ChristiTutionalist Politics | Christian Perspectives on Constitutional Issues

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CTP (S4E178) Born With A Veil
We talk with author Lissalani about “Veil,” a Southern Gothic horror story inspired by her childhood and her experience of seeing ghosts. The conversation moves from Mississippi history and spiritual folklore to faith, curiosity, and why reading still matters in a doomscrolling world. 
• growing up between Vicksburg, Mississippi and California 
• being born “with a veil” and the folklore around spiritual gifts 
• seeing ghosts as a child and how it changes with age 
• church culture, scripture, and learning when to...

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CTP (S4ENovSpecial2) Faith Is A Verb with Caleb Collier
We talk with Caleb Collier from the Church and State podcast about why faith has to show up as action, not just private belief, and why Americans keep getting pulled into political idolatry. We challenge left-right tribalism, argue for principles over personalities, and end by asking what you’re doing right now to push back against corruption and apathy. 
• Caleb’s background from early life in a communist Christian cult to the Marine Corps to city co...

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CTP (S4E177) Good Enough Christian? Christian or Churchianist?
We talk with Bill Senyard about why so many Christians believe the gospel but still feel unlovable, unsafe, and stuck in shame. We sort out hubris versus healthy pride, why grace can feel “too good to be true,” and how the Holy Spirit helps us actually experience God’s love now. 
• hubris as “I can do it alone” and why it blocks love 
• the hidden fear many believers carry about God’s disappointment 
• “Good Enough Christian” book...

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CTP (S4ENovSpecial1) Leap Before You Look
We sit down with Chuck Mobley to trace the unlikely chain of risks that takes him from a broke newcomer sleeping on a Cayman beach to a family man, business owner and author. We laugh through the parade-float origin story with his wife, then get practical about service, grit and trusting God when the plan is not clear. 
• moving from Whittier, California to a tiny town in East Texas and growing up as a troublemaker 
• arriving in the Ca...

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We talk with Elyse Singer about what it feels like to be Jewish as antisemitism grows louder, and why that rise is a warning sign for everyone. We also dig into practical ways to push back, from self-reflection to teaching kids how to think clearly in an age of online propaganda. 
• Elyse Singer’s background from Philadelphia to Florida and how community shapes identity 
• Why antisemitism “shape-shifts” and repeats across history 
• The canary-in-the-coal-mine idea and what rising Jew hate signals about societal erosion 
• Security and hyper...

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CTP (S4EOctSpecial4) How A Dark Fantasy Novel Turns Pain Into Meaning
We talk with Justin Anderson about turning grief, trauma, and stigma into a dark fantasy mythology that takes mental health seriously. We trace how Shadow Sword uses story as externalization when direct vulnerability feels impossible. 
• Justin’s Indiana roots and building a family life with trade-offs 
• COVID-era parenting and the strange pressures of lockdown life 
• Losing a grandmother to cancer and getting stuck in anger 
• Male stereotypes around crying and vulnerability...

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CTP (S4E175) How Propaganda Shapes Israel, Gaza, And The West
We talk with Eran Evron about how propaganda, selective outrage, and bad incentives keep the Israel Gaza conflict locked in a cycle of violence. We also zoom out to the West, asking how long-term ideological campaigns, media narratives, and civic attention spans shape what people believe and how they act. 
• Eran’s background in Israel, IDF service, and life in the United States 
• A cockpit emergency axe story as a lesson in security design a...

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CTP (S4EOctSpecial3) Taming The Inner Animal
We sit down with Leslee Hall to explore why seeing ourselves as animals first can lower conflict, sharpen clarity, and protect our peace in a chaotic world. We connect the inner animal lens to real life, from insecurity and overreaction to creativity, touring, and building healthier relationships. 
• Leslee’s background in Alabama and the path to Nashville 
• Why Tracking Our Inner Animal frames human nature so well 
• Reacting as the easy default and thinking as the hard skill ...

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CTP (S4E174) From Baseballs To Business Boardrooms 
http://TooSmartToBeAnUmpire.com website
We talk with Jack Oujo about getting cut from a near-major-league umpiring career, then rebuilding from scratch into a thriving accounting and wealth management practice. We dig into planning with real numbers, the unintended fallout of instant replay on youth sports, and why reading the Bible in full context changes how you see everything. 
• Jack’s path from New Jersey to Triple-A umpiring and a hard career stop 
• Starting over with a pregnan...

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CTP (S4EOctSpecial2) Special K And The Snail Mail Strategy
We sit down with Jeff K to trace how 9-11 redirected his life into conservative direct mail fundraising and why political engagement still starts with personal responsibility. We also debate party realignment, election integrity, federalism, and why hope without action leaves the field to people who do not share our values. 
• Jeff’s Long Island background and the 9-11 turning point 
• Building a career in conservative and Christian direct mail fundraising 
• Election integrity concerns an...

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CTP (S4E173) From Desert Years To Deep Faith
Exploring more of the fascinating intersection of Activism, Community Engagement, Faith / Religion, Human Nature, Politics, Social Issues, and beyond. 
We talk with Zenia Ioannidis about rebuilding a life when success collapses and the “desert” feeling returns, from panic and shame to steady spiritual practice. We follow how a season of homelessness and prayer chaplaincy training turns into Crowned in Faith, a children’s book and music series built to make faith practical. 
• growing up Greek American a...

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CTP (S4EOctSpecial1) Ghostwriting Demystified and more
We talk with ghostwriter and editor Lana McAra about how ghostwriting really works, from screening clients to shaping raw ideas into publisher-ready pages. We also dig into AI’s limits, the ethics of disclosure, and why good writing still needs a human mind and a clean process. 
• choosing ghostwriting when the story is clear but the writing is stuck 
• screening clients, turning down bad fits, and protecting the final book 
• NDAs, work-for-hire reality, and when acknowledgments build trust...

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CTP (S3E172) What If Reading Is A Spectrum?
Yep, this Saturday episode another Guest joining vs normal Saturday's monologue format.
We debate whether audiobooks “count” as reading and why the definition changes when you factor in accessibility, learning styles, and real-world comprehension. We also talk with author and podcaster Lucinda Sage Midgordon about her time-slip novel, creative projects, and how to build audio and video shows without overspending. 
• casual reading decline versus growth in audiobooks and ebooks 
• defining “reading” as decoding text versus absorbi...

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CTP (S4ESepSpecial5) Faith, Power, And The Limits Of Government
We talk with Rev. Raymond R. Roberts about why American politics feels more volatile, and how a thicker moral vocabulary can rebuild trust without handing anyone unchecked power. We connect public theology to real-world civics, from federalism and the Bill of Rights to conscience, natural law, and the difference between voluntary community and coercion. 
• Raymond’s upbringing, sense of call, and why a life of service feels “rich” in a different way 
• The origin story behind...

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CTP (S4E171) Wrestling Is Real Pain with Chad Martin
We trade war stories and real talk with Chad Martin, from what pro wrestling actually demands to why the “fake” label misses what happens in the ring. We also dig into UFO storytelling, faith and humility, and why hope only works when you pair it with a plan. 
• Chad’s Texas upbringing and why he loves Mississippi despite the stereotypes 
• The real physical cost of pro wrestling and what makes it athletic performance 
• Why matches oft...

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CTP (S4ESepSpecial4) Stangeland In A StangeLand (No Not Typo)
We talk with author Michael Stangland about two wildly different books, from a robot combat sci-fi adventure on a junkyard planet to a children’s fantasy chapter book built around a Moon Dragon. We also get honest about hybrid publishing, drafts that never feel finished, and the handmade work that goes into a cover readers actually want to hold. 
• name mixups, branding, and finding guests through PodMatch 
• growing up in the Midwest and feeling at home...

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CTP (S4E170) David Ebel Renew Restore Rebuild Reinspire
We talk with David Ebel about surviving a medically catastrophic start to life, years of pain, addiction, and suicide attempts, and the church encounter he says turned him sober and hopeful in a moment. We trace how that turning point becomes a lifelong mission built around Renew, Restore, Rebuild, and Reinspire, plus the podcast work he’s doing now to share hope stories worldwide. 
• growing up in Detroit with disability, bullying, and severe chronic pain 
• college...

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CTP (S4ESepSpecial3) Doreen Virtue From New Age Messaging To Full Christ
We talk with Doreen Virtue about her 26-year path through New Thought and the New Age, and the moment Scripture finally cut through the “always positive” filter. We trace how cherry-picked Bible verses can create a counterfeit Jesus, why paranormal spirituality spreads so easily, and what it looks like to return to biblical Christianity with real repentance and discernment. 
• her upbringing in Christian Science and New Thought and why it looked Christian from the out...

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CTP (S4E169) 25th Somber Remembrance of 9/11
We mark 9/11 as a somber remembrance day by replaying our conversation with World Trade Center survivor Michael Hingson. He shares how preparation, calm leadership, and his guide dog helped him escape, then we dig into fear control, disability inclusion, and the books and talks that grew out of his story. 
• why 9/11 is a remembrance day and why wording matters 
• Michael Hingson’s early life, blindness, and refusing low expectations 
• misconceptions about blindness and why “eyesight isn’t the only game...

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CTP (S4ESepSpecial2) Customer Service Hell
We talk with Tom Van Der Weel about what 100,000+ monitored business calls reveal about customer service, leadership, and the quiet moments that make or break trust. We dig into why “being nice” is not enough, how bad metrics create bad behavior, and what a more human customer experience looks like as technology and AI keep expanding. 
• Tom’s Iowa background and the Dutch roots of Pella 
• What “this call may be monitored” really means in quality assurance 
• The funniest and mo...

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CTP (S4E168) Context Matters
We draw a hard line between truth-seeking and collectivist shortcuts, using “context matters” as the test for every claim we make. We challenge blanket statements about any group, argue for individual free will, and push for tougher, more honest thinking even when it’s uncomfortable. 
• why context, facts, details, and history set the frame 
• why collectivist thinking shows up as “all of them” claims 
• individualism and free will as a moral baseline 
• Sharia law framed as incompatible with constitutional la...

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CTP (S4ESepSpecial1) How A Film Producer Builds Escapist Movies With Moral Clarity
I sit down with film and TV producer Leif Bristow to talk about making beautiful, escapist movies rooted in solid moral principles. We dig into Dancing Through the Shadow and the true story of a Chinese ballerina surviving the Cultural Revolution while fighting for her family’s freedom. 
• Leif’s upbringing across Canada and the United States and how it shapes his worldview 
• Why romance and holiday movies can be modern travel for...

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CTP (S4E167) Stop The Dog And Pony Show Already
We draw a hard line between political theater and real accountability, calling out Republicans we like as well as the ones we don’t when they keep delivering hearings instead of results. We lay out specific enforcement ideas and a voter pressure plan built around petitions, primaries, and binding commitments. 
• calling out “conservatives in name only” for endless talk and no follow-through 
• rejecting more hearings and “dog and pony show” oversight without consequences 
• proposing congressi...

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CTP (S4EAugSpecial4) The Savage Path
We talk with author and backpacking guide David Savage about why the wilderness exposes who we really are and why modern life makes it easier to drift off course. We connect backpacking stories to faith, leadership, personal responsibility, and David’s book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity. 
• David’s background from Texas to a long career in specialty chemicals 
• How Boy Scouts and Philmont shape discipline, competence, and character 
• Why the outdoors feels like spiritual med...

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CTP (S4E166) Details Matter
Exploring more of the fascinating intersection of Activism, Community Engagement, Faith / Religion, Human Nature, Politics, Social Issues, and beyond - all in Biblical perspective
We take on a viral-style claim about God and gender, then trace how identity politics and sloppy wording distort both faith and public life (especially through the twisting of Scriptures as also discussed in recently released ChristiTutionalist Politics 5 book. We also argue that Texas politics only makes sense when you look past labels, study the legislature...

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CTP (S4EAugSpeical3) The Education Accountability Collapse
We dig into why American public education keeps lowering standards while claiming success (and all the stats prove failure), and how those choices show up as illiteracy, weak math skills, and burned out teachers. We also argue that money and slogans cannot replace discipline, honest grading, and parents taking responsibility at home. 
• Brian Wetzel’s background and what he learned traveling to meet teachers and administrators 
• Grade inflation policies that remove deadlines and consequences 
• Big city school spen...

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CTP (S4E165) Chronic Illness And Creative Grit
We talk with nurse practitioner Jessica “Nurse Jesse” about living with chronic illness while still building a creative life from home. We get practical about pacing, mental health, AI in healthcare, and how to ask for the help you actually need. 
• living with chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, IBS-D and unpredictable bad days 
• pacing work around usable hours and protecting recovery time 
• using simple tools like hot soaking to calm pain and stress 
• building podcasts and books without ov...

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CTP (S4EAugSpecial2) What A Tandem Bicycle Teaches About Not Being Done
We talk with author Terry M. Brown about going from “I haven’t ridden in 40 years” to riding a tandem bicycle across the United States and writing Ten Little Rules for a Double Budded Adventure. We dig into the real-life logistics, the weather scares, the COVID curveballs, and the mindset shift that turns a huge goal into lasting confidence. 
• Terry’s “Genesis story,” from Greece to Ohio to North Carolina 
• deciding to commit to a coast...

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CTP (S4E164) The French Fry Theory Of Happiness
We wrestle with a simple question that hits harder than it sounds: is life mostly mediocre days with a few good ones mixed in. We land on a practical way to live with that truth by stacking small moments that make the day better for us and for the people around us. 
• opening format note about a video exclusive becoming a regular audio release 
• May Day in Moscow and how optics shift when leaders feel expose...

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CTP (S4EAugSpecial1) The Writer’s Long Game
Joseph M. Leonard talks with author Kern Carter about what it takes to stick with writing for decades, from early creative sparks to the hard realities of publishing. We swap jokes, dig into craft choices like run-on sentences, and land on a simple idea: learn the rules, then use them on purpose. 
• Kern Carter’s origins in Trinidad and life in Toronto 
• The “creative gene” and how early dreams turn into real work 
• Why supportive friends matter in...

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CTP (S4E163) Hypocrisy And Taxes
We call out political hypocrisy by comparing what leaders say on the campaign trail with what they do once they get rich and powerful. We also argue that incentives drive tax revenue, economic growth, and even how people respond to climate and land management claims. 
• Bernie Sanders as an example of shifting rhetoric once personal wealth changes 
• why “tax the 1%” arguments ignore avoidance, loopholes, and incentives 
• the Laffer Curve claim that lower rates can increase total tax revenue 
...

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CTP (S4EJulSpecial5) Everest To Adjustment
We talk with Greg Varnau about what drives someone to climb Mount Everest and what that kind of pressure teaches you about fear, preparation, and purpose. Then we connect that mountain mindset to chiropractic care, mobility, and why modern sedentary life makes “move it or lose it” feel painfully true. 
• growing up around mountains and returning to Santa Monica 
• Into Thin Air as the spark for Everest curiosity 
• meeting climbers and learning why “miserable” can feel meaningful 
• training cli...

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CTP (S4E162) Beauty On A Spectrum
Exploring more of the fascinating intersection of Activism, Community Engagement, Faith / Religion, Human Nature, Politics, Social Issues, and beyond - all in Biblical perspective
We dig into why “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is true in practice, using real examples to show how attraction forms and why people disagree so hard about it. We also connect beauty standards to inner character, culture-war outrage, and even music taste, because preference runs deeper than looks. 
• our persona...

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CTP (S4EJulSpecial4) Brigitte Donoho On Faith, Family, And Finding Your Sound
We talk with Brigitte Donoho about building a life in music that follows God’s leading, even when it doesn’t fit a neat genre label. We also dig into how streaming changed the business side of being an independent artist and why legacy matters more than trends. 
• Brigittte’s upbringing across Atlantic City, Las Vegas, California, and Michigan 
• How casino-industry family life shaped her proximity to entertainment 
• Why she considers herself a worsh...

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CTP (S4E161) Red Pills, 5G Panics, And The Great Cart Crisis
We go from a petty pharmacy moment to a bigger question about why so many people obsess over trivial offenses while ignoring fraud, waste, and decisions that hit families through taxes and costs. We push a tough love idea: stop performing outrage, start offering solutions, and show up where local policy actually gets made. 
• a shopping cart story as a snapshot of misplaced outrage 
• taxpayer fraud claims and why silence costs real money ...

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CTP (S4EJulSpecial3) How Much Science Should Fiction Dare To Teach
Exploring more of the fascinating intersection of Activism, Community Engagement, Faith / Religion, Human Nature, Politics, Social Issues, and beyond - all in Biblical perspective
We talk with pathologist and author Devin Greene about what makes a medical thriller feel real, and why thrillers run on momentum more than a classic whodunit. We also dig into how to explain hard science like CRISPR in plain language, plus practical lessons about publishing, discoverability, and avoiding spoilers. 

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CTP (S4E160) Treat Every Assault The Same Under Law (NSFW, Explicit)
We lay out the SCIP Act as a blunt fix for what we see as selective enforcement and identity-driven crime politics. We argue for one standard for every victim and tougher, more predictable consequences for violent offenders and repeat offenders. 
• proposing the SCIP Act to repeal hate crime legislation 
• arguing that crime should be prosecuted based on the act, not identity categories 
• calling out selective enforcement and plea deals that reduce serious c...

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CTP (S4EJulSpecial2) Toxic/Suicidal Empathy Redux
Exploring more of the fascinating intersection of Activism, Community Engagement, Faith / Religion, Human Nature, Politics, Social Issues, and beyond - all in Biblical perspective
We challenge the idea that compassion is automatically good, and we argue that empathy without truth can become enabling that harms the very people it claims to protect. We connect “toxic empathy” and “suicidal empathy” to politics, media, and personal ethics by measuring intentions against outcomes. 
• defining toxic empathy and why it spreads easily 

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CTP (S4E159) Hyphenated America
We argue that putting a label before “American” can weaken a shared civic identity, even when people mean it as pride in heritage. We challenge popular language around race, culture, and equity by pushing for clear definitions and substance over slogans. 
• why “hyphenated American” can signal mixed allegiance 
• the 14th Amendment and the idea of jurisdiction 
• why “Black American” may be more accurate than “African American” 
• the NAACP example and the claim about Planned Parenthood funding 
• equal opportunity versus equity...

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CTP (S4EJulSpecial1) Breaking The Tech Lock-In
We catch up with Myselle (Tech Boy Media) on where he grew up, how he started building online at 13, and why he decided to mix tech coverage with culture and faith-based commentary. We also get into the daily annoyances of modern computing, from WordPress migrations to app-only lock-in, and what it means to stay resilient when everything depends on the internet.
• growing up in Houston and traveling around the US
• starting Tech Boy Media during COVID to revi...