What does it take to form a life with roots, discipline, and courage in an age of distraction and drift? In this episode of Forged, Brian Williams talks with R. R. Reno about the ordinary practices that shape the soul: family dinners, church, books, marriage, friendship, cooking, architecture, and the demanding craft of rock climbing. Reno reflects on growing up in Baltimore, learning endurance in Yosemite, finding stability in marriage and worship, and pursuing excellence as a teacher, writer, and Christian. Along the way, he considers why beauty trains our affections, why embodied disciplines matter, and what it means to “do battle without hatred.”

The conversation moves from childhood rhythms and the gift of rootedness to the spiritual trial of physical risk, the public nature of architecture, and the vocation of First Things as a guide for readers seeking clarity in a fractured cultural moment.

About the Guest
R. R. Reno has served as Editor of First Things since 2011. He received his PhD in
theology from Yale University, and taught theology and ethics at Creighton
University in Omaha, Nebraska for twenty years. He has published in many
academic journals, magazines, and newspapers. His most recent books include The
End of Interpretation, Return of the Strong Gods, and Resurrecting the Idea of a
Christian Society.

Guest Links
First Things | https://www.firstthings.com

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