Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

187 – Audaciously Aspirational with John Wilsey

One cannot BE a conservative.  One can only aspire to conservatism.  So says John Wilsey in his new book Religious Freedom: A Conservative Primer.  Perhaps Roger Scruton’s How to be a Conservative was a worthy endeavor but too audacious of a title.   John Wilsey joins Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis to flesh out the aspirational nature of conservatism and how it grounds the individual.  They explore the religious roots of American conservatism and the challenges of bringing up a new generation of conservatives without the giants of the past conservatives had to look to for inspiration and encouragement.   About John Wilsey John D. Wilsey is Professor of Church History and Philosophy and Chair of the Church History Department at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Senior Fellow at the Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy, an initiative of the First Liberty Institute. He is also a research fellow with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and a research fellow with the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the recipient of research fellowships from the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University, the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville, the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty, and the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal. He lives with his family in Louisville, Kentucky.  

Roundtable - Combating Political Violence

In the wake of Charlie Kirk's shocking assassination, Americans are bracing for further political attacks. But is further violence inevitable? And what can be done to prevent things from escalating? Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis assembles a roundtable to discuss these sobering and important issues.  The panelists include: Avi Woolf - Host of Avi's Conversational Corner Ryan Rogers - Host of Reality Therapy Shawn Whatley - Host of Concepts with Shawn Whatley Corey Nathan - Host of Talkin' Politics and Religion without Killin' Each Other Justin Stapley - Host of Self-Evident Substack

186 – Conservative Canucks with Shawn Whatley

Is Trump correct that Canada is destined to be America’s 51st state?  Or is there simply too much distinction between Canada and the United States to collapse us both into one homogenous mess?  If conservatives in the U.S. are trying to conserve the American revolution, what are Canadian conservatives hoping to conserve?  How might these two liberty-loving nations help each other better understand each other through comparison?  Joining Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is Shawn Whatley to make sense of it all.   About Shawn Whatley Shawn Whatley hosts Concepts with Shawn Whatley, a weekly podcast focusing on political ideas, culture, and news.   Shawn, MD, is a seasoned physician leader with experience in emergency medicine and primary care and extensive experience in health care administration and medical politics.  Dr. Whatley contributes articles regularly to The Medical Post and serves on the Post’s Physician Advisory Committee. Dr. Whatley has served on the board of the Ontario Medical Association and more recently on the board of the Canadian Medical Association, as well as on numerous hospital and provincial planning committees. He is a Lecturer for the University of Toronto, Department of Family and Community Medicine, and an Assistant Clinical Professor (Adjunct) in McMaster University’s department of Family Medicine, Hamilton, Ontario.   Dr. Whatley is the author of the two books, When Politics Comes Before Patients – Why and how Canadian Medicare is failing and the highly praised book on how to fix emergency wait times in Canada, No More Lethal Waits. Combating Political Violence Roundtable   Join another Saving Elephants livestream on Thursday, September 18 at 7:00PM CST for a roundtable discussion on the assassination of Charlie Kirk and how we might combat political violence: https://www.youtube.com/@savingelephants  

185 – Inventing Conservatism with Daniel J. Flynn

Few forerunners of the modern conservative movement are as important, little known, and underappreciated as Frank Meyer.  Meyer possessed the IT factor that made women want him and men want to be associated with him.  He used that in his early years to advance Marxism in England—building an impressive Marxist organization that had the attention of UK’s government, dating the Prime Minister’s daughter while calling for the violent overthrow of the Prime Minister’s government, and becoming a national celebrity as the nation debated whether he should be exiled.  But later in life, when he turned to the Right, that same charisma was used to help William F. Buckley build a fledgling conservative movement that ultimately changed the politics of the nation.   Joining Josh to discuss this most remarkable life is Daniel J. Flynn, author of his latest book: The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer.   About Daniel J. Flynn From spectator.org Daniel J. Flynn, a senior editor of The American Spectator, serves as a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution for the 2024-2025 academic year. His books include Cult City: Harvey Milk, Jim Jones, and 10 Days That Shook San Francisco (ISI Books, 2018), Blue Collar Intellectuals: When the Enlightened and the Everyman Elevated America (ISI Books, 2011), A Conservative History of the American Left (Crown Forum, 2008), and Intellectual Morons: How Ideology Makes Smart People Fall for Stupid Ideas (Crown Forum, 2004). In 2025, he releases his magnum opus, The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer. He splits time between city Massachusetts and cabin Vermont.    About The Book Frank Meyer devised the blueprint for American conservatism—fusionism—championed by Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan, and so many to this day. Yet long before and far away, Communists in London chanted “Free Frank Meyer!” to block the deportation of a comrade who was their cause célèbre. Those fervent Marxists could never have predicted that their hero would one day provide the intellectual energy necessary to propel conservatives to political power.    The Man Who Invented Conservatism unveils one of the twentieth century’s great untold stories: a Communist turned conservative, an antiwar activist turned soldier, and a free-love enthusiast turned family man whose big idea captured the American Right. This intellectual migration coincided with a clandestine affair inside 10 Downing Street, service as a lieutenant to the man who later constructed the Berlin Wall, and neighborly chats with the pop-star and poet celebrity next door. Present at the creation of National Review, Meyer helped launch Joan Didion’s writing career. From H. G. Wells to Henry Kissinger to Milton Friedman, he rubbed shoulders with everyone who mattered.   Having discovered Meyer’s previously unexamined correspondence in an old soda warehouse, Daniel J. Flynn documents this saga in The Man Who Invented Conservatism, exposing the rivalries, jealousies, friendships, and fights that shaped the movement and what it means to be a conservative today.  

Roundtable - Is Trump A Fascist?

Some Americans warn Trump's antics in this second term are flirting with fascism while others say that's totally whacked. So which is it? Is Trump a fascist or nothing of the kind? Join our livestream as our panelists engage over the topic. Panelists include: Josh Lewis (host), Mike Taylor, Blake Fischer, John Giokaris, Steve Phelps, and Kent Straith