The Overthinkers

Support for the death penalty is going down in America. But is this a sign of moral progress or moral decay? Nathan Clarkson and Joseph Holmes debate this question with political theologian and ethicist Dr. J. Daryl Charles. 

References and resources

American support  for the death penality going down: https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/facts-and-research/religious-statements/opinion-polls-death-penalty-support-and-religion?

Religious-secular divide on the death penalty: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/06/15/unlike-other-u-s-religious-groups-most-atheists-and-agnostics-oppose-the-death-penalty/

Dr. J. Daryl Charles Recommended Resources

J. Daryl Charles, van den Haag, Ernest, “On Deterrence and the Death Penalty.” Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology and Police Science 60, no. 2 (1969): 141-47.

idem, “The Ultimate Punishment: A Defense”; accessible at the PBS “Frontline” website.

idem and John P. Conrad, The Death Penalty: A Debate. New York: Plenum Press, 1983.

J. Budziszewski, “Capital Punishment: The Case for Justice.” First Things (August 2004); accessible the First Things website

J. Daryl Charles, “Outrageous Atrocity or Moral Imperative?: The Ethics of Capital Punishment.” Studies in Christian Ethics 6, no. 3 (Fall 1993): 1-14.

idem, “Crime, the Christian, and Capital Justice.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 38, no. 3 (1995): 429-41.

idem, “Toward Restoring a Good Marriage: Reflections on the Contemporary Divorce of Love and Justice and Its Cultural Implications.” Journal of Church and State 55, no. 2 (2013): 367-83.

idem, “Capital Crime and Punishment: Reflections on Violating Human Sanctity.” Touchstone (September 2002): 29-35.

idem, “Lethal Rejection: Is Capital Punishment Barbaric, Uncivilized and Always Wrong?” Touchstone (September 2016): 30-36.

idem, “Capital Crimes and Capital Punishment.” Public Discourse (March 14, 2023); accessible at the Public Discourse website

idem, “Capital Crimes and Punishment.” Providence: A Journal of Christianity and American Foreign Policy (September 22, 2025); accessible at the Providence website

Websites

The Overthinkers: theoverthinkers.world
Nathan Clarkson: nathanclarkson.me
Joseph Holmes: linktr.ee.com/josephholmes
Dr. J. Daryl Charles: https://crcd.net/fellow/j-daryl-charles-phd/

Why do we have such a love for cozy comfort stories--whether they're books, movies, TV, or video games? Nathan Clarkson and Joseph Holmes welcome back Keelia Clarkson to discuss this along with her new book: "Chapter One Again: A Novel", the first of the Avila Falls series. 

References and resources

Searches for “cozy” and “comfort”: https://thecozyowlet.com/the-rise-of-cozy-reading-mystery-fantasy-and-more/

Why people watch “comfort shows”: 

https://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/1700/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/defining-memories/202212/play-and-repeat-why-we-watch-the-same-shows-over-and-over

Websites

The Overthinkers: theoverthinkersjournal.world
Nathan Clarkson: nathanclarkson.me
Joseph Holmes: linktr.ee.com/josephholmes
Keelia Clarkson: ivpress.com/keelia-clarkson
Chapter One Again: A Novel (Avila Falls Series): https://www.amazon.com/dp/151401372X/?bestFormat=true&k=chapter%20one%20again&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-bk-ser_k0_1_17_de&crid=1ESWQJCIVVVRV&sprefix=chapter%20one%20again

Why do we have so much division today? How do we rebuild relationships across the divide? Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson talk with Christian author and apologist Justin Brierly about his new show "Uncommon Ground", where he tries to do just that. 

References and resources

Increased US hatred for opposing political parties: https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/08/09/as-partisan-hostility-grows-signs-of-frustration-with-the-two-party-system/

Increased feeling of division in UK: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/uks-sense-of-division-reaches-new-high-as-culture-war-tensions-grow-study-finds

Exposure can increase polarization: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1804840115

Don’t overstate political violence in US: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-the-u-s-in-a-new-era-of-political-violence-experts-say-its-complicated/

Websites

The Overthinkers: theoverthinkersjournal.world
Nathan Clarkson: nathanclarkson.me
Joseph Holmes: linktr.ee/josephholmes
Justin Brierley: justinbrierley.com

Are we shaped more by nature or nurture? Is biology or culture stronger in determining our choices? Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson discuss this topic, with Evolutionary psychologist Dr. Steve Stewart-Williams joining for the discussion, on this latest episode.

References and resources:

Defining nature vs nurture: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/nature-vs-nurture

Plato’s “inatism”: https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/innatism

Aristotle and John Locke’s “tabula rasa”: https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/psychology/tabula-rasa

Does Christianity make your life better? Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson discuss their experience of faith.

Websites
The Overthinkers: theoverthinkersjournal.world
Nathan Clarkson: nathanclarkson.me
Joseph Holmes: linktr.ee/josephholmes