The Academy Podcast

"From Mystic Rituals to Christian Liturgy: A History of Ascent, its Influence on Dante's Paradise and our own Lives."Our common Christian goal is unity with God. This is also the goal of ascent. This project argues that Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy and Bonaventure's Journey of the Mind into God prominently influence Dante's articulation of ascent in his poem Paradise. Furthermore, as Christians, we ought to observe Dante's spiritual ascension and strive to ascend as well. The project seeks to demonstrate that Dante was indeed influenced by Boethius and Bonaventure, and, somewhat consequently, Dante's ascent reflects our own Christian pilgrimage. 

"'Attending to the Otherness of the Other': How Study Abroad Experiences Can Lead to a Deeper Love for our Neighbors."Our graduates graciously love their neighbor, especially the most broken and marginalized. Studying abroad is a popular idea for many reasons, some of them quite superficial. This project argues that we can broaden our global understanding through travel and immersive experiences. These experiences include, but are not limited to, study abroad. The project also explores how to best study cultures different from our own. It connects these suggestions with an emphasis on Christian hospitality and humility ,especially toward neighbors in other cultures. Ultimately, we can love our cultural neighbors by engaging with and learning from them. 

“Blurring the Lines: Reality, The Road, and the Importance of Fictional Storytelling.”In a world steeped in modernist ideals and practicality, fictional storytelling is often undervalued or regarded with suspicion, a medium of little importance. Though fiction can seem endlessly confounding, the argument is whether the formational truths of fiction matter to us today. This project explores the place of fiction in our pursuit of reality and virtue through an examination of fiction's origins in human imagination and impact on the self. Finally, the project examines an example offiction-at-work, Cormac McCarthy's The Road.

“Legalism and Relationships: Man, World, and God.” Legalism is a pervasive problem in American Churches. This project uses a Kuyperian analysis to argue that, though doubtless also a theological error, legalism is a problem with significant personal and relational consequences. Adequately understanding the sbad effects of legalism is a first step toward its rejection. 

“The Pressures of Being a Person: How Nutrition, Athletics and Mental Health Connect.”Athletes are universally admired and upheld. At the same time, athletes are derided for both their moral and their athletics failures. This project attempts to present athletes as whole people through exploring the science of nutrition and its connection to the mental health needed both by athletes and others. Proper nutrition, causally connected to mental health, is essential for a full, competitive athletic career and life. 

“Fun in Education- Its Effects on Learning, Retention, and School Performance.”Throughout our early years at school, it is common for teachers to incorporate fun activities into the classroom to help students learn better. But how might education change if a focus on fun remained in the classrooms of older students? This paper explores the benefits fun has on education, such as supporting retention of the material taught, giving students a love of learning, and managing students' stress levels. 

"A Liturgy for Suffering: The Power of Music and the Problem of Evil."Music is a universal language and suffering is a universal human experience. How can music help us in our suffering? This project explores the work of Joseph Ratzinger and Andrew Peterson, alongside the music of Andrew Peterson and Modest Mouse, to argue for music's unique role in redeeming human suffering.

“Shakespearean Division: Questioning Racism and Genre in The Merchant of Venice and Othello.”William Shakespeare is the most famous Western playwright. His plays are still read, discussed, performed, and analyzed even after 400 years. However, a debate increasingly surrounds problematic themes in his works, one of which is racism. In two plays specifically, Othello and The Merchant of Venice, racism seems readily apparent. Even though present in these works, this project argues we should continue to read and discuss them, and especially within a community of fellow believers. At the same time, we should be willing to acknowledge the racism and prejudice present in both.

“Using the Past for the Present: How HistoricalKnowledge can Better Ourselves and our Community.”The academic study of history is sometimes wrongly viewed as the study of mildlyinteresting facts. This causes people to overlook the importance of historical knowledge,its ability to better both ourselves and the world around us. This project argues thereare unique benefits to historical study. Its study is crucial in shaping educatedperspectives, lending wisdom, and perhaps even guiding our society rightly. Hence, theacademic study of history should not be ignored or devalued in comparison to other,especially emerging STEM, fields.

"Loving our Immigrant Neighbor: Seeking Truth through Psychology and Poetry."Immigrants inhabit a reality seemingly far removed from our own. This project examines the lesser-known immigration realities of Chinese and Hispanic immigrants using the poems these immigrants have written. Far from a straightforward reading of the poems, the project attempts to see the poems as expressive of  the personal constructs of these immigrants, a concept pioneered by George Kelly though hereoriginally applied to poetry. These realities are then compared to the reality expressed in EmmaLazarus' more famous immigration poem “The New Colossus.” In the end, the paper arguesthat understanding the realities of immigrants, rather than simply the often-taughtimmigration ideal, is a way toward loving our immigrant neighbors.

“The Price of Amateurism.” A recent Supreme Court decision, alongside the NCAA decision to allow players to be compensated for the use of their Name, Image, and Likeness(NIL) has complicated our thinking about the role of amateurism in college athletics.This project argues that both the NCAA change and the Supreme Court's decision are necessary responses to a moral wrong and racial injustice. As such, college fans oughtto welcome, not object to, this change.

"Carrying our Crosses: Suffering in the Gospels and Dostovesky's Crime and Punishment."Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment explores how, as Christians, redemptive sufferingconnects us to Christ and breeds virtue in our hearts. Through textual examples and characteranalysis, this project explains how the novel addresses suffering as a definitive part of thehuman experience. The paper then connects this idea to Jesus's teaching in the Gospels, showinghow Jesus welcomes suffering as necessary for His disciples. Finally, the paper connects theseideas to show how Crime and Punishment shows that redemptive suffering is not only a humanexperience, but a unique necessity of Christian life.

“Board Games in the Kingdom: Loving our Neighbor through Creative Play.”This project describes the importance of play in building relationships. It examinesplay through the disciplines of mathematics and theater. Through these areas ofcreative play, board games provide environments to develop relationships betweendifferent ages. This presentation also explains how, on account of this research, acommunity project was conducted that provided time for Academy high schoolers toplay board games with third graders from St. Paul's Community School. 

"'The things that matter are the things that need breath': Homelessness in Oklahoma City and our Responsibility to Relationally Invest."Homelessness in our community is something we often ignore. Yet, as Christians, webelieve that every individual was created in the image of God. This project arguesthat we must reflect our belief in our daily lives. We can do this by recognizing andanswering the call to bring the homeless into our homes, feed them, clothe them, andcare for them.

“The Art of Being Terrified: The Visions of AldousHuxley, George Orwell, and Cormac McCarthy.” How often do you lie awake at night with fear for the future? Brave New World,1984, and The Road are all dystopian novels that attempt to influence our thinkingand behavior. This is accomplished through terrifying visions of what humanity couldface. These visions, somewhat indirectly, invite Christians to search harder for Christand His goodness as they face a world of tragedy and uncertainty. 

“To Forget is to be Lost: The Problems of Modernity and the Solution of Film.”Our memories have been slowly disintegrating for centuries. This disintegration isdue in no small part to the philosophical project widely known as Modernism andattributable to thinkers like René Descartes. This project explores the problems derivedfrom Modernism: the isolation of self by the destruction of any greater narrative andthe appointment of the self as God. It then argues that film, both as a medium andnarrative-form, aids in the re-definition of the self by placing the self within anarrative. This is argued to be a reminder of our true place in God's story. 

Our inaugural(?) episode of Season 3 in which Nate and Josh wonder aloud at how Eric didn't get more podcasts out and how scripts make for freedom and how the school is doing and how Nathan's gladhanding provided such opulence for his office.Send us your questions, comments, criticisms to TheAcademyPodcastOK@gmail.com. 

Well, it's been a long while since we released a podcast. Eric attempts to steer the ship without Josh & Nathan, but thankfully is joined by Jamie Howell who manages to keep this from turning into a total disaster. We talk upcoming episodes, "Hollywood" Spears, daytime TV from the 80s, and Jamie threatens to take over the podcast.If for some reason you have a comment or question, you can email the show at TheAcademyPodcastOK@gmail.com. If you're feeling brave, 

In this season finale, we reflect on a strange year, Nathan glad hands (with plenty of hand sanitizer) and inexplicably, we flip the 7 with some numerology. For the three of you still listening, send us your hate mail at TheAcademyPodcastOK@gmail.com.

It's an action packed Lyceum Conversation with David Zahl of Mockingbird Ministries. We invited Nathan to join us as we wander our way through the virtues of grunge, why we chase enoughness and why Josh is right about Star Wars.

We originally recorded this episode in February 2020 to be our inaugural Lyceum Conversation. Much like our annual Lyceum Project, our hope in these Lyceum Conversations is to bring the best scholars to speak on important issues. Well. In case you've not been keeping up with the news, things got weird shortly thereafter. With the shut down of the school and the state and the country and the world, we felt the topic a bit too heavy for the moment and our first released Lyceum Conversation was with our 2020 Lyceum Project speaker, Esther Meek (you should listen to that one again!).While things are still weird, they feel less weird enough that we though it the right time to give you Jonathan's wisdom and insight into the problem of evil, perhaps the most pressing and vexing problem we face. If God is good and powerful, whence all this bad stuff? Jonathan and I spend some time getting a sense of what the problem is and how Christians can best think and live solutions to the problem. We hope this encourages you and gives you a steady dose of hope in the power and love God who is remaking all things in the Resurrected Christ.Be ye warned, we tend to lean more on the pretentious side of our ordinarily accessible pretension. 

It's been a bit. What with Nathan's glad handing, Eric's obsession with strange news stories and Josh‘s meek and humble nature, we've had a bit of a gap since our last episode. But we've been minding that gap. Paying close attention. So we bring you a full dose of accessible pretension, a veritable vaccine of nonsense. We reflect on a year's worth of pandemic schooling, The Bunker Tapes, Josh being right (again) and the relationship of mythos to shalom. 

In this Nathanless episode, Eric and Josh finally get control of the podcast, finally get just the right balance of pretension and accessibility, finally get a word in edgewise. To our tens of listeners, we want to hear from you. Email the show at The AcademyPodcastOK@gmail.com

In our second annual Xmas Xtravaganza we talk multi-step gifts, revisit scrapple-fueled thigh masters, reflect on St Thomas,  the mystery of the Incarnation and leave you with a very special Xmas surprise. Email the show at: theacademypodcastok@gmail.com_______________________Music: Carol of the Bells by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 Licensehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this fourth(?) episode of season two, we invite our rhetoric (high school) prefects (student leaders) to join us and talk all things 9th-12th grade accessible pretension. We get insight into the hearts and minds of our leadership and the culture of our school. We also get to the bottom of a make-or-break Advent issue. It's about to get real for some parents. 

It's Advent! The strangest in a while for sure. So, Nathan and Josh help Eric understand the protocols for a proper Advent season all the while situating Advent within the Apostle's Creed. There may be some measure of controversy about what counts as good Christmas music and Eric may or may not bring some good news. We're still not sure. 

It's been a minute but only because it's been a bit crazy around here. We talk through the crazy. We re-center in the Creeds. We feast on Thanksgiving. We give Eric more trouble. We give you, Listener, accessible pretension. Be Ye warned: we discuss a number of sophomoric topics with language that may cause a triggering event. Have thoughts on the show? Topics you want to see covered? Have nothing better to do? Email the show at theacademypodcastok@gmail.com.

The boys are back, Dear Listener. Season Two. Fully-caffeinated, no-ethanol, high octane action. A wandering, nay, meandering romp through 80's action flix (with a hot take or two for good measure) and, in a world gone mad with division, we talk the creeds that unify the Church. All in all, not a bad restart of your dose of accessible pretention. 

Hear directly from the tens of listeners of The Academy Podcast in this our second teaser for season 2. You will not be disappointed. Feel the excitement.The first episode of the second season will premiere this Friday, so be on the lookout.Email the show at theacademypodcastok@gmail.com to suggest topics or tell us how great/awful we are. We'll accept both extremes and everything in between.

The Academy Podcast is coming back for season 2! If this teaser doesn't get you pumped up, then you're probably a normal person.Email questions or topics to theacademypodcastok@gmail.com

Oliver TwistFrom the Novel by Charles DickensCopyright 1979, Pioneer Drama Service, Inc. "Produced by special arrangement with Pioneer Drama Service, Inc., Denver, Colorado"Adapted by Joellen Bland For those who loved the classic Charles Dickens story, enjoy again all of the fascinating characters from this exciting story:  the Artful Dodger, Fagin, the menacing Bill Sikes and the kind-hearted Nancy. Travel with Oliver as he becomes involved in a plot containing mystery, robbery and revenge; until Oliver's true identity is discovered and he finds a home and happiness with his benefactor, Mr. Brownlow. Dear Academy Family, On the first day of auditions, August 27, 2019, if you would have told me that our show would not go up onstage, but instead through a podcast due to a mass pandemic, I would have laughed in your face in disbelief. Yet, here we are, ten months later. Before I offer you a bit of light amidst darkness and chaos, I invite you to walk with me as I reflect upon this journey. Never have I seen a group of young students come together with such fervor, albeit over Zoom, and make the best of a hard situation. The day before Spring Break I met with four dads about building a set out of palettes that Tina Ray brought up to the school herself, and we were about to get into major crunch time for our show. As the next few days started to unravel, Abbie James and Darla Lynn helped me brainstorm ways to fulfill the time-old saying, "The show MUST go on." A few meetings and brainstorming sessions later, our South Dialectic Drama production of Oliver Twist: The Radio Show was born. Over the months of March through June, these incredible students got on video calls weekly, if not daily, to record each and every line. Students assisted in finding sound effects, and were always eager to share new lines to help adapt this piece from stage to sound. After gathering the lines, sounds and music, the wonderfully talented Eric Williams took everything and added his magic (I'm talking cutting every line and glued them next to each other and making sure each sound tone was up to par) to make this idea become a reality. To say we would never have this show without him is an understatement. So here we are! To twenty-one Students, forty-two parents and loved ones, countless faculty and staff... here is my deepest thank you, to each and every one of you, from the bottom of my heart. We hope you enjoy this production of Oliver Twist! God's Peace, Hannah Eppling 

In this, our final episode of season one, we long for re-runs, start a radio station and offer a meta-podcast reflection on starting a podcast. Look for various updates over the summer and we'll see you in the Fall.Feel free to keep emailing us at TheAcademyPodcastOK@gmail.com and let us know how you're doing. We love getting your emails and we will read any we receive when we start season 2 in August. Until then, may the force be with you.

In this, our final episode of The Bunker Tapes, we step outside of the bunker, blink at the sunlight and look to see the real world again. Sort of anyway. We talk about the need for good endings ('prolepsis' is the accessibly pretentious word we learned on the word of the day calendar), Josh talks Weird Al and Back to the Future 3 and we get into some solid email action. Dear listener, The Bunker Tapes may be ending, but we aren't going anywhere. Send us your thoughts, questions, musings, and any other nonsense you see fit.  TheAcademyPodcastOK@gmail.com.Keep an eye out for The Academy Podcast season finale podcast in the next couple weeks. If Eric does his job, we will have an extravaganza of epic proportions. We're counting on him.

It's a nostalgia hodge podge of nonsense. The guys talk first books, vhs rentals and a mustachioed mullet hero. We want to hear from you, Dear Listener. Email us all your questions, thoughts, and any other such nonsense as you see fit. We appreciate your support. TheAcademyPodcastOK@gmail.com

In this, part two of episode 5, we get an 'email' from 'Chaz Wolfman' and listen to a 'phone call' from the 'same' and we wonder about Eric's mental health. We want to hear from you, Dear Listener. Email us your bunker stories, random thoughts, questions, gripes, or any other nonsense you see fit. Our email address is TheAcademyPodcastOK@gmail.com. Use it wisely.

Episode 5 Part 1 of The Bunker Tapes has us talking with one, Alison Thompson, grammar teacher extraordinaire about what it looks like to teach in the grammar stage at the Academy and reflect on her time as a mom of one of our graduates.We'd love to hear from you.  Email us at TheAcademyPodcastOK@gmail.com.

More Bunker Tape madness. A somber (but not serious), reflective podcast. Dialing down some (some, I said) of the regular nonsense, we wonder at the grace bestowed in the events of Holy Week as we look and long for that much needed hope in the Resurrection. We want to hear from you. Now's your chance to regale our audience of tens of listeners with your comments, thoughts, bunker stories, or any other such nonsense as you see fit to share. Also vote if you'd like to see Josh get glued to the ceiling with super glue. Email us at TheAcademyPodcastOK@gmail.com. 

Introducing a new way of delivering your weekly-ish dose of accessibly pretentious nonsense. We call these The Lyceum Conversations. For these slight diversions from our regularly scheduled program, we invite scholars of the finest order to help us makes sense of the world and possibility bring the podcast a modicum of respectability. In this, our first Lyceum Conversation, Dr Esther Meek helps us understand what it means to know God, the world and ourselves. If you've ever wondered whether knowledge is possible or wondered how we might arrive at it, Esther's work will put you on the right path. This conversation is worth a listen or three. We want to hear from you, Dear Listener.  Email us your thoughts, questions, or any other nonsense to TheAcademyPodcastOK@gmail.com.

Tapping into our accessible pretension, we talk about logic and it's role in classical ed, we offer a TP PSA and we offer you, Dear Listener, a life-changing new song to chime in our email segment.  Speaking of which, email us your bunker stories or any other nonsense to TheAcademyPodcastOK@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you.

The guys are back in the bunker to bring you the highly demanded ravings of quarantined classical educators. We'll discuss a number of things, important and (mostly) otherwise, and a new email segment joins the stable of nonsense. We want to hear your bunker stories and anything else you have going on in this exciting quarantine.  Email the show at TheAcademyPodcastOK@gmail.com. 

We're back on the air. From their cozy quarantined quarters, Eric, Nathan and Josh remotely renew the accessibly pretentious shenanigans of The Academy Podcast. Unplugged 90's grunge, toilette paper and rolling thunder await the intrepid listener.Email us your bunker stories and any other questions at theacademypodcastok@gmail.com. 

In our bourgeiest episode to date, we chase the white whale with Andrew Black, and can Eric pull it together long enough to get us a chance to meet the real(?) Chaz Wolfman?

In this episode, you'll get your accessibly pretentious nonsense fix: Eric introduces a new segment that goes really well, we talk mimetics and the power of heroes and Josh doubles down, despite all the threats.

We're back. In this disjointed-as-ever-post-break-cobweb-cleaning episode, Eric offers a scrapple update, Nathan drops a likely spoiler and Josh offers a hot take on an over-rated cultural moment.

For the dozen or so of you still listening, thanks and Merry Christmas. We've rewarded your diligence (or lack of better things to do?) with some genuine, grade-A Christmas nonsense in this, our third episode. Among other things, Eric helps Nathan and Josh discover new things in Christmas food traditions, Josh welcomes Ann Risch (our first guest!) who introduces us to a favorite poet and Nathan tones his thighs on Christmas day. Oh man, what are we doing?

We warned you. We tried to anyway. You just wouldn't take heed. You listened to this madness and only encouraged him. Well, Them. Eric, Nathan and Josh. This time you'll find talk of Advent, Lessons and Carols, Christmas kitsch and plenty more nonsense. Who knows, we might get ourselves down to tens of people flocking to listen.You can find us on all your favorite podcast platforms.

Maybe we shouldn't have. Maybe we shouldn't have given Nathan Carr a microphone and 32 minutes to talk into it. Maybe Josh Spears shouldn't have been there to egg him on. But we did. We let them make the first Academy podcast (the first of many for the literally dozens of listeners sure to follow). A podcast best summarized as 'How did we get here?' Nate and Josh puzzle over how far the school has come, how they've changed along with it and, well, to be perfectly honest, sheer nonsense. Nonsense a plenty. Join us, then. Who knows, maybe they'll never again give either one of them a mic.