Episodes

Be of good cheer.

People like Amanda Spiers exist. She is 22 years old, went into the work force right out of high school.

She works for Leadership Institute and works to make America better, one task at a time.

The Republican Professor is a pro-young-people-who-give-you-hope podcast.

Therefore, welcome Ms. Amanda Spiers !

The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

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Warmly,

Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

The Republican Professor Podcast
The Republican Professor Newsletter on Substack
https://therepublicanprofessor.substack.com/
https://www.therepublicanprofessor.com/podcast/
https://www.therepublicanprofessor.com/articles/
YouTube channel: The Republican Professor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRepublicanProfessor
Twitter: @RepublicanProf
Instagram: @the_republican_professor

Dr. Scott Wenig, Ph.D. is a professionally trained historian, specializing in the history of the Church (which would include all branches of Christianity). Dr. Wenig’s day job is the Haddon W. Robinson Chair of Biblical Preaching at Denver Seminary, but since his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, Boulder is in Church History (with original research for his dissertation in Europe), he also teaches Church History for the Seminary.

In fact, Scott was my (Dr. Mather’s) Church History professor when I took the year-long M.Div. sequence (as an M.A. Academic track student) over 20 years ago.

Scott was my Early and Medieval Church History professor , as well as the history scholar on the Path of Paul trip to Greece and Turkey and the Mediterranean world back in 2001 in the months before 9/11 (along with Dr. Bill Klien, Ph.D., a New Testament scholar and my Greek teacher, and Dr. Ralph R. Covell, Ph.D., a specialist in Church History in China and Taiwan).

He’s an interesting character. He has a wonderful sense of humor which isn’t completely on display here (not as much as it was on the long bus-rides through Turkey in 2001). It’s not normal to have a Preaching professor have such intense historical professional training in original archival research, or a Ph.D. in history. It enables Scott to have an interest in almost everything and to approach crisis situations with a measure of disciplined reflection on how the past shapes the meaning of the present.

Why? Because we’re always searching for the appropriate historical analogues with which to understand accurately what we’re facing, why, and what you can do productively about it. This helps us answer for ourselves the fundamental question: How we can be in the world.

Getting the appropriate historical analogues is not an easy task, though, and requires more training that you might have. You can’t just snap your fingers, or look at some memes on social media, and have it right.

Studying more history may be the way forward for you. That requires a good mentor.

I took Church History with Dr. David Howle, Ph.D. as an undergraduate in Hawaii even though I didn’t need it to graduate (and the Navy paid for most of it). I used that class to get out of the single semester Church History class for my MA program at Denver Seminary, but then decided I wanted to take the year long M.Div. track (M.Div. at the time was a year longer of study than the MA academic track). So I had 3 semesters, when I only “needed” 1. I did 3x the work. Why? In part because of people like Scott Wenig.

(My Reformation and Modern Church History professor was the late Dr. Bruce Shelley, Ph.D., author Church History in Plain Language).

The Republican Professor is a pro-historical-training, pro-having-the-appropriate-historical-analogues, pro-mental-well-being, pro-Haddon-Robinson-if-you-can-believe-that, pro-Church-History podcast .

Therefore, welcome Dr. Scott Wenig, Ph.D., Church History professor and travel companion extraordinaire .

The Republican Professor podcast is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Ph.D.

TRP Podcast is also available in audio only formats on Apple podcasts, etc.

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Warmly,

Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

The Republican Professor Podcast
The Republican Professor Newsletter on Substack
https://therepublicanprofessor.substack.com/
https://www.therepublicanprofessor.com/podcast/
https://www.therepublicanprofessor.com/articles/
YouTube channel: The Republican Professor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRepublicanProfessor
Twitter: @RepublicanProf
Instagram: @the_republican_professor

The co-author (with G.Z. Rodriguez) of three Christian “non-Hallmarky,” “non-campy” Christian urban-fantasy-genre novels D.J. Vargas joins TRP for Episode 90 on YouTube. Father of two special needs children, a gun owner, a Caribbean-heritage black Hispanic whose mother tongue is Spanish but who talks with with a Jersey accent, Vargas is a versatile conversationalist, covering everything from how to raise children with Downs Syndrome and make sure they hear the Gospel, to contemporary Anglo-Analytic philosophical issues in epistemology, metaphysics, and philosophy of mind, to socialism in his birth country of the once-prosperous Venezuela. Just to add to that, he makes a living with computers program stuff. “I make computers do things,” he says. That’s his definition of a real computer programmer.

Vargas and his childhood friend and co-author created a protagonist who is a Latina from the Bronx (not AOC). The book series features a fictional reflection, if you will, on the use of martial might and power from a Christian perspective. (Recall, in real life, he is a gun owner, a CZ pistol–we’ve been shooting together). The setting is like ours but with some fantastical elements. Not everything wraps up nicely in a bow, just like in real life. But that’s the only preview you get.

Check the books out at https://www.amazon.com/D-J-Vargas/e/B09MZR67RT?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1663892596&sr=1-1

He’s under contract for 3 more books published by LMBPN Publishing.

The Republican Professor is a pro-lawful-immigrant, pro-let’s-create-something, pro-reflecting-on-fundamental-persistent-questions-in-fiction, pro-legal-self-defense, pro-it-doesn’t-always-wrap-up-nicely-in-a-bow podcast.

Therefore, welcome my friend Danny Vargas, Christian novelist, gun owner, and father of special needs kids, man who makes computers do things.

The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

Share this with a friend.
If you like it, be sure to subscribe.

(Share with a friend whether you like it or not, though). (Jk).

Warmly,

Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

The Republican Professor Podcast
The Republican Professor Newsletter on Substack
https://therepublicanprofessor.substack.com/
https://www.therepublicanprofessor.com/podcast/
https://www.therepublicanprofessor.com/articles/
YouTube channel: The Republican Professor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRepublicanProfessor
Twitter: @RepublicanProf
Instagram: @the_republican_professor

Dr. Keith Buhler, Ph.D., headmaster of a California K-12 school in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, doesn’t even advertise for his school. They haven’t needed to. Their private school has grown by leaps and bounds all by word of mouth.

Dr. Keith is the son of Southern California radio legend Rich Buhler. He earned his Ph.D. in Ancient Philosophy from the University of Kentucky and began his real estate journey while a student there. He now entirely or partially owns 22 doors (just the door, jk), having finished nearly a dozen deals, all on a very modest salary.

He walks us through the pitfalls and victories of this real estate journey, including mindset, discipline, having a mentor (and what do the mentors get out of it?), partnership with others, and the point of investing.

The Republican Professor is a pro-business, pro-marketplace, pro-figuring-it-out, pro-successful mentoring podcast.

Therefore, welcome Dr. Keith Buhler, Ph.D., real estate investor, mentor, and headmaster.

The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

Share with a friend. Be sure to subscribe.

Warmly,

Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

The Republican Professor Podcast
The Republican Professor Newsletter on Substack
https://therepublicanprofessor.substack.com/
https://www.therepublicanprofessor.com/podcast/
YouTube channel: The Republican Professor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRepublicanProfessor
Twitter: @RepublicanProf
Instagram: @the_republican_professor

The concept of a “Mama Bear” needs no explanation. It instantly calls to mind a completely competent defender of the little bear cubs against whatever threatens those little ones.

Meet the founder of Mama Bear Apologetics, and the editor of the book “Mama Bear Apologetics: Empowering Your Kids to Challenge Cultural Lies,” Hillary Ferrer. Like the branding, Hillary’s aim is to help parents come to terms with the fact they are the first line of apologetic defense for their kids hearts and minds, and frankly, not many people are squared away for the task.

Mama Bear Apologetics seeks to meet the need by providing resources for parents to become the competent defender that the idea “Mama Bear” brings to mind.

We have a wonderful discussion especially about how you can track and handle manipulation of language. Dr. Mather shares his anecdotes of handling the manipulation of the term “Marriage” on college campuses in LA as an example.

Check the organization out at at https://mamabearapologetics.com/ and on the various social media platforms.

The Republican Professor is a pro-Mama-Bear, pro-Apologetics-done-well, pro-you-are-your-own-first-responder, pro-pay-attention-to-manipulation-of-language podcast.

Therefore, welcome Mama Bear Apologetics and Hillary Ferrer !

The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

TRP Podcast has been ranked #2 podcast that the devil hates (just behind EconTalk with Russ Roberts).

Share this with a friend. Be sure to subscribe !

Warmly,

Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

The Republican Professor Podcast
The Republican Professor Newsletter on Substack
https://therepublicanprofessor.substack.com/
https://www.therepublicanprofessor.com/podcast/
https://www.therepublicanprofessor.com/articles/
YouTube channel: The Republican Professor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRepublicanProfessor
Twitter: @RepublicanProf
Instagram: @the_republican_professor

Many say on 9/11 “never forget,” but days later, on Constitution Day (9/17), they forget the Constitution. But Constitution Day is a much much bigger deal, a much bigger day, and for a much, much longer period of time.

That needs to change.

Our 2022 Constitution Day special guest here on The Republican Professor podcast is Dr. Lucas Morel, Ph.D., the John K. Boardman, Jr., Professor of Politics at Washington & Lee University in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, right where the Civil War happened.

Dr. Morel is the author of “Lincoln and the American Founding” (Southern Methodist University Press, 2020), a very nice slim volume packed with history, law, and wisdom. It’s a book I myself am using this semester in my course on The American Founding at Azusa Pacific University in Lost Angeles County, a course originally designed by prof. Chris Flannery according to APU lore, and where our guest himself originally taught.

The volume can be found here : https://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-American-Founding-Concise-Library/dp/0809337851/ref=sr_1_1?crid=E4JEGHO29WSN&keywords=lincoln+and+the+founding+morel&qid=1663195560&s=instant-video&sprefix=lincoln+and+the+founding+morel%2Cinstant-video%2C135&sr=1-1

Dr. Morel is originally from LA County and has black Hispanic heritage. Now he teaches at Washington & Lee University in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. So we have a black guest , Lincoln scholar, who teaches at a university named after 2 slave holders, including one who was, in our guests’ words, “a traitor,” Robert E. Lee. (Lee was not a Republican).

How to make sense of all this ?

Well, Dr. Morel is an open book. He walks us through this fact pattern as well as through some of his book, whetting our appetite for more on Lincoln and the Founding while at the same time quenching our curiosity today.

Dr. Morel helps us understand so many things about America, the Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence.

This is an interesting episode and volume for many reasons, all having to do with how properly to contemplate the American Founding and later, the birth of the current Republican Party, which was founded in 1854, which led to the end of slavery in the United States.

Dr. Morel is a wealth of valuable information, insight, and wisdom about how to make sense of the Founding, race and slavery. He has studied and taught this stuff for decades and his material is worth consuming.

The Republican Professor podcast is a pro-correctly-contemplating the American Founding, pro-grasping-the-birth-of-the-Republican-Party, pro-abolishing-slavery, pro-best-of-American-statesmanship, pro-Abraham-Lincoln, pro-fundamentally-grasping-the-Constitution, pro-celebrating-Constitution-Day podcast.

Therefore, welcome Dr. Lucas Morel, Ph.D., author of “Lincoln & the American Founding”, John K. Boardman, Jr., Professor of Politics at Washington & Lee University, Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, for TRP’s 2022 Constitution Day episode.

The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

Be sure to subscribe ! Share this with a friend.

Warmly,

Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

The Republican Professor Podcast
The Republican Professor Newsletter on Substack
https://therepublicanprofessor.substack.com/
https://www.therepublicanprofessor.com/podcast/
YouTube channel: The Republican Professor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRepublicanProfessor
Twitter: @RepublicanProf
Instagram: @the_republican_professor

On this anniversary of a somber national trauma on September 11th, what better way to spend the day than with someone who understands how trauma can be stored in the body.

Our guest today is someone I’ve known for a long time: The Woman Behind Sarah Jackson Coaching has been through it.

Sarah learned the hard way, from the cumulative wisdom from long years of suffering how to resource the nervous system by releasing stored energy , allowing the body to return to a state of regulation, or rest and digest, which is the baseline God designed for us.

The woman behind Sarah Jackson Coaching on Instagram and Facebook is someone who is taking the heart of Jesus to the ministry of healing trauma and releasing it so that the nervous system can return to a baseline of “rest and digest.” That’s where we belong. It’s what we were designed for by our Creator.

I personally think that the message here has some cultural ramifications. Much of politics involves trying to motivate people to do something by getting folks into a nervous system state of fight or flight.

That’s not good for the nervous system. It may temporarily increase attention span to a narrow focus, but a perpetual cycle of this can wreck one’s health, ultimately leading to brain fog and lower attention span. Many people become so overloaded that they go into dorsal vagal shutdown–they can’t take it–or worse, freeze, which is a combination of fight or flight and shutdown.

Sarah spent 6 years in the prime of her young adult life in bed with chronic, invisible illness. I was writing colleagues with her at a non-profit at the time. During writer’s meetings, I glimpsed first-hand what she was going through. She often did her writing from bed.

It seemed hopeless. She saw countless doctors. Sadly, there were multiple layers to this challenge, emotional, financial, social–she was deserted by friends and by the church when she was most vulnerable. She was gaslighted, because the medical people couldn’t see anything wrong with her.

It was only when she began learning to release stored trauma with somatic, bottom up practices, that she began healing her system more holistically. Once that resourcing was in place, she began to heal in a more complete way than ever before.

Now she helps others to do the same.

I saw this transformation with my own eyes over the years. And I can speak from personal experience that her techniques work. She’s not paying me to say any of this. I’m introducing you to her because I really believe in her.

It might seem like an odd topic for The Republican Professor, especially given the last 2 years. It’s actually one of the most relevant topics we’ve ever covered on the podcast, because it gets to the heart of so many issues in our national, regional, and local culture that have relevance to education and learning. I think God designed us to be in a state of rest and digest for optimal learning. I think our politics work best if we develop a culture where people have an attention span, feel resourced and are indeed healthy. I know of no other way to do deep work necessary for long-term, healthy solutions for all problems, big and small.

You’ll notice that Sarah is a lovely young woman and a joy to be around. Most impressive, though, from my perspective is the depth of her wisdom and life experience she has with suffering well. One of the spiritual forms she uses is lament. This is a deep teaching and will serve many millions well.

It’s a strange topic, suffering well. Turns out, it’s actually a thing. But she helps people move through the suffering to the other side.

The Republican Professor is a pro-resourcing-the-nervous-system, pro-rest-and-digest-baseline, pro-attention-span, pro-releasing-stored-trauma, pro-pursuing-health-by-suffering-well podcast.

Therefore, welcome dearest Sarah Jackson of Sarah Jackson Coaching on Instagram and Facebook.

The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

Dr. Kerry Chavez, Ph.D. is a research fellow at the Modern War Institute, United States Military Academy at West Point* (https://mwi.usma.edu/research-fellows/kerry-chavez/) but her day job is teaching quantitative methods, International Politics, Foreign Policy, and Politics of Military Force at Texas Tech University, where she is the Projects Administrator of the Peace, War, and Social Conflict Laboratory.

Dr. Chavez is a quantitative methods scholar of International Security and Conflict, so she brings a her own collected data to the study of drones and violent non-state actors. She defines these terms for us, and we talk a little bit about how she collected those data.

Kerry is a co-author of a recent War on the Rocks article (with Ori Swed, former Israeli SF) called “Weak States and Loose Arms: Lessons and Warnings from Afghanistan to Ukraine” published July 12, 2022, which is the subject of much or our discussion here.

Here’s a link to that article, here : https://warontherocks.com/2022/07/weak-states-and-loose-arms-lessons-and-warnings-from-libya-to-ukraine/

Dr. Chavez did some of her graduate work at St. Andrews University in Scotland, which I learned during this interview is not called “Street Andrews”, like on a mailing address. And actually, I guess that makes sense.

Kerry has a rigorous, broad, classical education in her undergrad, as a graduate of the Torrey Honors Institute at Biola University, and I think we talked about that enough to where Torrey now owes me 10% of any future revenue from their program, and Kerry should get 10%, too.

Dr. Kerry Chavez, Ph.D., is a delightful person, has a charming and ironically disarming sense of humor, and our fun conversation (strange that this topic could be fun–I guess it was the person, not the topic per se), is wide-ranging and timely.

The Republican Professor is a pro-remembering-never-to-forget, pro-delightful-professors, pro-International-security-study-done-right, pro-having-fun-while-doing-serious-things, pro-someones-got-to-do-the-quant-stuff, pro-catching-up-with-old-friends podcast.

Therefore, welcome my good friend Dr. Kerry Chavez, Ph.D., of Texas Tech and West Point.

Make sure you never forget to subscribe. Share this with a friend. Level up on security.

TRP Podcast has recently been ranked last in the world by Unimportant Things magazine, late summer edition.

Warmly,

Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

The Republican Professor Podcast
The Republican Professor Newsletter on Substack
https://therepublicanprofessor.substack.com/
https://www.therepublicanprofessor.com/podcast/
YouTube channel: The Republican Professor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRepublicanProfessor
Twitter: @RepublicanProf
Instagram: @the_republican_professor

*A prep school for the Naval Academy.

It’s my personal pet peeve that we say Never Forget for 9/11, and yet days later, we forget Constitution Day, which is a bigger deal for a much longer time. That won’t happen on The Republican Professor Podcast, at least not while I’m running it. Constitution Day should be as great, if not greater a day than July 4th, for without Separation of Powers, the Declaration would just be a piece of paper.

This year’s TRP 9/11 memorial episode guest is a very special man, Senior Chief Gabe Morris, USN (retired). Senior Chief Morris spent over 22 years in the United States Navy working as a Linguist and Intelligence Analyst with the Tagalog and Arabic languages. (Why would we need Arabic linguists ? Hmmm).

His experience is as varied as very intense immersion-style academic training in the languages mentioned above, shore-based intelligence support, deployed special operations in the Middle East and elsewhere, but also includes time in Navy law enforcement, LEO special criminal investigations, and time as an instructor in support of Navy training, culminating in a highly specialized personnel billeting position for Navy linguists/intelligence orders which was a job for a Master Chief, which Gabe performed as a Senior Chief.

As impressive as his unique Navy career is and was, from my perspective, most impressive is that he stayed happily married for over 20 years of his active service, while in at times quite stressful operating conditions. I was at his wedding at Lover’s Point, Pacific Grove , California in the early 90s, when California had a Republican governor (remember those times?). He’s a humble servant of Christ, and he has been that way the entire time I’ve known him.

He’s what we call in the business a true believer, and it was a pleasure catching back up with him.

The Republican Professor is a pro-true-believer, pro-Navy-linguist, pro-special-operations, pro-intel-analyst, pro-good-LEO, pro-staying-married-for-a-long-time-through-thick-and-thin, pro-awesome-example-for-the-kids podcast.

Therefore, welcome Senior Chief Gabe Morris, United States Navy, retired, for TRP 2022 9/11 Never Forget podcast episode.

(The kids never knew in the first place, never forget that you can’t forget what you never knew). (That’s why we need to tell them about it).

The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

Don’t forget to never forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Sticher, Podvine, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, as well as here on the Republican censoring YouBoob I mean YouTube.

Warmly,

Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

The Republican Professor Podcast
The Republican Professor Newsletter on Substack
https://therepublicanprofessor.substa…
https://www.therepublicanprofessor.co…
YouTube channel: The Republican Professor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRepublica…
Twitter: @RepublicanProf
Instagram: @the_republican_professor

Happy Labor Day weekend 2022: TRP Episode 85

TRP’s Labor Day guest today is once again Dr. Arik Greenberg, Ph.D. He’s writing a book. We talk at length about Dr. Greenberg’s memoir that he’s writing that gets into some detail of his family of origin. It mixes with Theology, which is his academic specialty.

Then we continue talking about Academic Labor issues, Unions, etc. from our earlier episode 23, published March 11, 2022: available here on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmdTh2QiS9o and Episode 24 on Apple Podcasts available here : https://www.therepublicanprofessor.com/2022/03/12/episode-24-faculty-part-time-tenure-labor-issues-special-guest-dr-arik-greenberg-ph-d-of-loyola-marymount-university-la/

This is the second part of a multi-episode extended set of conversations on Faculty Labor Issues in Higher Education with our special guest today, Dr. Arik Greenberg, Clinical Professor of Theology at Loyola Marymount University, Lost Angeles.

Dr. Greenberg is a distinguished, seasoned faculty member on Lost Angeles college campuses and brings a wealth of experience not only in teaching and administration but also in union organizing and peace march demonstrations.

This topic of academic labor can get very complicated very quickly, but there is no other dialogue partner I can think of that can rise to that challenge with as much grace and humility as can Professor Greenberg. We are truly delighted that he stopped by to say a hi and stay awhile to continue into the weeds a bit on this topic.

And we do continue in some details, some specific numbers, so you can get a feel for what “part-time” professors get paid to teach college in Lost Angeles Ventura, and Orange County, California in recent decades.

The Republican Professor is a pro-improving-Faculty-Labor-Issues-on-Campus, pro-making-college-great-again podcast.

To move forward we have to listen carefully to each other and learn from each other, to forge relationships that are resilient enough to perdure through time.

The Republican Professor welcomes Dr. Arik Greenberg !

The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

Happy Labor Day weekend from TRP

Here are links to the documents referenced by Dr. Greenberg at almost the 2 hour mark:

https://edlabor.house.gov/imo/media/doc/1.24.14-AdjunctEforumReport.pdf
and
https://pullias.usc.edu/download/imperative-change-fostering-understanding-necessity-changing-non-tenure-track-faculty-policies-practices/?wpdmdl=13873&refresh=62bd03d0771fc1656554448