Sharpening Arrows

Ep. 76 – Why is California still counting ballots?

The longer California counts ballots, the worse Republican candidates fare. Is this no big deal or evidence of fraud? Parental pause point questions: 1. How soon after the polls close should election results be known? (2:09) 2. Which of The Great 8 Questions would you use in response to this argument? (8:36) 3. Who do you think said this? (11:42) 4. Do people have an incentive to commit fraud? (25:05) 5. Is this definitive proof that fraud happened? (26:36) The Great 8 Questions: 1. What happens next? 2. Has this been tried before? 3. Is there a principle involved? 4. What are the trade-offs? 5. What do you mean by that? 6. Is this an appeal to emotion or logic? 7. Am I focused on the speaker or the argument? 8. What does the Bible say?

Ep. 75 – How the media skews the transgender debate

A boy pretending to be a girl just won two gold medals at the California state track. We are going to go through the news coverage and test your critical thinking skills. Parental pause point questions: 1. Consider the phrase, "Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly?" Do you agree with that? (0:55) 2. Pop quiz: How many of The Great Eight Questions do you remember? (5:02) 3. Why has there been a spotlight on AB Hernandez? (14:18) 4. Why don't we hear about girls who pretend to be boys competing in boys' sports? (17:00) 5. If you give people an incentive to do something, what's going to happen? (20:44) The Great 8 Questions: 1. What happens next? 2. Has this been tried before? 3. Is there a principle involved? 4. What are the trade-offs? 5. What do you mean by that? 6. Is this an appeal to emotion or logic? 7. Am I focused on the speaker or the argument? 8. What does the Bible say?

Ep. 74 – The meaning of Memorial Day

Memorial Day isn’t just the unofficial start of summer. It’s a day to remember those who made possible all the things we take for granted. Parental pause point questions: 1. What's the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day? (1:44) 2. What difference does it make what country you are from? Are countries interchangeable? (4:07) 3. Which of The Great 8 Questions would you use in response to this argument? (5:42) 4. How many people have died defending America? (13:04) 5. What percentage of U.S. military deaths have been male? (14:51) 6. How would you feel if someone was shooting at you? (18:02) 7. Thinking about all those who died so that you can have the freedom to live in America, what is something worth dedicating your life toward? The Great 8 Questions: 1. What happens next? 2. Has this been tried before? 3. Is there a principle involved? 4. What are the trade-offs? 5. What do you mean by that? 6. Is this an appeal to emotion or logic? 7. Am I focused on the speaker or the argument? 8. What does the Bible say?

Ep. 73 - Why Trump supporters remain so loyal

Republican politicians who oppose Donald Trump keep losing primaries. Let’s look at why. Parental pause point questions: 1. Who is responsible for the broken cabinet door? (1:33) 2. What are some of the differences when discussing policy and politics? (6:19) 3. Why is it a good thing that compromise is inevitable in politics? (7:35) 4. Which of The Great 8 Questions would you use in response to this contention? (13:23) 5. Do you think Republican voters supported amnesty? (17:12) 6. Why does it make sense for average voters to care about endorsements? (24:36) The Great 8 Questions: 1. What happens next? 2. Has this been tried before? 3. Is there a principle involved? 4. What are the trade-offs? 5. What do you mean by that? 6. Is this an appeal to emotion or logic? 7. Am I focused on the speaker or the argument? 8. What does the Bible say?

Ep. 72 - The lies society tells young women about motherhood

America celebrates mothers but does little to inspire young women to become mothers. That’s a mistake. Parental pause point questions: 1. Why do you think fewer women are having children today than 18 years ago? (2:32) 2. Which of The Great 8 Questions would you use in response to this argument? (3:47) 3. What public policy issues would you not be able to debate or discuss under this standard? (6:22) 4. What is the good life? (10:20) 5. Is that argument more true because it came from a woman? (25:58) 6. Young men, what is the message for you in this podcast? (26:34) The Great 8 Questions: 1. What happens next? 2. Has this been tried before? 3. Is there a principle involved? 4. What are the trade-offs? 5. What do you mean by that? 6. Is this an appeal to emotion or logic? 7. Am I focused on the speaker or the argument? 8. What does the Bible say?