I sit down with Pastor Kyle Beshears, who had a pretty great take in the aftermath of the Michigan shooting. Read his two essays at:https://kylebeshears.substack.com/p/weep-with-those-who-weepAndhttps://kylebeshears.substack.com/p/what-constitutes-evangelical-anti

How are church-sponsored schools doing on sexual assault? Jacob Mayberry joins me to look at the data, ask what the limitations of the data are, and what lessons we can learn.

Disclaimer: This episode deals with difficult topics. While we feel it is an important conversation to have, it may not be suitable for some ears.

#churchschools #byu #civility #discussion

General conference is one of my favorite things in life, and this time was particularly important to me. Messages about Jesus, faith, Easter, and holy week, but this time a further message about how the disciple of Christ has an obligation to be a peacemaker. I loved it. Not just civility, something deeper: the call to peacemaking. I suspect we'll talk more about it in coming episodes, so for now, a highlights reel.

Almost in F - Tranquillity by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100394 Artist: http://incompetech.com/

I sit down with Carl Cranney and Christopher Cunningham to talk about white christian nationalism, which is making the rounds in the news. We discuss what the Latter-day Saint response should be to the phenomenon, and how we're really doing on things. We also talk about two recent articles, one by Christopher in Public Square Magazine, and another by Dr. Taylor Petrey in The Salt Lake Tribune.

"I sit down with Carl Cranney and Liz Busby from Pop Culture on the Apricot Tree in this (ambitious!) crossover episode to discuss an episode of Netflix's dystopian technology show Black Mirror.  We had a blast talking through the Black Mirror episode "Hated in the Nation." The discussion focuses on social media, and how it  encourages bad behavior. We also talk about how we can resist the pull of cruelty and the "epistemology of hell" that drives the attention economy."

Tired of our current tax structure? I visit with my friend Joseph Addington about Georgism. We nerd out over what it is, what problems it could solve, and possible areas of application.

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I discuss President Biden's recent student loan forgiveness policy with a good friend, Dallin Crump. We uncover the ins and outs of the policy, the implications it has, and other potential solutions to the deeper issue.

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Content Warning: This episode discusses sexual abuse.

I sit down with my friend, CD Cunningham to discuss his recent article regarding the associated press article about a case of abuse. We talk about the options for policies and the pros and cons of each option.

It seems too often people rush, with their heart in the right place, to conclusions. When it comes to something so tragic, perhaps taking some time to think allows greater clarity. I learned some things in this episode, and I hope you do, too.

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Content Warning: This episode discusses sexual abuse.   

Jennifer Roach is a friend, and also a therapist and clerical abuse survivor. When I read the recent AP article about a case of abuse, I knew that it was something I needed to learn about and understand better.   

My goal on the podcast has always been to tackle hard issues well. This is among the hardest I've tackled. I think it's good to think through and process--espcially if there are things we can do to make things safer.  If you are looking for an apologetic, this probably isn't it. At the same time, if you're looking for a condemnation, this isn't it either. In fact, one of the things I'm frustrated by is that everyone has focused more on validating their own private narrative rather than keeping their focus on the victims in this case, and how to keep them safe.   

That doesn't mean I don't have bias: I'm a faithful and unapologetic member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I love my church tremendously. You'll feel that come through. Ultimately, though, my primary goal is to talk about hard issues well.

I get together with my friends Thomas Stringham and Meagan Kohler to discuss their opinions on the the sexual revolution and what role men play in teaching men proper sexual ethics

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I get together with some friends to discuss Brad Wilcox's recent comments--and the strong response they received. We talk about intent and circumstances, but also the reason the comments were hard for so many.

Note: we tried to get this right. I guarantee we didn't manage perfectly. A group of thoughtful people talking it out helped me though. There were some really good moments and insights, and if nothing else, I think we modeled what it looks like to grapple with something hard in as faithful a way as possible. That sounds me as worth doing.

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I sit down with Dan Ellsworth and a couple other friends (Meagan Kohler and Jeff Bennion) to discuss his article on "Exploring Conservative and Liberal Religion".

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Why is the trust declining in today's society and how does forgiveness factor into the solution?  In this quick episode, Ben shares his thoughts and insights into these two important questions.

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I sit with several of my Public Square friends to discuss their recent articles discussing some of the accuracies, and inaccuracies, of common assumptions about Utah.  

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I sit down with several friends to discuss Texas's recent abortion law.  We break down the common stances, how to maintain a civil dialogue about difficult topics, and the details of the new legislation.  

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I sit down with several friends to discuss Texas's recent abortion law.  We break down the common stances, how to maintain a civil dialogue about difficult topics, and the details of the new legislation.  

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I sit down with a couple great friends to dive into our favorite talks, lessons, and miracles from General Conference!  It was a great time of personal reflection, and the presence of the Spirit taught all of us.  

What were your favorite talks?   

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Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/vJmaJJSEzqg

I'm excited about this interview, friends. I sit down with Marian Edmonds-Allen to discuss her recent article about "covenantal pluralism" which she believes (as I now do too) can heal many of the divides in our country, including and especially the LGBTQ+ and faith divide. We talk about her history and background, how religious freedom and LGBTQ+ rights can bolster each other rather than threaten each other, and about what covenental pluralism is.

Not only did I learn from her, I also now count her a fast friend. I think you'll enjoy the interview.

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I sit down with Greg Matsen of the Cwic show to talk about Elder Holland's recent BYU address. We cover politics, critical race theory, religion, and my own personal rants about good teaching and tenure policy. It was fun to agree--and disagree-with someone thoughtful.  

Have thoughts? Now it's your turn. Comment below.  

Also, check out our Patreon page here https://www.patreon.com/radicalcivility and consider leaving a review for us here https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/radical-civility/id1500513156.

A bit of personal news.

My podcast has somehow changed from "five listeners, three of whom are my mom" to a real podcast. Someone showed it to the good people at Public Square Magazine, and they've asked to partner with me. That's pretty exciting for someone who is a total amateur. I'm honored and excited to work with people who have become my genuine friends.   

I don't know what I'm doing, still. I have no idea how to podcast, and I'll probably get some things wrong. But the paradox of civility is that decent people hold back, and keep quiet because they don't want to say anything wrong. This leaves the world in a worse place. I'm not perfect--I'm not even sure I'm all that good. But I'm trying, and that's something.  

Also, we're now launching a Patreon page. We're aiming to begin building a community of supporters who believe in the cause of civility. If you believe in what we're doing, your support would be most welcome. (Especially for Nick, who is really really hoping that we get some supporters so I can keep him on the job!)  

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/7uD25hHbtTg   
Anchor link: https://anchor.fm/radicalcivility/episodes/The-Paradox-of-Civility-e171n9v
Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/radicalcivility   

God bless all, and be well.  

Ben