Volume 4 of "Small Brains on Big Books" features Drew Nelson and Mike Schutt discussing Beowulf. You'll love this discussion, even if you didn't love Beowulf in High School. 

Andrew Nelson is preacher at Southside Church of Christ in Mount Pleasant Texas, and Mike Schutt is the host of Cross and Gavel audio, Executive Director of Worldview Academy, and Clinical Associate Professor at Trinity Law School.

Host Mike Schutt again welcomes East Texas preacher Drew Nelson to the podcast to discuss The Odyssey, Homer's ancient epic poem about . . . well, wait. What is it about? 

Mike and Drew explore that question and more-- including why good Christians should read good pagan literature and why you might like The Odyssey-- as they highlight its major themes and give some background to the poem. Their hope is that a couple of regular guys reading big books might encourage other regular folks to do the same.   

Drew Nelson is preacher at Southside Church of Christ in Mount Pleasant, TX, and Mike Schutt is host of the Cross & Gavel podcast, director of Christian Legal Society's Law Student Ministries, and Clinical Associate Professor at Trinity Law School.

Cross & Gavel is a project of Trinity Law and CLS.

Join host Mike Schutt as he welcomes local preacher Drew Nelson to the podcast to talk about the classic "On the Incarnation," by Saint Athanasius, 4th Century Bishop of Alexandria. 

As a young man, Athanasius attended the Council of Nicea and spent the rest of his life standing firm against the Arian heresy that remained popular, despite its condemnation by Nicea. 

On the Incarnation is a wide-ranging apologetic regarding the eternal Son of God taking on flesh to reveal the Father and save humanity. 

Drew and Mike read the book with their Wednesday morning men's group, and they report on their impressions. 

Drew Nelson in preacher at Southside Church of Christ in Mount Pleasant, TX, and Mike Schutt is host of the Cross & Gavel podcast, director of Christian Legal Society's Law Student Ministries, and Clinical Associate Professor at Trinity Law School.

Cross & Gavel is a project of Trinity Law and CLS.  

Law professor Jeff Brauch argues that our beliefs about human nature will drive our politics, our policy, and our culture. In his recent book, Flawed Perfection: What It Means to Be Human and Why It Matters for Culture, Politics, and Law (2017), he lays out a compelling case for the importance of an accurate understanding of human nature.

He begins with the idea that our fundamental presuppositions about the nature of human beings will drive how we approach almost anything in the public sphere. From there, he provides examples from the fields of human rights, criminal justice, and bioethics, to name a few. 

Join Professor Brauch, Executive Director of Regent Law School's Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law, as he and host Mike Schutt discuss this important topic. 

Professor Brauch joined the Regent Law faculty in 1994 and served as dean from 1999-2015. He has taught Christian Foundations of Law, International Human Rights, Civil Liberties and National Security, Torts, Negotiations, International Criminal Law and other courses.

Prior to teaching, Brauch served as a law clerk for Justice William Callow of the Wisconsin Supreme Court and then worked five years as an associate with Milwaukee law firm Quarles & Brady, where he specialized in commercial litigation.

Cross and Gavel is a project of the Institute for Christian Legal Studies, a cooperative ministry of Regent University School or Law and Christian Legal Society, founded eighteen years ago through the collaboration of Dean Brauch and CLS in the work of Cross & Gavel host Mike Schutt. 

Pick up a copy of Flawed Perfection from our friends Byron and Beth Borger at Hearts & Minds Bookstore. 

Okay, so it's not "live"-- BUT: Mike Schutt recorded this podcast with Byron Borger, Rockstar Bookman, live and in person at the famous Hearts & Minds Bookstore in Dallastown, PA. Anyone who has ever been to a Christian conference that is serious about readers knows Byron and Beth Borger, owners of Hearts & Minds. The Borgers are particular heroes of the Christian Legal Society and the Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO), because Hearts & Minds has been serving their conference participants for years-- and decades, respectively.  

Mike and Byron begin by discussing this year's Jubilee conference and what he saw as he discussed books with college students. From there, they range to their personal favorites, important new releases, and other great stuff. If you love books, you'll enjoy this conversation!

Jump in and listen!

The books they touch on (or ramble over, depending) include:

Tish Harrison Warren, Liturgy of the Ordinary
James K. A. Smith, You are What You Love
Andy Crouch, Culture Making and Strong and Weak
Bob Robinson, ReIntegrate
John Mark Comer, Garden City
Kinnaman and Lyon, Good Faith
Sarah Arthur and Erin Wasinger, The Year of Small Things
Michael Wear, Reclaiming Hope 

And BTW, Michael Wear will be live and in person at Hearts & Minds on March 10. 

Byron will be announcing a discount on any book mentioned in the podcast, if you order within ten days of this podcast!

To subscribe to Byron's Booknotes Blog, click here.

Mike Schutt is the host of Cross & Gavel, and he directs both Law Student Ministries and Attorney Ministries for the Christian Legal Society. He is an Associate Professor at Regent University School of Law.

If you love books, there is nothing better than talking books with Byron Borger.

Byron has been talking books almost his whole life, and doing it well and for the good of Christ's kingdom. Since the early 80's, he and his wife Beth have, through Hearts and Minds Books in Dallastown, PA, lived out a mission to see the body of Christ encouraged and the world around them flourish. They believe that ideas matter and that books are an important part of Christian discipleship-- "a disciple is learner, after all," says Byron. Whether you're in his store, on the phone with him, or at one of the many conferences at which he and Beth serve, it is always a treat to talk books with Byron.

We hope that this podcast gives you at least a taste of what that's like. Cross & Gavel host Mike Schutt wondered what books Byron would recommend during this crazy political season, and he and Byron spend some time talking about Byron's work, books in general, and books on politics. As usual, Byron is knowledgable, helpful, and light-hearted as he tosses out nearly 30 great recommendations on the topics of politics, vocation, leadership, and more. The conversation ranges widely, from Jamie Smith to CS Lewis; from Os Guinness to Katelyn Beaty; from James Skillen to Yuval Levin. 

Join Mike and Byron as they talk books and books on politics. Then order a few of them from Hearts & Minds! 

To subscribe to Byron's Booknotes Blog, click here.

Mike Schutt is the host of Cross & Gavel, and he directs both Law Student Ministries and Attorney Ministries for the Christian Legal Society. He is an Associate Professor at Regent University School of Law.

Meet Byron and Beth in person (and Mike, too!) at the Christian Legal Society National Conference, October 20-23 in Washington, DC. 

Does it matter how we "experience" the the Bible? Do we encounter it as a reference work, in which we look up stuff, or as a text in which to immerse ourselves? C&G guest Mark Bertrand believes that these are important questions. Bertrand says that the Bible involves one of the most important-- and most challenging-- design projects in history. Design decisions create or remove barriers to entering into the text, and often traditional design choices actually hinder our reading and interpretation. These are significant  issues, to say the least.

Join Mark and host Mike Schutt as they discuss Bible design and its implications, and you'll find out, among other things, whether St. Paul will be offended if we remove the verse numbers from our Bibles, whether Jesus actually spoke only in red, and whether you are more holy if you read the Bible on see-through pages.

J. Mark Bertrand is a novelist living in South Dakota. His crime noir works are Back on Murder, Pattern of Wounds, and Nothing to Hide. His book [Re]Thinking Worldview is a great primer on Christian thought and action, and he serves on the faculty of Worldview Academy. He blogs at the world-renowned Bible Design Blog, sharing thoughts and photos on a multitude of design issues. His initial claim to fame was that he was interviewed by Ken Myers on Mars Hill Audio Journal, volume 90, which also features Mike Schutt talking about Redeeming Law. 

Mike Schutt is host of Cross & Gavel Audio, a project of the Christian Legal Society and Trinity Law School.