BaerTalk

Svetlana Savranskya, Senior Analyst and Director of Russia Programs at the National Security Archives in Washington, DC offers her perspectives on the war in Ukraine. She tries to explain what Putin might have been thinking, what his motivations and goals are, and how the Russian people view the war.

Patrick Moore, Executive Director of New Mexico Historic Sites, and Manuelito Wheeler, Director of the Navajo Nation Museum, discuss American expansion into the West, its impact on the Navajo people, and the tragic events surrounding the Long Walk. They talk about the new Bosque Redondo Memorial at Fort Sumner, and the importance of collaboration and listening when telling history accurately.

Although many people argue science and religion are incompatible, Stephen M. Barr thinks otherwise. A member of the American Physical Society, Barr is an accomplished theoretical particle physicist. He's also a practicing Christian and the author of several books on the relation between science and faith. In this episode of BaerTalk, Prof. Barr explains why those who suppose science is opposed to religion are mistaken. He discusses the scope and limit of scientific investigation, and considers the ways in which modern physics lends support to cosmological arguments for God's existence. Further reading: Stephen M. Barr, Modern Physics and Ancient Science. U of Notre Dame Press, 2003 Stephen M. Barr, The Believing Scientists: Essays on Science and Religion. Eerdmans, 2016. Debate between Bertrand Russel and Frederick Copleston on God's existence: https://youtu.be/MVLKURgfft0

Hungary appeared to undergo a successful democratic transition after the fall of European communism in 1989. But in recent years, Hungary has morphed into a kind of soft authoritarianism. Eva Balogh, Dalibor Rohac, and David Baer consider why Hungary's slide to authoritarianism has been more severe than other former communist countries of Eastern Europe, and they discuss the political opposition's prospects of restoring democracy in Hungary. This podcast was recorded on November 29, 2021, one day before Eva Balogh's sudden and unexpected death, as part of a class at Texas Lutheran University. Eva's comments to the class are among her last public thoughts about the situation in Hungary, and they are shared with everyone in tribute to her. Further reading Hungarian Spectrum https://hungarianspectrum.org/ Dalibor Rohac, "Transitions, populism, and democratic decline: evidence from Hungary and the Czech Republic" European Politics and Society https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23745118.2021.1973213

Hunting would appear to be an essential feature of the natural world. Many animals hunt each other, and many humans hunt animals. Prehistoric man hunted to survive. Today, of course, hunting is not a necessary activity, but a sport and avocation. Those who hunt always have the choice to buy vegetables or frozen pizza at the grocery store. In this episode of BaerTalk Bracy Hill and Jeremy Stirm talk about what hunting means for them. Both defend hunting and find meaning in it. They also talk thoughtfully about it, about our relationship to the animal world, and our responsibilities toward nature.

The United States is unique among countries in the developed world for its high levels of religious participation. The wave of secularization that swept through Europe in the 20th century seemed to pass our country by. In recent years, however, signs of secularization have started reaching our shores. In this episode I talk with Mark Chaves, a professor of sociology at Duke University, about the recent trends and changes in American religion. I ask Mark about the rise of the “nones,” political polarization in the churches, the collapse of mainline Protestantism, and many other topics related to American religion.

Cyril Hovorun, a Ukrainian Orthodox priest, talks about how the war with Russia is impacting the Ukrainian people. He explains the history and character of Eastern Orthodoxy and discusses the formation of an independent, or autocephalous, Ukrainian Orthodox Church, something vehemently opposed by the Russian Orthodox Church. Cyril also discusses his book Political Orthodoxies, and shares his thoughts about the temptations for Orthodoxy, but also the strengths, when encountering nationalism. The book referenced in the podcast is Cyril Hovorun, Political Orthodoxies: The Orthodoxies of the Church Coerced. Fortress Press, 2018. To learn more about Cyril Hovorun see: https://www.sanktignatios.org/dr-cyril-hovorun/

What drives people to cooperate with evil? Alex Faludy, a journalist based in Budapest, Robert Ericksen, Kurt Mayer Chair of Holocaust Studies Emeritus at Pacific Lutheran University, and David Baer explore this question. They consider the cases of Nazi and communist totalitarianism, and ask whether people in those regimes were unwitting accomplices or conscious collaborators with evil. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the trial and conviction of Adolph Eichmann, one of the primary organizers of the Jewish Holocaust. In her famous account of the trial, Hannah Arendt coined the phrase “banality of evil” to describe how Eichmann, whom she believed to be a mediocre bureaucrat, could mindlessly arrange the unspeakable evil of the Holocaust. Alex takes issue with Arendt, and Robert argues that German support for Hitler did not depend on the totalitarian character of the regime. Meanwhile, David does his best to defend Arendt’s “banality of evil” thesis. Works referenced in the podcast are: Alexander Faludy, "The Calculated Evil of Adolf Eichmann," Unherd https://unherd.com/2021/04/the-calculated-evil-of-adolf-eichmann Robert P. Ericksen, Complicity in the Holocaust: Churches and Universities in Nazi Germany. Cambridge University Press, 2012. Robert P. Ericksen, Theologians Under Hitler. Yale University Press, 1985. H. David Baer, The Struggle of Hungarian Lutherans under Communism. Texas A&M University Press, 2006.

Ethan Watters discusses his book Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche. He worries that by ignoring culture, mental health professionals may be hurting the very people they seek to help. He talks about how the American concept of the psyche and the American approach to psychological illness is having a negative impact on other parts of the world. At the end of the podcast, Ethan recommends the book: Joseph, Henrich, The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous. Also of interest: Ethan Watters, "We Aren't The World" available online in the Pacific Standard https://psmag.com/social-justice/joe-henrich-weird-ultimatum-game-shaking-up-psychology-economics-53135

Some people worry that COVID vaccines are complicit in the evil of abortion and have decided not to get vaccinated. Are these moral concerns well-founded? Gilbert Meilaender and Joseph Capizzi join David on BaerTalk to discuss the morality of vaccines and fetal research, and debate what it means to be “complicit with evil.”

H. David Baer (professor of theology), Alexander Faludy (journalist, church historian), and Joseph Novak (Hungarian Baptist pastor) discuss Rod Dreher’s book, Live Not By Lies, and consider the questions: How well has Dreher described the experience of East European Christians? Is Dreher right to draw parallels between 20th century communism and America today?