The Pugcast

This week, the Pugs discuss an article by our friend Aaron Renn dealing with the loss of literacy and the decline of Protestantism in America. Is there a connection between the two? If so, which causes the other? What is the historic connection between literacy and Protestantism? The guys discuss these and other related subjects in this episode.   Article: https://www.aaronrenn.com/p/post-pro...

The pugs engage the recent trends of AI companions, from AI friendships to AI Therapists and Soul-Care. Most disturbing are the developments of Grieftech and Religioustech. On the one side, we have virtual reanimations of loved ones who have died but are now continuing with us as AI versions of themselves; on the other side, we have AI Jesus, who we can enter into a online relationship with and re...

Tom and Glenn welcome J.P. Sanchez to the show today. J.P. is a Mexican lawyer currently studying international human rights law at the University of Notre Dame. In this conversation, they explore the practical challenges of human rights work, examine the often shaky philosophical foundations of modern human rights theory, and discuss what a thoughtful Christian response should look like in today&...

Today Chris reflects on artists whose art he admires, but he would never want to be like. When you think of Roald Dahl, Shel Silverstein, or even Mozart, must you boycott them when you discover things about them that you find distasteful? Today the Pugs wonder aloud, must artists be saints?   Support the Theology Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhf...

Stephen Crotts is an artist and graphic designer who is doing the illustrations for Malcolm Guite’s soon to be released Arthuriad. In this episode, the Pugs talk with him about his art, developing the illustrations for Guite’s epic poem, and the emergence of a Christian ecumenism around a new appreciation of beauty. Stephen’s an interesting and skilled artist, and we’re exc...

In this episode, the Pugsters begin with a discussion of panpsychism, the idea that everything has a form of consciousness. In a world where even trees communicate with each other, how should we think about panpsychism? Is consciousness at the base of reality as some physicists and philosophers suggest? And what about the Orthodox (and unorthodox) ideas of panentheism? These are some of the questi...

Today Chris and Glenn welcome an old friend of Chris’s, Bradley G. Green, faculty of Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, soon to be faculty of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Brad comes on the show to discuss his new book with Crossway Publishing, What Is Critical Theory? It was a fun and interesting conversation, even though the guys miss Tom. Enjoy! &nbsp...

The Pugs engage a fun piece by Malcolm Guite entitled: In Defense of Pints and Pipes. Here they delve into the fashionable cultural obsession with physical health and wellness which has led ironically to all sorts of psychological unhealthiness. Could the issue be a loss of a proper view of the human, especially a view that has no place for the human soul?   Article: https://www.plough.com/en...

There is a new biopic about the founder of the Shakers entitled, The Testament of Ann Lee. If you've heard of the Shakers it is probably because of their furniture. This week the Pugs respond to a critical review of the new film in The Spectator World by Damian Thompson, entitled, Testament to Ignorance. Chris is quoted in the review because of an article he wrote on the Shakers. He has mixed feel...

Glenn introduces the Pugsters to David Engels, a conservative Belgian historian and philosopher who focuses on a revival of Western civilization. Using one of his articles as a jumping off point, the guys discuss the marriage of ancient pagan virtues with Christian ideas of the Good, a combination which produced the chivalric ideal embraced by Tolkien in Middle Earth. But as usual, they cover a wi...

In this episode, the pugs discuss a recent article by Christian Bioethicist and Psychiatrist Aaron Kheriaty in First Things concerning disturbing trends in the field of medicine where the production of living human bodies without consciousness are developed for scientific experimenting and use, especially organ harvesting. Drawing on Kheriaty's insights (and work elsewhere), the pugs unpack the ra...

The Pugsters welcome Dr. Timothy Padgett, Theologian in Residence and Glenn’s colleague at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, for a conversation on constructive ecumenism. Working across denominational and theological lines raises a range of questions: how do you do it without compromising things you believe are true? Can evangelical and Reformed Christians work with Catholics? How a...

Today the guys reflect on an essay in the February 2026 edition of First Things by Liel Leibovitz entitled, AI as Liberation. Mr. Leibovitz strikes an optimistic note in the dirge preceding the triumph of AI over all things human. While the Pugs give him points for looking on the bright side, they're skeptical. Tune in and find out why AI is probably more likely to increase drug addiction than a r...

In this episode, the Pugsters discuss the relationship between nature and grace. In theology, this usually deals with how the two work in human life, and that’s where the guys start. But the topic can be bigger than that, so Glenn leads the discussion into whether grace can be conveyed through the physical world, such as the elements in the Lord’s Supper, and whether places can become...

Today the pugs look at recent events in culture where the 'woke warriors' appear to be at it again, especially in the recent march by immigration activists into an evangelical church worship service. The pugs analyze and speculate a bit about what appears to be going on with the most recent forms woke activism is taking culturally.   Support the Theology Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreo...

Today the Pugs discuss whether it matters or not if Francis Bacon was a sincere Christian. His ideas had consequences. In scholarly circles it is a matter of intense debate, but where the rest of us live, it doesn't matter--we're living in the world he helped to create. The Pugs discuss the consequences of "knowledge is power."   Support the Theology Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.co...

An article in Tablet magazine discussing the segment of the Gen Z population that is turning to conservative and demanding forms of religious practice provides the jumping off point for this episode. The article suggests that the turn toward rigorous religions comes from a reaction to the chaos of a rootless culture more than from a turn to faith. The guys discuss this idea and its implications fo...

Today the Pugs welcome Dr. Scott Masson of Tyndale University onto the show. Scott is an Associate Professor of English and an authority on Romanticism. He also is known for his commitment to a recovery of classical learning. Today Scott reflects on the broken relationship between the humanities and theology and the disastrous consequences for higher education. He notes that this strikes right at...

In this episode the Pugs engage some of the theological roots that gave rise and shape to Western empiricism, especially in the Scottish Tradition of David Hume. In particular, they engage how the pessimistic view of fallen human reason take on a distorted shape when severed from the rich theological setting of Augustine's theology, and then lead to secular reappropriations by secular thinkers lik...

Today the Pugs reflect on an essay by Matthew B. Crawford (author of Shop Class as Soulcraft) from his Substack entitled: Craftsmanship in the culture industry. The event that prompted the essay is the bid by Netflix to buy Warner Brothers (the film studio). What particularly interests Crawford is something broader, the decay of craftsmanship in our world, and what "managerialism" has to do with t...

C.S. Lewis came to faith once he realized that the Gospel was both myth, appealing to his heart, and fact, appealing to his mind. The Pugs discuss what he meant by myth and apply the idea to the Christmas story—how it embodies archetypes found in myth and legend throughout history.   Support the Theology Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjp...

On today's show the Pugs engage the rapidly growing turn to AI chatbots for mental health needs by teenagers. In what realistic ways can the church step into the situation? What hurdles and limits do we encounter as we set out ways to address this growing crisis, especially among the disadvantaged? The Pugs wrestle through these complex matters in this episode.   Article: https://www.theguard...

In today's Pugcast Chris shares a little from his experience attending Peter Thiel's Antichrist lectures. Those in attendance promised not to divulge what they heard, but the contents of the lectures are now widely known since the contents have either been leaked to the press, or discussed in interviews Thiel has given. With those things in mind, Chris limits his reflections to what can be learned...

In this episode, Tom and Glenn welcome Eugene Terekhin, a Russian translator and the man behind the Substack “The Philosophy of Language.” The conversation ranges over Heideger’s ideas about language and their connection to the Inklings, the idea of primordial language and its connection to poetry, and a variety of other nerdy language-related topics.   The Philosophy of Lan...

When we look at the conditions in Weimar Germany, we see a lot of economic turmoil, hyperinflation, and declining expectations. Zoomers today are facing similar challenges, though not as extreme, which helps explain the appeal of white nationalism, antisemitism, and the “woke right.” The Pugsters discuss the parallels between America today and Weimar Germany and talk about how to respo...