JUST FYI POD: Conversations about Culture, Ideas, and Life

The main task of  Just FYI Pod: Ideas ’  third season is to consider: “Higher Ed in the ChatGPT Era: How Did We Get Here? Where Is It Going?” On today’s season finale, my cohost Clark Elliston and I will explore the topic: “What Will Higher Ed Look Like in 2050?: Three Theses.” After a substantial introduction, in which Clark and I discuss the release of my latest book  Kierkegaard, Statecraft, an...

The overarching theme of  JUST FYI POD: CULTURE ‘s third season is: “The Future of American Christianity: A Conversation in Ten Questions.” On today’s episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I focus on the following issue: “Has the Digital Age Helped or Hurt the Church?” However, before delving into that controversial topic, Amy and I discuss Pope Leo XIV’s recent (and  much celebrated ) encyclical Mag...

The main task of  JUST FYI POD: IDEAS’  third season is to discuss: “Higher Ed in the ChatGPT Era: How Did We Get Here? Where Is It Going?” On today’s episode, my cohost Clark Elliston and I will explore the topic: “ Why  Have Universities Embraced AI in the Classroom?” As usual, this is a wide-ranging discussion, which will touch on a variety of topics, including data on the prevalence of AI in h...

The overarching theme of  JUST FYI POD: CULTURE ‘s third season is: “The Future of American Christianity: A Conversation in Ten Questions.” On today’s episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I focus on the following question: "Does the Future of Catholicism Lie with 'Trad Catholics'?" However, before delving into that topic, Amy and I discuss the recent (and much ballyhooed) "rif...

The overarching theme of  JUST FYI POD: CULTURE ‘s third season is: “The Future of American Christianity: A Conversation in Ten Questions.” On today’s episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I focus on the following question: “Can Christian art be resurrected?” We approach this question in a variety of ways. First, in a discussion recorded prior to last Sunday night’s awards ceremony , we offer an over...

The main task of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS’ third season is to discuss: “Higher Ed in the ChatGPT Era: How Did We Get Here? Where Is It Going?” On today’s episode, my cohost Clark Elliston and I will explore the topic: “What is a university for anyway?" This is a wide-ranging discussion, which will touch on student perceptions of university life, different models of higher education, and how twenty...

The overarching theme of  JUST FYI POD: CULTURE ‘s third season is: “The Future of American Christianity: A Conversation in Ten Questions.” On today’s episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I focus on the following question: “What, if Anything, Will Replace Mainline Protestantism?” We approach this question in two main ways. First, we examine a handful of new religious surveys, including (but not limi...

The main task of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS’ third season is to discuss: “’Higher Ed in the ChatGPT Era: How Did We Get Here? Where Is It Going?” On today’s episode, my cohost Clark Elliston and I will discuss the topic: “Does It Matter if Students Can’t Read Anymore?” This is an issue that has caused more than a little hand-wringing, both among  educators and in the  popular media . Indeed, the issue is...

Amid the hum and hullabaloo of pre-Christmas activities, Amy Welborn and I found time to meet at  Cahaba Brewing Co. in  Avondale , where we discussed what we enjoyed (and, well, didn’t enjoy!) about 2025. Though interspersed with firsthand (!) stories about international travel and biker gangs in Pennsylvania, our conversation centers on  culture —in particular, our respective “Best of 2025” list...

The main task of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS ’ third season is to discuss: “Higher Ed in the ChatGPT Era: How Did We Get Here? Where Is It Going?” Today’s episode will approach this overarching topic in two ways. First, my regular cohost  Clark Elliston  and I will welcome a special guest— Michael Burdett , Associate Professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Nottin...

The overarching theme of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE 's third season is: "The Future of American Christianity: A Conversation in Ten Questions." On today's episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I focus on the following question: "Have Pope Leo XIV’s first six months in office told us anything new or surprising about his plans for the Church?" After a rundown of the pope's ac...

The main task of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS’ third season is to discuss: “’Higher Ed in the ChatGPT Era: How Did We Get Here? Where Is It Going?” On today’s episode, my cohost Clark Elliston and I will share what life is like in academia today, particularly for professors. Indeed, while commentators and pundits have no trouble decrying the state of the academy, very few touch on, much less comprehend, th...

Boo! It’s Halloween on  JUST FYI POD: CULTURE . 👻 The overarching theme of Season 3 is: “The Future of American Christianity: A Conversation in Ten Questions.” On today’s episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I wrestle with the following issue: “What does the recent uptick in exorcisms (yes,  that’s a thing ) say about Western cultural and religious life?” Topics include: Recent journalistic account...

The main task of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE 's third season is to discuss "The Future of American Christianity: A Conversation in Ten Questions." On today's episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I wrestle with the following question: "What does the canonization of Carlo Acutis (1991-2006) mean for our understanding of sainthood and holiness in the 21st Century?" Topics include:...

Season 3! The first two seasons of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS have focused on the greatest works in theological and philosophical history -- at least as far as my cohost Clark Elliston and I are concerned! Now, however, we will shift from the textual to the topical. Indeed, the main task of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS' third season is to discuss: "'Higher Ed in the ChatGPT Era: How Did We Get Here?...

The main task of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE ’s third season is to discuss “The Future of American Christianity: A Conversation in Ten Questions.” However, on today’s “breakout pod,” Amy Welborn, Clark Elliston, and I discuss one of the most shocking political events in recent memory—the public killing of Republican activist, author, and media personality Charlie Kirk, who was shot in front of thousands...

The title of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE's third season is "The Future of American Christianity: A Conversation in Ten Questions." On today's inaugural episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I preview the upcoming season, both in terms of form and content. Yet, we also take time to catch up after a busy summer. Topics include Italy, road trips, baseball, writing projects, and our favorite...

The main task of  JUST FYI POD: IDEAS ' second season is to discuss "Our Ten Favorite Works of Philosophy." On today's episode—a nd at long last! —my cohost  Clark Elliston  and I wrap up our countdown and explore two very different philosophical works—one that is a classic (and seemingly prescient) analysis of the modern sociopolitical order, and another that exemplifies the so-...

The main task of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS ' second season is to discuss "Our Ten Favorite Works of Philosophy." On today's episode, my cohost Clark Elliston and I explore two massively influential texts from the twentieth century. Yet, before doing so, we spend some time discussing the recent flash floods in Central Texas, which devastated Clark's hometown of Kerrville. In this op...

The main task of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE 's second season is to discuss "Ten Novels That Changed Our Lives." On today's episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I resume our countdown, this time focusing -- at long last! -- on the #1 novel on our respective lists. I begin by examining Fyodor Dostoevsky's last and greatest novel THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV (Братья Карамазовы, 1880). Next,...

The main task of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE 's second season is to discuss "Ten Novels That Changed Our Lives." On today's episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I resume our countdown, this time focusing on the #2 (!) novel on our respective lists. I begin by examining what is undoubtedly one of the most important books in the history of world literature--namely, Don Quixote (1606/1615)...

The main task of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS ' second season is to discuss "Our Ten Favorite Works of Philosophy." On today's episode, my cohost Clark Elliston and I explore two recent philosophical texts -- one that is already considered a classic in the field, another that presents a penetrating overview some of philosophy's greatest thinkers. The former is Alasdair MacIntyre's...

Habemus papam ! On May 8, Robert Francis Prevost, a Chicago native and a 1977 graduate of Villanova University, was elected Bishop of Rome at the 2025 papal conclave. He took the (meaningful) name of Leo XIV and is the first pope to be born in the United States. Joining me with instant reaction to this historic election is Amy Welborn, who is currently in Rome and was, in fact, present for the ann...

The main task of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE'S second season is to discuss "Ten Novels That Changed Our Lives." On today's episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I resume our countdown, this time focusing on the #3 novel on our respective lists. Amy begins by examining Flannery O'Connor's darkly comic debut WISE BLOOD (1952). Next, I explore Cormac McCarthy's fêted late masterp...

The main task of  Just FYI Pod: Ideas ’ second season is to discuss "Our Ten Favorite Works of Philosophy." On today's episode, my cohost Clark Elliston and I explore two key works from the transformative years of the mid 20th Century. First, I dive into Simone Weil's posthumously published classic The Need for Roots: Prelude Towards a Declaration of Duties Towards Mankind ( L&#3...