Does Confessional Protestantism Need Classical Education
Release Date: 08/20/2025
Why Eastern Orthodoxy? Why Now?
Paleo Protestant Pudcast
We were down a man this time. Our Anglican co-host, , was on the road which left (Lutheran) and (Presbyterian) trying to maintain pudcasting standards. We had help from our colleague in the English Department, , who grew up Christian Reformed and switched to Eastern Orthodoxy. We talked about the various strands of Orthodoxy in America, what the appeal may be to young men, and why confessional Protestants realign with the Orthodox Church. For perspective on the current appeal of Orthodoxy, see from the New York Times. The movement of some Lutherans into...
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Inside Confessional Protestant Baseball
Paleo Protestant Pudcast
This discussion among the co-hosts, (Lutheran), (Anglican), and (Presbyterian), has almost nothing to do with Thanksgiving but it does resume the last one about the Anglican Church in North America. Miles Smith provides an update on the ongoing efforts to resolve conflict over . He also comments on the Matthew Wilcoxen for reforming ACNA. Disputes in the Presbyterian Church in America over opened a window on the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod led by Korey Maas. All of this may sound like too much detail. But if you believe God is in the...
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What Are Anglicans Doing?
Paleo Protestant Pudcast
The bumper music for this episode, chosen by our Presbyterian producer, comes from the 1964 of an Anglican homily by Alan Bennett ("My Brother Esau, Beyond the Fringe"). The subject discussed by pudcast co-hosts, (Lutheran), (Anglican), and (Presbyterian) may be the same -- Anglicanism -- but the approach is not comedic. Anglicans around the world have been in the news, from the of a new (and female) archbishop of Canterbury, to the by a prominent Baptist historical theologian to join ACNA. the deserves way more than roughly 55 minutes...
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Cultural Christianity
Paleo Protestant Pudcast
A recent announced a shift, some call it vibe, others a mood, that is making Christianity more acceptable or less appealing than it used to be in Aaron Renn's "." This is related to a question of what influence churches have on a society and its culture. Aaron Renn among the effort to take back the mainline Protestant denominations (from a that everyone acknowledges but does not necessarily measure). One of the reasons for looking to these churches instead of the Presbyterian Church in America, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, or the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, is that...
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Does Confessional Protestantism Need Classical Education
Paleo Protestant Pudcast
It is back-to-school time and the co-hosts, (Lutheran), (Anglican), and (Presbyterian) are getting ready for classes. This makes it a good time to reflect on the kind of education that nurtures confessional Protestant piety and practice -- for both ministers and church members. The recording starts with each member of the "broadcasting team" talking about upcoming classes at Hillsdale College and how we situate ourselves within the framework of classical education, the "Great Books," and liberal education. From there the conversation explores the...
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Since When Do Confessional Protestants Pay Attention to Baptists?
Paleo Protestant Pudcast
To put the question even more pointedly, with lots of stereotyping to go round, when do Lutherans of German descent who settled mainly in the northern mid-western states pay attention to Baptists in the South? This was the subject of the recent recording when co-hosts, (Lutheran), (Anglican), and (Presbyterian) discussed Scott Yenor's about "the left's" attack on denominational institutions. Part of the discussion involved the Southern Baptist Convention's place in conservative politics and the New Calvinist movement. Another part involved the dark side of...
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How High Is the Lord's Supper?
Paleo Protestant Pudcast
The topic this time is evangelical sacramentalism courtesy of a good short by , a retired professor of history at Grove City College. With Dr. Harp, the co-hosts, (Lutheran), (Anglican), and (Presbyterian) talk about the recent elevation of the sacraments among Protestants, whether this is a function of Protestants trying to retrieve the church fathers or re-enchant worship services, and the relationship between preaching and the Lord's Supper. Spoiler alert: readers may be surprised to hear an Anglican (Dr. Harp) defend a high view of preaching. Listeners...
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Do Protestants Catch Colds if the Pope Sneezes?
Paleo Protestant Pudcast
The death of Pope Francis and the election of a new pope -- Leo XIV -- were the circumstances for co-hosts, (Lutheran), (Anglican), and (Presbyterian) to talk about relationships between Protestants and the papacy. The conversation ranged widely, from assessments of Francis, speculation about Leo, and general observations about Christianity's need for a sound pope. Keeping up with all of the articles about either Francis' legacy or Leo's prospects is impossible. But were of the co-hosts before being recorded.
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It's Like Confessional Protestantism Doesn't Exist
Paleo Protestant Pudcast
The Lutheran, Reformed, and Anglican heirs of the Protestant Reformation continue to make news by not attracting attention from observers of American Protestantism. The co-hosts, (Lutheran), (Anglican), and (Presbyterian), talk about two recent articles about traditional Protestantism that either imply or claim that such Christianity is down on the mat for the count (think boxing). One is Brad East's "" and the other is Casey Spinks "?" The conversation may not be as hopeful as some listeners want. But along with the on non-denominational...
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Confessional Protestantism and Denominationalism
Paleo Protestant Pudcast
This time co-hosts (Lutheran), (Anglican), and (Presbyterian) talk about whether non-denominational Christianity is the future of American Protestantism and what stake confessional Protestants have in denominational structures. The basis for discussion is sociologist Ryan Burge's whose numbers indicate the remarkable increase of non-denominational Protestantism. Methodists, Lutherans, Baptists, Presbyterians, Anglicans, and Congregationalists may sound like the ecclesiastical equivalent of Ford, Lincoln, Chevrolet, and Buick, but institutions matter to...
info_outlineIt is back-to-school time and the co-hosts, Korey Maas (Lutheran), Miles Smith (Anglican), and D. G. Hart (Presbyterian) are getting ready for classes. This makes it a good time to reflect on the kind of education that nurtures confessional Protestant piety and practice -- for both ministers and church members.
The recording starts with each member of the "broadcasting team" talking about upcoming classes at Hillsdale College and how we situate ourselves within the framework of classical education, the "Great Books," and liberal education.
From there the conversation explores the relationship between confessional Protestantism and the kind of learning that at least pastors need, which points back to ties between the Reformation and the Renaissance, which then leads to the Renaissance's recovery of ancient Greek and Latin authors and the way Humanism cultivated Protestant understandings of education. At the very end comes some commentary on whether the Bible qualifies as a "Great Book" or is merely a "Good Book."
The co-hosts "did the reading" for this discussion which included a critique of "The Great Books," a review of a book about the Bible and classical education, and college students on the appeal of liberal education.
No sponors this episode. The Pudcast transcends money.