Digital Public Square

Jason Thacker
  • 5.0 (19)
  • CHRISTIANITY

Conversations on theology, ethics, and philosophy in the public square hosted by Jason Thacker

  1. Farewells and New Beginnings

    03/11/2024

    Farewells and New Beginnings

    Over the past few years I’ve been joined by some of society’s most influential thinkers, writers, and leaders to talk about the important ideas shaping our society today, as well as some of the top issues of life in the Digital Public Square. The purpose of this podcast from the very beginning was to equip you to navigate these issues with wisdom. For all good things must come to an end, and this is the last episode of the Digital Public Square podcast given my transition late last year to Boyce College and the shift in my role here at the ERLC. We decided to shift our research podcast strategy and combine efforts with the main ERLC podcast, which many of you already know and love. The change will allow me to continue interviewing top thinkers and writers about their work as part of a larger network of listeners at the podcast.  While this may be the end of the Digital Public Square podcast in this season, I hope these resources will continue to bless the church as she engages in the tasks set before us by Christ: to love God and to love our neighbors as our self. If you’re not already subscribed to the podcast you can visit ERLC.com/podcast as well as major podcast platforms. — The Digital Public Square is a production of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and is produced and hosted by Jason Thacker. Production assistance is provided by Kadin Christian. Technical production provided by Owens Productions. It is edited and mixed by Mark Owens.

    2 min
  2. God’s Design and Christian Ethics with Dr. Dennis P. Hollinger

    02/19/2024

    God’s Design and Christian Ethics with Dr. Dennis P. Hollinger

    In today’s episode, I am joined by Dr. Dennis Hollinger to talk about his new book entitled Creation and Christian Ethics: Understanding God’s Designs for Humanity and the World from Baker Academic. Today, we discuss how creation speaks to the foundations of the Christian ethic and how we might recover a richer vision of humanity in light of God’s creation. Meet Dennis: Dennis Hollinger is president emeritus and senior distinguished professor of Christian ethics at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He received the BA from Elizabethtown College, the M.Div. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, the MPhil and PhD from Drew University, and did postdoctoral studies at Oxford University. He has written numerous works on Christian ethics, including Choosing the Good: Christian Ethics in a Complex World and The Meaning of Sex: Christian Ethics and the Moral Life. Resources: Creation and Christian Ethics: Understanding God’s Designs for Humanity and the World by Dennis HollingerThe Doctrine of Creation: A Constructive Kuyperian Approach by Bruce Ashford and Craig BartholomewYou’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News by Kelly KapicA Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream by Yuval Levin— The Digital Public Square is a production of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and is produced and hosted by Jason Thacker. Production assistance is provided by Kadin Christian. Technical production provided by Owens Productions. It is edited and mixed by Mark Owens.

    46 min
  3. Neighborly Love, Criminal Justice, and Christian Ethics with Matthew Martens

    01/22/2024

    Neighborly Love, Criminal Justice, and Christian Ethics with Matthew Martens

    In this episode, I am joined by Matthew Martens to talk about his new book entitled Reforming Criminal Justice: A Christian Proposal from Crossway. Today, we discuss the nature of justice in the Christian life and how Christians can think about criminal justice reform through a biblical lens. Meet Matthew: Matt is a trial lawyer and partner at an international law firm in Washington, DC. He earned his JD from University of North Carolina School of Law and a Masters of Arts in Biblical Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. He has spent the majority of his twenty-five year legal career practicing criminal law both as a federal prosecutor and as a defense attorney. He served as a law clerk to Chief Justice William Rehnquist at the US Supreme Court and also as a political appointee in the criminal justice division of the US Justice Department. Resources: Reforming Criminal Justice: A Christian Proposal by Matthew MartensBasic Christian Ethics by Paul RamseyThe Collapse of American Criminal Justice by William J. StuntzLocking Up Our Own by James Forman Jr.On the Morals of the Catholic Church by Augustine— The Digital Public Square is a production of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and is produced and hosted by Jason Thacker. Production assistance is provided by Kadin Christian. Technical production provided by Owens Productions. It is edited and mixed by Mark Owens.

    48 min
  4. Ethics, Creation Care, and the Distinctives of the Christian Approach to the Environment with Andrew Spencer

    12/04/2023

    Ethics, Creation Care, and the Distinctives of the Christian Approach to the Environment with Andrew Spencer

    In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Andrew Spencer to talk about his new book entitled Hope for God’s Creation: Stewardship in an Age of Futility from B&H Academic. Today, we discuss the nature of ethics, creation care, and the distinctives of the Christian approach to the environment . Meet Andrew: Andrew Spencer (PhD, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) serves as associate editor for books at The Gospel Coalition. He is the author of Doctrine in Shades of Green: Theological Perspective for Environmental Ethics, editor of The Christian Mind of C. S. Lewis, and a contributor to Baptist Political Theology. He earned a Ph.D. in Theological Studies with an emphasis on Christian Ethics from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary as well as a Master of Divinity. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in English from the United States Naval Academy. Resources: Hope for God’s Creation by Andrew SpencerPollution and the Death of Man by Francis SchaefferStewards of Eden: What Scripture Says About the Environment and Why It Matters by Sandra RichterCreation Care: A Biblical Theology of the Natural World by Douglas J. Moo and Jonathan A. Moo— The Digital Public Square is a production of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and is produced and hosted by Jason Thacker. Production assistance is provided by Kadin Christian. Technical production provided by Owens Productions. It is edited and mixed by Mark Owens.

    35 min
  5. Authoritarian Capitalism and the Global influence of the Chinese Communist Party with Bethany Allen

    11/21/2023

    Authoritarian Capitalism and the Global influence of the Chinese Communist Party with Bethany Allen

    In this episode, I am joined by Bethany Allen of Axios to talk about her new book entitled Beijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World from HarperCollins. Today, we discuss the global influence of China alongside the rise of authoritarian capitalism in Beijing. Meet Bethany Bethany serves as the China reporter at Axios and leads the weekly Axios China newsletter, covering China’s role in the world. She was previously a staff editor and contributing reporter at Foreign Policy magazine, where she wrote investigations, deeply reported narratives, and analysis related to China. She is based in Taipei. Resources: Beijing Rules by Bethany AllenChina’s Civilian Army: The Making of Wolf Warrior Diplomacy by Peter MartinParty of One: The Rise of Xi Jinping and China’s Superpower Future by Chun Han WongHow China Escaped Shock Therapy: The Market Reform Debate by Isabella M. Weber— The Digital Public Square is a production of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and is produced and hosted by Jason Thacker. Production assistance is provided by Kadin Christian. Technical production provided by Owens Productions. It is edited and mixed by Mark Owens.

    41 min
  6. The Centrality of Trinity to Scripture and to the Christian Life with Dr. Brandon Smith

    10/09/2023

    The Centrality of Trinity to Scripture and to the Christian Life with Dr. Brandon Smith

    In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Brandon Smith to talk about his new volume entitled The Trinity in the Canon from B&H Academic. Today, we discuss the vital role that trinitarian theology plays in Scripture and how it should produce both right doctrine and living. Meet Brandon: Brandon serves as assistant professor of theology and New Testament at Cedarville University in Ohio. He is also the author of The Trinity in the Book of Revelation: Seeing Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in John’s Apocalypse and serves as the co-editor of the Christian Standard Commentary series. He is a co-founder of the Center for Baptist Renewal and host of the Church Grammar podcast. He earned his PhD from Ridley College and is a graduate of Dallas Baptist University and Criswell College. Resources: The Trinity in the Canon by Brandon SmithOn the Incarnation by Saint AthanasiusOn God and Christ: The Five Theological Orations and Two Letters to Cledonius by Saint Gregory of NazianzusThe Trinity: An Introduction by Scott SwainThe Deep Things of God: How the Trinity Changes Everything by Fred Sanders— The Digital Public Square is a production of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and is produced and hosted by Jason Thacker. Production assistance is provided by Kadin Christian. Technical production provided by Owens Productions. It is edited and mixed by Mark Owens.

    48 min
  7. Loving God with All Your Mind Through Studying Philosophy with Dr. Adam Groza

    09/25/2023

    Loving God with All Your Mind Through Studying Philosophy with Dr. Adam Groza

    In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Adam Groza to talk about his new book he wrote with J.P. Moreland entitled Unraveling Philosophy from B&H Academic. Today, we discuss how Christians can love God with all of our minds through studying the riches of philosophy. Meet Dr. Groza Adam serves as associate professor of philosophy and vice president for enrollment and student services at Gateway Seminary. He is a native Californian and has taught philosophy related classes at a variety of institutions including California Baptist University, Scarborough College, and Korea Baptist Theological Seminary. Resources: The Republic by PlatoConfessions by St. AugustineSexual Personae: Art and Decadence from Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson by Camille PagliaThe Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller— The Digital Public Square is a production of the research institute at the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and is produced and hosted by Jason Thacker. Production assistance is provided by Kadin Christian. Technical production provided by Owens Productions. It is edited and mixed by Mark Owens.

    43 min
  8. Augustine, Apologetics, and the Christian Life in a Post-Christian Age with Dr. Joshua Chatraw

    08/28/2023

    Augustine, Apologetics, and the Christian Life in a Post-Christian Age with Dr. Joshua Chatraw

    In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Joshua Chatraw to talk about his new book The Augustine Way: Retrieving a Vision for the Church’s Apologetic Witness from Baker Academic. Today, we discuss how to cultivate a more effective witness and robust apologetic in our post-Christian age. Meet Dr. Chatraw Josh currently serves as the Billy Graham Chair of Evangelism and Cultural Engagement at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham Alabama and previously served as the executive director of the Center for Public Christianity in Raleigh, North Carolina. He is an award-winning author of numerous books in the fields of evangelism and apologetics, including Telling a Better Story: How to Talk about God in a Skeptical Age, which won a 2021 Christianity Today Book Award. Resources: The Augustine Way: Retrieving a Vision for the Church’s Apologetic Witness by Joshua Chatraw and Mark AllenTelling a Better Story: How to Talk About God in a Skeptical Age by Joshua ChatrawBiblical Critical Theory: How the Bible’s Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture by Christopher WatkinMere Apologetics: How To Help Seekers And Skeptics Find Faith by Alister McgrathNarrative Apologetics: Sharing the Relevance, Joy, and Wonder of the Christian Faith by Alister Mcgrath— The Digital Public Square is a production of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and is produced and hosted by Jason Thacker.  Production assistance is provided by Kadin Christian. Technical production provided by Owens Productions. It is edited and mixed by Mark Owens.

    44 min
See All (148)

5
out of 5
19 Ratings

About

Conversations on theology, ethics, and philosophy in the public square hosted by Jason Thacker

Information

  • Creator
    Jason Thacker
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2024
  • Episodes
    148
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Digital Public Square
  • Show Website
    Digital Public Square