Dr. Chase Spears welcomes Marine veteran and scholar Josiah Lippincott to discuss courage, intellectual independence, and the need to challenge institutional orthodoxies. Lippincott shares his journey from questioning U.S. presence in Okinawa to pursuing a PhD at Hillsdale College while openly critiquing leftist dominance in academia and moralistic foreign policy.

The conversation explores the progressive shift in American warfare from defensive necessity to crusading interventions, the true costs of endless conflicts, and why the last genuine existential foreign threat was the War of 1812.

They examine trade-offs in foreign policy, the domestic price of overseas engagements, the failures in Afghanistan, and the importance of prioritizing threats at home over nation-building abroad. Lippincott emphasizes connecting scholarship to real life, the value of popular writing, and maintaining principled consistency over partisan loyalty. This episode offers thoughtful reflections on military service, legitimate authority in war, and reorienting national focus toward American prosperity and security.

00:00:00 – Introduction

00:00:39 – Standing Against the Tide

00:01:58 – Courage in Academia

00:05:06 – Okinawa Questions

00:06:47 – Popular Writing Discipline

00:12:03 – Folly in the Pacific

00:16:49 – Existential Threats

00:18:30 – Costs of Crusading Wars

00:24:58 – Afghanistan Reflections

00:31:14 – Domestic Priorities First

00:38:23 – Reclaiming Sovereignty

You can follow Chase Spears on X @DrChaseSpears. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share your favorite episodes to keep the conversation going.

To learn more about the Herzog Foundation, visit HerzogFoundation.com. Like and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram, or sign up to receive monthly email updates.

#Faith #ChristianLiving #Military #Discipline #Morality #Politics #BiblicalMasculinity #Masculinity #ChristianPodcast #American #America #Army #Navy #AirForce #Marines #CoastGuard #SpaceForce #NationalGuard #ChristianMen

Dr. Chase Spears sits down with Navy Chaplain Jonathan Shour to discuss his courageous stand against the military’s COVID vaccine mandate. Shour shares the intense pressure he faced during chaplain training, the personal toll on his family—including months of technical homelessness while his wife was pregnant—and the moral challenges within the Chaplain Corps.

They explore the film Duty to Disobey, in which Shour appears, and what it reveals about institutional failures, unlawful orders, and the duty to resist when conscience and constitutional rights are at stake. The conversation covers religious accommodations, the role of chaplains under pressure, the balance between faith and military duty, and the lasting impact on trust in institutions. Shour also discusses the Alvarado v. Austin lawsuit filed by dozens of chaplains and reflects on legitimate versus illegitimate authority.

This episode highlights stories of moral courage, the importance of medical freedom in the military, and why chaplains must prioritize their calling to support service members’ constitutional rights. Viewers will gain insight into a pivotal chapter in recent military history and the personal costs of standing firm.

00:00:00 – Introduction

00:00:33 – Standing Against the Mandate

00:02:03 – Duty to Disobey Trailer

00:03:12 – Seeing Himself in the Film

00:04:19 – Jonathan’s Military Background

00:05:37 – Children’s Health Defense Role

00:07:46 – Moral Failure in the Military

00:13:53 – Pressure on Chaplains

00:18:07 – Religious Accommodation Concerns

00:24:35 – Family Homelessness Experience

00:35:34 – Alvarado v Austin Lawsuit

00:39:53 – Legitimate vs Illegitimate Authority

You can follow Chase Spears on X @DrChaseSpears. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share your favorite episodes to keep the conversation going.

To learn more about the Herzog Foundation, visit HerzogFoundation.com. Like and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram, or sign up to receive monthly email updates.

#Faith #ChristianLiving #Military #Discipline #Morality #Politics #BiblicalMasculinity #Masculinity #ChristianPodcast #American #America #Army #Navy #AirForce #Marines #CoastGuard #SpaceForce #NationalGuard #ChristianMen

In this episode of Finding Your Spine, Dr. Chase Spears welcomes public school teacher William Loggans, author of Quiet Courage in the Classroom. William shares how he placed an inspirational poster featuring Charlie Kirk in his classroom — only to face swift backlash from administrators who demanded its removal. What followed was a battle over First Amendment rights, district investigations, union inaction, and attempts to intimidate a teacher simply for encouraging students to think independently and reject groupthink.

William details the emotional rollercoaster of national media attention, behind-the-scenes district tactics, and the contrast between what schools celebrate versus what they punish. He also discusses modeling Christian character in the classroom, the failures of teachers’ unions, and his new nonprofit, the Freedom to Think Project, which equips parents, supports teachers, and runs scholarship contests on the First Amendment. A powerful story of quiet courage, parental awareness, and standing firm when institutions push back.

00:02:33 – The Poster Incident

00:04:38 – Student Complaint

00:05:36 – Grievance and Attorney

00:06:23 – Media Attention Begins

00:07:50 – Investigation for Teaching Communism

00:13:48 – Unions and District Tactics

00:24:59 – Modeling Faith in Class

00:30:47 – Student Reactions and Atmosphere Shift

00:45:33 – Freedom to Think Project

You can find William Loggans's work at https://freedomtothinkproject.com/ or by following him on X @LibertyGrad1982

You can follow Chase Spears on X @DrChaseSpears. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share your favorite episodes to keep the conversation going.

To learn more about the Herzog Foundation, visit HerzogFoundation.com. Like and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram, or sign up to receive monthly email updates.

#Faith #ChristianLiving #Military #Discipline #Morality #Politics #BiblicalMasculinity #Masculinity #ChristianPodcast #American #America #Army #Navy #AirForce #Marines #CoastGuard #SpaceForce #NationalGuard #ChristianMen