Best Brian Sumner Podcasts (2025)

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207 - JOHN 5:31-47 - TESTIMONY OF JESUS - BRIAN SUMNER 49:58

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12d ago49:58

49:58

JOHN 5:31-47 - TESTIMONY OF JESUS - BRIAN SUMNER JOHN 5:31 If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. 32 There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. 33 You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things…

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David Robertson on Conducting, Pierre Boulez, and Musical Interpretation 59:34

3d ago59:34

59:34

David Robertson is a rare conductor who unites avant-garde complexity with accessibility. After serving as music director of the Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez’s storied contemporary-music ensemble, he went on to rejuvenate the St. Louis Symphony. Robertson combines a fearless approach to challenging scores with a deep empathy for audien…

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Austan Goolsbee on Central Banking as a Data Dog 58:40

18d ago58:40

58:40

Austan Goolsbee is one of Tyler Cowen’s favorite economists—not because they always agree, but because Goolsbee embodies what it means to think like an economist. Whether he’s analyzing productivity slowdowns in the construction sector, exploring the impact of taxes on digital commerce, or poking holes in overconfident macro narratives, Goolsbee is…

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206 - JOHN 5:19-30 - HONOR THE SON - BRIAN SUMNER 42:02

20d ago42:02

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JOHN 5:19-30 - HONOR THE SON - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. 20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show …

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Chris Arnade on Walking Cities 58:55

25d ago58:55

58:55

Most people who leave Wall Street after twenty years either retire or find another way to make a lot of money. Chris Arnade chose to walk through cities most travelers never truly see. What emerged from this approach is a unique form of street-level sociology that has attracted a devoted following on Substack. Arnade's work suggests that our most s…

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Any Austin on the Hermeneutics of Video Games 1:05:48

1M ago1:05:48

1:05:48

Any Austin has carved a unique niche for himself on YouTube: analyzing seemingly mundane or otherwise overlooked details in video games with the seriousness of an art critic examining Renaissance sculptures. With millions of viewers hanging on his every word about fluvial flows in Breath of the Wild or unemployment rates in the towns of Skyrim, Aus…

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205 - THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS - BRIAN SUMNER 44:51

1M ago44:51

44:51

THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 Support the show SUPPORT THE SHOWBy Brian Sumner

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204 - PALM SUNDAY - BRIAN SUMNER 34:01

1M ago34:01

34:01

204 - PALM SUNDAY - BRIAN SUMNER Support the show SUPPORT THE SHOWBy Brian Sumner

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John Arnold on Trading, Energy, and Evidence-Based Philanthropy 1:04:45

1M ago1:04:45

1:04:45

John Arnold built his fortune in energy trading by surrounding himself with smart people, maintaining emotional detachment, sensing market imbalances through first-principles analysis, and focusing with laser intensity on a single niche until he dominated it completely. Now he's applying that same analytical rigor to philanthropy, where he's discov…

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Theodore Schwartz on Neurosurgery, Consciousness, and Brain-Computer Interfaces 57:34

2M ago57:34

57:34

Get tickets to the CWT live show at 92NY with David Brooks! Theodore Schwartz stands at the pinnacle of neurosurgical expertise. With over 500 published articles, 200 pieces of commentary, and 5 patents to his name—effectively producing a scholarly work every two weeks for three decades—Schwartz spent most of his career at Weill Cornell Medicine, w…

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203 - JOHN 5:1-18 - TAKE UP YOUR MATT - BRIAN SUMNER 43:45

2M ago43:45

43:45

JOHN 5:1-18 - TAKE UP YOUR MATT - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 5:1-18 "After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving o…

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Jack Clark on AI's Uneven Impact 1:02:40

2M ago1:02:40

1:02:40

Few understand both the promise and limitations of artificial general intelligence better than Jack Clark, co-founder of Anthropic. With a background in journalism and the humanities that sets him apart in Silicon Valley, Clark offers a refreshingly sober assessment of AI's economic impact—predicting growth of 3-5% rather than the 20-30% touted by …

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202 - JOHN 4:43-54 - NOBLEMANS SON - BRIAN SUMNER 40:54

2M ago40:54

40:54

JOHN 4:43-54 - NOBLEMANS SON - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 4:34 "Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. 44 For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone…

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Kenneth Rogoff on Monetary Moves, Fiscal Gambits, and Classical Chess 1:00:34

2M ago1:00:34

1:00:34

Harvard economist Kenneth Rogoff approaches global finance with the same strategic foresight that made him a chess grandmaster. Author of the new book Our Dollar, Your Problem, Rogoff doesn't sugarcoat America's future: he foresees a significant inflation shock within a decade, far more severe than the post-COVID bout. When this second wave hits, h…

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201 - JOHN 4:27-42 - THE HARVEST IS RIPE - BRIAN SUMNER 41:33

2M ago41:33

41:33

JOHN 4:27-42 - THE HARVEST IS RIPE - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 4:27-42 "And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?” 28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 “Come, see a Man who told me all…

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Chris Dixon on Blockchains, AI, and the Future of the Internet 1:02:51

3M ago1:02:51

1:02:51

Chris Dixon believes we're at a pivotal inflection point in the internet's evolution. As a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz and author of Read Write Own, Chris believes the current internet, dominated by large platforms like YouTube and Spotify, has strayed far from its decentralized roots. He argues that the next era—powered by blockchain te…

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Ian Leslie on McCartney, Lennon, and the Greatest Creative Partnership of All Time 59:22

3M ago59:22

59:22

It’s Beatles day! In this deep dive into one of music's most legendary partnerships, Ian Leslie and Tyler unpack the complex relationship between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Leslie, whose book John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs examines this creative pairing, reveals how their contrasting personalities—John's intuitive, sometimes chaotic approa…

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Jennifer Pahlka on Reforming Government 54:08

3M ago54:08

54:08

Jennifer Pahlka believes America's bureaucratic dysfunction is deeply rooted in outdated processes and misaligned incentives. As the founder of Code for America and co-founder of the United States Digital Service, she has witnessed firsthand how government struggles to adapt to the digital age, often trapped in rigid procedures and disconnected fro…

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200 - JOHN 4:1-26 - WOMAN AT THE WELL - BRIAN SUMNER 49:47

3M ago49:47

49:47

JOHN 4:1-26 - WOMAN AT THE WELL - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 4:1-26 "Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), 3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. 4 But He needed to go through Samaria. 5 So He came to a city …

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Sheilagh Ogilvie on Epidemics, Guilds, and the Persistence of Bad Institutions 59:11

3M ago59:11

59:11

Sheilagh Ogilvie has spent decades examining the institutional structures that shaped European economic history, challenging conventional wisdom about everything from guilds to marriage patterns. In her conversation with Tyler, she reveals how studying pandemic responses from the Black Death to COVID-19 provides a unique lens for understanding deep…

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199 - JOHN 3:17-36 - BELIEVE IN THE SON - BRIAN SUMNER 44:17

4M ago44:17

44:17

JOHN 3:17-36 - BELIEVE IN THE SON - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 3:17-36 "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.…

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Ezra Klein on the Abundance Agenda 1:08:40

4M ago1:08:40

1:08:40

What happens when a liberal thinker shifts his attention from polarization to economic abundance? Ezra Klein’s new book with Derek Thompson, Abundance, argues for an agenda of increased housing, infrastructure, clean energy, and innovation. But does abundance clash with polarization—or offer a way through it? In this conversation, Ezra and Tyler di…

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198 - JOHN 3:1-16 - YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN - BRIAN SUMNER 51:30

4M ago51:30

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JOHN 3:1-16 - YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 3:1-16 "There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “…

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197 - JOHN 2:12-25 - JESUS CLEANSED THE TEMPLE - BRIAN SUMNER 48:24

4M ago48:24

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JOHN 2:12-25 - JESUS CLEANSES THE TEMPLE - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 2:12-25 "12 After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.13 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and dove…

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196 - JOHN 2:1-11 - WEDDING IN CANA - BRIAN SUMNER 43:58

4M ago43:58

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JOHN 2:1-11 - WEDDING IN CANA - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 2:1-11 "On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” 4 Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does you…

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195 - JOHN 1:30-51 - COME AND SEE - BRIAN SUMNER 52:14

4M ago52:14

52:14

JOHN 1:30-51 - COME AND SEE - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 1:30-51 "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ 31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel,…

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194 - JOHN 1:18-30 - BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD - BRIAN SUMNER 45:32

4M ago45:32

45:32

JOHN 1:18-30 - BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 1:18 "No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. 19 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed…

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Carl Zimmer on the Hidden Life in the Air We Breathe 51:43

4M ago51:43

51:43

Carl Zimmer is one of the finest science communicators of our time, having spent decades writing about biology, evolution, and heredity. His latest (and 16th) book, Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe, explores something even more fundamental—how the very air around us is teeming with life, from pollen to pathogens to microbes floa…

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193 - JOHN 1:6-17 - THE WORD BECAME FLESH - BRIAN SUMNER 46:54

4M ago46:54

46:54

JOHN 1:6-17 THE WORD BECAME FLESH - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 1:6 "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming in…

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Gregory Clark on Social Mobility, Migration, and Assortative Mating (Live at Mercatus) 1:23:14

5M ago1:23:14

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How much of your life’s trajectory was set in motion centuries ago? Gregory Clark has spent decades studying social mobility, and his findings suggest that where you land in society is far more predictable than we like to think. Using historical data, surname analysis, and migration patterns, Clark argues that social mobility rates have remained la…

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192 - JOHN 1:1-5 - THE WORD WAS GOD - BRIAN SUMNER 45:54

5M ago45:54

45:54

JOHN 1:1-5 THE WORD WAS GOD - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkne…

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Ross Douthat on Why Religion Makes More Sense Than You Think 1:13:38

5M ago1:13:38

1:13:38

Sign Up for the Boston Listener Meet Up For Ross Douthat, phenomena like UFO sightings and the simulation hypothesis don't challenge religious belief—they demonstrate how difficult it is to escape religious questions entirely. His new book, Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious makes the case for religious faith in an age of apparent disenchant…

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191 - PILLARS OF THE FAITH - WORSHIP - PRAYER - THE WORD - MISSIONS - BRIAN SUMNER 50:41

5M ago50:41

50:41

WORSHIP - PRAYER - THE WORD - MISSIONS - BRIAN SUMNER - 2024 New Years Eve Service with a focus on important pillars of our faith. To support this channel and partner with Brian in Ministry https://www.briansumner.net/support/ For more on Brian http://www.briansumner.net / briansumner / briansumnerofficial / brisumner / briansumnerministry To liste…

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Joe Boyd on the Birth of Rock, World Music, and Being There for Everything 1:00:42

6M ago1:00:42

1:00:42

Sign Up for the Boston Listener Meet Up Joe Boyd was there when Dylan went electric, when Pink Floyd was born, and when Paul Simon brought Graceland to the world. But far from being just another music industry insider, Boyd has spent decades exploring how the world's musical traditions connect and transform each other. His new book And the Roots of…

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Scott Sumner on Monetary Rules, Blooming Late, and the Death of Cinema 1:08:14

6M ago1:08:14

1:08:14

Scott Sumner didn't follow the typical path to economic influence. He nearly lost his teaching job before tenure, did his best research after most academics slow down, and found his largest audience through blogging in his 50s and 60s, in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Yet this unconventional journey led him to become one of the most influe…

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190 - EPHESIANS 6:11-24 - THE ARMOR OF GOD - BRIAN SUMNER 43:48

6M ago43:48

43:48

EPHESIANS 6:11-24 - THE ARMOR OF GOD - BRIAN SUMNER - 2024 As believers, what does it mean to put on "The Armor of God"? What does it mean to fight spiritual battles, being aware of the state of the world and how we are to wage war? Would your life be changed if you understood the tools God has given us? To support this channel and partner with Bri…

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Conversations with Tyler 2024 Retrospective 58:05

7M ago58:05

58:05

Donate to Conversations with Tyler Give Crypto Other Ways to Give On this special year-in-review episode, Tyler and producer Jeff Holmes look back on the past year in the show and more, including covering the most popular and underrated episodes, fielding listener questions, reviewing Tyler’s pop culture picks from 2014, mulling over ideas for what…

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Paula Byrne on Thomas Hardy’s Women, Jane Austen’s Humor, and Evelyn Waugh’s Warmth 54:42

7M ago54:42

54:42

Donate to Conversations with Tyler Give Crypto Other Ways to Give What can Thomas Hardy’s tortured marriages teach us about love, obsession, and second chances? In this episode, biographer, novelist, and therapist Paula Byrne examines the intimate connections between life and literature, revealing how Hardy’s relationships with women shaped his por…

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189 - EPHESIANS 6:1-10 - RAISING GODLY CHILDREN - BRIAN SUMNER 51:53

7M ago51:53

51:53

EPHESIANS 6:1-10 - RAISING GODLY CHILDREN - BRIAN SUMNER - 2024 Over and over again, in scripture, we see the results of disobedient children, yet doesn't raising them up fall just as much on the parents? How do we lead them to honor their father and mother, and what does it mean for bondservants to honor their masters, and for their masters to tre…

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188 - EPHESIANS 5:22-33 - A GODLY MARRIAGE - BRIAN SUMNER 44:23

7M ago44:23

44:23

EPHESIANS 5:22-33 - A GODLY MARRIAGE - BRIAN SUMNER - 2024 In a world where marriage is misunderstood and even attacked, and even Godly marriages face challenges from every angle, where do we find our security? How do we build a solid foundation? In this sermon Brian unpacks Ephesians 5 and these famous verses around a husbands and wives role, in h…

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Stephen Kotkin on Stalin, Power, and the Art of Biography 1:26:25

7M ago1:26:25

1:26:25

Donate to Conversations with Tyler Give Crypto Other Ways to Give In his landmark multi-volume biography of Stalin, Stephen Kotkin shows how totalitarian power worked not just through terror from above, but through millions of everyday decisions from below. Currently a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution after 33 years at Princeton, Kotkin brin…

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187 - EPHESIANS 5:11-21 - THE WILL OF GOD - BRIAN SUMNER 47:44

7M ago47:44

47:44

EPHESIANS 5:11-21 - THE WILL OF GOD - BRIAN SUMNER - 2024 How do we know what the will of The Lord is? What does Paul say? Why does he use this in opposition with being drunk? In this passage of scripture we are encouraged to "redeem the time", and told to "be filled will the Spirit." To support this channel and partner with Brian in Ministry https…

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186 - EPHESIANS 5:1-10 - BE IMITATORS OF GOD - BRIAN SUMNER 45:09

7M ago45:09

45:09

EPHESIANS 5:1-10 - BE IMITATORS OF GOD - BRIAN SUMNER - 2024 As believers, Paul calls us to "be imitators of God", to "walk in love", fleeing from many of the things that we once chased, walking as darkness. How do we do that? By walking "as children of light", "finding out what is acceptable to the Lord." To support this channel and partner with B…

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185 - EPHESIANS 4:25-31 - DO NOT GRIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT - BRIAN SUMNER 46:46

8M ago46:46

46:46

EPHESIANS 4:25-31 - DO NOT GRIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT - BRIAN SUMNER - 2024 What an amazing reality, that God has sent His Son, Whom died in our place, and Who has sealed us and filled us with The Holy Spirit, yet, as believers it is possible there are things we can do that can "grieve The Holy Spirit." To support this channel and partner with Brian in…

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184 - EPHESIANS 4:17-24 - PUT ON THE NEW MAN - BRIAN SUMNER 44:55

8M ago44:55

44:55

EPHESIANS 4:17-24 - PUT ON THE NEW MAN - BRIAN SUMNER - 2024 As believers we are not called to walk as we once did, not ignorant, or with a hardness of heart, but instead, take off the old man, and put on the new, as we have been renewed in the spirit of our minds. To support this channel and partner with Brian in Ministry https://www.briansumner.n…

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183 - EPHESIANS 4:13-16 - UNITY OF THE FAITH - BRIAN SUMNER 45:29

8M ago45:29

45:29

EPHESIANS 4:13-16 - UNITY OF THE FAITH - BRIAN SUMNER - 2024 How do we all grow as believers? What is it that binds us? How do we avoid the trickery of men or the enemies schemes? By speaking the truth in love and growing into all things into Him Who is the head. To support this channel and partner with Brian in Ministry https://www.briansumner.net…

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Russ Roberts on Vasily Grossman’s Life and Fate 1:01:41

8M ago1:01:41

1:01:41

In this crossover episode with EconTalk, Tyler joins Russ Roberts for an in-depth exploration of Vasily Grossman’s Life and Fate, a monumental novel often described as the 20th-century answer to Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Russ and Tyler cover Grossman’s life and the historical context of Life and Fate, its themes of war, totalitarianism, freedom, and…

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182 - EPHESIANS 4:11-12 - EQUIPPING THE SAINTS - BRIAN SUMNER 54:44

8M ago54:44

54:44

EPHESIANS 4:11-12 - EQUIPPING THE SAINTS - BRIAN SUMNER - 2024 Do you know your call, purpose, ministry? Did you know that God has Personally given gifts to the church, a series of offices who are given to help equip all other believers? This should matter, as it means all of us have been our own area of ministry, our own purpose and place, in serv…

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Neal Stephenson on History, Spycraft, and American-Soviet Parallels 47:19

8M ago47:19

47:19

Neal Stephenson’s ability to illuminate complex, future-focused ideas in ways that both provoke thought and spark wonder has established him as one of the most innovative thinkers in literature today. Yet his new novel, Polostan, revisits the Soviet era with a twist, shifting his focus from the speculative technologies of tomorrow to the historical…

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Christopher Kirchhoff on Military Innovation and the Future of War 56:38

9M ago56:38

56:38

Christopher Kirchhoff is an expert in emerging technology who founded the Pentagon’s Silicon Valley office. He’s led teams for President Obama, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and CEO of Google. He’s worked in worlds as far apart as weapons development and philanthropy. His pioneering efforts to link Silicon Valley technology and startup…