Cross & Gavel Podcast

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 #...

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 ( Epi...

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...

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 I...

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...

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 Twit...

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 Na...

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 sp...

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...

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 )...

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 c...

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 Talia...

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...

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 Welcomi...

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 i...

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...

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 t...

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 1. The Church After Innovation - Andrew Root ( Episode # 13...

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 earl...

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: @matt...

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...

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...

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 ...

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 th...

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...