Life and Books and Everything

Over the past ten years, Carl Trueman has proven to be one of the most incisive and helpful voices when it comes to identifying and understanding the problems of our contemporary world. In his new book, The Desecration of Man, Carl not only laments what we’ve lost, he calls us to a reclaim a positive vision for the future. Join Kevin and Carl as they talk about the state of higher education, where Protestants can learn from Catholics (and where they outshine Catholics), and what consecration looks like in a world that finds it exhilarating to (try to) deny humanity’s God-given constraints.

Good friend and fellow PCA pastor Rick Phillips joins Kevin to talk about the new book The Redeemed Man and why men don’t need a reactionary model for manhood but a comprehensive biblical model. That’s the last part of the episode, but mainly Kevin talks to Rick about redemption in his own life—from Rick’s upbringing from an elite Army family, to his conversion on James Montgomery Boice’s preaching, to his years teaching at West Point, to his time at Westminster, to his many decades in pastoral ministry.

If you don’t like freewheeling conversation, laughter, and banter among friends, then this may not be the episode for you. But if you are interested in hearing the three amigos share their thoughts on George Washington, figure skating, patriotism, and the state of the Young, Restless, and Reformed movement, then you are in for a treat. And you won’t want to miss Collin’s list of favorite human beings and whether he has emphysema or was simply jogging on a treadmill before the episode.

"I love being a pastor, and I love pastors, which is why I hope you will consider joining us at the Coram Deo Pastors Conference in 2026." —Kevin DeYoung
Register now: https://clearlyreformed.org/coram-deo

This year is a special anniversary for the United States as Americans celebrate 250 years of independence. But 1776 was an important year in more ways than one. Besides the Declaration (and several other key events and people), 1776 was the year that Adam Smith published The Wealth of Nations. In this episode, Kevin talks to Dordt professor Jan Van Vliet about his book on Adam Smith (P&R, 2024). Together, Kevin and Jan explore Smith’s biography, his two most important works, whether those works contradict each other, and whether Smith was religious. Along the way, they look at how Smith influenced the modern world and what lessons we can still incorporate today.