The Sower
The Sower is a Podcast of the Ciceronian Society. The Ciceronian Society exists to equip and encourage Christian scholars to serve the church as a center of cultural and civic renewal. Through our events, publications, and podcasts we provide the space and opportunities that Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox scholars need for professional growth and intellectual discipleship. Since 2012, we have been building a network of friends with a love for our core themes - tradition, place, and ‘things divine’ - and with a genuine commitment to the church and the life of the mind. To learn more about our society, our conferences, and the peer-reviewed journal, Pietas, visit https://ciceroniansociety.org/
Episodes
James Patterson joins Dr. Glenn Moots for a conversation on Christian Nationalism. (This 2025 episode combines 2 episodes previously published in 2023.)
Glenn Moots is a prolific writer and teacher from Northwood University in Michigan. Learn more about Glenn Moots here: https://www.northwood.edu/directory/faculty/glenn-moots/
Glenn’s adapted talk from the National Conservative conferen...
Josh Bowman talks with Albert Norton, a practicing attorney and author of several books on the tension between religion and postmodernism. His most recent book is The Discovered Self, just released, concerning what he regards as a dangerous inward turn to the therapeutic worldview.
Our main topic is his 2023 book The Mountain and the River: Genesis, Postmodernism, and the Machine. Our c...
This episode continues a series interviewing our first ever cohort of conference fellows. Here, Josh talks with Sean Sirks, a graduate student at Virginia Tech and one of this year’s Nisbet Fellows. We discuss the philosophy of mathematics, numbers, metaphysics, and Shakespeare’s King Lear.
Visit our website to learn more about our conference fellowship program...
Josh Bowman talks with Jenna Robinson, president of the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal. We specifically address the Martin Center’s advocacy for reforming teacher education through public policy at the state level, and especially as it pertains to reading. We also hit on the philosophy of education, indoctrination, pedagogy, and the notion of “place” in the development of te...
Josh Bowman continues a series interviewing our first ever cohort of Ciceronian Society Conference fellows, talking with Nisbet Fellow T. Michael Wise of Sunbury, Ohio. Michael is a retired licensed funeral director completing his Ph.D at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in the Historical & Theological Studies Department under Dr. John D. Wilsey. His research in...
Chris Anadale interviews Rachel Ferguson about neighborhood stabilization, human scale, building social & racial trust, and causes for hope in the cities. Dr. Ferguson is director of the Free Enterprise Center at Concordia University of Chicago, an Affiliated Scholar at the Acton Institute, and a member of the Ciceronian Society advisory board.
Links to People, Books, an...
Josh Bowman talks with Theodore Madrid, a Ph.D. candidate studying politics at Hillsdale College's Graduate School of Statesmanship. This episode begins a series interviewing our first ever cohort of conference fellows. Theodore is specifically a “Nisbet Fellow,” and our conversation ranges over the work of John Carroll, Montesquieu, Adam Smith, religious liberty, and ...
Josh Bowman talks with John D. Wilsey about his new book Religious Freedom: A Conservative Primer (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2025) https://www.eerdmans.com/9780802881908/religious-freedom/, which will be released April 24, 2025.
John is Professor of Church History and Philosophy and Chair of the Department of Church History and Historical Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Se...
Josh Bowman talks with historian Richard Brookhiser, a senior editor of National Review ( https://www.nationalreview.com/ ) and a senior fellow at the National Review Institute ( https://nrinstitute.org/ ). He is a prolific author of many books, mostly on the American Founders and their ideas, and many other articles and essays besides.
We specifically discuss Brookhiser’s new biography ...
Josh Bowman talks with Matthew K. Michels OblSB, who is a professional bookbinder and writer, and the owner of Black Cowl Bindery. He is also an Oblate of the Order of Saint Benedict associated with Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
In addition to talking about the craft of bookbinding, we also discuss the idea of human scale, running a small business, common arts educati...
Josh Bowman talks with Nick Ellis, Founder and CEO of Christian Halls International, whose mission is to “strengthen local communities by offering Christ-centered tutorial-based education that fosters intellectual, spiritual, and vocational formation.”
We discuss the idea of place, place-based education, the classical education movement, the future of universities, and more.
Josh Bowman talks with Joshua Kraut, Associate Professor of French at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. Dr. Kraut is currently studying and translating the works of contemporary French philosopher Fabrice Hadjadj (b. 1971), who is the topic of this conversation.
Click here for two translated books by Hadjadj:https://ignatius.com/authors/fabrice-hadjadj/
Josh Bowman talks with Simon Tarr, dean of both The Honors College and the School of Communication and the Arts at Regent University. We discuss Christian higher education, what an “honors college” is - or could be - and the idea of prestige.
To learn more about the Honors College, visit: https://www.regent.edu/honors-college/
The Regent University Honors College is Tullia Sponsor for ...
Josh Bowman shares some end of year reflections on where the Ciceronian Society has been, where we’re headed, and why we believe our resilient and growing band of Christian intellectuals is doing something important.
To give to the Ciceronian Society, visit: https://ciceroniansociety.org/donate/
To register for the 2025 Conference, visit: https://ciceroniansociety.org/conference/2025-co...
Josh Bowman speaks with the headmaster and founder of St. Dunstan’s Academy, Thomas Fickley, and Fr. Mark Perkins, who serves as their chaplain and assistant headmaster.
St. Dunstan’s Academy is an all-boys boarding school in Virginia built on four main pillars: Christian formation, classical academics, farming, and the skilled trades.
To learn more, visit: https://stdunstansacademy.org/...
Josh Bowman chats with Nathan Beacom, Founder and Director of the Lyceum Movement, which “hosts social, festive events that explore the big ideas of art, philosophy, history and more.”
To learn more about Nathan’s work, visit https://www.lyceummovement.org/
0:00 Introduction
1:14 What the Lyceum Movement Is
5:04 Origins
10:56 Response/Success
13:13 Six Habits
18:47 Irreconcilable Differ...
Alan Cornett and Chris Anadale discuss roots, bourbon tourism, agriculture, and more. Alan is host of the Cultural Debris Podcast, cofounder of Cultural Debris Excursions, and a former assistant to Russell Kirk. His family has lived in Kentucky since the 18th century.
0:00 Roots
5:17 Economics
11:33 Wet and Dry
16:50 Lexington
21:21 Cincinnati
23:24 Soil and Agriculture
29:55 Kirk and Lo...
Claire Aguda and Chris Anadale discuss place, church, and her community in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Claire Aguda works at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal. She is currently a PhD student at Faulkner University. She has worked in the conservative intellectual movement for several years. Claire is a longtime friend of the Ciceronian Society, which she describes as the place ...
Josh Bowman RETURNS to talk about his childhood home of Monroe, on the shore of Lake Erie. Dr. Joshua Bowman is Executive Director of the Ciceronian Society, former host of The Sower, and a father, husband, Michigander and follower of Christ. He is well known to anyone who has attended one of our conferences.
0:00 Monroe
6:10 Not Idealizing Rural Life
11:50 War of 1812
17:30 Present Day ...
Tyler Syck discusses his hometown and the future of Appalachia. Jeffery Tyler Syck is an Assistant Professor of Politics and the founding Director of the Center for Public Service and Outreach at the University of Pikeville in his hometown.
0:00 Pikeville
2:30 Counties
4:55 Returning Home
11:15 Tourists & Settlers
14:00 University
17:55 Future of Appalachia
23:55 Roots
26:55 Mountain...
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