Cross & Gavel Podcast

Apr 16 2025 177 ep. 46 mins 16

Cross & Gavel Podcast artwork

A production of Christian Legal Society — focusing on the interaction between law, religion, and public policy, with an emphasis on building-up Christian students and attorneys to intelligently engage in public life and better love their neighbors.

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189. Natural Law and Its Discontents — Josiah Wolfe

Apr 16 2025 40 mins

The recent publication of Melissa Moschella’s Ethics, Politics, and Natural Law has renewed interest in the application of natural law to human flourishing. A topic that has undergone a resurgence among not only Catholics, but also Protestants with seminal publications from those like David VanDrunen, Micah Watson, and Andrew T. Walker. Seeing students engaging in this tradition

188. Called to Freedom — Brad Littlejohn

Apr 02 2025 45 mins

A popular refrain from both the left and the right in American society is one concerning the importance of liberty for the flourishment of their respective communities. But what does true freedom look like and, perhaps more importantly, how does one come to attain it and then keep it in a world like our own. This week, I am joined by Brad Littlejohn to talk about his new book, Call

SPECIAL EPISODE: What Hath Christ To Do With Rights? — Kristina Arriaga (Witte Lectures)

Mar 19 2025 32 mins

The John Witte, Jr. Lecture Series on Christianity & Law is back! A new venture from Christian Legal Society aimed at advancing the conversation surrounding the integration of Christianity & law. In our second lecture inspired by the American 19th century painters, we go international and ask what contributions Christianity made to advancing human rights. Our keynote is Kristina Ar

187. Refugees, Migrants, & the Church — Matthew Soerens

Mar 05 2025 46 mins

Today, a sharply divided Supreme Court reinstated a lower-court order for the Trump administration to release frozen foreign aid. In this episode, I talk with Matthew Soerens of World Relief about some of the recent executive orders and how marginalized voices can help restore the American church in its places of prominence. Matt began his World Relief journey in 2005 as an intern

186. Title VII & Religious Accommodation — Blaine L. Hutchison & Bruce Cameron

Feb 19 2025 67 mins

Today we delve into the world of Title VII by looking at the pending case in Carter v. Transp. Workers Union of Am. Local 556. The focus of our discussion will be on the paper from Blaine Hutchison in the Texas Review of Law & Politics, entitled Title VII’s Religious Liberty Rules in Carter (here). Blaine is joined by one of the premier experts in the field of employment law and

185. Christianity & the "Liberal" Income Tax — Andrew Hayashi

Feb 05 2025 75 mins

Many people hate the tax system. It is perhaps the one universal solvent that can bring people together. In this episode, I discuss the income tax system and whether it can actually produce a more equitable society. My guest is Andrew Hayashi, whose paper we discuss is entitled Christianity and the Liberal(ish) Income Tax and was printed in the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics, &

SPECIAL EPISODE: Living Well — Starr Tomczak (Wellness Program)

Jan 28 2025 53 mins

It is no secret that law students and attorneys exist in a stressful environment. As Amy Levin recently wrote, "[l]aw student mental health is at an all-time low." The American Bar Association (ABA) has conducted a study that shows how this environment tends to contribute to high rates of mental health disorders and substance abuse. In an effort to face this challenge, LSM has lau

184. Calling Is More Than Your Job — Steven Zhou

Jan 15 2025 47 mins

Many people use the language of "calling" without considering the scope and duration of that word and what it really means to align one’s gifts with community need. In this episode, I get to explore some of these issues with Steven Zhou, a postdoc researcher on the meaning of calling and the author of a Christianity Today piece entitled Calling Is More Than Your Job. Steven and I

183. Faith Through Lawyering — Randy Lee

Jan 08 2025 67 mins

Happy New Years! To start off the year right, I wanted to go back to basics: faith through lawyering. My guest is Randy Lee, a veteran in the field, writing on the topic of the Christian lawyer for over three decades. His insights can be found within a body of work (see links here), but the paper we mostly focused on (here) was a book review he did on Joseph G. Allegretti's The La

182. Artificial Intelligence & Access to Justice — Kevin T. Frazier

Dec 25 2024 37 mins

In the last few weeks, there has been two excellent podcasts that showcase the depths of what legal learning could provide. In the first, a conversation (here) about the history and framework for the federal constitution, taught largely from an incredible five volume work entitled The Founders’ Constitution. The second comes from our friends at the Mattone Center for Law and Reli