My guest today is Chris Moody, a professor of journalism at Appalachian State University. Chris was a senior correspondent for CNN and writes for major publications like The Atlantic but our reason for speaking today has much more to do with his choices - four years ago, he and his wife chose to get rid of the internet in their home. Rather than harming them, Chris considers it one of the best decision they ever made.

On the episode today we talk about his life before "opting out," going from living in New York to living in a 72-square-ft. camper with his wife and traveling the country. We further discuss how his faith affected his decisions regarding technology, how he can live as a professional without internet at home, and how high-trust communities are best suited to deal with natural disasters.

• The Opt Outers (Chris's Substack)
• Life Really is Better Without the Internet
• Reading a 3,000-Year-Old Poem to a 3-Year-Old Boy

Today I am joined by Jason Cherry, founding board member of New Trinity College in Huntsville, Alabama. Jason is a historian, teacher, church elder, and is a part of an exciting new venture in higher education: he and several others are starting a Christian liberal arts college that emphasizes the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). We talk about the need for such a school, why in Huntsville, Alabama, the problems with modern STEM education in government schools, and why this is a great time to start such a project.

• New Trinity Foundation
• Support New Trinity College

Jason's books

• The Making of Evangelical Spirituality
• The Culture of Conversionism and the History of the Altar Call

Today I talk with Danielle Hitchen, the author of Sacred Seasons: A Church Calendar Family Guide for Celebrating Advent, Lent, Easter, and Christ All Year. This is the best book I have read when it comes to practical ways to practice the church calendar throughout the year. Danielle is a wife, mother, writer, and associate producer of the Hugh Hewitt Show. In this episode we discuss how she came to appreciate the church calendar, how the various seasons guide our piety, and why children so readily embrace the seasons of the church year.

Books written and/or edited by Danielle

• Sacred Seasons: A Church Calendar Family Guide for Celebrating Advent, Lent, Easter, and Christ All Year
• Baby Believer Primers

Anglican House Publishers

Today I welcome C.R. Wiley back to the show to talk about his most recent book, Manmade: Saint Anthony’s Guide to Surviving the AI Apocalypse. We discuss the life of St. Anthony, why it still matters for Christians today, and the surprising lessons we can learn from him about dealing with A.I. here and now. C.R. even lets us in on his new writing project that looks at what's going on from another unique angle.

Books by C.R. Wiley

• Manmade: Saint Anthony’s Guide to Surviving the AI Apocalypse
• In the House of Tom Bombadil
• The Household and the War for the Cosmos
• Man of the House

Podcasts

• The Theology Pugcast
• Chris and Chris Talk Business

I am joined today by Dr. Josh Herring, the director of the Logres Institute. Logres is a organization created to help classical teachers, parents, and anyone else who wants to grow in the wisdom of our fathers. We discuss what Logres does, the reason for its unique name, and why Christianity and classical studies should be in harmony - not opposition - with one another.

• The Logres Institute
• The Ciceronian Society
• Sons of Adam, Daughters of Eve - C.S. Lewis' Images of Gender (Josh's book)
• The Future of American Protestantism: An Interview with Al Mohler (referred to in the podcast)

Today I talk about the importance of Wendell Berry's writing, his faithfulness as farmer, and some of his works that I appreciate the most. I also talk about a couple of other books that I read recently and how they contribute to thinking about a good life.

Books mentioned on today's podcast:

• Standing By Words - Wendell Berry
• The Need to Be Whole - Wendell Berry
• Fidelity - Wendell Berry
• That Distant Land - Wendell Berry
• Haven in a Heartless World - Christopher Lasch
• These High Green Hills - Jan Karon

It was a delight for me to talk today with Dr. John Cuddeback, a man who greatly influenced my thinking of what it means to be a good parent. Dr. Cuddeback is a philosophy professor at Christendom College and he has written an excellent book titled, The Intentional Household. He also developed free courses for fathers and mothers at his LifeCraft website. Our discussion today centers around The Intentional Household, where we discuss such topics as why we must be purposeful in parenting our children, why working together binds a family closer, and how leisure, properly understood, prepares children for living a good life.

Books by Dr. John Cuddeback

• The Intentional Household
• True Friendship

LifeCraft (John and Sofia's Website)

The Intentional Household Podcast (highly recommended!)

Today I read and elaborate on an article by the late Dr. Gary North titled, "The Little Things in Life." He wrote this in 1979 but it is as relevant today as when he wrote it. In it he talks about the often overlooked foundation for the cultural growth of the Medieval era (500 A.D. to 1500 A.D.): God's law. Although not perfect at all, it was a time of flourishing after the fall of the Roman Empire. Even though there was much illiteracy and doctrinal dispute, Dr. North points out that there was much cohesion when it came to the basic ethical standards of Scripture, and how families teaching those to their children gave rise to what we know as Christendom. I conclude with a few thoughts of how Christians can lay the foundation for Christian culture again today.

• The Little Things of Life - Dr. Gary North
• Rented Virtue (article on the Quakers mentioned by Aaron Renn)