Are We Right?

In the spirit of the season, Are We Right presents an epic Christmas-themed episode unmatched in festive gaiety since George Lucas' The Star Wars Holiday Special.  Calvin recalls fond memories of the family going to the movies at Christmastime and waxes eloquent about the proper color of Christmas lights and ranking of Christmas films.  Brooke attempts in vain to engage the group in a lively debate about the merits of singing Mariah Carey Christmas songs and ruminates about the religious implications of Christmas in a manner that would make a Southern Baptist shout “Amen!”.  And Josh regales the audience with a banjo solo of Angels We Have Heard on High (no, really).  

The gang speaks truth to power and tells it like it is in this conspiracy-centric episode.  What are conspiracy theories?  Do they offer humans an evolutionary advantage?  Are there more conspiracy theorists today than in days gone by?  Is conspiratorial thinking linked to ideology?  Does it manifest itself greater on the Left or Right?  Is there a connection between mid-level marketing, the Evangelical church, and conspiratorial thinking?  Which conspiracies do the hosts find compelling?  Was the moon landing faked?  Was the 2020 election stolen from Kanye West?  Did Dwight D. Eisenhower have a radio transmitter implanted in his dentures?  Did Epstein kill himself?  Are birds real?  Does Finland even exist?  Listen in to get the truth that THEY don't want you to know!  

Podcasters are obligated to do at least one episode covering the recent midterm elections, so here you go.  Brooke and Cal were unable to make this episode, so Calvin and Josh welcomed their mutual friend and first-time-guest Kent Straight to the show for a roundtable discussion on the aftermath of the (possibly) least important election of our lifetime.  Listeners beware as Calvin and Kent both share a Leftward perspective, thus shattering the typical conservative majority on this show.  

All four hosts reflect on their extensive experience with the quirky world of homeschooling, including how the homeschool movement has changed since the 90s, the pros and cons of homeschool and homeschool culture, the appropriate roles of the parents and the state in homeschool, and why you should never look up a person's name on Urban Dictionary.

The gang (minus Calvin) engages in a cannonball run conversation around the topic of work.  Have we lost sight of the purpose of work?  What or who's to blame for the Great Resignation?  How might we find satisfaction in our jobs?  What challenges await us in the workplace of the future?  Is remote work destroying social ties?  And will the conversation veer so far to the Right without Calvin's leftward views that it runs off the rails?  Find out in yet another exciting installment of Are We Right?

From Joshua Harris' powerfully influential book I Kissed Dating Goodbye to Bill Gothard's Institute in Basic Life Principles to abstinence pledges to multi-layered cottage industries of virtue and chastity, the Christian, homeschool scene of the past several decades has been saturated in a movement seeking purity from a sexualized and secularized world loosely defined as Purity Culture.  What is Purity Culture?  How and why did it come about?  What have the lasting effects of the movement been?  What are the pros and cons of its basic tenets and teachings?   Brooke Medina leads the group in discussing these very questions.  All four hosts had experience growing up in Purity Culture and bring their unique perspectives to the conversation.  But wait!  There's more!  For the first time the hosts welcome a guest as Calvin Moore's wife, Jennifer Moore, joins the episode to bring balance to the otherwise overly male-centric dynamics of the group.  

A remarkably restrained Calvin Moore askes a number of probing questions to Cal Davenport and Josh Lewis, exploring why they embrace a conservative worldview.  Though Cal and Josh are in violent agreement during much of the conversation, there's plenty of nuance and jargon to satiate the politically curious listener.

Brooke leads the fellas in a broad discussion around what awaits us in the future.  That is, the future of work, families, and US.  With declining birthrates in the West, labor market instabilities, and the global landscape from Chinese and Russian aggression to more hopeful developments, what challenges and opportunities are just around the bend?   Is declining population growth a problem?  What role should globalization play?  Why should we be hopeful about the future?  Could transporters based off of the Star Trek universe work for weight-loss purposes?   While Brooke presents her characteristically optimistic take plenty of dire speculation takes place in the chat as well as what each host finds hopeful about the future.  

As Zuckerberg grows creepily giddy about the prospects of digitizing reality and more and more corporations are exploring ways to embrace virtual platforms, Cal Davenport leads the gang in a discussion about what we might expect with the dawning of the Metaverse. Is the looming Metaverse something to be feared?  Will it bring about a nightmarish dystopia?  Or will it prove to be powerfully beneficial to humanity?  And what, pray tell, should we doing to prepare for this Brave New World?  

The Supreme Court has been doling out enough conservative decisions this year to flood D.C. in a sea of liberal tears.  As the liberal representative of the group, Calvin leads the discussion and cross examines Brooke, Cal, and Josh's conservative critiques.  The gang focuses on four cases in particular: Carson v. Makin (Maine can't exclude religious schools from a state tuition program), Kennedy v. Bremerton School District (a football coach at a public high school had a constitutional right to pray at the 50-yard line after the games), New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (states with strict limits on carrying guns in public violate the Second Amendment), and, of course, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, (Overturning the constitutional right to an abortion established by Roe v. Wade).

C. S. Lewis is one of the most beloved authors of all times and the podcast hosts can certainly be counted among his large fandom.  Calvin named his dog after Lewis, Brooke's New Year's resolution was to be invited on a podcast or radio program to geek-out about "Jack", Cal testifies that Lewis was instrumental in the formation of his marriage, and Josh (whose last name happens to be Lewis) led a C. S. Lewis book club in his hometown for years.  The gang enjoys ruminating over their favorite Lewis works and discussion why his writings hold so much interest today.

From mask mandates to the teaching of Cultural Race Theory, school board meetings across the country have erupted as angry and concerned parents come to defend their values.  Cal, Brooke, Calvin, and Josh debate whether these concerns are overblown and whether we're falling short of the mark of a true education.

Before Brooke joins the show the guys sit down and talk all things Evangelical, including: What is Evangelicalism?  Is it primarily a religious, cultural, or political identifier?  Can Evangelicalism be divorced from Red State political culture?  How do we differentiate between nominal and devote Evangelicalism?  How do we differentiate between fundamentalism and Evangelicalism?  What are Evangelicalism's current strengths and weaknesses?  Will Evangelicalism command as much political clout in the near future?