Are the "strong gods" returning to American life — and what does that mean for politics, Christianity, and civilization?

In this episode of Project Cosmos, host Johnny Burtka is joined by a distinguished panel of scholars to discuss NS Lyons' essay on the long 20th century and the Return of the Strong Gods — building on Rusty Reno's influential work.

Guests:
Tom West — Paul Ermine Potter and Dawn Tibbetts Potter Endowed Professor of Politics
Khalil Habib — Allison and Dorothy Rouse Professor in Politics, Associate Professor of Politics
Miles Smith IV — Assistant Professor of History
Daniel O'Toole — Assistant Professor of Politics
Rich Bacigalupi — Director, Deany's Days Foundation

Timestamps:
0:00 – Introduction: NS Lyons & the Return of the Strong Gods
0:19 – Why the left calls conservatives "fascists"
3:58 – Malcolm X, identity, and strong gods on the left
8:08 – The structure of progressive movements: weak gods as the ideal
26:43 – Is traditional Christianity making a comeback?
43:09 – Two versions of Christianity & the immigration debate
1:08:37 – AI, Silicon Valley & the political realignment
1:09:24 – AI as a threat to elections and public opinion
1:31:19 – Can the republic be saved? The role of the statesman

Project Cosmos is a production of ISI — the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. Visit isi.org to learn more about our educational programs on Western and American civilization.

Join host Johnny Burtka with Yuval Levin, Sarah Gustafson, Vincent Munoz, and Sohrab Ahmari for an in-depth conversation about Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America and its relevance to contemporary American politics. This roundtable explores Congress and democratic governance, the administrative state, religion in democracy, and the formation of democratic citizens in our modern age.

TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Why Congress must predominate in a republic
7:22 - Andrew Jackson and the paradox of executive power
20:50 - Who was Alexis de Tocqueville?
27:18 - Tocqueville's reception in America through history
36:14 - The pathologies of democracy and soft despotism
51:37 - The bank war and Hamiltonian vs. Jacksonian visions
1:11:00 - The New Deal, progressivism, and centralized power
1:25:25 - Markets, government, and the problem of centralization
1:29:27 - The democratic soul and forming citizens
1:40:30 - Religion, morality, and American democracy today
1:50:25 - Reforming institutions and educating the next generation

Featured Topics: Tocqueville, Congress, separation of powers, Andrew Jackson, administrative state, progressive era, federalism, subsidiarity, religious liberty, democratic soul, education, virtue ethics, institutional reform, aristocracy vs. democracy

A production of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute | isi.org

ProjectCosmos #Tocqueville #Democracy #Congress #PoliticalPhilosophy #AmericanGovernment #ISI

Join host Johnny Burtka with Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick, Peter Leithart, Hans Boersma, and Zachary Porcu for a deep conversation about re-enchantment in our technological age. This roundtable explores the revival of liturgical Christianity, the spiritual dimensions of technology, and what it means to live in an enchanted world.

TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - What is enchantment?
7:22 - Tolkien, WWI, and "death and the machine"
23:33 - How did materialism become dominant?
36:14 - Constantine and converting pagan culture
51:37 - Technology as spiritual warfare
1:11:00 - Asceticism and spiritual formation
1:25:25 - The Incarnation and cosmic transformation
1:29:27 - What do we do? Practical steps forward

Featured Topics: Tolkien, liturgy, sacramental ontology, the Reformation, technology and Babel, saints' lives, the Jesus prayer, AI and attention, neo-paganism

Recorded live at ISI's Christmas Open House on December 15, 2025, at Butterworth's in Washington, DC.

A production of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute | isi.org

ProjectCosmos #Enchantment #Christianity #Theology #Tolkien #Technology