The Sower

The Ciceronian Society
The Sower

The Sower is a Podcast of the Ciceronian Society. The Ciceronian Society exists to equip and encourage Christian scholars to serve the church as a center of cultural and civic renewal. Through our events, publications, and podcasts we provide the space and opportunities that Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox scholars need for professional growth and intellectual discipleship. Since 2012, we have been building a network of friends with a love for our core themes - tradition, place, and ‘things divine’ - and with a genuine commitment to the church and the life of the mind. To learn more about our society, our conferences, and the peer-reviewed journal, Pietas, visit https://ciceroniansociety.org/

  1. EPISODE 43 - Carl Richard on the American Founders and the Presidents’ Classical and Christian Inheritance

    6D AGO

    EPISODE 43 - Carl Richard on the American Founders and the Presidents’ Classical and Christian Inheritance

    Josh Bowman talks with Dr. Carl Richard, Professor of History at the University of Louisiana Lafayette. Dr. Richard has spent decades recovering the impact of the ancient Greeks and Romans on the American Founders and on American history generally. He has also turned to the influence of the Bible and Christianity on America’s founding, and now to the history of the Presidency. We begin by talking about the classics, including Cicero, before turning to his more recent books on the Bible’s impact, including his newest volume, So Help Us God: American Presidents and the Bible (Rowman & Littlefield, 2025). https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/so-help-us-god-9798881806330/ Carl’s Books: The Founders and the Classics: Greece, Rome, and the American Enlightenment (Harvard, 1994) Twelve Greeks and Romans Who Changed the World (Rowman & Littlefield, 2003) The Battle for the American Mind: A Brief History of a Nation's Thought (Rowman & Littlefield, 2004) Greeks and Romans Bearing Gifts: How the Ancients Inspired the Founding Fathers (Rowman & Littlefield, 2008) The Golden Age of the Classics in America: Greece, Rome, and the Antebellum United States (Harvard, 2009) Why We're All Romans: The Roman Contribution to the Western World (Rowman & Littlefield, 2010) When the United States Invaded Russia: Woodrow Wilson's Siberian Disaster (Rowman & Littlefield, 2013) The Founders and the Bible (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016) He has also contributed a host of essays to edited volumes, including two books published by Oxford University Press. The 2026 Ciceronian Society Conference will be held March 12-14 at Creighton University in Omaha, NE. Panel and paper proposals are due September 1, 2025. To learn more about us, our events, this Podcast, our journal, Pietas, to sign up for our newsletter, and to make your tax deductible gift, please go to https://ciceroniansociety.org/ 0:00 Introduction 2:30 Inspiration 4:13 Golden Age 7:47 Arguments For and Against the Classics 20:04 Familiarity and Peculiarity 25:53 Cicero 32:06 The Founders and the Bible 44:11 Prayer 49:59 The Future 56:26 Opportunities Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction(00:02:30) - Inspiration(00:04:13) - Golden Age(00:07:47) - Arguments For and Against the Classics(00:20:04) - Familiarity and Peculiarity(00:25:53) - Cicero(00:32:06) - The Founders and the Bible(00:44:11) - Prayer(00:49:59) - The Future(00:56:26) - Opportunities

    1h 5m
  2. EPISODE 42 - Jack Ferguson and the American Founding's Debt to Cicero

    JUL 6

    EPISODE 42 - Jack Ferguson and the American Founding's Debt to Cicero

    Josh Bowman talks with legal scholar Jack Ferguson about his recent article exploring Cicero’s impact on the American Founders. We discuss natural law, republicanism, executive power, and more. Jack’s article is “The Ciceronian Origins of American Law and Constitutionalism” from The Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, which can be found here: https://journals.law.harvard.edu/jlpp/wp-content/uploads/sites/90/2025/03/Ferguson-Ciceronian-Origins.pdf  The 2026 Ciceronian Society Conference will be held March 12-14 at Creighton University in Omaha, NE. Panel and paper proposals are due September 1, 2025.  To learn more about us, our events, this Podcast, our journal, Pietas, to sign up for our newsletter, and to make your tax deductible gift, please go to https://ciceroniansociety.org/ 0:00 Why Care About Cicero? 10:00 Part 1 - Cicero's Influence 16:21 Part 2 - Law of Nature & Law of Nations 19:47 Common Law 23:09 Judicial Review 27:45 Part 3 - Republicanism 32:58 Personal Character 36:42 Part 4- Executive Authority 42:57 Cicero's Authority with the Founders Chapters (00:00:00) - Why Care About Cicero?(00:10:00) - Part 1 - Cicero's Influence(00:16:21) - Part 2 - Law of Nature & Law of Nations(00:19:47) - Common Law(00:23:09) - Judicial Review(00:27:45) - Part 3- Republicanism(00:32:58) - Personal Character(00:36:42) - Part 4 - Executive Authority(00:42:57) - Cicero's Authority with the Founders

    51 min
  3. EPISODE 40 - Resisting Postmodernism with Albert Norton

    JUN 15

    EPISODE 40 - Resisting Postmodernism with Albert Norton

    Josh Bowman talks with Albert Norton, a practicing attorney and author of several books on the tension between religion and postmodernism. His most recent book is The Discovered Self, just released, concerning what he regards as a dangerous inward turn to the therapeutic worldview.  Our main topic is his 2023 book The Mountain and the River: Genesis, Postmodernism, and the Machine. Our conversation addresses themes of postmodernism, universals and particulars, ideology, totalitarianism, fascism, epistemology, Christian intellectuals in the church, and much more. Bert’s substack, “Sir Toast” - https://albertnorton.substack.com/ The Mountain and the River - https://www.amazon.com/Mountain-River-Genesis-Postmodernism-Machine/dp/1943003815?ref_=ast_author_dp The Discovered Self - https://www.amazon.com/Discovered-Self-Identity-Therapeutic-Age-ebook/dp/B0F1V4LL7B?ref_=ast_author_dp Check out Bert’s reflections on the recent Ciceronian Society conference here: https://albertnorton.substack.com/p/the-ciceronian-society Mentioned in this episode: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Glass_Bees  The 2026 Ciceronian Society Conference will be held March 12-14 at Creighton University in Omaha, NE. Panel and paper proposals are due September 1, 2025. To learn more about us, our events, this Podcast, our journal, Pietas, to sign up for our newsletter, and make your tax deductible gift, please go to https://ciceroniansociety.org/  0:00 Introduction 4:00 Postmodernism 9:30 Moralistic Therapeutic Deism 14:02 The Mountain and the River 19:52 Differentiation 24:08 Balance  33:04 The Machine 40:11 Fascism 44:03 Church & Zeitgeist 49:05 Tragic Sense 54:27 Discovered Self 58:13 Emotions 1:02:19 Need for Community Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction(00:04:00) - Postmodernism(00:09:30) - Moralistic Therapeutic Deism(00:14:02) - The Mountain and the River(00:19:52) - Differentiation(00:24:08) - Balance(00:33:04) - The Machine(00:40:11) - Fascism(00:44:03) - Church & Zeitgeist(00:49:05) - Tragic Sense(00:54:27) - Discovered Self(00:58:13) - Emotions(01:02:19) - Need for Community

    1h 9m

Ratings & Reviews

4.3
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

The Sower is a Podcast of the Ciceronian Society. The Ciceronian Society exists to equip and encourage Christian scholars to serve the church as a center of cultural and civic renewal. Through our events, publications, and podcasts we provide the space and opportunities that Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox scholars need for professional growth and intellectual discipleship. Since 2012, we have been building a network of friends with a love for our core themes - tradition, place, and ‘things divine’ - and with a genuine commitment to the church and the life of the mind. To learn more about our society, our conferences, and the peer-reviewed journal, Pietas, visit https://ciceroniansociety.org/

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada