In this episode of Persuasion, Erin and Hannah end their reading of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein with professor Karen Swallow Prior. The trio look back at the life of Mary Shelley and explore the context of the novel's place in literature, Mary

Episode 228 | What We Make of Destiny

Nov 2nd, 2021 37m 42s

Destiny and fate are central to Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein, which inspired our fall Persuasion series, What We Make of Ourselves. In this episode, Erin Straza and Hannah Anderson discuss the sixth and final reading (Volume III: Chapter

What We Make Of Our Mistakes

Oct 26th, 2021 39m 17s

Mistakes and regret are central to Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein, which is inspiring our fall Persuasion's series, What We Make of Ourselves. In this episode, Erin Straza and Hannah Anderson discuss the fifth reading (Volume III: Chapters

Episode 226 | What We Make of Our Stories

Oct 19th, 2021 40m 17s

Stories and storytelling are central to Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein, which is shaping our fall Persuasion‘s series, What We Make of Ourselves. In this episode, Erin Straza and Hannah Anderson discuss the fourth reading (Volume II: Chapt

What We Make Of Others

Oct 12th, 2021 39m 58s

Frankenstein, which is the foundation of our fall Persuasion's series, What We Make of Ourselves. In this episode, Erin Straza and Hannah Anderson discuss the third reading (Volume II: Chapters 1–4), exploring the characters’ expectations of an

Episode 224 | What We Make of Our Suffering

Oct 5th, 2021 39m 2s

In this episode of Persuasion, Erin Straza and Hannah Anderson discuss the second reading of the series (Volume I: Chapters 4–7), in which the characters and their suffering take center stage. Shelley’s rich descriptions of the inner turmoil pr

What We Make of Our Time

Sep 28th, 2021 37m 49s

If we were to choose one word to describe modern life, busy would be a top contender. We are a busy people—busy making a living, busy making a name for ourselves, busy being busy. This is why productivity hacks are all the rage. We need better

Episode 222 | What We Make of Ourselves: A Read-Along Series

Sep 21st, 2021 38m 33s

In this episode of Persuasion, Erin Straza and Hannah Anderson dig into the background of the story, starting with what we've gotten wrong due to the many cultural adaptations. Hollywood has taken a seed of Mary Shelley's classic and grown an e

Imposter Syndrome

Sep 14th, 2021 29m 44s

Do you consider yourself a reader? That answer isn't so easy to come by. How many books do you need to read a year—or a month—to qualify as a true reader? And does it matter what kinds of books you read? Do mystery novels count? What about youn

Rebuilding Community, with Adam Gustine

Jun 29th, 2021 34m 44s

Our world came to a screeching halt with the pandemic. Schedules that used to be packed to the brim opened wide, creating unexpected space. Now that the world is opening up again, we have the opportunity to decide if the ways we had been in com

Real Conversations with Rebecca McLaughlin

Jun 22nd, 2021 37m 16s

In this episode of Persuasion, Erin Straza and Hannah Anderson dig into the summer miniseries called Showing Up. Each episode explores the challenges we face to show up in the world. Erin and Hannah invite Rebecca McLaughlin to help us learn ho

Real Relationships, with Rachel Pieh Jones

Jun 15th, 2021 30m 32s

In this episode of Persuasion, Erin Straza and Hannah Anderson dig into the summer miniseries called Showing Up. Since 2004, Rachel has lived in Djibouti, a primarily Muslim country, where she and her husband run a school and where they enjoy c

Showing Up

Jun 8th, 2021 31m 16s

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States in March of 2020, none of us could have known the level of disruption we would be facing. In addition to the reality of illness and death, we also had to face a new way of going about our daily l

Nature is Healing

May 11th, 2021 36m 43s

Over the past year, as communities implemented social distancing protocols, daily life came to a screeching halt. People stayed home to work remotely or attend virtual school. Without all our usual human hustle and bustle, wild creatures began

Sustainable Living

May 4th, 2021 36m 35s

Some days life cruises along the course of your well-laid plans and everything runs like clockwork. Other days—most days, perhaps?—life takes a detour off the beaten path and you get lost in the wilderness and stuck in the muck. Life works grea

Interlude

Mar 25th, 2021 10m 9s

In the last episode, Erin and Hannah discussed the hurdles and struggles we face in our attempts to cultivate goodness, finding another point of shared experience in the brokenness of the world.In keeping with that conversation, we're taking a

Survival Instinct

Mar 9th, 2021 33m 52s

Last week we discussed our shared call to cultivate goodness in the world. While that is true, it's not the whole picture. Because as we work, we also find another shared experience. We all struggle in our work. We encounter barriers and failur

Garden Variety, with Sarah Pabody

Mar 3rd, 2021 32m 35s

In this episode, Erin and Hannah explore our shared desire to find meaning through our work and in life. Our work may be more mental than physical, but whatever it is, we hope it means something more than a paycheck. We want to thrive on all fr

Universal Language, with James Bietler & Richard

Feb 24th, 2021 34m 50s

Communicating with others is something we're born doing. We emerge from the womb with limited skills, of course. Our skills grow in time, from wails to words and eventually to full sentences and fully nuanced, complex ideas. But that's not all

Dust to Dust

Feb 16th, 2021 34m 40s

Death has been a constant thought this past year, due to the pandemic that continues to rage among us and around the globe. It's rare in our society to think much about the end of our days. We tend to press on with our plans until death disrupt

Finding Common Ground

Feb 10th, 2021 39m 44s

Erin and Hannah kick off a new series called Finding Common Ground. Each episode will consider a different aspect of natural revelation and how the world around us gives us the common ground we seek—and desperately need—with our fellow humans.

People People, with Chris and Elizabeth McKinney

Dec 1st, 2020 33m 46s

Our holidays are usually marked by all kinds of festivities. There are family gatherings, dinners with friends, work parties, community celebrations, church programs, and more. But this year? Most of these are cancelled due to the COVID pandemi

Thankful People, with Dustin Crowe

Nov 24th, 2020 30m 57s

Thanksgiving is typically full of feasting and family and friends. But this year? For most of us, gathering with others to enjoy our typical feast is off the table due to the global pandemic. Even if you are able to celebrate with your immediat

Happy People, with Barnabas Piper

Nov 17th, 2020 33m 17s

In this episode of Persuasion, Erin Straza and Hannah Anderson kick off a new miniseries titled Happy, Thankful, People. Each episode of the series includes a special guest who has something specific to share about how we can clear some of the

Don't Waste Your Vote

Oct 14th, 2020 36m 57s

In this episode of Persuasion, Erin Straza and Hannah Anderson wrap up their For God and Country series. Each episode has tackled an aspect of how faith and politics collide. This final conversation looks at the value and power of a single vote