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When the government announced a $12 billion farm-aid package, it sounded like a lifeline. But here’s the twist: that money comes from the very tariffs causing the pain. In this episode, we dig into the strange circular economy of America’s trade war—a policy that funds its own fallout and leaves farmers trapped in the middle.

Host Shane Burkett unpacks how $11 billion will go to row-crop farmers and another billion to specialty crops, with strict income caps designed to help small family farms instead of big corporate operators. But the real story lies in what’s driving the crisis: China’s unfulfilled promise to buy millions of metric tons of U.S. soybeans. Since October, they’ve purchased less than a quarter of what was pledged—leaving American grain bins full and wallets empty.

You’ll hear about Iowa farmer Robb Ewoldt, who’s selling equipment and working night shifts to survive, and Caleb Ragland, head of the American Soybean Association, who reminds Washington that farmers don’t want bailouts—they want markets. We’ll also explore how generational divides are reshaping agriculture: fourth-generation growers with equity can weather the storm, but younger farmers renting land face extinction-level pressure.

Behind the numbers—$22 billion in 2019, $46 billion in 2020, and now another $12 billion—lies a deeper question: what happens when government aid replaces global trade as the backbone of American farming? With the USDA still finalizing payment formulas and new executive orders investigating the food supply chain, the stakes reach far beyond soybeans. They touch food prices, rural economies, and the very survival of independent farming.

As global trade flows tilt toward South America and China’s buying habits shift, this episode asks what the next decade of U.S. agriculture will look like. Can small farms hold on? Or are we witnessing the quiet consolidation of America’s heartland into industrial agribusiness?

The $12 Billion Loop reveals how every tariff and every aid check echo through the fields of Iowa, Minnesota, and beyond—reshaping who grows our food, who profits, and who’s left behind.

Perspective: Faith, Science, Politics, and Life is a thought-provoking podcast that explores the forces shaping our world. Hosted by Shane Burkett, this show dives into the intersections of religion, scientific discovery, political shifts, and everyday life, featuring deep conversations with experts, thought leaders, and changemakers. No topic is off-limits—expect bold discussions, critical thinking, and new insights that challenge the way you see the world. Join the c

Perspective: Faith, Science, Politics, and Life is a thought-provoking podcast that explores the forces shaping our world. Hosted by Shane Burkett, this show dives into the intersections of religion, scientific discovery, political shifts, and everyday life, featuring deep conversations with experts, thought leaders, and changemakers. No topic is off-limits—expect bold discussions, critical thinking, and new insights that challenge the way you see the world. Join the c

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In this episode, we take a hard look at one of the most urgent and unsettling intersections of religion and politics in America today. Dominionism and the Seven Mountain Mandate—once fringe theological concepts—are no longer confined to pulpits or prayer rallies. They have bled into policy, personnel decisions, and the legal battles shaping our future.

We explore how the Seven Mountain Mandate’s call for Christians to “capture” seven cultural pillars—Government, Family, Education, Media, Arts & Entertainment, Business, and Religion—parallels the sweeping proposals of Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s 900-page playbook for reshaping the federal government. With the Trump administration’s first eight months marked by rapid-fire executive orders, civil service restructuring, attacks on public media, Title IX rollbacks, and HHS directives targeting LGBTQ content, the alignment is striking.

But this isn’t only about executive action. The Supreme Court is now a critical battleground, with cases pending or advancing on birthright citizenship, the unitary executive theory, transgender rights in health care and sports, and even petitions to revisit Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark marriage equality decision. We examine how these cases could redefine constitutional protections and whether the Respect for Marriage Act offers a sufficient backstop if Obergefellfalls.

Throughout the episode, we ask deeper questions: Where does theology end and policy begin? What does it mean for pluralism and democracy when religious rationales shape law? And how much of the current agenda is explicitly theological versus politically expedient?

Listeners will come away with a clear map of how Project 2025 provides the secular strategy, the Seven Mountain Mandate offers the theological mission, and the current administration supplies the political will. Together, these elements form a triangle of influence capable of reshaping American institutions in ways many citizens barely notice—until the effects land in classrooms, courtrooms, and communities.

If you care about the future of American democracy, civil rights, and the role of faith in public life, this is a conversation you cannot afford to miss.

1. #SevenMountainMandate
2. #Dominionism
3. #Project2025
4. #ChristianNationalism
5. #ChurchAndState
6. #DemocracyAtRisk
7. #SCOTUS
8. #FaithAndPolitics
9. #CivilRights
10. #AmericanDemocracy

Perspective: Faith, Science, Politics, and Life is a thought-provoking podcast that explores the forces shaping our world. Hosted by Shane Burkett, this show dives into the intersections of religion, scientific discovery, political shifts, and everyday life, featuring deep conversations with experts, thought leaders, and changemakers. No topic is off-limits—expect bold discussions, critical thinking, and new insights that challenge the way you see the world. Join the c

Perspective: Faith, Science, Politics, and Life is a thought-provoking podcast that explores the forces shaping our world. Hosted by Shane Burkett, this show dives into the intersections of religion, scientific discovery, political shifts, and everyday life, featuring deep conversations with experts, thought leaders, and changemakers. No topic is off-limits—expect bold discussions, critical thinking, and new insights that challenge the way you see the world. Join the c

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This episode explores the origins, creation, and enduring legacy of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible, first published in 1611. Host Shane Burkett takes listeners back to early 17th-century England, where religious tensions and competing English translations — the Geneva Bible and Bishops’ Bible — set the stage for King James I to commission a new, unified version.

The narrative covers the Hampton Court Conference of 1604, where the idea was approved, and details how 47 scholars, organized into six committees across Oxford, Cambridge, and Westminster, worked for seven years to produce a text faithful to Hebrew, Greek, and Latin sources. Their translation was designed to be read aloud, with attention to rhythm and cadence, drawing on earlier English works like William Tyndale’s.

Listeners learn how the KJV gradually replaced other versions, becoming the dominant English Bible by the 18th century. Printing innovations spread it globally, and its phrasing — from “the valley of the shadow of death” to “the powers that be” — left a lasting mark on English literature and culture.

The episode also examines later revisions, including the Revised Version (1881–1885), Noah Webster’s 1833 update, and the New King James Version (1982). Despite these, the original KJV remains a literary and cultural monument, blending political purpose, linguistic beauty, and spiritual resonance.

The story closes with the reflection that the King’s commission became the people’s Bible, its voice still alive over 400 years later.

Perspective: Faith, Science, Politics, and Life is a thought-provoking podcast that explores the forces shaping our world. Hosted by Shane Burkett, this show dives into the intersections of religion, scientific discovery, political shifts, and everyday life, featuring deep conversations with experts, thought leaders, and changemakers. No topic is off-limits—expect bold discussions, critical thinking, and new insights that challenge the way you see the world. Join the c

Perspective: Faith, Science, Politics, and Life is a thought-provoking podcast that explores the forces shaping our world. Hosted by Shane Burkett, this show dives into the intersections of religion, scientific discovery, political shifts, and everyday life, featuring deep conversations with experts, thought leaders, and changemakers. No topic is off-limits—expect bold discussions, critical thinking, and new insights that challenge the way you see the world. Join the c

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