Crown and Crozier Patrick Brown

Depending on who you ask, former Congressman Dan Lipinski is something of a rare specimen, endangered species - or perhaps even a white martyr.

He represented the 3rd congressional district of Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2005 to 2021.

Among his claims to fame is maintaining both his Democratic Party affiliation and a staunchly pro-life voting record, even in the midst of his party leadership adopting permissive and militant policy positions in favour of abortion.

This courage played a huge role in the party establishment and activists mobilizing to defeat him in the Democratic primary for his House seat in early 2020, and thus close the curtain on his service in elected office.

In this episode, we talk with Congressman Lipinski about what it’s like being the last pro-life man standing in a political party; the role of faith in public life; the state of U.S. politics and the 2024 election campaign; evangelizing the culture and restoring its capacity to love; and what insights Pope Leo XIII may have for us in the current political moment.

Congressman Lipinski holds a Ph.D in political science.  He serves as Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and Pope Leo XIII Fellow on Social Thought at the University of Dallas.  He’s also the President of his own consulting firm, Lipinski Solutions.


Resources

https://danlipinski.com/ (official website)

@DanLipinski2

Daniel Lipinski, “Be Catholic First”, First Things (November 2022)

Pope Leo XIII, Sapientiae Christianea / On Christians as Citizens (January 1890)



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It’s a well-known and tragic truth that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.

In this episode, we explore the unique legacy and witness of a specific subset of the holy martyrs - those who perished at the hands of communism, one of the most sinister ideologies of human history and enemies of the Church.

Our guest is Kristen Theriault, author of the recently published book, “When the Sickle Swings - Stories of Catholics Who Survived Communist Oppression.”

This is an inspiring conversation about ordinary men and women who resisted Communist persecution and paid the ultimate sacrifice while professing and defending the faith with courage.

Kristen holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history, and researches Catholics who survived totalitarianism in the 20th century.  She’s the editor of Catholic Exchange, a forum for news and prayer devotions, and serves as a media spokesperson for Sophia Institute Press.


Resources

Kristen Theriault (biography)

Kristen Theriault, When the Sickle Swings: Stories of Catholics Who Survived Communist Oppression (2023)

Catholic Exchange




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twitter.com/crownandcrozier

Please note that this podcast has been edited for length and clarity.

To work in the Vatican during one pontificate is a rare privilege for any member of the laity.  To work for three different pontificates, including as an official representative of the Holy See (and a female representative, no less) - well, that just puts you in the hall of fame.

Mary Ann Glendon has cultivated a long and distinguished record of service to the Catholic Church: head of the Holy See’s delegation to the World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995; Member and President of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences; US Ambassador to the Holy See; and appointee to the independent board which oversees the Vatican Bank.

In this episode, we talk with Mary Ann about the reflections and insights in her hot-off-the-press book, “In the Courts of Three Popes: An American Lawyer and Diplomat in the Last Absolute Monarchy of the West.”

One part memoir, one part commentary on the vital role of the laity in the Church, it’s a fascinating firsthand account of the inner workings of the Vatican under Pope St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.


Resources

Mary Ann Glendon (Harvard Law School biography)

Mary Ann Glendon, In the Courts of Three Popes: An American Lawyer and Diplomat in the Last Absolute Monarchy of the West (2024)



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Please note that this podcast has been edited for length and clarity.

Religion declared “non-essential.”  Skeptical voices censored.  The elderly dying alone.  Christmas in lockdown.

These are just a few examples from the lengthy hit-list of government violations of Canadians’ civil liberties during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Our guests for this episode are co-authors of Pandemic Panic: How Canadian Government Responses to COVID-19 Changed Civil Liberties Forever.  The book attempts to ensure that the implications of government overreach aren’t simply lost down the memory hole forever.

We also discuss our guests making international headlines after a federal judge in Canada ruled in favour of their court challenge against the Federal government’s use of emergency authority in response to the Freedom Convoy protests in 2022.

Joanna Baron and Christine Van Geyn are the Executive Director and Litigation Director for the Canadian Constitution Foundation.  The CCF is a national non-profit charity committed to defending the constitutionally-protected rights and freedoms of Canadians.

Resources

Joanna Baron and Christine Van Geyn (official CCF biographies)

Canadian Constitution Foundation

@CDNConstFound

Joanna Baron and Christine Van Geyn, Pandemic Panic: How Canadian Government Responses to COVID-19 Changed Civil Liberties Forever (2023)

“Ottawa's use of Emergencies Act against convoy protests was unreasonable, violated Charter, court rules”, CBC (January 2024)

Joanna Baron and Christine Van Geyn, “The government violated Canadians’ rights during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now the courts are giving them a pass”, The Hub (November 2023)

Emily Oster, “Let’s declare a pandemic amnesty”, The Atlantic (October 2022)



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Please note that this podcast has been edited for length and clarity.

In this episode, Dr. Yuval Levin offers a spirited defense of capitalism on moral grounds, recognizing that the most serious criticisms against capitalism aren’t necessarily about prosperity and wealth, but about the perceived moral failings of the economic system.

This approach is actually consistent with the original case for capitalism, articulated by Adam Smith himself, who was first and foremost a moral philosopher.

Along the way, we talk about the essential virtues within Smith’s philosophy; who coined the term “capitalism”; the need for social institutions like families and churches to temper economic appetites; the breadth of common ground between Adam Smith and Catholic social teaching; buying and selling as moral actions; and the enduring truth that man does not live by bread alone.

Dr. Levin is the Director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute - one of the leading conservative think tanks in Washington, DC.

He is also the founder and editor of National Affairs, senior editor at The New Atlantis, a contributing editor at National Review, and an opinion writer at The New York Times.

In addition, he served as a member of the White House domestic policy staff under President George W. Bush, and as the executive director of the President’s Council on Bioethics.

Resources

Yuval Levin (official AEI biography)

American Enterprise Institute, The Morality of Markets

Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations (Britannica.com summary)

Pope John Paul II, Centesimus Annus (1991)



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Please note that this podcast has been edited for length and clarity.

What is a nation?  What is a Christian nation?  Is nationalism virtuous?  What does it mean to practice "complacent" love, which is the natural expression of a greater affinity for those closest to us?  How can we expect to renew our society and civilization in the absence of committing ourselves as persons and as a nation to Christ?  And is a Capitol Hill rioter from January 6, 2021 the archetype or the caricature of a Christian nationalist?

We explore these and other questions with our guest, Dr. Stephen Wolfe, author of The Case for Christian Nationalism.

Dr. Wolfe has a PhD in political philosophy and is a country scholar based in North Carolina.  He’s the co-host of the Ars Politica podcast and is a contributor to numerous U.S.-based Christian publications.


Resources

@PerfInjust (X / Twitter)

Stephen Wolfe, The Case for Christian Nationalism (2022)

Stephen Wolfe, “No Christian Nation, No Christian Family”, American Reformer (November 27, 2023)

Daniel Sillman, “Christian nationalism debates expose clashing views of power”, Christianity Today (October 31, 2022)

Ars Politica (podcast)



podcast@crownandcrozier.com
www.crownandcrozier.com
twitter.com/crownandcrozier

Please note that this podcast has been edited for length and clarity.