Best Brian Sumner Podcasts (2025)

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213 - JOHN 7:25-52 - LIVING WATER - BRIAN SUMNER 44:50

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3d ago44:50

44:50

JOHN 7:25-52 - LIVING WATER - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 "25 Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to kill? 26 But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is [a]truly the Christ? 27 However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is fr…

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Ep. 234 Sam Tanenhaus, "Buckley" 1:14:58

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Author Sam Tanenhaus opens the acknowledgement section in his latest book, "Buckley," this way: "I first met William F. Buckley in 1990, shortly after I had begun work on a biography of Whitaker Chambers…Bill Buckley had been Chambers' last patron and most eloquent champion." The biography of Chambers was published in 1997. Now 28 years later, Sam …

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212 - JOHN 7:1-24 - FEAST OF TABERNACLES - BRIAN SUMNER 47:39

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JOHN 7:1-24 - FEAST OF TABERNACLES - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 "1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. 3 His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works tha…

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Ep. 233 Jay Winik, "1861" 1:05:58

10d ago1:05:58

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Historian Jay Winik first appeared on the Booknotes television program 24 years ago to discuss his book, "April 1865." It became a #1 New York Times bestseller, reportedly read by Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and many others. It's the narrative story of the Civil War. For his latest book, Winik stepped back four years in history to l…

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Ep. 232 Richard J. Evans, "Hitler's People" 1:02:16

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Sir Richard J. Evans has been writing about Germany and Adolf Hitler for his entire professional life. He was knighted in Britain in 2012 for his service to scholarship. From 2003-2008, Professor Evans published a trilogy of the Third Reich with a total of over 2,500 pages. His latest book is titled "Hitler's People: The Faces of the Third Reich." …

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Ep. 231 David Herbert Donald, "Lincoln" 1:02:43

25d ago1:02:43

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In our earlier discussion with Zaakir Tameez about his biography of Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts, he discussed his differences with Professor David Herbert Donald on the same subject. On December the 24th, 1995, Professor Donald talked about his book called "Lincoln" on the Booknotes television program. David Donald died in 2009 at age 8…

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211 - JOHN 6:41-71 - WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE - BRIAN SUMNER 45:27

25d ago45:27

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JOHN 6:41-71 - WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 John 6:41 "The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” 42 And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus therefore answered a…

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Ep. 230 Zaakir Tameez, "Charles Sumner" 1:07:04

1M ago1:07:04

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Charles Sumner was from Boston, Massachusetts. He was a U.S. Senator for 23 years from 1851 to 1874. Sumner, an anti-slavery Republican, was brutally caned on the Senate floor by pro-slavery Democrats in 1856, during the lead-up to the Civil War. The attack, which almost killed Sumner, kept him out of the Senate for over 3 years. Sumner didn't marr…

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210 - JOHN 6:22-40 - THE BREAD OF LIFE - BRIAN SUMNER 40:13

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JOHN 6:22-40 - THE BREAD OF LIFE - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 John 6:22 On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone— 23 however, …

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209 - JOHN 6:15-21 - FAITH AMIDST STORMS - BRIAN SUMNER 44:50

1M ago44:50

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JOHN 6:15-21 - FAITH AMIDST STORMS - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 6:15 "Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone. 16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it…

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Ep. 229 John Seabrook, "The Spinach King" 1:10:26

1M ago1:10:26

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The patriarch, C.F. Seabrook, was hailed as the Henry Ford of agriculture. His son, Jack, a keen businessman, was poised to take over what Life magazine called the biggest vegetable factory on earth. His son, John Seabrook, has written about his grandfather and father in his book called "The Spinach King." It's subtitled "The Rise and Fall of an Am…

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Ep. 228 Evan Osnos, "The Haves and Have-Yachts" 1:10:45

2M ago1:10:45

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In a word, Evan Osnos' latest book focuses on the subject of money. His book is titled "The Haves and the Have Yachts: Dispatches on the Ultra-Rich." There are 10 essays which originally appeared in his home publication, The New Yorker. The oldest one, "Survival of the Richest," ran in 2017. The newest, titled "Land of Make-Believe," was published …

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208 - JOHN 6:1-14 - FEEDING THE 5000 - BRIAN SUMNER 44:15

2M ago44:15

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JOHN 6:1-14 - FEEDING THE 5000 - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. 3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. 4 Now the Passover, a fea…

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Ep. 227 Dave Barry, "Class Clown" 1:07:10

2M ago1:07:10

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Dave Barry's memoir is called "Class Clown." It is at least his 46th book. On the front of his book, he makes an important declaration: "How I went 77 years without growing up." For 30 years, Dave Barry wrote a weekly humor column published in newspapers, mostly on the weekends. He retired that column in 2005 but has kept writing. On the back flap …

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Ep. 226 John Laurence, "The Cat from Hue" 1:01:28

2M ago1:01:28

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As a follow-up to last week's interview with Lien-Hang Nguyen, here is an encore interview with former CBS and ABC reporter John Laurence. Mr. Laurence was interviewed on Booknotes, the television program, on January 17, 2002. His book is called "The Cat from Hue". It's 800 plus pages and relays his Vietnam experience as a reporter for CBS. John La…

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Ep. 225 Lien-Hang Nguyen, "Hanoi's War" 1:03:35

2M ago1:03:35

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This year marks the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. Netflix is offering a five-part documentary series titled "Turning Point: The Vietnam War," directed by Brian Knappenberger. The series includes never-before-seen footage of the war from the CBS archives. Also included in the documentary are interviews with participants in the war, both fr…

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207 - JOHN 5:31-47 - TESTIMONY OF JESUS - BRIAN SUMNER 49:58

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JOHN 5:31-47 - TESTIMONY OF JESUS - BRIAN SUMNER JOHN 5:31 If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. 32 There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. 33 You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things…

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Ep. 224 William Geroux, "The Fifteen" 1:10:22

2M ago1:10:22

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One October morning in 2018, journalist William Geroux says he was returning some books to his local Virginia Beach Library when he noticed a new state historical marker planted in the ground near the front entrance. It said the library was built on the site of a World War II prisoner of war camp. In Mr. Giroux's author's note in his latest book ca…

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206 - JOHN 5:19-30 - HONOR THE SON - BRIAN SUMNER 42:02

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JOHN 5:19-30 - HONOR THE SON - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. 20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show …

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Ep. 223 Claire Hoffman, "Sister, Sinner" 1:08:05

3M ago1:08:05

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It's a story from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. The book by Claire Hoffman is called "Sister, Sinner: The Miraculous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Aimee Semple MacPherson." FSG, the publisher, further emphasizes that the story is "the dramatic rise, disappearance, and near fall of a woman called Sister Amy who changed the world." Author Claire Ho…

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205 - THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS - BRIAN SUMNER 44:51

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THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 Support the show SUPPORT THE SHOWBy Brian Sumner

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Ep. 222 Kathryn Olmsted, "Red Spy Queen" 1:05:14

3M ago1:05:14

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In several recent episodes of the podcast, we have featured books about the World War II era. An important figure from that time has been mentioned but not discussed during any of those interviews. Her name is Elizabeth Bentley. She was the first person to reveal, to the FBI and the Congress, the names of people living in the United States and spyi…

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204 - PALM SUNDAY - BRIAN SUMNER 34:01

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204 - PALM SUNDAY - BRIAN SUMNER Support the show SUPPORT THE SHOWBy Brian Sumner

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Ep. 221 Kenneth Rogoff, "Our Dollar, Your Problem" 1:07:34

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Kenneth Rogoff is professor of economics at Harvard University and former International MonetaryFund (IMF) chief economist. In his most recent book, "Our Dollar, YourProblem," he argues that America's currency might have reached today'slofty pinnacle without a certain amount of good luck. However, as ProfessorRogoff nears the end of his 345-page bo…

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Ep. 220 Rick Atkinson, "The Fate of the Day" 1:14:36

3M ago1:14:36

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Rick Atkinson has just published the second volume of his American Revolution trilogy. The book is called "The Fate of the Day" and covers years 1777 to 1780. His initial 800-page volume, titled "The British Are Coming," was published in 2019 and focused on years 1775 to 1777. Mr. Atkinson won the George Washington prize for this beginning look at …

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Ep. 219 Rick Atkinson, "An Army at Dawn" 1:01:52

4M ago1:01:52

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On November 17th, 2002, 23 years ago, Rick Atkinson appeared on the Booknotes television program to discuss his book, "Army at Dawn." This was the first of three books Atkinson called the "Liberation Trilogy," a full history of the European theater of World War II, which is a total of 2,512 pages, including notes and indexes. Beginning in 2019, Ric…

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Ep. 218 Thomas Maier, "The Invisible Spy" 1:02:56

4M ago1:02:56

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"Ernest Cuneo played Ivy League football at Columbia University and was in the old Brooklyn Dodgers NFL franchise before becoming a City Hall lawyer and 'Brain Trust' aide to President Franklin Roosevelt." While on the payroll of national radio columnist Walter Winchell, Cuneo "mingled with the famous and powerful. But his status as a spy remained …

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203 - JOHN 5:1-18 - TAKE UP YOUR MATT - BRIAN SUMNER 43:45

4M ago43:45

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JOHN 5:1-18 - TAKE UP YOUR MATT - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 5:1-18 "After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving o…

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Ep. 217 Clay Risen, "Red Scare" 1:05:25

4M ago1:05:25

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McCarthyism, Whitaker Chambers, Alger Hiss, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, Paul Robeson, House Un-American Activities Committee, the Smith Act, the Hollywood 10, the Joint Anti-Fascist Committee, the Truman Loyalty Program, the Blacklist, book burning, and communism – all subjects of controversy during the 1930s, 40s, and 50s here in the United States…

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202 - JOHN 4:43-54 - NOBLEMANS SON - BRIAN SUMNER 40:54

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JOHN 4:43-54 - NOBLEMANS SON - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 4:34 "Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. 44 For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone…

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201 - JOHN 4:27-42 - THE HARVEST IS RIPE - BRIAN SUMNER 41:33

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JOHN 4:27-42 - THE HARVEST IS RIPE - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 4:27-42 "And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?” 28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 “Come, see a Man who told me all…

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Ep. 216 Jill Eicher, "Mellon vs. Churchill" 1:05:24

4M ago1:05:24

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After a career in investment management and some time as a credit risk specialist at the US Treasury Department, Jill Eicher has written her first book titled, "Melon vs. Churchill: The Untold Story of Treasury Titans at War." It's all about the collection of war debts from World War I, which was fought between 1914 and 1918. Andrew Mellon, a wealt…

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Ep. 215 Dr. Hassan Tetteh, "Smarter Healthcare with AI" 1:09:26

5M ago1:09:26

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Dr. Hassan Tetteh, in his latest book, opens the introduction with a question: "How do we prepare for the future with AI?" His primary focus is on healthcare and AI, but it's subtitled "Harnessing Military Medicine to Revolutionize Healthcare for Everyone Everywhere." Dr. Tetteh is currently based at Howard University and Inova Hospital in Fairfax,…

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Ep. 214 Phil Tinline, "Ghosts of Iron Mountain" 1:04:48

5M ago1:04:48

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British writer Phil Tinline has written a book titled "Ghosts of Iron Mountain." The publisher Scribner calls it "an investigative masterpiece for readers curious about the surprising connection between John F. Kennedy, Oliver Stone, Timothy McVeigh, QAnon, Alex Jones, and Donald Trump." In his introduction, author Tinline says the book is the true…

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Ep. 213 Richard Overy, "Rain of Ruin" 54:48

5M ago54:48

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Richard Overy is a British historian who has spent most of his professional life writing books about war, primarily World War II. Professor Overy's current work is called "Rain of Ruin: Tokyo, Hiroshima, and the Surrender of Japan." Liner notes on the cover of the book say: "With the development of the B-29 Super Fortress in the summer of 1944, str…

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200 - JOHN 4:1-26 - WOMAN AT THE WELL - BRIAN SUMNER 49:47

5M ago49:47

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JOHN 4:1-26 - WOMAN AT THE WELL - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 4:1-26 "Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), 3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. 4 But He needed to go through Samaria. 5 So He came to a city …

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Ep. 212 Dennis Hutchinson, "The Forgotten Memoir of John Knox" 1:02:44

5M ago1:02:44

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As a follow on to Stuart Banner's history of the Supreme Court, this week's Booknotes+ podcast features a 2002 interview with Dennis Hutchinson, a University of Chicago law professor emeritus. The subject matter: the forgotten memoir of John Knox, a law clerk to former justice James McReynolds, a native of Kentucky. Knox's year was the term beginni…

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Ep. 211 Stuart Banner, "The Most Powerful Court in the World" 1:06:49

5M ago1:06:49

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UCLA law professor Stuart Banner's book, "The Most Powerful Court in the World," is a history of the United States Supreme Court from the founding era to the present. In his introduction, Stuart Banner writes that: "Today, critics on the left accuse the justices of deciding cases on political rather than legal grounds. This book shows that the Cour…

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199 - JOHN 3:17-36 - BELIEVE IN THE SON - BRIAN SUMNER 44:17

6M ago44:17

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JOHN 3:17-36 - BELIEVE IN THE SON - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 3:17-36 "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.…

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The C-SPAN Story 1:09:54

6M ago1:09:54

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C-SPAN Founder Brian Lamb is in conversation with Sam Feist, the network's CEO, and Susan Swain, C-SPAN's former co-CEO, about his quest to bring live, gavel-to-gavel coverage of Congress into every American home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy C-SPAN

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Ep. 210 Steven Gillon, "Presidents at War" 1:01:42

6M ago1:01:42

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Steven Gillon was a scholar in residence at the History Channel for more than 20 years. He has written 12 books on subjects including a history of the United States, the Kerner Commission, Lee Harvey Oswald, and the Life of John F. Kennedy Jr. His latest book is titled "Presidents at War: How World War II Shaped a Generation of Presidents from Eise…

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198 - JOHN 3:1-16 - YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN - BRIAN SUMNER 51:30

6M ago51:30

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JOHN 3:1-16 - YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 3:1-16 "There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “…

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197 - JOHN 2:12-25 - JESUS CLEANSED THE TEMPLE - BRIAN SUMNER 48:24

6M ago48:24

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JOHN 2:12-25 - JESUS CLEANSES THE TEMPLE - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 2:12-25 "12 After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.13 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and dove…

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Ep. 209 Alexandra Richie, "Warsaw 1944" 1:08:37

6M ago1:08:37

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As a follow up to our recent podcast regarding the life and times of Anne Frank, we asked author Alexandra Ritchie to tell us more about the horrors of World War II and Poland. Ritchie, a citizen of Canada, now lives in the city which is the title of her book, Warsaw. Her focus is on 1944 and what was called the Warsaw Uprising. In her introduction…

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196 - JOHN 2:1-11 - WEDDING IN CANA - BRIAN SUMNER 43:58

6M ago43:58

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JOHN 2:1-11 - WEDDING IN CANA - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 2:1-11 "On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” 4 Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does you…

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195 - JOHN 1:30-51 - COME AND SEE - BRIAN SUMNER 52:14

6M ago52:14

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JOHN 1:30-51 - COME AND SEE - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 1:30-51 "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ 31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel,…

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194 - JOHN 1:18-30 - BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD - BRIAN SUMNER 45:32

6M ago45:32

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JOHN 1:18-30 - BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 1:18 "No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. 19 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed…

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Ep. 208 Katherine Carter, "Churchill's Citadel" 58:39

6M ago58:39

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In the years right before World War II started in 1939, Winston Churchill had been out of government. However, even though he was far from power, his country home, Chartwell, became Churchill's headquarters of his campaign against Nazi Germany. Catherine Carter is a curator and historian who has managed the house and collections at Chartwell. Her n…

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193 - JOHN 1:6-17 - THE WORD BECAME FLESH - BRIAN SUMNER 46:54

6M ago46:54

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JOHN 1:6-17 THE WORD BECAME FLESH - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 1:6 "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming in…

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Ep. 207 Ruth Franklin, "The Many Lives of Anne Frank" 1:01:44

6M ago1:01:44

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80 years ago, in early 1945, 15-year-old Anne Frank died from a typhus epidemic in the Nazi German-based concentration camp Bergen-Belsen. As the 7500 square foot replica of the Otto Frank family secret annex in Amsterdam opens in New York City, writer Ruth Franklin is publishing her new biography called "The Many Lives of Anne Frank." According to…