The Sower

Josh Bowman welcomes 2026 Herbert J. Storing Prize Nominee Dr. Brooke Barbier.

Brooke is a public historian who received her PhD in American history from Boston College, researching Boston’s social and cultural life during and after the American Revolution. In 2013 she founded Ye Olde Tavern Tours, which offers tours of Boston’s historic sites and taverns (beer is included!). She is the ...

Josh Bowman welcomes Albert Norton back to the show. Bert is a practicing attorney and author of several books on the tension between religion and postmodernism. Today, we specifically consider how understanding this tension might inform the life of modern churches and intellectual discipleship. 

His most recent book is The Discovered Self, concerning what he regards as a dangerous inwar...

This special episode is an excerpt from a panel at our 2025 annual conference in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

The panel title was "Philip Rieff: Cultural Conflict, Religion and the Self." After a prayer and brief introduction, we hear the following speakers.

First, Michael Harding of Montgomery College, with "Rieff’s Use of Nietzsche in Deathworks."

Second, William Batchelder of Waynesburg Un...

Еthan Alexander-Davey and Glenn Cronin discuss the life and work of Lev Tikhomirov, who, in his mid thirties, abandoned revolutionary terrorism to become one of the most prominent defenders of the Russian Monarchy and Orthodox Christianity. The conversation focuses on Dr. Cronin’s recent book The Enduring Enigma of Lev Tikhomirov, which surveys the writer’s major works on revolutionary i...

Josh Bowman chats with Dr. Wayne Braudrick, lead pastor at Frisco Bible Church in Frisco, Texas and member of the Ciceronian Society. We discuss intellectual discipleship, the life of the mind among evangelical Christians, preaching, the importance of place for pastors and Bible study, and much more. 

Frisco Bible Church: https://friscobiblechurch.snappages.site/ 

Josh’s article on Intel...

An introduction to the life and work of Philip Rieff (1922-2006), with Bill Batchelder, Michael Harding, and Chris Anadale, contributors to the 2005 volume The Philosophy of Phillip Rieff (Bloomsbury Academic).

Dr. William Batchelder is professor of history and honors program director at Waynesburg University, in southwest Pennsylvania.

Dr. Michael Harding is professor of philosophy and ...

This special episode is an excerpt from a plenary panel at our 2025 annual conference in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

The panel title was "Jesus the Tekton: Restoring Common Arts Education," and two of the four speakers' remarks are included here.

The first speaker is Fr. Mark Perkins of St. Dunstan's Academy. After an opening prayer and introductory remarks, he presents his paper, "Timber Fr...

Chris Anadale interviews Caleb Galloway, an Anglican woodworker and stained glass artist in Marietta, Georgia. We discuss how he got started, prospects for GenZ young men, and his upcoming project building roadside shrines.

To follow Caleb: https://x.com/Gallo_Woodworks

Orthodox Masonry: https://x.com/orthodoxmason

To learn more about the Ciceronian Society, sign up for our newsletter, o...

Josh Bowman chats with Commander William Spears, who serves as a submarine warfare officer in the U.S. Navy. He is also a scholar, writing on topics of leadership and military ethics. He is the author of the recently released book, Stoicism as a Warrior Philosophy (Casemate, 2025), which examines the morality of war and military service through the lens of Stoic philosophy. And that book...

Josh Bowman chats with Rev. Michael Langer, founder and president of Faithful Presence. As explained on its website, “Faithful Presence is a ministry in our nation's capital, equipping servants and leaders to flourish as they participate in Christ’s mission of making all things new through offering intentional spiritual, emotional, relational, vocational, ideological, cultural, and evang...

Josh Bowman chats with Paul Gutacker, Executive Director of Brazos Fellows, based in Waco, Texas. Brazos Fellows is an annual program that welcomes a small cohort of emerging adults to commit to a common Rule of Life, embrace a rhythm of prayer, study, work, Sabbath, and community, all rooted in the life and worship of a local parish, Christ Church Waco (ACNA).

To learn more and apply to...

Josh Bowman chats with Dr. Alex Fogleman, Associate Dean for Special Programs and Assistant Professor of Theology at Trinity Anglican Seminary, where he oversees the Robert E. Webber Center and the Doctor of Ministry program. He also directs the Catechesis Task Force for the Anglican Church of North America.

He is the author of Knowledge, Faith, and Early Christian Initiation (Cambridge ...

Josh Bowman is joined by John D. Wilsey, James Patterson, Claire Baker, and Annie Crawford for an entertaining reflection on the seasons of Advent and Christmas. We discuss holiday favorites and how the Ciceronian themes of Tradition, Place, and ‘Things Divine’ come alive this time of year.

If you enjoy conversations like this, please consider registering for our upcoming conference, Mar...

Josh Bowman reflects on where the Ciceronian Society has been in 2025 and where we’re going in 2026. He also offers some commentary on where we as Christians find ourselves socially and culturally, and what that means for institutions like ours. 

If you’re grateful for this Podcast and for the work of the Ciceronian Society, please prayerfully consider a year-end gift. There are several ...

Chris Anadale and Bill Batchelder interview Madeleine Austin, winner of the 2025 Batchelder Award for the Study of Place. Her winning paper was titled "An Everyman's Environmentalism: Love of Place as a Virtue."

Madeleine lives in Pittsboro, North Carolina with her husband, Joshua. She is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute and the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, wh...

Josh Bowman chats with the Acton Institute’s Dylan Pahman about his new book, The Kingdom of God and the Common Good: Orthodox Christian Social Thought (Ancient Faith Press). We discuss the history of, and possibilities for, Orthodox Christianity in its engagement with questions of social and economic thought.  

Buy the book here: https://store.ancientfaith.com/the-kingdom-of-god-and-the...

This special episode is a recording from our 2025 Conference in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

The panel is "Inspirations for Classical Education," and the speakers are:

Stephen McGinley (Mount St. Mary's University & Good Soil Farm) - "Festivity, Education, and Farming"

Gerald Boersma (Ave Maria University) - "A Pagan Paideia and the Contested Ressourcement of the Fathers"

Mary Clare Young...

Josh Bowman chats with Winston Brady of Thales Press and Thales Academy about his evocative and moving novel, The Inferno (Fidelis Press, 2023). We discuss the nature of sin and repentance, as well as themes of vice, evil, greed, American History, suicide, depression, and Hell. Winston’s story, creatively described in his novel, is a testimony of God’s redeeming love and forgiveness. 

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This special episode is a recording from our 2025 Conference in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

The panel is "Theological Perspectives on the Market," and the speakers are:

John Robinson (James Madison University) - "Scarcity, Isolation, and Dependence: Economic Insight in CS Lewis's The Great Divorce"

Erik Matson (Mercatus Center) - "Economics and Evil"

Paul Radich (Catholic University of Ameri...