The Roots of American Order

In this season of Vital Remnants, host and McConnell Center Director Gary Gregg uses Russell Kirk’s The Roots of American Order to explore the historical roots from which America has grown. Rather than focusing on one defining moment, episodes explore America’s inheritance from thousands of years of human history grounded in five key cities—Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London and Philadelphia. Each episode relates to a corresponding chapter of Kirk's book and includes a conversation with a guest expert that goes beyond the text.

"This is a good thumbnail guide to learning more about these five civilizations and to demonstrate their impact on what would become the foundations upon which our modern America was constructed," Gregg said.

Our reading guide points to key passages in the text, provides questions to consider and links to the companion podcast episode.

Listen:

Episodes are free and available on Libsyn, Google Podcasts, Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

McConnell Center

The Roots of American Order

Listen:

Episode 5.1: An Introduction with Dr. Bradley J. Birzer

Episode 5.2: Jerusalem & Ancient Israel with Dr. Daniel Dreisbach

Episode 5.3: Athens and the Ancient Greeks with Dr. N. Susan Laehn

Episode 5.4: Ancient Rome with Dr. E. Christian Kopff

Episode 5.5: Christianity with Dr. Mark David Hall

Episode 5.6: The Light of the Middle Ages with Dr. Justin Stover

Episode 5.7: The Protestant Reformation with Dr. Glenn Moots

Episode 5.8: The Constitution of Church and State with Dr. Susan Hanssen

Episode 5.9: The Colonial Order with Dr. Thomas Mackey

Episode 5.10: Eighteenth-Century Intellects with Dr. Khalil Habib