In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer

Frank Schaeffer

Conversations with the Artists, Authors, Activists, and Change-Makers Who Are Shaping Our World Today.

  1. Apocalypse in the Tropics: Faith, Power, and the Fall of Democracy

    2D AGO

    Apocalypse in the Tropics: Faith, Power, and the Fall of Democracy

    Filmmaker Petra Costa and producer Alessandra Orofino join Frank Schaeffer to explore how evangelical movements fused with authoritarian politics in Brazil—and why the same forces are reshaping democracy in the United States. Watch Apocalypse in the Tropics I have had the pleasure of talking to some of the leading authors, artists, activists, and change-makers of our time on this podcast, and I want to personally thank you for subscribing, listening, and sharing 100-plus episodes over 100,000 times. Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.  Thanks! Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth. Subscribe to It Has to Be Said. The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free. Support the show _____ In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip. Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/ Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube. https://frankschaeffer.substack.com https://www.facebook.com/frank.schaeffer.16 https://twitter.com/Frank_Schaeffer https://www.instagram.com/frank_schaeffer_art https://www.threads.net/@frank_schaeffer_art https://www.tiktok.com/@frank_schaeffer https://www.youtube.com/c/FrankSchaefferYouTube In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

    1h 17m
  2. LAB DOG: A Beagle and His Human Investigate the Surprising World of Animal Research

    12/27/2025

    LAB DOG: A Beagle and His Human Investigate the Surprising World of Animal Research

    What happens when a beagle bred for laboratory research gets a second life—and changes a human forever? Journalist and author Melanie D.G. Kaplan joins me for a conversation about her book Lab Dog: A Beagle and His Human Investigate the Surprising World of Animal Research. It’s also our December pick for It Has to Be Read. At the center of the story is Hammy—a former lab dog who survived isolation, fear, and trauma, and went on to teach lessons about forgiveness, patience, joy, and what it truly means to be alive. This episode explores: The hidden reality of animal research in the U.S.Why tens of thousands of dogs are still used in labsHow love and companionship can rehabilitate traumaWhat dogs teach humans about forgiveness and presenceWhy compassion may be our last shared moral languageIf you love dogs, care about ethics, or believe stories can change the world, I hope you’ll watch, listen, and share. LINK https://melaniedgkaplan.com I have had the pleasure of talking to some of the leading authors, artists, activists, and change-makers of our time on this podcast, and I want to personally thank you for subscribing, listening, and sharing 100-plus episodes over 100,000 times. Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.  Thanks! Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth. Subscribe to It Has to Be Said. The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free. Support the show _____ In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip. Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/ Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube. https://frankschaeffer.substack.com https://www.facebook.com/frank.schaeffer.16 https://twitter.com/Frank_Schaeffer https://www.instagram.com/frank_schaeffer_art https://www.threads.net/@frank_schaeffer_art https://www.tiktok.com/@frank_schaeffer https://www.youtube.com/c/FrankSchaefferYouTube In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

    1h 6m
  3. Lynn A. Cooper: Interfaith Friendship as Survival Practice

    12/19/2025 · BONUS

    Lynn A. Cooper: Interfaith Friendship as Survival Practice

    Frank Schaeffer talks with Tufts University Catholic Chaplain Lynn A. Cooper, author of Embracing Our Time: The Sacrament of Interfaith Friendship, about building real connection across difference in an era of polarization and loneliness. They explore the Interfaith Student Council model, how trauma reshapes a life, the pressure-cooker reality of campus faith after Hamas’ attack and amid Christian nationalism, and why “deprivatizing friendship” might be one of the most radical moves left.  _____ LINKS Lynn created and directs Be-Friend: The Interfaith Friendship Program at Tufts University. For the past five years, Tufts University Chaplaincy has offered this program to students, faculty, and staff across all four campuses (virtual and in-person options). In the next few months, a digital resource for download will be available thanks to Tufts University. If you would like to be notified when it is available for download, please register here. https://tufts.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5dSdTNWSJI7mNpQ https://chaplaincy.tufts.edu/lynn-cooper/ https://bookshop.org/a/99692/9781506499253 _____ I have had the pleasure of talking to some of the leading authors, artists, activists, and change-makers of our time on this podcast, and I want to personally thank you for subscribing, listening, and sharing 100-plus episodes over 100,000 times. Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.  Thanks! Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth. Subscribe to It Has to Be Said. The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free. Support the show _____ In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip. Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/ Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube. https://frankschaeffer.substack.com https://www.facebook.com/frank.schaeffer.16 https://twitter.com/Frank_Schaeffer https://www.instagram.com/frank_schaeffer_art https://www.threads.net/@frank_schaeffer_art https://www.tiktok.com/@frank_schaeffer https://www.youtube.com/c/FrankSchaefferYouTube In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

    1h 27m
  4. McNamara At War: Guilt, Power, and America’s Unlearned Lessons

    12/12/2025

    McNamara At War: Guilt, Power, and America’s Unlearned Lessons

    What happens when the architect of a war knows—deep down—that it cannot be won? In this episode of In Conversation with Frank Schaeffer, I speak with William Taubman and Philip Taubman about their new book, McNamara at War: A New History, which is our December “It Has to Be Read” selection. William Taubman is a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian. Philip Taubman is a longtime journalist and former New York Times Washington bureau chief and associate editor. Together, they’ve gone back through diaries, letters, declassified documents, and interviews that were never fully used before. What they found is a more complicated and more troubling picture of Robert McNamara than we’ve had until now. McNamara helped escalate the Vietnam War even as he came to believe it could not be won. Our conversation looks closely at how that happened, why he stayed silent for so long, and what that silence cost us all. For me, this isn’t abstract. I lived through the Vietnam era, and years later my own son served as a U.S. Marine in Afghanistan and Iraq. As we watch Donald Trump blowing up and seizing boats in a march toward conflict with Venezuela, it’s hard not to notice how often the same patterns repeat themselves. McNamara at War is our December “It Has to Be Read” because it doesn’t just explain a war we lost. It forces us to reckon with why we keep losing them. _____ LINKS I have had the pleasure of talking to some of the leading authors, artists, activists, and change-makers of our time on this podcast, and I want to personally thank you for subscribing, listening, and sharing 100-plus episodes over 100,000 times. Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.  Thanks! Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth. Subscribe to It Has to Be Said. The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free. Support the show _____ In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip. Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/ Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube. https://frankschaeffer.substack.com https://www.facebook.com/frank.schaeffer.16 https://twitter.com/Frank_Schaeffer https://www.instagram.com/frank_schaeffer_art https://www.threads.net/@frank_schaeffer_art https://www.tiktok.com/@frank_schaeffer https://www.youtube.com/c/FrankSchaefferYouTube In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

    1h 7m
  5. Steve Griggs: Straight Dirt on Wealth, Work, and the Art of Landscape Design

    12/06/2025 · BONUS

    Steve Griggs: Straight Dirt on Wealth, Work, and the Art of Landscape Design

    Landscape designer Steve Griggs joins Frank Schaeffer for a raw, funny, deeply human conversation about rising from a working-class New York childhood to becoming one of America’s premier landscape artists — featured in Forbes, WSJ, HuffPost and Bravo’s Backyard Envy. Steve reveals the truth about designing for the ultra-wealthy, why taste beats money every time, how stonework builds character, what 40 years in the dirt taught him, and why water + fire belong in every garden — from mega-estates to tiny balconies. Frank and Steve go deep on class, beauty, craftsmanship, fathers, work ethic, climate, art, and the joy of creating a space people never want to leave. _____ LINKS Check out Steve’s stunning book Straight Dirt Follow Steve on Instagram @SteveGriggsDesign Visit Steve Griggs Design Online _____ I have had the pleasure of talking to some of the leading authors, artists, activists, and change-makers of our time on this podcast, and I want to personally thank you for subscribing, listening, and sharing 100-plus episodes over 100,000 times. Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.  Thanks! Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth. Subscribe to It Has to Be Said. The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free. Support the show _____ In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip. Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/ Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube. https://frankschaeffer.substack.com https://www.facebook.com/frank.schaeffer.16 https://twitter.com/Frank_Schaeffer https://www.instagram.com/frank_schaeffer_art https://www.threads.net/@frank_schaeffer_art https://www.tiktok.com/@frank_schaeffer https://www.youtube.com/c/FrankSchaefferYouTube In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

    58 min
  6. Fear Not: Diana Butler Bass on Light, Darkness, and A Beautiful Year

    11/30/2025 · BONUS

    Fear Not: Diana Butler Bass on Light, Darkness, and A Beautiful Year

    Frank Schaeffer talks with bestselling author and theologian Diana Butler Bass about Advent, spiritual resilience, and her new book A Beautiful Year. In this powerful conversation, they explore the meaning of “fear not” in a time of political turmoil, the role of the Christian liturgical calendar in daily life, and how ancient spiritual practices help us navigate modern anxiety, grief, and uncertainty. Diana reflects on the raw beauty of the Christmas story, the humanity of Mary, and why light and darkness are central to Christian spirituality. If you’re searching for insight on Advent, progressive Christianity, the intersection of faith and politics, or how to find hope in overwhelming times, this episode offers clarity, grounding, and real-world encouragement. _____ LINKS A Beautiful Year Diana Butler Bass: The Cottage _____ I have had the pleasure of talking to some of the leading authors, artists, activists, and change-makers of our time on this podcast, and I want to personally thank you for subscribing, listening, and sharing 100-plus episodes over 100,000 times. Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.  Thanks! Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth. Subscribe to It Has to Be Said. The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free. Support the show _____ In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip. Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/ Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube. https://frankschaeffer.substack.com https://www.facebook.com/frank.schaeffer.16 https://twitter.com/Frank_Schaeffer https://www.instagram.com/frank_schaeffer_art https://www.threads.net/@frank_schaeffer_art https://www.tiktok.com/@frank_schaeffer https://www.youtube.com/c/FrankSchaefferYouTube In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

    1h 12m
  7. Medical Gaslighting, Grief & a Golden Retriever Healer with Dr. Carolyn Larkin Taylor, MD

    11/28/2025

    Medical Gaslighting, Grief & a Golden Retriever Healer with Dr. Carolyn Larkin Taylor, MD

    Neurologist Dr. Carolyn Larkin Taylor, MD joins Frank Schaeffer to talk about her powerful new memoir Whispers of the Mind — a life in neurology, grief, intuition, near-death stories, medical gaslighting, and one extraordinary golden retriever named Prancer who became a four-legged healer in the clinic. _____ LINKS https://www.carolynlarkintaylorauthor.com/ Whispers of the Mind: A Neurologist's Memoir https://bookshop.org/a/99692/9781647429362 _____ Across three decades of practice, Dr. Taylor has walked families through ALS, Parkinson’s, dementia, addiction, traumatic brain injury, concussions, and devastating strokes — including the massive stroke that took her own brother. She and Frank go deep on: How women are routinely dismissed and “gaslit” in medical settingsHer own almost-missed endometrial cancer, brushed off as “just stress”The emotional cost of telling families the worst news a human can hearWhy she nearly quit medicine after her mother died in an ICUThe hidden danger of youth sports concussions and second-impact syndromeNear-death experiences, souls, and why she believes something comes after this lifePrancer the therapy dog: intuitive diagnoses, comforting the paralyzed, and angels in furI have had the pleasure of talking to some of the leading authors, artists, activists, and change-makers of our time on this podcast, and I want to personally thank you for subscribing, listening, and sharing 100-plus episodes over 100,000 times. Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.  Thanks! Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth. Subscribe to It Has to Be Said. The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free. Support the show _____ In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip. Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/ Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube. https://frankschaeffer.substack.com https://www.facebook.com/frank.schaeffer.16 https://twitter.com/Frank_Schaeffer https://www.instagram.com/frank_schaeffer_art https://www.threads.net/@frank_schaeffer_art https://www.tiktok.com/@frank_schaeffer https://www.youtube.com/c/FrankSchaefferYouTube In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

    1h 24m
  8. Brian Cranley: Wonder, Logic, and the God of Reason

    11/21/2025 · BONUS

    Brian Cranley: Wonder, Logic, and the God of Reason

    What happens when a former evangelical-turned-atheist-who-prays sits down with a Catholic engineer–philosopher who nearly became a priest… and then founded a medical device company… and then wrote a book arguing that logic, science, and divinity aren’t enemies but dance partners? Frank Schaeffer speaks with Brian Cranley, author of The Call of Wonder: How the God of Reason Created Science in His Image, about the Big Bang, Aquinas, Plato, Aristotle, cosmology, consciousness, mystery, logic, faith, doubt, and why wonder might be the deepest human instinct we share. A conversation that moves from cosmology to parenting, from quantum beginnings to spiritual hunger, from medical science to metaphysics, and straight into the heart of what it means to be human. Brian’s book: The Call of Wonder: How the God of Reason Created Science in His Image https://briancranley.com I have had the pleasure of talking to some of the leading authors, artists, activists, and change-makers of our time on this podcast, and I want to personally thank you for subscribing, listening, and sharing 100-plus episodes over 100,000 times. Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.  Thanks! Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth. Subscribe to It Has to Be Said. The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free. Support the show _____ In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip. Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/ Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube. https://frankschaeffer.substack.com https://www.facebook.com/frank.schaeffer.16 https://twitter.com/Frank_Schaeffer https://www.instagram.com/frank_schaeffer_art https://www.threads.net/@frank_schaeffer_art https://www.tiktok.com/@frank_schaeffer https://www.youtube.com/c/FrankSchaefferYouTube In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

    1 hr

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Conversations with the Artists, Authors, Activists, and Change-Makers Who Are Shaping Our World Today.

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