Common Sense with Dr. Ben Carson

American Cornerstone Institute
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  • Updated Weekly

Common sense is not so common these days. If you are one of the many people who thinks that to themselves, then this podcast is for you. Each week, Dr. Ben Carson takes you on a personal journey into the issues and headlines Americans face through the lens of 4 cornerstone principles - faith, liberty, community, and life... the basis upon which the greatest nation on earth was founded. The promise of America is alive and well, but it’s not a given. Dr. Carson offers a weekly prescription of things to think about, ideas of what you can do in your own life, and stories to help you make a little more sense of the world. 

  1. 6d ago

    The Missing Starter Home: Can Young Families Still Put Down Roots?

    Why should starting a family mean leaving the community you love? Dr. Ben Carson joins Bobby Fijan, co-founder of the American Housing Corporation, at HUD’s Innovative Housing Showcase on the National Mall to explore missing starter homes, the cost of building where families want to live, and a new approach to making homeownership more attainable. A first home can mean staying near the people, schools, and church that already anchor your life. Fijan describes the smaller starter homes he believes cities are missing, and the families who leave when marriage or children change what they need. His company is working to reduce construction costs through three-story row homes built for the places people want to live. What if the path to your first home started on a factory floor? Fijan’s company builds large panels in Austin with electrical, plumbing, and mechanical systems already inside, ready to ship to where homes are needed. The goal: bring construction costs down so more families can put down roots. And the stakes go beyond owning a house—it’s the chance to raise children near the family and community who help make it home. In this episode: The missing starter home; why cities lose young families; housing near jobs and schools; family and community support; three-story row homes; factory-built panels and freight transport; what first-time buyers really want. Subscribe to Common Sense with Dr. Ben Carson for conversations about practical solutions, family, opportunity, and the future of our communities. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  2. Oct 8

    Can Construction Robots Put Homeownership Within Reach? | Nick Callegari

    Could construction robots make homeownership more affordable? Dr. Ben Carson joins Nick Callegari, founder and CEO of Verustruct, at HUD’s Innovative Housing Showcase on the National Mall to explore how robotics, reinforced concrete, and coordinated construction could lower housing costs. Callegari explains why automating a single construction task may not change the economics of an entire project. His approach seeks to coordinate more of the work, use locally available materials, and reduce delays between subcontractors. The conversation also explores robots that climb the walls they build, parallel work on electrical, plumbing, insulation, and finishes, and the role of local regulation. Based on full-scale device testing, Callegari projects that a 2,500-square-foot home’s wall system could be built in under 48 hours. In this episode: Coordinating construction trades; reinforced concrete and local materials; the 50% cost-reduction ambition; the under-48-hour wall-system projection; robots working in parallel; reducing waste; scaling robotic fleets; local rules and affordable housing. Subscribe to Common Sense with Dr. Ben Carson for conversations about practical solutions, opportunity, and the future of our communities. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  3. Oct 1

    He Stepped Away for 10 Years: Rick Osborne’s Journey of Faith

    What would you give up to know God more deeply? Dr. Ben Carson welcomes Christian author, minister, and Bible teacher Rick Osborne for a conversation about faith, grace, and a personal relationship with God. Osborne shares his account of stepping away from his publishing and ministry work for a ten-year season of prayer and Scripture study, and what he believes that experience taught him. Osborne describes a conversion just before his 19th birthday and a later period that reshaped his understanding of the Bible. He explains how familiar teachings moved from head knowledge to personal transformation, and why he now emphasizes trusting God rather than trying to earn a relationship with Him. Carson and Osborne explore how parents can help children develop faith of their own, the role of quiet in prayer, and the hope they find in God’s love. Osborne also makes clear that his ten-year retreat was a personal calling, not a prescription for everyone. In this episode: Rick Osborne’s conversion; his account of a ten-year retreat; Bible knowledge and personal transformation; grace and Christian disciplines; nurturing children’s faith; listening in prayer; love and hope Subscribe to Common Sense with Dr. Ben Carson for conversations about faith, liberty, community, and life. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  4. Sep 25

    Why Do Christians Stay Silent? John Stonestreet on Faith and Courage

    Dr. Ben Carson welcomes John Stonestreet, president of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview and a voice of BreakPoint, for a conversation about faith, family, and the ideas shaping our culture. They explore how Christians can grow in discernment, help their children think clearly, and put their convictions into practice. Stonestreet explains why he sees Christianity as a way of understanding all of life. Drawing on Chuck Colson's influence, he describes a worldview as the lens through which we interpret reality, and asks whether we have examined the ideas we have absorbed from the culture around us. The conversation turns to the home and classroom: how children form their beliefs, why parents matter, and how teaching discernment involves examining both true and false ideas. Carson and Stonestreet discuss their concerns about education, human dignity, and cultural change from a Christian perspective. They also explore why believers sometimes hesitate to speak, what it takes to develop greater confidence, and how the documentary Truth Rising presents examples of acting on conviction. Stonestreet closes with an invitation to think about what Christians are saved for: helping repair what is broken in their families and communities. In this episode: Christianity as a worldview; Chuck Colson's legacy; parents and education; discernment and human dignity; courage and Christian confidence; Truth Rising; reconciliation and everyday service. Subscribe to Common Sense with Dr. Ben Carson for more conversations about faith, liberty, community, and life. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  5. Sep 17

    Can Faith Change the Way You Think?

    What happens when the circumstances in front of you seem to say there is no way forward? Dr. Ben Carson sits down with author Wally Kassebaum for a conversation about faith, truth, the mind, and the hidden beliefs that can quietly take control of our lives. Kassebaum, author of Reality Is Not the Truth: Breaking Free from the Idol We Don’t See, argues that the circumstances we see around us may describe where we are today without necessarily determining where our lives must end. Dr. Carson shares a remarkable story from his years in medicine involving a critically ill child, a mother who did not believe in God and a moment he says changed both of their lives. The conversation also explores anxiety, addiction, forgiveness, neuroplasticity, renewing the mind, willpower, community and Dr. Carson’s own transformation from an angry teenager into someone who learned to respond differently. In this episode: ● Reality versus truth ● The hidden “idols” people may not recognize ● Dr. Carson’s remarkable hospital story ● Faith and uncertainty ● Neuroplasticity and changing mental patterns ● Why addiction creates deeply ingrained pathways ● How repetition can help establish new habits ● Forgiveness and letting go of the past ● Dr. Carson on overcoming his violent temper ● Why community matters when change is difficult ● Finding peace when circumstances feel overwhelming Subscribe to Common Sense with Dr. Ben Carson for conversations about faith, liberty, community, life and the ideas that shape how we live. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  6. Sep 10

    Washington Should Trust Parents, Not Bureaucrats

    What happens when programs created to help children and families become buried under federal rules? Dr. Ben Carson sits down with Assistant Secretary Alex Adams, who leads the Administration for Children and Families at the Department of Health and Human Services, for a wide-ranging conversation about Head Start, foster care, parental authority, family stability, and the proper role of government. Adams explains why the administration is seeking to move away from prescriptive federal requirements and put parents and local communities back in the driver's seat. He discusses proposed Head Start reforms that he says would reduce regulatory burdens while expanding access, the nationwide Home for Every Child foster-care initiative, efforts to support young adults aging out of foster care, and what he calls the “orphan tax”— the use of foster children's Social Security survivor benefits by states to offset government costs. Dr. Carson and Assistant Secretary Adams also discuss marriage, fatherhood, work, the “success sequence,” bipartisan welfare reform, and why strong families remain foundational to a strong country. In this episode: Head Start and parental control; federal regulation versus outcomes; foster-home shortages; faith-based foster families; support for children aging out of care; Social Security survivor benefits; family stability, marriage and fatherhood; work and welfare reform; and why both men remain hopeful about America's future. Subscribe to Common Sense with Dr. Ben Carson for conversations about faith, liberty, community, life, and the ideas shaping America's future. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  7. Sep 3

    Kathie Lee Gifford on the Voice That Changed Her Life

    What keeps a calling alive through success, grief, reinvention, and age? Kathie Lee Gifford joins Dr. Ben Carson for a candid conversation about the dreams planted in childhood and the faith that gave those dreams direction. Gifford recalls the Billy Graham film that changed her life, the advice that helped her navigate entertainment, her advocacy for children affected by HIV/AIDS, and the biblical stories that continue to shape her work. She also shares the simple conviction behind her next chapter: “If I have a pulse, I have a purpose. The conversation turns to redemption, hearing God call us by name, and the hope Gifford finds in the promise that all things will be made new. Her comments about the Shroud of Turin, biblical translation, historical events, and public policy reflect her own views and recollections. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  8. Aug 27

    Jim Daly: Why Strong Families Still Matter

    How do you build a strong family in a culture that often pulls families apart? Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family, joins Dr. Ben Carson to discuss why marriage still matters, what children need from parents and mentors, and how faith can help couples stay on the same team Daly shares his own story of family instability, foster care, and the coach who modeled trustworthy leadership. He and Dr. Carson explore marriage as a path toward selflessness, the risks of fear-driven parenting, practical boundaries around smartphones and social media, and the importance of giving teenagers room to succeed and fail while they are still at home. The conversation also addresses premarital counseling, late-life divorce, grandparents, and Daly’s account of Focus on the Family’s Hope Restored marriage intensives. Statistics and program outcomes mentioned in the episode are presented as Daly’s statements and have not been independently verified for this package. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Common sense is not so common these days. If you are one of the many people who thinks that to themselves, then this podcast is for you. Each week, Dr. Ben Carson takes you on a personal journey into the issues and headlines Americans face through the lens of 4 cornerstone principles - faith, liberty, community, and life... the basis upon which the greatest nation on earth was founded. The promise of America is alive and well, but it’s not a given. Dr. Carson offers a weekly prescription of things to think about, ideas of what you can do in your own life, and stories to help you make a little more sense of the world. 

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