Remembering Charlie Kirk: A Christian Response to Political Violence
Refining Rhetoric with Robert Bortins
Release Date: 09/15/2025
Refining Rhetoric with Robert Bortins
What if everything we've been told about making college "affordable" is actually making it more expensive and worse? Robert Bortins sits down with Dr. Ben Merkle, President of New St. Andrews College and Oxford-educated scholar who wrote the foreword to "Woke and Weaponized." As one of fewer than a dozen colleges that refuse all federal student loan dollars, Dr. Merkle offers a rare insider perspective on how government money has corrupted higher education—and why K-12 schools should learn from their mistakes. Dr. Merkle traces the problem back to the GI Bill after World War II, explaining...
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"The government doesn't give you money because they love you. Government gives money so they can have power." Join host Robert Bortins as he sits down with Rachael Jensen, homeschool advocate and mother of six in Arizona—the state hailed as the "gold standard" for school choice. Rachael contributed Appendix A to "Woke and Weaponized" and shares what's really happening on the ground with ESA (Empowerment Scholarship Account) programs. The shocking reality: Arizona homeschoolers must surrender their homeschool affidavit and sign a Department of Education contract, legally converting their...
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What if the architect of America's public school system was literally taking orders from demons through Ouija boards? Join host Robert Bortins as he talks with co-author Alex Newman to discuss their new book "Woke and Weaponized: How Karl Marx Won the Battle for American Education and How We Can Win It Back." This isn't hyperbole—it's documented history every Christian parent needs to know. Alex reveals shocking truth about Robert Owen, the intellectual godfather of public education, who openly admitted communicating with spiritual entities through séances to receive his vision for...
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"There is no such thing as vouchers without government control. They just simply don't exist." Join host Robert Bortins as he sits down with KrisAnne Hall, constitutional attorney, former prosecutor, and founder of Liberty First Society. With her background in constitutional law and as a former homeschool parent, KrisAnne delivers a compelling legal and biblical argument against government-funded school choice programs. KrisAnne explains why the federal government has zero constitutional authority over education and reveals how states have traded their sovereignty for federal dollars. Drawing...
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"The enemy is not at the gate—the enemy has infiltrated our classrooms." Join host Robert Bortins for the first episode in a powerful School Choice Week series as he sits down with Dr. Joshua Pierson, who contributed to "Woke and Weaponized: How Karl Marx Won the Battle for American Education and How We Can Win It Back." In this eye-opening conversation, Dr. Pierson—a retiring counterintelligence agent with 25 years of experience—reveals the shocking history of Soviet infiltration into American education. Drawing from his extensively researched appendix, he traces a direct line from 1917...
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What if the biggest threat to the next generation of Christians isn't coming from outside the church—but from a decision Christian parents make every weekday morning? Join Robert Bortins as he sits down with Paul and Gena Suarez, publishers of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and founders of SchoolhouseTeachers.com, for a powerful conversation about the future of Christian education. Paul and Gena share their 30-year homeschooling journey and explain why they've shifted their focus from education to discipleship—and why this makes homeschooling a church issue that pastors can no longer ignore....
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Overturning Roe v. Wade was never the finish line—it was only the starting gun. Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life and Students for Life Action, joins Refining Rhetoric to reveal why the pro-life movement's real battle is just beginning and where it's being won or lost right now. Discover why she launched Students for Life 20 years ago with the vision that Roe would be reversed (when everyone told her she was naive), how chemical abortion pills have become the leading cause of infant death with 1 in 10 women ending up in the ER, and why flushing babies down toilets has turned...
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Ever wonder why every poll seemed to show Kamala Harris winning, yet Trump dominated the election? Mark Mitchell from Rasmussen Reports pulls back the curtain on the billion-dollar polling industry's most carefully guarded secrets. Discover how establishment pollsters use proprietary panels filled with left-leaning city dwellers to sandbag anti-establishment candidates by 20+ points, why FiveThirtyEight was really just a psychological operation funded by Disney and the New York Times, and how polling is weaponized to move the Overton Window on everything from reparations to LGBT issues....
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What if the real sign of wealth isn't your bank account, but the number of kids around your dinner table? Chocolate Knox from CrossPolitic joins Refining Rhetoric to flip the script on modern family planning. With seven kids and counting, Knox shares why he and his wife decided to "replace the stupid people" in their family lineage and create a new generation that honors God. Discover how God has faithfully provided through every season, from figuring out how to fit everyone in one vehicle to navigating the transition from public school indoctrination to classical Christian education. Knox...
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What happens when a Christian show gets canceled 20+ times but refuses to stay silent? Gabe Rench, founder of CrossPolitic, joins Refining Rhetoric to share his journey from launching a faith-and-politics show in 2016 to building a multi-platform network that's discipling Christians to engage culture boldly. Discover why he believes the church is responsible for America's condition, how his team is pivoting to deeper content in 2025, and why Christian business leaders need to stop burying their talents. Plus, learn about the surprising stat showing how Christians in Seattle could flip the city...
info_outlineCharlie Kirk was the kind of person who remembered your name even after meeting you just once at a crowded event. Robert joins Dr. Owen Anderson, professor at Arizona State University and faculty advisor for the Turning Point USA chapter, for a heartfelt discussion following the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Dr. Anderson shares personal memories of Charlie as "America's Socrates" - a genuine, friendly debater who engaged with students across the political spectrum on college campuses. The conversation explores the radicalization happening at universities, the concerning normalization of ideologies like DEI and transgenderism, and how parents can better prepare their children for the intellectual challenges they'll face in higher education. Dr. Anderson discusses his own legal battles with mandatory DEI training at ASU and provides insight into the hostile environment facing conservative voices on campus. The episode concludes with reflections on Charlie's legacy as a Christian martyr and how his example should inspire more believers to engage courageously in cultural debates.
Resources:
Dr. Anderson’s Substack: https://drowenanderson.substack.com/