The Stephen Mansfield Podcast

The intellectual output of American college and university campuses has been troubling for decades. Now, though, there is growing concern about the culture of those campuses. Anti-Semitism is dropping everywhere in the world except on American campuses, where it is rising. Meanwhile, students are becoming so thin-skinned that they can’t even endure Seinfeld comedy performances without working them...

More than 400,000 human beings have been killed in the Syrian civil war. The United States has only recently engaged in the conflict openly and directly. This happened on April 6 when President Donald Trump ordered the bombing of Syrian air bases from which chemical bombings had been launched. In this podcast, Stephen explains the good and the bad of Trump’s decision and describes how the U.S. sho...

Neil Gorsuch is now a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, but the process of getting him there has poisoned American politics. Opponents of Gorsuch, already offended over Republican dismissal of Obama nominee Merrick Garland, had to endure a revision of a Senate tradition to see Gorsuch confirmed by a simple majority. In this podcast, Stephen explains these issues, takes a look at our ingenious Constituti...

In this special holiday episode, Stephen describes the pointed conspiracy and gruesome execution involved in the last days of Jesus Christ. Check out Killing Jesus by Stephen Mansfield on Amazon.com. [custom_font font_family='Open Sans' font_size='11' line_height='26' font_style='none' text_align='left' font_weight='300' color='' background_color='' text_decoration='none' text_shadow='no' padding=...

While most Americans are distracted by the Trump administration’s first months, there is an historic moment approaching in the Middle East. With ISIS soon to be defeated, the opportunity for a free and independent nation of Kurdistan is upon us. It is long past due, though it could be prevented by the distraction of the West and divisions among the Kurds. Stephen explains all of this and calls for...

On Monday, March 20, the House Select Intelligence Committee heard testimony from FBI Director James Comey and NSA Director Admiral Rogers. Americans learned that Russia is intent upon undermining American democracy, that it sought to determine the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, and that there were “links” between Russia and the Trump campaign. What kind of links are still being invest...

For years, the United States has maintained an incarceration facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. President Obama intended to close it but never did during his eight years in office. Now, Donald Trump has declared his intention to house even more suspected terrorists there. In this podcast, Stephen explains his belief that Guantánamo should be closed and also describes the story of one man who was ke...

Donald Trump says he wants to drain the swamp in Washington, DC and get things done. It is a good idea. Yet his approach to this involves ignoring expertise and experience and doing things the way he has always done them. It won’t work. In this podcast, Stephen explains why expertise and change aren’t enemies, and what kind of correction needs to happen in the Trump administration. [custom_font fo...

High-ranking military officers now lead the Department of Homeland Security and the Defense Department. Yet another is President Trump’s National Security Advisor. Some in Washington are concerned that this is too much, that a civilian government ought not have generals in cabinet positions. Stephen disagrees. In this podcast, he speaks movingly about his own experience as a military brat and also...

Donald Trump has nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch for the U.S. Supreme Court. He is an originalist and a textualist. He’s only 49 and he’s one of the best educated and most experienced Supreme Court nominees in U.S. history. Stephen explains why he thinks Judge Gorsuch is a brilliant choice for the court and why he will help restore the proper role for the judiciary.

When Stephen expressed his support for the broad purposes of the recent Women’s March but also said he had reservations, he got huge feedback from his listeners. Most of it was positive, and there were some important questions. In this podcast, he answers those questions, which carries him through the pages of scripture and into issues as controversial and diverse as abortion and gay rights. Check...

Donald Trump has issued an executive order banning immigration from countries terrorists have used for entry into the United States. The order was badly timed, badly crafted, and badly announced. Yet most Americans would have supported the administration’s intentions for the order had objectives been long-term and had time for “buy-in” from Americans been allowed. Stephen brings his experience as...

The recent worldwide Women’s March was an impressive display of support for women’s rights and an impressive reaction to the misdeeds of Donald Trump. Stephen wishes he could have joined it. He has said publicly and often that he is as much a feminist as it is possible for a Christian to be. So what about the Women’s March kept him from supporting it? You’ll want to hear Stephen explain! [custom_f...

Donald Trump is raising questions about the truthfulness of news reporting by major media outlets. Even if we disagree with him, we’ve all had reason to question whether the news we get is biased and inaccurate. Stephen believes these are important questions to ask. In this podcast, he lists steps we can all take to drill down into the facts of the news we receive and so turn data into useful info...

We are all overwhelmed with data passing itself off as information. We are all pressured to form opinions about what we learn. We find ourselves in troubled territory, though, when we confuse opinions with knowledge, when we mistake our beliefs about the facts with the importance of the facts themselves. Stephen presses this point strongly and offers practical steps for rising above the curse of o...

As the new year begins, Stephen looks back over the main events of 2016 through the lens of manhood. Our age seems to be crying out for a surge of righteous masculinity. Stephen lists some of the elements of this kind of manhood and calls for action from each of his listeners. CC image courtesy of Zach Dischner on Flickr

T’is (almost) the night before Christmas: Stephen finishes up a two-part historical series on the lore and traditions behind our nation’s most beloved holiday. Who is “Santa Claus,” and where did he come from? Listen to part 1 here: The Story of Christmas [custom_font font_family='Open Sans' font_size='11' line_height='26' font_style='none' text_align='left' font_weight='300' color='' background_c...

In our era of religious confusion and error, it’s easy to become confused about Christmas. Is it a religious fabrication? Did the early church celebrate it? Is it an invention of corporate America? In this calm, reasoned podcast, Stephen tells the history of Christmas and makes some recommendations for your own celebration. [custom_font font_family='Open Sans' font_size='11' line_height='26' font_...

In our troubled age, we often hear people declare that these are “the worst of times,” that this is “a horrible time to be alive.” Stephen insists that not only is this a cancerous belief to carry in our souls, it simply isn’t true factually. This podcast is an antidote to the toxic cynicism of our generation. [custom_font font_family='Open Sans' font_size='11' line_height='26' font_style='none' t...

We live in a digital age, and we are glad we do. We are grateful for the benefits of our online lives. Yet it is possible for us to confuse digital information with genuine experience. Stephen explores this danger in his latest podcast and describes the troubles that come from confusing our digital and our authentic lives.   [custom_font font_family='Open Sans' font_size='11' line_height='26' font...

It’s possible to get the impression from some highly visible American Christians that the church is the "Republican Party at Prayer.” In his new podcast, Stephen combats this idea by describing the elements of a Christian view of governing. As always, he’s controversial, hard-hitting, and disturbingly biblical. [custom_font font_family='Open Sans' font_size='11' line_height='26' font_style='none'...

In what has become a Stephen Mansfield Podcast Thanksgiving tradition, Stephen tells the story of the Pilgrim Thanksgiving, the one that has inspired the American holiday. So gather the family and listen to this brief, exciting account of an episode from our nation’s history and from our heritage of faith. [custom_font font_family='Open Sans' font_size='11' line_height='26' font_style='none' text_...

On the morning after the conclusion of the 2016 presidential election, Stephen discusses the surprises, the implications and the looming challenges of a Donald Trump presidency. You won’t want to miss this raw, “early-the-next-morning” chat with Stephen.   [custom_font font_family='Open Sans' font_size='11' line_height='26' font_style='none' text_align='left' font_weight='300' color='' background_...

On November 4th, a movie called Hacksaw Ridge will release nationwide. Stephen attended an early premiere of this film and is convinced it can help heal our country in the wake of a tumultuous presidential election. In this review of the film, Stephen tells the story of Desmond Doss, the film’s WWII hero subject, and explains why he believes it is one of the most significant “faith films” ever mad...

Whatever else the 2016 presidential election means to us, it has been a heartrending look at the state of manhood today. We’ve had vile language, racism and sexual misconduct defended by one candidate—and his religious supporters—while the other candidate would return to the White House one of America’s most immoral presidents. Some commentators have treated all of this with a “boys will be boys”...