Holy Order

Episode 6: Modern psychology and happiness studies promise to tell us what makes for a good life, but they often leave a more basic question unanswered: what is a human being? In this episode of Holy Order, Bryan and Cooper are joined by Dr. Alex Fogleman to explore human nature, happiness, meaning, and purpose through the thought of Augustine and Gregory of Nyssa—and to ask what the Christian tradition can teach us about rightly ordered love, true flourishing, and the life we were created for.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Guest
• 02:34 Exploring Human Flourishing in Early Christian Theology
• 05:20 Limitations of Contemporary Happiness Studies
• 09:03 Can Surveys Discover the Truth?
• 12:37 Defining the Human
• 14:13 Insights from Social Science
• 18:29 Why Augustine and Gregory of Nyssa?
• 20:53 Gregory of Nyssa's Insights
• 23:06 Embracing Human Limitations and Divine Love
• 26:38 Augustine's Insights on Flourishing
• 30:15 Ordered Love and Human Flourishing
• 35:46 Nietzsche's Critique and the Cross as Triumph
• 40:39 The NT's Two Words for Life
• 42:46 Can We Flourish Without God?
• 47:34 Applying Patristic Wisdom in Daily Life
• 52:45 How Hope Transfigures Life

Alex's Book: https://a.co/d/06iCwUUg

Bryan's Substack: https://bryanhollon.substack.com/

Contact: cooper.nye@tas.edu

Musicbed SyncUD: MB01XK6E3EG9WVS

Episode 5: What does it mean to be both Reformed and catholic? For Anglicans, the two are not opposites but essential parts of the same inheritance. In this episode of Holy Order, Bryan and Cooper explore how the English Reformation sought not to create a new church but to renew it, what Anglicans can learn from both Reformation and Anglo-Catholic traditions, and how the Book of Common Prayer brings the two together.

Chapters

• 01:17 Introduction and Personal Updates
• 03:59 Understanding Anglicanism: Catholic and Reformed
• 06:23 Historical Context of Reformed Theology
• 09:08 Defining Catholicity in Anglicanism
• 12:02 Creeds and Canon: Foundations of Faith
• 14:42 Distinctions from Roman Catholicism
• 17:12 Diverse Perspectives within Anglicanism
• 20:20 Soteriology: Doctrine of Salvation
• 22:36 Appreciating Anglo-Catholicism
• 25:38 Celebrating Reformation Anglicans
• 28:13 Finding Unity in Diversity
• 30:09 Reformed and Catholic Traditions
• 31:00 The Role of the Book of Common Prayer
• 35:25 Integrating Gospel and Liturgy
• 40:28 Practical Advice for Rectors

Substack: https://bryanhollon.substack.com/

Contact: cooper.nye@tas.edu

Musicbed SyncUD: MB01XK6E3EG9WVS

Episode 4: We are all being catechized. The question is: by whom? In a culture increasingly shaped by screens, algorithms, and competing visions of the good life, Christian formation requires more than simply knowing the right answers. In this episode of Holy Order, Bryan and Cooper explore the ancient ministry of catechesis: what it is, how it differs from discipleship, and why it may be more important than ever.

Chapters

• 00:00 Secular Catechesis
• 01:25 Introduction to Catechesis
• 02:43 Understanding Catechesis
• 05:24 Discipleship vs. Catechesis
• 07:48 Components of Catechesis
• 10:30 The Biblical Narrative
• 12:02 How Our Culture Catechizes
• 14:07 (Mal)Formation via Algorithms?
• 19:02 Perennial Challenges in Catechesis
• 20:00 The Purpose of Catechesis
• 23:37 Aquinas and the Assimilation of Knowledge
• 25:08 The Connection Between Love and Knowledge
• 30:06 Cultivating Rightly Ordered Love
• 35:56 Advice for Parents and Leaders in Catechesis
• 42:12 Influential Figures in Catechesis
• 44:50 The Broader Trend of Catechesis Across Denominations
• 46:13 Closing Prayer

Substack: https://bryanhollon.substack.com/

Contact: cooper.nye@tas.edu

Musicbed SyncUD: MB01XK6E3EG9WVS

Episode 3: Bryan and Cooper complete their series on C.S. Lewis's The Abolition of Man, digging into chapters two and three. They unpack Lewis's case against subjectivism and trace what happens when a society rejects the Tao (natural law) altogether. Along the way, Bryan and Cooper connect Lewis's warnings to Genesis 3, the Tower of Babel, and the nature of naming, and explore Lewis's chilling concept of "the conditioners"—a technocratic elite who remake humanity in their own image.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction
• 02:12 Exciting Developments at Trinity
• 04:05 Exploring 'The Abolition of Man' by C.S. Lewis
• 07:57 The Role of Education in Shaping Values
• 11:42 The Hypocrisy of Subjectivism
• 15:16 The Groundlessness of Subjectivism
• 21:14 Power Without Value: The Dangers of Abolishing Morality
• 24:48 The Tower of Babel and Self-Definition
• 26:11 Power Over People: Technology and Control
• 29:51 The Impact of Social Media and AI
• 35:52 The Role of Conditioners in Society
• 39:06 Priests of Postmodernity?
• 43:22 Has Man Been Abolished?
• 44:32 The Antidote to Disorder
• 48:10 Closing Prayer

For more on the meaning and purpose of the priesthood, read Bryan's reflection on Substack:https://bryanhollon.substack.com/p/holy-orders-for-holy-order

Episode 1: Bryan Hollon and Cooper Nye introduce the vision behind the podcast and the question that will shape every conversation that follows: What if the deepest problems of our age are ultimately problems of order?

Drawing on Scripture, St. Augustine, C.S. Lewis, and the Anglican tradition, Bryan explains that our lives are always ordered by what we love most. When our loves become disordered, our families, churches, and culture follow. But when our loves are rightly ordered toward God, we discover the peace, wisdom, and flourishing for which we were created.

Episode 2: What happens when we stop believing that truth, goodness, and beauty exist outside ourselves? In this episode of Holy Order, Bryan and Cooper begin a two-part series on C.S. Lewis' The Abolition of Man—one of his shortest yet most influential works. Starting with its surprising opening critique of a high school English textbook, they explore how modern education subtly teaches that values are merely personal feelings rather than reflections of reality.

The conversation introduces Lewis's understanding of natural law, the fact-value distinction, and why these ideas remain remarkably relevant more than eighty years later.

Preview of episode 1 for Holy Order, a podcast from Trinity Anglican Seminary.