Refining Rhetoric with Robert Bortins

Is artificial intelligence a threat to your child's education — or proof that classical education was right all along? In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Robert Bortins sits down with Classical Conversations founder and aerospace engineer Leigh Bortins to explore what 40 hours a week of AI research taught her, why classical education uniquely prepares students for an AI-driven world, and how to use AI wisely without letting...

Is AI quietly shaping your child's worldview — without your permission? In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Robert Bortins sits down with tech entrepreneur and founder of Wisdo...

Is artificial intelligence a useful tool — or a danger to your family? In this episode of the Refining Rhetoric podcast, Robert kicks off AI Week with a frank, faith-grounded look at ...

What happens when a 20-year Critical Race Theory advocate begins to question everything she believed about race, justice, and the church? In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Ro...

The Department of Justice has indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center — and it's a moment many Christian conservatives have been waiting years for. In this special episode of Refinin...

What does it look like to build a family legacy that outlasts you by seven generations? In this episode of the Refining Rhetoric podcast, host Robert Bortins sits down with Bill High ...

What happens to your child's faith when they leave home for college? On this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Robert Bortins sits down with Dr. Finny Kuruvilla — Harvard MD, MIT engineer, homeschool dad of nine, and founder of Sattler College — to discuss the crisis in Christian higher education and why he built a tuition-free, classical Christian college in downtown Boston. From the iron law of discipleship to Greek and Hebrew i...

What does it actually mean to abolish abortion — not just restrict it? In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Robert Bortins sits down with Classical Conversations graduate and Students for Abolition president Pate Anglin to discuss why a biblical abolitionist framework goes further than the mainstream pro-life movement — and how student chapters across 8 states are taking that fight to college campuses, state capitals, and bey...

What if government education isn't just failing — but is fundamentally, morally wrong? On this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Robert Bortins sits down with Dr. Bradley Thompson, political philosopher at Clemson University and executive director of the Snow Institute for the Study of Capitalism, to make the abolitionist case for education freedom. From the moral foundations of laissez-faire capitalism to the great books Lyceum p...

Matt Hangen discovered something revolutionary while working as a missionary well driller in Togo: the traditional charity model was failing Africa's water crisis. After losing 117 pounds to illness and watching communities struggle with donated solutions that broke down, he pioneered a different approach. Water4 uses donations as seed capital to build wholly-owned water businesses that operate sustainably thro...

What does it actually take to raise resilient sons and lead your family with strength? On this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Robert Bortins sits down with Dr. Brandon Shriner — founder of the Warrior 3 Project, former Division I wrestler, CrossFit regional competitor, and co-owner of Revive Chiropractic — to explore the powerful connection between physical health, biblical masculinity, and spiritual leadership. This is a conve...

What happens when Christians stop thinking for themselves — and hand that job to AI? In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Robert Bortins sits down with Dr. Ben Holloway — philosopher, professor at Judson College at Southeastern Seminary, and incoming Bruce Little Chair of Christian Philosophy — to explore why classical Christian education depends on mastering language, logic, and the great books. From def...

Is Bitcoin's bear market your best buying opportunity? On this episode of the Refining Rhetoric podcast, host Robert Bortins and crypto-savvy co-host Will McCreery break down the 2025 crypto market — covering the Bitcoin halving cycle, why altcoins underperformed, the case for dollar cost averaging, and what to watch for heading into 2026–2029.
Bitcoin hit an all-time high near $126,000 in October 2025 — then the cycle turned. In t...

What if the best way to change culture isn't through politics or protests—but by faithfully living out a biblical worldview right where you're planted?

Discover how to raise disciples who think faithfully about every area of life. In this episode, Robert sits down with Mike Shcut...

What would you give up to stand for truth? For Kayleigh Bush, the answer was a crown. When Kayleigh Bush was crowned Miss North Florida in August 2024, she had no idea she'd soon face a choice that would make national headlines. Just four weeks after her crowning, she was presented with a revised Miss America contract that redefined "female" to include biological males who have undergone surgical procedures — directly contradicting...

What if the path to healing childhood trauma starts with a truth most people overlook? Join us as Rachel Davidson reveals how Kids Alive International is transforming the lives of sex...

What if the crisis in education isn't about test scores—but about truth itself? Join Robert Bortins as he sits down with Billy Hutchinson, Education Specialist at the Colson Center, for a timely conversation about the worldview battle shaping our children's futures.
With only 2% of Gen Z holding a biblical worldview (according to Barna research), the statistics are sobering. But this isn't a doom-and-gloom conversation—it's a roadm...

What if everything we've been told about making college "affordable" is actually making it more expensive and worse?
Robert Bortins sits down with Dr. Ben Merkle, President of New St. Andrews College and Oxford-educated scholar who wrote the foreword to "Woke and Weaponized." As one of fewer than a dozen colleges that refuse all federal student loan dollars, Dr. Merkle offers a rare insider perspective on how government money has c...

"The government doesn't give you money because they love you. Government gives money so they can have power."
Join host Robert Bortins as he sits down with Rachael Jensen, homeschool advocate and mother of six in Arizona—the state hailed as the "gold standard" for school choice. Rachael contributed Appendix A to "Woke and Weaponized" and shares what's really happening on the ground with ESA (Empowerment Scholarship Account) program...