Cross & Gavel Podcast

Join host Mike Schutt as he talks with Natt Gantt, co-founder of the Center for Ethical Formation & Legal Education Reform (CEFLER) at Regent University School of Law, about producing law school graduates who have an understanding of the nature and purpose of the legal profession and who are committed to the ethical practice of law. Professor Gantt discusses the goals of legal education and how th...

The Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law was founded by Regent University School of Law in 2010 to equip Christian advocates to (1) promote the rule of law and seek justice for the oppressed and (2) serve and support those already engaged in such advocacy.  In this episode, host Mike Schutt interviews CGJ directors Ernie Walton and Jeff Brauch to discuss how the CGJ fulfill...

The Christian Legal Society is an organization dedicated to helping lawyers think biblically and missionally about their work. Through its Law Student Ministries, Legal Aid Ministries, Attorney Ministries, and the Center for Law & Religious Freedom, CLS serves lawyers and law students as they seek to serve Christ in their law practice and study. As we think through these issues, we focus on how we...

Sunday, November 27, 2016 marks the beginning of the Christian year-- the first Sunday in Advent. Charlie Clauss, curator of the Keeping Advent Facebook page, joins us again this year to talk about how Advent serves to center us during what we've taken to calling "the holidays."  What is so great about Advent? What is it? Why observe it?  Listen in as Charlie and Mike discuss these questions as th...

"Serious Christians seem to be homeless politically," says Hunter Baker, a political science professor at Union University. In the wake of the Obergefell decision and the rise of Donald Trump, it is appearing less and less likely, accruing to Baker, that the Republican party will stand as barrier to a rapidly advancing secularist agenda.  Join Dr. Baker and host Mike Schutt as they ponder whether...

On August 9, 1979, Paul Buzzi became a Christian by the grace of God and through the gentle teaching and evangelism of his friend Fred. Less than a week later, Jesus literally told Paul that he needed to walk over to the jail to tell his client about Him. Little did Paul know then that his client Steven would be the first of nearly three thousand clients, friends, family members, and strangers tha...

If you love books, there is nothing better than talking books with Byron Borger. Byron has been talking books almost his whole life, and doing it well and for the good of Christ's kingdom. Since the early 80's, he and his wife Beth have, through Hearts and Minds Books in Dallastown, PA, lived out a mission to see the body of Christ encouraged and the world around them flourish. They believe that i...

J ohn Inazu's book, Confident Pluralism: Surviving and Thriving Through Deep Difference  (Univ Chicago 2016), "is an argument for mutual respect and coexistence" as we live, work, and speak in the world. In Inazu's words, "shared existence is not only possible, but also necessary."  Right now, our country seems to be more polarized than ever. Whether in debates over homosexual rights, in challenge...

In early August, the American Bar Association's House of Delegates will vote on a proposed amendment to Rule 8.4 of the Model Rules of Professional Responsibility. The amendment would subject lawyers to professional discipline for "harassment" or "discrimination," even if the conduct was unintentional or committed unknowingly, and even if the harassment or discrimination is not prejudicial to he a...

Kim Colby, Director of the Center for Law and Religious Freedom, is Mike Schutt's guest on this episode of Cross & Gavel. Kim and Mike discuss why religious liberty is a hot topic, what's up with the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFFA), and whether religious liberty is simply a license to discriminate.  Kim Colby has been involved in religious freedom advocacy for more than 30 years and is on...

Millions of Americans-- especially young Americans-- seem to be enamored of Bernie Sanders and his socialist promises. August Huckabee, Dean of Students at Worldview at the Abbey , wonders what the allure might be. Listen to August and host Mike Schutt as they "feel the Bern."  Worldview at the Abbey is a bridge-year program for high school graduates in Canon City, CO. For more information on Worl...

Law Student Ministries Director Mike Schutt lists five simple things for law students to consider as they start their summer. His five areas of suggested focus: 1. Devotional Habits 2. Leisure 3. Read [some law stuff] 4. Talk to Your Family 5. Think about the Fall Semester [sorry] Mike Schutt is the host of Cross & Gavel audio and the director of LSM, Attorney Ministries, and the Institute for Chr...

Wendy L. Patrick is a San Diego County Deputy District Attorney in the Special Operations Division. She previously served in the Sex Crimes and Human Trafficking Division of the San Diego DA's office, where she prosecutor predators, human traffickers, stalkers, rapists, and child molesters. She has completed over 160 trails from first degree murder, to sex crimes, to domestic violence.  She also c...

Join the Christian Legal Society staff for a roundtable discussion about the calling to minister to law students and lawyers. How did we get here? What are we doing? What does law have to do with the kingdom of Christ?  Six CLS staffers talk around the table about their own backgrounds, mission, and convictions -- and why their work with CLS really matters.  The discussion ranges from law school e...

In his more than 20 years working with Christian law student groups on campus, Professor Richard Leiter has learned a thing or two about the challenges they face. In this episode, he discusses "being" who we are called to be as Christian law students engaging the campus for Christ. It turns out that Rich thinks "being" is far more important than any of the particulars of what we set out to "do."  ...

Leah Boyd did not take the straight path to a career in human rights work in Africa. She graduated from a good law school, went to work at one of Texas' largest law firms doing commercial litigation, and was laid off. After a fellowship with International Justice Mission, a trip to Antarctica (of course!), and a gentle reminder from God, she became the Director of Justice Initiatives at ALARM -- A...

Does it matter how we "experience" the the Bible? Do we encounter it as a reference work, in which we look up stuff, or as a text in which to immerse ourselves? C&G guest Mark Bertrand believes that these are important questions. Bertrand says that the Bible involves one of the most important-- and most challenging-- design projects in history. Design decisions create or remove barriers to enterin...

On January 11, 2010, Jim Gash, then Dean of Students at Pepperdine Law School, met Henry, a Ugandan boy accused of two murders, in a Ugandan "Remand Home," a sparse jail for juveniles awaiting trail. Henry had been held there since 2008, awaiting a hearing. This meeting, by God's grace, changed Jim's life. It also helped change the criminal trial court system in Uganda and bring justice to hundred...

Ken Liu is Director of Christian Legal Aid Ministries for the Christian Legal Society. He says that his call into this ministry began when he, as a teenager, began to be serious about his Christian walk and to understand God's compassion for the poor. Listen as he discusses his road to using his legal skills to serve the poor, first as a reluctant lawyer, then an enthusiastic volunteer, and now as...

Charlie Clauss says that it's okay to cry out against our current secularized, commercial, extended version of Christmas. He says that people are hungry for something more substantial than the "war" over Christmas or the 60-day shopping spree, hungry for something that will feed our souls as we mark time in the world. And that's where the season of Advent can help.  In this episode, Charlie and Mi...

In the First Ever First Annual Cross & Gavel Thanksgiving podcast, host Mike Schutt and Christian Legal Society Executive Director David Nammo list many of the things in their lives and work for which they are thankful. Along the way, they talk about their families, youth ministry, Vanderbilt Law School, candy corn, Narnia, the books that have shaped them, youth ministry, InterVarsity Christian Fe...

As the Executive Director of the Christian Legal Society, David Nammo spends time with hundreds of lawyers and future lawyers every year. Mike Schutt begins this episode by asking him, "What are lawyers and students thinking-- what are they worried about these days?"  The ensuing conversation touches on matters of ethics, habits, cultural pressures, temptation, the role of professional communities...

Trinity Law School Dean Myron Steeves has a vision for lawyers in ministry across the country. He says we ought to be looking for attorneys in the mold of the great reformer John Knox, who famously said, "Give me Scotland or I die," to gather and encourage lawyers in their mission in every city and every county. In this episode, Dean Steeves articulates this broad mission: addressing injustice, pu...

Mike Peffer serves the Pacific Justice Institute as the Director of its Santa Ana office, and he sits down with C & G host Mike Schutt to talk about the work of PJI. Their conversation touches on trends in religious liberty cases, including zoning disputes, the need for ordinary attorneys to volunteer their time, and Christian Legal Aid.  Along the way, Peffer discusses his path to public interest...

Jamie Grosshans is a lawyer, a mom, and the wife of a lawyer. She believes that "balance" is a figment of somebody's imagination, that there is no traditional career path that is right for every woman, and that lawyers are stressed out. The good news is that she wouldn't trade her life for an ambassadorship and that she takes joy in her law practice and family, even in the face of a Pinterest acco...