connie!
Connie Bourne received her undergraduate and legal training at Rutgers University, worked as Assistant County Counsel in Bergen County, New Jersey, and worked in the business, government, and public interest arenas before opening her own law firm. She joined the CLS staff on July 10, 2017.
Cross & Gavel Audio is a project of the Institute for Christian Legal Studies, a cooperative ministry of Regent University School of Law and Christian Legal Society.
Mike Schutt is associate professor at Regent and director of ICLS and Law Student Ministries for CLS.
In early April, nearly 150 lawyers, judges, law students, and law professors from the eastern Congo gathered at the Fifth International Christian Lawyers Conference in Beni, North Kivu, DRC. It was an amazing time of fellowship, discussion, prayer, and planning.
The lawyers gathered on the campus of Université Chrétienne Bilingue du Congo ("UCBC"), the only bilingual Christian University in the DRC. UCBC was founded by Congo Initiative under the guiding vision of Dr. David Kasali. This year, UCBC admitted its first class of law students to its new law school, founded in part on the inspiration and work of the lawyers gathered on campus.
Ben Chappell, a practicing lawyer in San Antonio, has been involved with these gatherings from the beginning, when Dr. Kasali asked if he would be willing to come to the Congo to spend time with Christian lawyers in Beni. The conferences have grown, in large part, due to Ben's work in recruiting teams from the West to participate, funding the events, and organizing them until they could be passed on to a Congolese steering team. In April, 2017, Ben's team included Cross & Gavel host Mike Schutt, who travelled to the DRC as a representative of Regent Law School's Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, & the Rule of Law.
Ben Chappell is Mike's guest on this episode of Cross & Gavel. Listen in as they talk about God's work in and through Congolese lawyers in this seemingly remote part of the world. You will be inspired by the vision of Dr. Kasali, the dedication of the Congo Initiative staff, and the faithfulness of Ben Chappell and his family.
Dr. David Kasali
For more information on the amazing ministry of Congo Initiative, visit the CI website and read about their initiatives that are bringing change to the region.
Ben Chappell is a board certified family practice lawyer in San Antonio, TX at Bray, Chappell, Patterson, & Olsen. He is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law and Southern Methodist University. He and his wife JoAnne have been married for 47 years, and they have three children and numerous grandchildren. They worship and serve at Covenant Baptist Church. He is on the board of Congo Initiative-USA and serves as coordinator for its Justice Initiatives.
Mike Schutt is associate professor and global recruiter for Regent University School of Law. He travelled to the Congo on behalf of Regent's Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law. He also directs Attorney Ministries and Law Student Ministries for the Christian Legal Society.
Cross & Gavel podcasts are a project of Regent University School of Law and CLS.
In Part 2 of our discussion with Dr. Christopher McMillion, host Mike Schutt asks him to elaborate on the joys of federalism. Dr. McMillion begins by explaining why now-- the age of Trump-- might be an opportunity for those on both the left and the right to recognize its benefits and jump on board. He explains the 10th amendment, offers a brief definition of what we mean by "federalism," and then outlines some specific examples in which federalism would operate in a way that is appealing to the goals of those on both ends of the political spectrum.
Topics range from "the Imperial Presidency" to marijuana laws, and the discussion closes with some practical suggestions for recovering this lost ideal.
Dr. Christopher McMillion is a graduate of Baylor University. He did his master's and doctoral work at the University of Notre Dame, earning an M.A. in Political Science and his PhD in the field of Constitutional Studies and Political Theory. In his scholarship, he focuses on constitutional law, federalism, and American political thought. He is particularly interested in the connections between political theory and the American constitutional and political experience. He also serves as a manuscript referee for American Political Thought. Chris and his wife Heather have three children.
Cross & Gavel Audio is a project of the Christian Legal Society and Regent University School of Law. Mike Schutt is host of Cross & Gavel. He is Associate Professor of Law at Regent University, and he directs both Attorney Ministries and Law Student Ministries for the Christian Legal Society. Email him at mschutt@clsnet.org.
The confirmation hearings begin Monday, March 20, for Judge Neil Gorsuch, President Trump's nominee to the US Supreme Court. On this episode of Cross & Gavel, Mike Schutt talks with Oklahoma Baptist University professor Christopher McMillion about the process and the politics of the hearings and the future of the Court with a Justice Gorsuch in the place of Justice Scalia, who passed away last year.
This is Part One of two episodes featuring Dr. McMillion, and Part Two, "The Joys of Federalism," will upload March 28.
Dr. Christopher McMillion is a graduate of Baylor University. He did his master's and doctoral work at the University of Notre Dame, earning an M.A. in Political Science and his PhD in the field of Constitutional Studies and Political Theory. In his scholarship, he focuses on constitutional law, federalism, and American political thought. He is particularly interested in the connections between political theory and the American constitutional and political experience. He also serves as a manuscript referee for American Political Thought. Chris and his wife Heather have three children.
Mike Schutt is host of Cross & Gavel. He is Associate Professor of Law at Regent University, and he directs both Attorney Ministries and Law Student Ministries for the Christian Legal Society. Email him at mschutt@clsnet.org.
Okay, so it's not "live"-- BUT: Mike Schutt recorded this podcast with Byron Borger, Rockstar Bookman, live and in person at the famous Hearts & Minds Bookstore in Dallastown, PA. Anyone who has ever been to a Christian conference that is serious about readers knows Byron and Beth Borger, owners of Hearts & Minds. The Borgers are particular heroes of the Christian Legal Society and the Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO), because Hearts & Minds has been serving their conference participants for years-- and decades, respectively.
Mike and Byron begin by discussing this year's Jubilee conference and what he saw as he discussed books with college students. From there, they range to their personal favorites, important new releases, and other great stuff. If you love books, you'll enjoy this conversation!
Jump in and listen!
The books they touch on (or ramble over, depending) include:
Tish Harrison Warren, Liturgy of the Ordinary
James K. A. Smith, You are What You Love
Andy Crouch, Culture Making and Strong and Weak
Bob Robinson, ReIntegrate
John Mark Comer, Garden City
Kinnaman and Lyon, Good Faith
Sarah Arthur and Erin Wasinger, The Year of Small Things
Michael Wear, Reclaiming Hope
And BTW, Michael Wear will be live and in person at Hearts & Minds on March 10.
Byron will be announcing a discount on any book mentioned in the podcast, if you order within ten days of this podcast!
To subscribe to Byron's Booknotes Blog, click here.
Mike Schutt is the host of Cross & Gavel, and he directs both Law Student Ministries and Attorney Ministries for the Christian Legal Society. He is an Associate Professor at Regent University School of Law.
As Charlie Clauss reminds us in this podcast, the Book of Common Prayer offers a beautiful invitation (voiced by the minister at the Ash Wednesday service) to enter into Lent:
I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the
observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance;
by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and
meditating on God's holy Word. And, to make a right beginning
of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now
kneel before the Lord, our maker and redeemer.
In that spirit, Charlie and host Mike Schutt discuss the whats and whys of this important season of the church year. What is Lent? What practices are usually associated with Lent? Why might Christians considering this season, and what tips might we give to those entering into these practices for the first time?
Join Charlie and Mike as they consider these questions and more.
As you think about pushing into this season with new practices, remember to take Charlie's advice: this can't be about you-- it's not a legalistic obligation, nor is it a challenge to conquer for your "spiritual checklist." This is the road to guilt or to pride. Rather, Lent is a time to consider the love of God manifested on the Cross and displayed in the power of the resurrection!
Among other things, Lent is a season that helps us to celebrate Holy Week and Easter more fully. And don't forget, as Charlie reminds us: Easter is a fifty-day party! Please celebrate fully!
After you listen, consider some of the books suggested by our friend Byron Borger at Hearts & Minds Books in his Booknotes Blog: 2017 Books for Lent.
Charlie Clauss is married to Nancy and they live in Minneapolis, MN with their two daughters. He says he is a curmudgeon, but his friends and family know otherwise. Mostly.
Cross & Gavel is a project of the Institute for Christian Legal Studies, a cooperative ministry of Regent University School of Law and the Christian Legal Society. Host Mike Schutt is Associate Professor of Law at Regent and directs Attorney Ministries and Law Student Ministries for CLS.
Join host Mike Schutt as he talks with Natt Gantt, co-founder of the Center for Ethical Formation & Legal Education Reform (CEFLER) at Regent University School of Law, about producing law school graduates who have an understanding of the nature and purpose of the legal profession and who are committed to the ethical practice of law. Professor Gantt discusses the goals of legal education and how those goals shape students. Because the shaping influence of law school is never neutral, Professor Gantt suggests habits that counter some of the unwelcome consequences of that "shaping."
CEFLER was founded by Regent University School of Law in 2012 to coordinate the programs and resources that the law school has committed to developing professional identity in students.
L.O. Natt Gantt, II, is a professor, the associate dean of instructional & curricular affairs and co-director of the Center for Ethical Formation and Legal Education Reform at Regent University school of law. Before joining Regent in 2000, he served as a law clerk to the late Honorable Donald S. Russell of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit; as an associate at Wiley, Rein & Fielding in Washington, D.C.; and as a Proxy Analyst at Fidelity Investments in Boston, Massachusetts. Professor Gantt teaches Professional Responsibility.
Professor Benjamin Madison —along with Natt Gantt—led the formation of the Center for Ethical Formation and Legal Education Reform. Professor Madison teaches Civil Procedure and Pretrial Practice and Procedure. His pretrial practice casebook, Civil Procedure for All States: A Context and Practice Casebook (2012), has drawn praise as one of the first casebooks designed according to the recommendations of the Carnegie Institute in its groundbreaking work Educating Lawyers (2007).
Mike Schutt is the host of Cross & Gavel Audio, a project of the Institute for Christian Legal Studies, which is a cooperative ministry of Regent Law and the Christian Legal Society. Schutt is associate professor at Regent University School of Law and Director of Law Student Ministries and Attorney Ministries for CLS.
The Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law was founded by Regent University School of Law in 2010 to equip Christian advocates to (1) promote the rule of law and seek justice for the oppressed and (2) serve and support those already engaged in such advocacy.
In this episode, host Mike Schutt interviews CGJ directors Ernie Walton and Jeff Brauch to discuss how the CGJ fulfills its dual mission. Hear about the CGJ’s programs for Regent law students and its philosophy of how to effectively engage in human rights advocacy. The discussion ranges from practical ways this generation of law students are working for justice to the connection between the rule of law, human rights, and moral anthropology. It's great fun! Listen in.
Ernie Walton serves as the Academic and Administrative director of Regent Law's Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law. He also serves as a lecturer on the Regent Law faculty. Outside of his work at Regent, Ernie served as a law clerk to the Honorable D. Arthur Kelsey of the Virginia Supreme Court, practiced law in southern California, and served as an associate attorney for a non-profit law firm that specializes in protecting religious freedom.
Professor Jeffrey A. Brauch joined the Regent Law faculty in 1994. He served as the school's interim dean from 1999-2000 and as dean from 2000-2015. Professor Brauch has taught numerous courses, including International Human Rights; Foundations of Law; Torts; International Criminal Law; Negotiations; and Human Rights, Civil Liberties, & National Security. In 2010, he helped found the Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law, and he now serves as its Executive Director.
Host Mike Schutt is director of Attorney Ministries & Law Student Ministries for Christian Legal Society and Associate Professor & Global Recruiter at Regent University School of Law.
The Christian Legal Society is an organization dedicated to helping lawyers think biblically and missionally about their work. Through its Law Student Ministries, Legal Aid Ministries, Attorney Ministries, and the Center for Law & Religious Freedom, CLS serves lawyers and law students as they seek to serve Christ in their law practice and study. As we think through these issues, we focus on how we steward our gifts in the law and how we love our neighbors through law practice and study.
Yet what about the shaping influences on lawyers themselves? How do our professional practices and particulars of legal training influence us as human beings Surely the law school experience, our training, billing time, and the adversary system work to influence us in specific ways.
Dave Nammo, CLS's Executive Director and CEO, has been working in law-focused ministry since 1999, and he spends much of his time on the road talking with Christian lawyers and law students. In this episode (#60), host Mike Schutt talks with Dave about the influences that shape us as lawyers and law students-- for good or ill-- and what countercultural practices might be called for in response.
Recent books, like Jamie Smith's You are What You Love and Tish Warren's Liturgy of the Ordinary, raise issues of the habits and practices necessary to "aim our loves," in the words of Smith.
Listen in as Mike and Dave get the discussion started on how we can be more intentional in resisting the profession's shaping power, and how lawyers' habits can help "aim us" in the right direction as well.
David Nammo is Executive Director and CEO of the Christian Legal Society in Springfield, VA.
Host Mike Schutt is Director of CLS Law Student Ministries and Attorney Ministries. He is Associate Professor of Law at Regent University, CLS' ministry partner in the Institue for Christian Legal Studies.
Sunday, November 27, 2016 marks the beginning of the Christian year-- the first Sunday in Advent. Charlie Clauss, curator of the Keeping Advent Facebook page, joins us again this year to talk about how Advent serves to center us during what we've taken to calling "the holidays."
What is so great about Advent? What is it? Why observe it?
Listen in as Charlie and Mike discuss these questions as they explore a Christian vision of time, the nature of the human person, and the deep significance of the feast of Christmas. Along the way, Charlie offers advice on observing Advent, some refections on why we should make the effort, and how it is connected to our celebration of Christmas.
After you listen, go check in at the Keeping Advent Facebook group and listen to our conversation from last year, Cross & Gavel episode 43. Also consider some of the books suggested by our friend Byron Borger at Hearts & Minds book in his Advent "Booknotes."
Charlie Clauss is married to Nancy and lives in Minneapolis, MN. He says he is a
curmudgeon, but his friends and family know otherwise. Mostly.
Cross & Gavel is a project of the Institute for Christian Legal Studies, a cooperative ministry of Regent University School of Law and the Christian Legal Society. Host Mike Schutt is Associate Professor of Law at Regent and directs Attorney Ministries and Law Student Ministries for CLS.
"Serious Christians seem to be homeless politically," says Hunter Baker, a political science professor at Union University. In the wake of the Obergefell decision and the rise of Donald Trump, it is appearing less and less likely, accruing to Baker, that the Republican party will stand as barrier to a rapidly advancing secularist agenda.
Join Dr. Baker and host Mike Schutt as they ponder whether it might be time for serious Christians to explore a third party option along the lines of a European-style Christian Democratic Party. "It might be good to have a political party with an understanding of human solidarity that is a Christian understanding of human solidarity," suggests Baker.
Would it be possible to import such a concept to this country? What might it involve? What are some objections? Listen in and find out!
Hunter Baker, J.D., Ph.D. serves as a university fellow and and associate professor of political science at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. He is the author of three books (The End of Secularism, Political Thought: A Student's Guide, and The System Has a Soul), has contributed chapters to several others, and has written for a wide variety of print and digital publications. He is the winner of the 2011 Michael Novak Award conferred by the Acton Institute and has lectured widely on religion and liberty.
Mike Schutt, the founder and host of Cross & Gavel Audio, serves as Associate Professor of Law at Regent University and as director of Attorney Ministries for the Christian Legal Society.
On August 9, 1979, Paul Buzzi became a Christian by the grace of God and through the gentle teaching and evangelism of his friend Fred. Less than a week later, Jesus literally told Paul that he needed to walk over to the jail to tell his client about Him. Little did Paul know then that his client Steven would be the first of nearly three thousand clients, friends, family members, and strangers that he would lead to Christ.
In this podcast, Paul tells some of those stories, revealing a heart of compassion and humility-- rare in a lawyer-- that drives him to share the love of Christ with nearly everyone he meets. "No person has ever come to my law office without getting the opportunity to meet Jesus," says Paul. He takes seriously the apostle Paul's questions: "And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?" Paul Buzzi's vision is that all Christians would cultivate Christ's love for those that are blind to the good news.
As you listen to Paul talk about people coming to Christ in his office, in jail cells, on the golf course, and in restaurants, you'll be encouraged and inspired to look for opportunities to share the love of Christ as you see opportunities. Paul says that he continuously "looks for the opportunity" to tell people that Jesus loves them and to ask them if they would like Jesus to forgive their sins. This is the message a hurting world needs, and Paul's story will encourage listeners to spread that story. You'll be inspired by Paul's boldness, his simple message, his humility, and his compassion. Listen in to be encouraged!
"Before I came to Christ," Paul says, "I separated my business life and my religious life. There is no separation. It's your life. And without Jesus, it's meaningless."
Paul Buzzi is an Akron, OH attorney, the principal of Buzzi Legal Services.
Mike Schutt is the host of Cross & Gavel, and he directs both Law Student Ministries and Attorney Ministries for the Christian Legal Society. He is an Associate Professor at Regent University School of Law, where he teaches American Legal Thought.
If you love books, there is nothing better than talking books with Byron Borger.
Byron has been talking books almost his whole life, and doing it well and for the good of Christ's kingdom. Since the early 80's, he and his wife Beth have, through Hearts and Minds Books in Dallastown, PA, lived out a mission to see the body of Christ encouraged and the world around them flourish. They believe that ideas matter and that books are an important part of Christian discipleship-- "a disciple is learner, after all," says Byron. Whether you're in his store, on the phone with him, or at one of the many conferences at which he and Beth serve, it is always a treat to talk books with Byron.
We hope that this podcast gives you at least a taste of what that's like. Cross & Gavel host Mike Schutt wondered what books Byron would recommend during this crazy political season, and he and Byron spend some time talking about Byron's work, books in general, and books on politics. As usual, Byron is knowledgable, helpful, and light-hearted as he tosses out nearly 30 great recommendations on the topics of politics, vocation, leadership, and more. The conversation ranges widely, from Jamie Smith to CS Lewis; from Os Guinness to Katelyn Beaty; from James Skillen to Yuval Levin.
Join Mike and Byron as they talk books and books on politics. Then order a few of them from Hearts & Minds!
To subscribe to Byron's Booknotes Blog, click here.
Mike Schutt is the host of Cross & Gavel, and he directs both Law Student Ministries and Attorney Ministries for the Christian Legal Society. He is an Associate Professor at Regent University School of Law.
Meet Byron and Beth in person (and Mike, too!) at the Christian Legal Society National Conference, October 20-23 in Washington, DC.
John Inazu's book, Confident Pluralism: Surviving and Thriving Through Deep Difference (Univ Chicago 2016), "is an argument for mutual respect and coexistence" as we live, work, and speak in the world. In Inazu's words, "shared existence is not only possible, but also necessary."
Right now, our country seems to be more polarized than ever. Whether in debates over homosexual rights, in challenges to religious liberty, or in recent tensions between law enforcement and minority communities, we live in deep disagreement on fundamental issues. Confident Pluralism, in Inazu's words, "suggests a modest possibility: that we can live together in our 'many-ness.'"
Join host Mike Schutt and Dr. Inazu as they discuss Confident Pluralism and its two-fold prescription for a robust and hopeful shared existence. The book is divided into two main parts: Constitutional Commitments (the "legal dimension") and Civic Practices (the "personal dimesion").
First, the "legal dimension" of Confident Pluralism focuses on: (1) protecting the voluntary groups of civil society through the rights of assembly and association; (2) facilitating dissent and disagreement in public forums; and (3) ensuring that generally available government funding is not limited by government orthodoxy.
Second, the "personal dimension" of Confident Pluralism aspires toward tolerance, humility, and patience in three civic practices: (1) our speech; (2) our collective action (including protests, strikes, and boycotts); and (3) our relationships across difference.
Listen in for some conversation around these issues and a taste of Professor Inazu's hopeful vision.
John Inazu is the Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law and Religion at Washington University in St. Louis and a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia. He teaches courses in criminal law, law and religion, and the First Amendment. His scholarship focuses on the First Amendment freedoms of speech, assembly, and religion, and related issues of political and legal theory. John’s first book is Liberty's Refuge: The Forgotten Freedom of Assembly (Yale 2012). He has written broadly for mainstream audiences in publications including USA Today, CNN, The Hedgehog Review, The Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post. He received his academic training at Duke (BSE and JD) and UNC-Chapel Hill (PhD), but he remains an avid Duke fan.
Watch Dr. Inazu's Q Talk here.
Browse of list of his shorter pieces on pluralism here.
Visit JohnInazu.com for more information and links to his scholarly work.
Pick up a copy of Confident Pluralism from Hearts & Minds Books.
Mike Schutt is the host of Cross & Gavel audio, and an Associate Professor at Regent University School of Law, where he has taught Professional Responsibility and Torts, among other things. He is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law. He currently teaches American Legal Thought in the Regent MA program and directs Attorney Ministries for the Christian Legal Society. Contact him at mschutt@clsnet.org.
In early August, the American Bar Association's House of Delegates will vote on a proposed amendment to Rule 8.4 of the Model Rules of Professional Responsibility. The amendment would subject lawyers to professional discipline for "harassment" or "discrimination," even if the conduct was unintentional or committed unknowingly, and even if the harassment or discrimination is not prejudicial to he administration of justice.
The rule proposes that any conduct "related to the practice of law," including running a law firm, representing a client, or engaging in social conduct as a lawyer, would fall under the rule. The rule also expands the classes against which unknowing "discrimination" is prohibited to include "socioeconomic status," "gender identity," and "sexual orientation." Given the current cultural winds, this rule is a dangerous minefield for lawyers, particularly those who don't see "gender identity" or "sexual orientation" as cultural "causes" to be celebrated.
Brad Abramson, Senior Counsel with the Alliance Defending Freedom, has been following this issue for several years. About three years ago, a handful of states moved to enact similar changes, and Brad has been on top of the issue ever since. Now that the ABA is following suit, there is a danger that many more states will jump on the bandwagon.
Join host Mike Schutt as he and Brad discuss the proposed rule and its specific dangers to practicing lawyers. They discuss the proposal's break with the tradition of lawyer autonomy, its Constitutional difficulties, and the specific changes the new rule would make. They also speculate as to why the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility would ignore 477 lawyers' comments opposing the rule (in contrast to the 17-- just 17!-- in favor of the rule) when revising it. In closing, Schutt and Abramson suggest that attorneys everywhere contact their delegates and urge a "NO" vote on the proposed amendment, Resolution 109, at the ABA House of Delegates meeting August 8 and 9. A list of delegates is available here.
Both Christian Legal Society and ADF submitted detailed comments opposing the rule. Read them here (CLS) and here (ADF).
Mike Schutt is the host of Cross & Gavel audio, and Associate Professor at Regent University School of Law, where he has taught Professional Responsibility and Torts, among other things. He is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law. He currently teaches American Legal Thought in the Regent MA program and directs Attorney Ministries for the Christian Legal Society. Contact him at mschutt@clsnet.org.
Bradley Abramson serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, where he plays an integral role on the Alliance Coordination Team. He also directs the Bar Association Project, which focuses on encouraging allied attorneys to participate in and influence bar associations to advance religious freedom. He earned his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School. Contact him at babramson@adflegal.org.
Kim Colby, Director of the Center for Law and Religious Freedom, is Mike Schutt's guest on this episode of Cross & Gavel. Kim and Mike discuss why religious liberty is a hot topic, what's up with the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFFA), and whether religious liberty is simply a license to discriminate.
Kim Colby has been involved in religious freedom advocacy for more than 30 years and is one of the most thoughtful voices on the topic in the country.
More resources referred to in the podcast:
Michael McConnell, Why Protect Religious Freedom? (Review of Brian Leiter's Why Tolerate Religion?)
Religious Liberty News from the Christian Legal Society
Mike Schutt is the Director of CLS's Law Student Ministries and Attorney Ministries. He'll be re-joining the faculty of Regent University School of Law this week. Regent and CLS are founders of the Institute for Christian Legal Studies, the sponsor of Cross & Gavel Audio.
Millions of Americans-- especially young Americans-- seem to be enamored of Bernie Sanders and his socialist promises. August Huckabee, Dean of Students at Worldview at the Abbey, wonders what the allure might be. Listen to August and host Mike Schutt as they "feel the Bern."
Worldview at the Abbey is a bridge-year program for high school graduates in Canon City, CO. For more information on Worldview at the Abbey, visit www.worldviewbridgeyear.com.
The Cross & Gavel podcast is a project of the Christian Legal Society's Institute for Christian Legal Studies. Host Mike Schutt directs Attorney Ministries and Law Student Ministries for CLS.
Law Student Ministries Director Mike Schutt lists five simple things for law students to consider as they start their summer. His five areas of suggested focus:
-
Devotional Habits
-
Leisure
-
Read [some law stuff]
-
Talk to Your Family
-
Think about the Fall Semester [sorry]
Mike Schutt is the host of Cross & Gavel audio and the director of LSM, Attorney Ministries, and the Institute for Christian Legal Studies. Find out more about these ministries of the Christian Legal Society at ChristianLawyer.org.
Wendy L. Patrick is a San Diego County Deputy District Attorney in the Special Operations Division. She previously served in the Sex Crimes and Human Trafficking Division of the San Diego DA's office, where she prosecutor predators, human traffickers, stalkers, rapists, and child molesters. She has completed over 160 trails from first degree murder, to sex crimes, to domestic violence.
She also co-chairs both the California DA's Association Sexually Violent Predator Committee and its Human Trafficking Committee.
So Wendy Patrick knows what she's talking about when it comes to crimes related to human trafficking. Join Wendy and host Mike Schutt (sitting on the rooftop of the clubhouse at the Legend Safari Resort a few hours north of Pretoria South Africa, I kid you not) as they discuss current trends in human trafficking, suggestion for action, and how we might help survivors.
What can we do to move beyond awareness? Can prosecutorial work be ministry? Is human trafficking a symptom of something else? Think about these and other questions with Mike and Wendy as they take a break at the FLAG ("Faith and Law Around the Globe") International conference, sponsored by Cru.
Wendy is also the president of the Christian Legal Society's New York City attorney chapter (!), and you may contact her with questions on fighting human trafficking or about gatherings of Christian lawyers in the City! You can find her at jstcesq@live.com.
Cross & Gavel is hosted by Mike Schutt, director of both Attorney Ministries and Law Student Ministries for the Christian Legal Society. C&G Audio is a ministry of CLS.
Join the Christian Legal Society staff for a roundtable discussion about the calling to minister to law students and lawyers. How did we get here? What are we doing? What does law have to do with the kingdom of Christ?
Six CLS staffers talk around the table about their own backgrounds, mission, and convictions -- and why their work with CLS really matters.
The discussion ranges from law school experiences, to the foundations of vocational thinking, to BigLaw issues, to work-iife balance, to cultural engagement and religious liberty and beyond. It's good, clean fun! Come and listen in. It will be a good introduction to the work of CLS if you you don't know us, and it is an edifying conversation with friends if you're already part of the family.
David Nammo is Executive Director of the Christian Legal Society.
Peter Smith is CFO and COO of CLS.
Kim Colby is Director of the Center for Law and Religious Freedom.
Mike Schutt is Director of CLS Attorney Ministries and Law Student Ministries.
Brent Amato is CLS Chicagoland staff and former CLS Board President.
Stephanie Luck is a CLS member, volunteer, and consultant to the ministry.
Ken Lui is Director of Christian Legal Aid and is featured on Episode 44.
For more information on CLS and it's ministries, visit our website.
In his more than 20 years working with Christian law student groups on campus, Professor Richard Leiter has learned a thing or two about the challenges they face. In this episode, he discusses "being" who we are called to be as Christian law students engaging the campus for Christ. It turns out that Rich thinks "being" is far more important than any of the particulars of what we set out to "do."
Join us for this discussion as we kick around ideas on living out one's faith on campus, what lawyers can do to help, and the joy of being in Christian community even in the midst of the rigors of law school. Along the way, we talk about "mentoring," false measures of success and unrealistic expectations, and the difficulty of building relationships. Follow up and let us know what you think!
Richard Leiter is the Director of the Schmid Law Library and Professor at the University of Nebraska College of Law. He is also the editor of the award-winning law reference work National Survey of State Laws (7th ed., Wm S. Hein & Co.).
Mike Schutt is Director of Attorney and Law Student Ministries at the Christian Legal Society.
Leah Boyd did not take the straight path to a career in human rights work in Africa. She graduated from a good law school, went to work at one of Texas' largest law firms doing commercial litigation, and was laid off. After a fellowship with International Justice Mission, a trip to Antarctica (of course!), and a gentle reminder from God, she became the Director of Justice Initiatives at ALARM -- African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries (ALARM), encouraging lawyers in Africa and the West to live out their faith with their legal talents.
Leah takes teams of lawyers to Africa, encouraging and equipping local law enforcement, lawyers, and judges to fight human rights abuses in their communicates. Listen in as Leah tells a small piece of her story and of the story of ALARM, and some stories of those who have been blessed through their work. You'll be encouraged and challenged as you listen!
You can learn more about the work of ALARM at www.ALARM-inc.org and you may contact Leah Boyd at Leah@ALARM-inc.org. We pretty much guarantee that she is willing to get you involved in serving Africans with your legal skills.
Contact Cross & Gavel host Mike Schutt at mschutt@clsnet.org.
Does it matter how we "experience" the the Bible? Do we encounter it as a reference work, in which we look up stuff, or as a text in which to immerse ourselves? C&G guest Mark Bertrand believes that these are important questions. Bertrand says that the Bible involves one of the most important-- and most challenging-- design projects in history. Design decisions create or remove barriers to entering into the text, and often traditional design choices actually hinder our reading and interpretation. These are significant issues, to say the least.
Join Mark and host Mike Schutt as they discuss Bible design and its implications, and you'll find out, among other things, whether St. Paul will be offended if we remove the verse numbers from our Bibles, whether Jesus actually spoke only in red, and whether you are more holy if you read the Bible on see-through pages.
J. Mark Bertrand is a novelist living in South Dakota. His crime noir works are Back on Murder, Pattern of Wounds, and Nothing to Hide. His book [Re]Thinking Worldview is a great primer on Christian thought and action, and he serves on the faculty of Worldview Academy. He blogs at the world-renowned Bible Design Blog, sharing thoughts and photos on a multitude of design issues. His initial claim to fame was that he was interviewed by Ken Myers on Mars Hill Audio Journal, volume 90, which also features Mike Schutt talking about Redeeming Law.
Mike Schutt is host of Cross & Gavel Audio, a project of the Christian Legal Society and Trinity Law School.
On January 11, 2010, Jim Gash, then Dean of Students at Pepperdine Law School, met Henry, a Ugandan boy accused of two murders, in a Ugandan "Remand Home," a sparse jail for juveniles awaiting trail. Henry had been held there since 2008, awaiting a hearing. This meeting, by God's grace, changed Jim's life. It also helped change the criminal trial court system in Uganda and bring justice to hundreds of children awaiting trial without hope. As Jim says, "I took a step of faith, and it changed everything."
Listen to Jim tell his story and Henry's story-- ultimately God's story of grace and mercy and justice-- as he talks about his new book, Divine Collision: An African Boy, An American Lawyer, and Their Remarkable Battle for Freedom (Worthy 2016). Jim talks about how God brought about justice for Henry, how He used American lawyers to effect legal reform, and how He can overcome our "fear of success" to take us where He wants us to go. Jim admits that had he known the plans that God had for him, he might have stayed at home-- but he is forever grateful that he did not.
This is a beautiful and compelling story for anyone interested in justice-- or for those who long to hear God's call to "do" His work in the world.
Jim Gash is Professor of Law and Director of the Global Justice Program at Pepperdine University School of Law. He graduated first in his class at Pepperdine Law in 1993, clerked with a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, and practiced at Kirkland & Ellis in Los Angeles. When Jim argued Henry's case on appeal, he was the first American lawyer to argue in a Ugandan court.
Learn more about the book at DivineCollisionBook.com
Cross & Gavel Audio host Mike Schutt is Director of Attorney Ministries, Law Student Ministries, and the Institute for Christian Legal Studies (ICLS) for the Christian Legal Society. Cross & Gavel Audio is a project of ICLS, a cooperative ministry of CLS and Trinity Law School in Santa Ana, CA.
Ken Liu is Director of Christian Legal Aid Ministries for the Christian Legal Society. He says that his call into this ministry began when he, as a teenager, began to be serious about his Christian walk and to understand God's compassion for the poor. Listen as he discusses his road to using his legal skills to serve the poor, first as a reluctant lawyer, then an enthusiastic volunteer, and now as Director of a national legal aid ministry.
Listeners will be inspired and challenged as they listen to Ken's heart for those in need. If God calls us to seek justice for the poor, and lawyers have a monopoly on providing legal care, then lawyers must have a special responsibility before God to serve those in need with the legal gifts God has given them.
Listen in as Ken and Mike Schutt discuss Ken's personal journey, his current work in supporting legal aid work, CLS resources available to attorneys, and suggestions for developing a heart of compassion. Whether you are simply interested in learning more about Christian Legal Aid, or you're praying about starting a clinic in your community, this podcast is for you.
For more information, contact Ken at kliu@clsnet.org or visit the Legal Aid Section of the Christian Legal Society website.
Ken Liu is the Director of CLS Legal Aid Ministries and an attorney at Gammon & Grange in Tysons, VA. When he is not training legal aid lawyers or traveling the country in support of legal aid clinics, he practices intellectual property law and serves non-profit organizations in his law practice. He is a 1997 graduate of Cornell Law School.
Mike Schutt is host of Cross & Gavel Audio podcasts and serves as director of both Law Student Ministries and Attorney Ministries for the Christian Legal Society. Contact him at mschutt@clsnet.org.
Charlie Clauss says that it's okay to cry out against our current secularized, commercial, extended version of Christmas. He says that people are hungry for something more substantial than the "war" over Christmas or the 60-day shopping spree, hungry for something that will feed our souls as we mark time in the world.
And that's where the season of Advent can help.
In this episode, Charlie and Mike discuss why Advent is the perfect antidote to the commercialization and secularization of Christmas, and why it is also much much more than that. Advent is not an extended Christmas, or "Christmas Lite." It's a season that reminds Christ followers to reflect on their lives in light of the coming of Christ-- His coming in glory to set all things right. Jesus is coming, and He's coming whether we're ready or not-- and that is reason for hope as well as for self-examination.
The discussion ranges from the history of the season, to ideas on how to observe it well, to thoughts on how to not to be an Advent snob, and to some themes and passages that we can turn to at this time of year.
Listen in on the discussion and find out why observing Advent is like finding a cave in a storm, why you might find chocolate in your shoes on December 6, and whether Charlie will be sending Mike ten Lords a-leaping or seven swans a-swimming during the twelve-day feast of Christmas.
Mike Schutt directs Law Student Ministries & Attorney Ministries for the Christian Legal Society and is the founder and host of the Cross & Gavel Audio podcast.
Charlie Clauss is the founder of the Keeping Advent Facebook Page, a math teacher, a Minnesota resident, a gentleman, and a scholar, among many other things. Join the discussion at "Keeping Advent" on Facebook here.
In the First Ever First Annual Cross & Gavel Thanksgiving podcast, host Mike Schutt and Christian Legal Society Executive Director David Nammo list many of the things in their lives and work for which they are thankful. Along the way, they talk about their families, youth ministry, Vanderbilt Law School, candy corn, Narnia, the books that have shaped them, youth ministry, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, courage, religious liberty, taste buds, George Washington's Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, and the CLS Board of Directors, among many many other things.
It's a fun conversation (for them, anyway), and they wonder if they will survive to record the First Annual Christmas podcast. Listen in and let us know!
It is our hope that this light-hearted exercise in spontaneous, detailed conversation naming our blessings will inspire you to do the same this Thanksgiving. Enjoy.
Mike Schutt is host of the Cross & Gavel Audio Podcast, and David Nammo is the CEO of the Christian Legal Society in Springfield, VA. For more information about CLS, go to www.ChristianLawyer.org. (That is also the place to find C&G podcast episodes ##1-32)
As the Executive Director of the Christian Legal Society, David Nammo spends time with hundreds of lawyers and future lawyers every year. Mike Schutt begins this episode by asking him, "What are lawyers and students thinking-- what are they worried about these days?"
The ensuing conversation touches on matters of ethics, habits, cultural pressures, temptation, the role of professional communities, the local congregation, and much more. Dave believes one of the central tasks of life in the law is to seek God. As we seek Him, we better understand our unique calling in the profession.
Listen in and be encouraged
David Nammo is the Executive Director and CEO of the Christian Legal Society. Mike Schutt is host of Cross & Gavel Audio and Director of Law Student Ministries and Attorney Ministries for CLS.
For more information on CLS, visit www.christianlawyer.org
Episodes of C&G Audio previous to #35 are available at the CLS Website.
Trinity Law School Dean Myron Steeves has a vision for lawyers in ministry across the country. He says we ought to be looking for attorneys in the mold of the great reformer John Knox, who famously said, "Give me Scotland or I die," to gather and encourage lawyers in their mission in every city and every county. In this episode, Dean Steeves articulates this broad mission: addressing injustice, pursuing law reform, engaging in prayer ministry at the courthouse, encouraging church-centered mediation, and heeding the vocational call to minister to the client as a "whole person," among other things.
The conversation begins with host Mike Schutt asking how Christian attorneys might encourage their pastors, who have some anxiety in the wake of the Obergefell decision. Dean Steeves, who also advises non-profits, has some wisdom on the question of what Obergefell does and does not do, and why he is optimistic, at least in the very long term.
As the discussion moves to discuss the calling of Christian lawyers, generally, the topics range from the beauty of contract law ("it goes directly to the heart of what it means to be human") to the limits of litigation ("litigation is good for only one thing") and beyond. Schutt and Steeves touch on how groups of lawyers meeting in various places might better encourage one another to be "ministers to the whole person" and why "talking amongst ourselves" as attorneys is a pretty good idea.
You can find out more about Trinity Law School here and the Dean here. If you are interested in downloading early episodes (i.e., before iTunes) of Cross & Gavel Audio, they are available at the Christian Legal Society website, here.
Mike Peffer serves the Pacific Justice Institute as the Director of its Santa Ana office, and he sits down with C & G host Mike Schutt to talk about the work of PJI. Their conversation touches on trends in religious liberty cases, including zoning disputes, the need for ordinary attorneys to volunteer their time, and Christian Legal Aid.
Along the way, Peffer discusses his path to public interest law and recalls his rewarding work in Christian Legal Aid.
For more information about the Pacific Justice Institute, visit www.PJI.org.
Jamie Grosshans is a lawyer, a mom, and the wife of a lawyer. She believes that "balance" is a figment of somebody's imagination, that there is no traditional career path that is right for every woman, and that lawyers are stressed out. The good news is that she wouldn't trade her life for an ambassadorship and that she takes joy in her law practice and family, even in the face of a Pinterest account that tells her that her kids' snacks are inadequate.
Listen to her conversation with Mike Schutt, in which she shares her wisdom on mentors, the necessity of Christian community, and the proper use of ringtones. It's really good stuff.
Jamie's firm is Plain Street Law. She practices family law and criminal defense. She is a member of the Christian Legal Society and serves on the board of the Orlando chapter of CLS. She has three beautiful children.
Atlanta lawyers Bill Hollberg amd Eric Wilborn are domestic lawyers who represent clients who don't want a divorce. It's a tough way to make a living, but they say that this is how God has called them to love their neighbors with their legal skills. Their goal in every case is the reconciliation and restoration of the marriage, a goal that they admit they rarely reach.
What kind of divorce lawyers won't sue for divorce and refuse to handle "no-fault" cases? What leads an attorney to strive to treat opposing counsel and parties with kindness and patience, driven by the fruit of the Spirit?
Listen in as Mike Schutt discusses domestic defense work with Hollberg and Wilborn. Their approach to law practice is driven by their faith, rooted in Scripture, and designed to love and serve others. You might even be encouraged to take a closer look at your approach to your own vocation as well!
William B. Hollberg and Eric P. Wilborn are attorneys at Hollberg & Weaver LLP in Atlanta. Mike Schutt is director of Attorney Ministries for the Christian Legal Society and host of Cross & Gavel Audio.
Host Mike Schutt talks with criminal defense attorney J.T. Borah about "representing the guilty" to the glory of God. Mr. Borah discusses why process is more important than truth in a criminal trial, why Blackstone was right that "it is better to let ten guilty escape," and why one prosecutor tried to prohibit him from citing the Founding Fathers in Voir Dire. It's a great conversation!
This is a re-mixed recording of two previously published episodes early in the life of Cross & Gavel Audio. Rather than porting over the whole archive, we will from time to time re-publish older episodes to make our podcast library complete.
Bill Jack thinks Christians suffer from swimming in the waters of secularism and that we're hooked on being popular. After Colorado baker Jack Phillips was punished for declining to bake a cake for a homosexual wedding, Bill asked an LBGT-friendly bakery to bake some cakes with Bible verses on them. Yet he doesn't believe cakes are the issue.
Listen in as Bill talks with host Mike Schutt about the Obergefell decision, the Colorado cake capers, and the Church's challenge of proclaiming truth to those who don't wish to hear. Careful: He might step on your toes . . . and we sure wouldn't want to offend anyone, whould we?
Many are confused by the hype and hysteria surrounding RFRA -- the Religous Freedom Restoration Act, passed unanimously on the Federal level and signed into law by Bill Clinton. Why the hysteria over a similar act passed this year in Indiana? Why do both state AND federal RFRAs exist? And what is RLUIPA?
Kim Colby, who has been involved in religious liberty work for close to 35 years, answers these questions and more in our discussion.
Kimberllee Wood Colby is Senior Counsel and the Christian Legal Society's Center for Law and Religious Freedom.
Mike Schutt is CLS's director of the Institute for Christian Legal Studies and a visiting professor at Trinity Law School in Santa Ana, California.
Mike Schutt interviews Allisa Baier, an attorney with Open Door Legal Services at Seattle's Union Gospel Mission. Ms. Baer talks about her career path into legal aid, God's hand in using her in this field, and the challenges and rewards of working in Chrstiain Legal Aid.