Aaron Renn sits down with Seth Barron, Associate Editorial Page Editor at the New York Post and author of Weaponized: The Left's Capture and Destruction of America's Sacred Institutions. They discuss how cherished American myths have been twisted to weaponize key institutions — policing, borders, public safety, housing, education, and civic life itself.

From “defund the police” and anarcho-tyranny in New York City to open borders, the erosion of assimilation, and the battle over American identity, this conversation reveals how the left uses institutions as tools of political power.

CHAPTERS:
(00:00 - Introduction)
(01:36 - What "Weaponized" Really Means)
(03:45 - The Left's War on Policing & Public Safety)
(09:20 - Anarcho-Tyranny in NYC Under Mamdani)
(15:10 - Police Brutality Myths vs Reality)
(18:40 - Why the Right Lacks a Competing Moral Vision)
(22:15 - Think Globally vs Think Locally)
(28:50 - Immigration, Borders & the Attack on Citizenship)
(36:55 - American Identity & the End of Assimilation)
(43:20 - Israel, Palestine & the Left's Broader Agenda)

GUEST LINKS:
📖 Weaponized: The Left's Capture and Destruction of America's Sacred Institutions: https://www.amazon.com/Weaponized-Lefts-Seizure-State-Power/dp/1630062693/?&_encoding=UTF8&tag=theurban-20
🐦 Twitter/X: https://x.com/sethbarronnyc

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🌐 Newsletter - In-depth cultural analysis: https://www.aaronrenn.com/

In this wide-ranging conversation, Georgetown Professor Joshua Mitchell explains why America remains a deeply Hebraic, covenantal nation — and why the current culture war is best understood as a distorted continuation of the Reformation.

From the Plato-Aristotle divide to Luther’s turn to history, from Tocqueville’s warnings to the spiritual economy of stain and redemption, Mitchell offers a profound diagnosis of where American Christianity stands today. Watch until the end for a hopeful (yet challenging) path forward.

CHAPTERS
(00:00 Introduction & The Article That Sparked a National Conversation)
(04:20 The Great Schism: Plato vs Aristotle & East vs West)
(11:45 Why the Catholic Church Chose Aristotle — And Its Consequences)
(18:50 The Reformation: Luther’s Historical Dialectic vs Calvin’s Covenantal Path)
(27:15 America as a New Israel — The Hebraic Soul of the Nation)
(35:40 Identity Politics as Deformed Puritanism)
(44:10 Evangelicals, Conservatives & the Path Forward for Reformation Christians)

JOSHUA MITCHELL LINKS:
🌐 Whither the Reformation in America: https://americanreformer.org/2026/03/whither-the-reformation-in-america/

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
📖 The Cave and the Light: Plato Versus Aristotle, and the Struggle for the Soul of Western Civilization by Arthur Herman: https://www.amazon.com/Cave-Light-Aristotle-Struggle-Civilization/dp/0553385666/?&_encoding=UTF8&tag=theurban-20

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Why do people think conservatives are boring? Sociologist and cultural thinker Margarita Mooney Clayton joins me to challenge the stereotype that artists must be transgressive and that conservatives lack creativity.

Drawing on the philosophy of Jacques Maritain, we explore the true vocation of the artist: cooperating with divine inspiration to create beautiful works that point toward the good, the true, and God Himself. We discuss romanticism vs. ordered creativity, abundance vs. desecration in culture, and how conservatives can reclaim beauty, joy, and cultural renewal.

Margarita shares insights from her work at Princeton Theological Seminary, Blackfriars Hall Oxford, and as founder of the Scala Foundation.

CHAPTERS:
(00:00 Introduction)
(01:51 How a sociologist became interested in beauty and the arts)
(04:28 Why people think conservatives are boring)
(09:02 Art as transgressive? The panel discussion)
(10:28 Jacques Maritain and the vocation of the artist)
(19:13 Romanticism, reason, and the role of intellect in art)
(26:35 Can modern art be beautiful? Tradition vs. modernism)
(33:58 The place of transgression, paradox, and truth in art)

MARGARITA MOONEY CLAYTON LINKS:
🌐 Are Artists Transgressive, Conservative, or Neither?: https://www.gracedimagination.com/p/does-an-artist-steal-fire-from-the
🌐 The Vocation of the Artist in Jacques Maritain’s Life and Work: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/new-blackfriars/article/from-strangers-to-friends-of-god-the-vocation-of-the-artist-in-jacques-maritains-life-and-work/00BBA2972BD500A5D831835CF8C5BE8D
🌐 Scala Foundation: https://scalafoundation.org/

CONNECT & FOLLOW AARON RENN:
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🌐 Newsletter - In-depth cultural analysis: https://www.aaronrenn.com/