The Aaron Renn Show

Ben Merkle, president of New St. Andrews College, joins me to discuss the broken financial model of higher education in America. Read Big Ed, Too Big to Fail: https://nsa.edu/blog/big-ed-too-big-to-fail Subscribe to my newspaper: https://www.aaronrenn.com/

Nancy Pearcey, a professor at Houston Christian University, joins me to discuss her book The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes. Pearcey was named one of the top five women apologists by Christianity Today and hailed in The Economist as America's preeminent evangelical Protestant female intellectual. Buy The Toxic War on Masculinity: https://www.amazon.com/Toxic-War-Masculinity-Christianity-Reconciles-ebook/dp/B0B6Q3BCG8/ Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.aaronrenn.com/

For this month's newsletter, John Seel shares an essay on masculinity and the quest to become a "holy man." He examines who a holy man is, the tools he uses, and the product he produces. Subscribe to my newsletter at: https://www.aaronrenn.com/

John Seel joins me to discuss his thoughts on cultural engagement in today's negative world. Dr. Seel holds a Ph.D from the University of Maryland, and is a cultural renewal entrepreneur. Download Dr. Seel's white paper on The Challenge of Cultural Engagement: https://www.exploradelphia.com/publications Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.aaronrenn.com/

Long time missionary Andrew Brunson joins me to talk about his two year nightmare in a Turkish jail after being falsely imprisoned by the government for spying. Wavestarters, a Ministry of Andrew and Norine Brunson: https://www.wavestarters.org/ Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.aaronrenn.com/

John Lovell joins me to discuss his new book The Warrior Poet Way: A Guide to Living Free and Dying Well. Lovell is a former Army Ranger, combat veteran, and missionary. He runs the popular Youtube channel The Warrior Poet Society. Buy The Warrior Poet Way: https://www.amazon.com/Warrior-Poet-Way-Guide-Living/dp/0593541847/ John Lovell's Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@WarriorPoetSociety Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.aaronrenn.com/

Why do men turn to online influencers instead of the church? One reason is that evangelicals promote a vision of masculinity that is so bleak and unappealing it turns men off. They sum this up under the heading “servant leadership” Properly defined I believe servant leadership is important and something we should all aspire to. But evangelicals use it as a term of art that ends up defining a man’s mission is life as catering to the needs and desires of his wife and kids. They use a highly curated set of Bible passages and example like Jesus washing the disciples feet, while avoiding the many other examples that show other aspects of what it means to be a man or a leader. Evangelical servant leadership is a form of radical kenosis in which a man much empty himself of all of his own desires, ambitions, mission goals, etc. in order to serve his wife. One high profile pastor all but says men are never allowed to do anything for themselves. The evangelical view of the husband echoes the view of God in "moralist therapeutic deism" in which he is a sort of "Divine Butler and Cosmic Therapist." In evangelical teaching, a man has no legitimate claims of his own he can assert, no legitimate desires or aspirations he can hold, no mission in the world to undertake. Suffice it to say, the people promoting this approach to manhood don’t give off much evidence of living this way themselves. We definitely need servant leadership. But the way they define it isn’t right. Correcting these faulty teachings on gender is one of the church’s major to-do’s in the today’s negative world. Newsletter version of his podcast: https://www.aaronrenn.com/p/servant-leadership

Gen Z Youtuber "Redeemed Zoomer," a member of the PCUSA, joins me to discuss his case for why Christians should not abandon mainline denominations. Visit Redeemed Zoomer's Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@redeemedzoomer6053 Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.aaronrenn.com/

Eric Lefevre joins us to discuss the Concordia-Seminex Affair, in which the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod reversed a trend towards liberal theology in its flagship seminary and the denomination as a whole.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida joins me to discuss his new report, "The State of the Working (and Non-Working) Man," issued by his office as part of his Project for Strong Labor Markets and National Development. Read the report: https://www.rubio.senate.gov/rubio-releases-labor-report-the-state-of-the-working-and-non-working-man/ Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.aaronrenn.com/

Presbyterian minister Daniel Howe joins us to discuss his new book Worship, Feasting, Rest, Mercy: The Christian Sabbath. Link to Buy: https://crownandcovenant.com/products/worship-feasting-rest-mercy-the-christian-sabbath Aaron Renn's Newsletter: https://www.aaronrenn.com/

This month's newsletter looks at lessons from two contemporary novels, Guadalupe Nettel's Still Born and Vigdis Hjorth's Will and Testament. Buy Still Born: https://www.amazon.com/Still-Born-Guadalupe-Nettel-ebook/dp/B0BQ3ZRSK1 Buy Will and Testament: https://www.amazon.com/Will-Testament-Vigdis-Hjorth-ebook/dp/B07LDSXBTD/ Newsletter #39 on forged families: https://www.aaronrenn.com/p/newsletter-39-we-can-only-go-forward My thoughts on the film "The Worst Person in the World": https://www.aaronrenn.com/p/live-through-this

Sohrab Ahmari joins me to discuss his book Tyranny, Inc: How Private Power Crushed American Liberty - and What To Do About It. Buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/Tyranny-Inc-Private-American-Liberty/dp/0593443462/ Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.aaronrenn.com/

Washington Post columnist Christine Emba joins me to discuss her viral feature essay, "Men are lost. Here’s a map out of the wilderness." "Men Are Lost" Article link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/07/10/christine-emba-masculinity-new-model/ Reader feedback on how to be a man article link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/08/14/readers-react-christine-emba-masculinity/ Subscribe to Christine Emba's Substack: https://christineemba.substack.com/ Follow Christine Emba on Twitter: https://twitter.com/christineemba Subscribe to the Aaron Renn newsletter: https://www.aaronrenn.com/

This month's audio newsletter looks at the teachings of two online men's influencers whose work reflects something of a neo-pagan sensibility, Jack Donovan and his book The Way of Men, and Ryan Landry and his book Masculinity Amidst Madness. The Way of Men: https://www.amazon.com/Way-Men-Jack-Donovan-ebook/dp/B007O0Y1ZE/?&tag=theurban-20 Masculinity Against Madness: https://www.amazon.com/Masculinity-Amidst-Madness-Ryan-Landry/dp/1951897145/?&tag=theurban-20 Text version of this newsletter: https://www.aaronrenn.com/p/neopagan-masculinity Link to Newsletter #58 on loyalty: https://www.aaronrenn.com/p/newsletter-58-loyalty-is-the-coin

Denny Burk is the President of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, the organization charted with advancing complementarian gender theology. Complementarianism holds that only men can be pastors, and that husbands are the head of the home. The main rival system is egalitarianism, which affirms female pastors and says husbands and wives have equal authority in the home. He joins to discuss recent renewed controversies over evangelical gender theology, particularly in the Southern Baptist Convention. Links: Newsletter #78: Big Eva Says Out with Complementarianism, In with Anti-Fundamentalism: https://www.aaronrenn.com/p/newsletter-78-big-eva-says-out-with My previous interview with Denny Burk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvG2l_4wOuM

Aaron Ginn joins me to discuss his recent viral essays on male friendship and how to recovery from the dysfunctions of "nice guy syndrome." Aaron Ginn's Substack: https://aginn.substack.com/

As the evangelical world begins to crack up and realign, a segment of "big eva" elites is promoting the idea of redefining the boundary of their community. They want to eliminate complementarianism (a male only pastorate) and replace it with anti-fundamentalism. What was previously a solidly conservative movement would instead be more self-consciously centrist. This was explicitly laid out at a strategy by Tim Keller, and is being executed by people like Russell Moore and others.

The Christian Reformed Church (CRC), a quasi-mainline denomination originating in the Dutch Reformed tradition, had been trending in a more liberal direction. It approved of ordaining women and its Calvin University took a more progressive tack. But recently the denomination has pivoted to the right on sexuality issues. What dynamics have been at play in the CRC? What does the future hold for this denomination? CRC pastor and Youtuber Paul VanderKlay joins to discuss. Paul VanderKlay's Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PaulVanderKlay Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.aaronrenn.com/

Conservatives have a strong preference to have other people make their points for them. Hence they love liberals who criticize wokeness, or Muslims who argue for religious freedom. There's nothing wrong with partnering with or promoting others who share your views, but there's something wrong with people who can't seem to advocate for themselves.