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The Bridgehead

Jonathon Van Maren

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Welcome to The Bridgehead! A place for insightful and thought-provoking discussions on pressing cultural issues from a Christian perspective. We provide a consistent perspective on a world undergoing rapid societal change. Join Jonathon to learn what it means to live in an post-Christian age, how these changes have come about, and how Christians can effectively respond to these issues.
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The discussion podcast of Equal Rights Institute, a national organization that trains pro-life advocates think clearly, reason honestly, and argue persuasively. If you’re looking for clear pro-life thinking, cutting-edge apologetics, and a fresh approach to abortion dialogue, you’ve come to the right place.
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In this episode, Jonathon Van Maren answers your questions about the return of The Bridgehead podcast and YouTube channel. Discover how this will differ from The Van Maren Show, the topics we plan to cover, and why it's important to address these issues today. Jonathon also shares his thoughts on the current generation, his upcoming book, and his g…
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In this episode, Jonathon has a conversation with Justin Brierley, a UK broadcaster, writer, and speaker, about his book 'The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God.’ Brierley shares his insights on the intellectual and cultural shifts he observes, including a growing interest in Christianity among secular intellectuals disillusioned by atheism. He ex…
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Jonathon interviews Jojo Ruba from Redeeming Conversations to explore how the LGBT movement has influenced Christian institutions. They delve into Jojo's personal story, his undercover work at pro-LGBT Christian conferences, the strategies used by Christian LGBT activists, and offer practical steps for Christians to uphold their beliefs.…
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Jonathon analyzes Joe Rogan's take on Drag Queen Story Hour. Jonathon shows, using the DQSH's own website and an academic article written by LGBT activists, why Joe Rogan is spot on with his concerns and why regular people should in fact be alarmed. Footage from the Joe Rogan & Christopher Rufo interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwYn7... Th…
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Join us on this inaugural episode of The Bridgehead as we commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day. On June 6, 1944, the Allies launched a monumental invasion of Normandy, marking the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. Today, we reflect not only on the bravery and sacrifice of the soldiers but also on the profound faith in God that permeated b…
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Josh's favorite Christian apologist, Dr. Randal Rauser, joins the show. Randal describes himself as "progressively Evangelical and generously Orthodox." Josh asks him about open-mindedness, his observations about the pro-life movement, when it's appropriate to call leaders out publicly, and the difference between an "agitation apologetics model" an…
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Josh Brahm and Monica Snyder have an open conversation about biology, philosophy, and how they interact with persuasion in the abortion debate. Monica has a STEM background so she and Josh compare notes on how STEM professionals and philosophers feel about each other, and why many of them are arrogant. They also discuss: - How arrogance, confidence…
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Monica Snyder shares a very emotional story about going undercover in a late-term abortion facility in Washington DC while being 28-weeks pregnant. She talks about what was harder than she expected and the perspective she gained about the employees at the clinic. She also helps Josh understand some things he had never heard about some post-abortive…
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Josh Brahm gives an update on what we've been working on at ERI, including recent speaking trips in Europe, progress on Equipped for Life Academy, and hiring our new administrator. Chapters: 00:00 Why Josh is in Paris 03:16 Cool story from England conference 06:08 Emily update from Denmark 09:13 Equipped for Life Academy update & a question for you…
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Recorded in late 2022, Monica Snyder from Secular Pro-Life joined Josh to film a few episodes on what the pro-life movement should be doing right now. It took us a while to get back to regular podcast editing due to a TON of travel, but everything they said is still relevant. The discussion includes: - What do we mean when we use the term “pro-life…
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Recorded in late 2022, Monica Snyder from Secular Pro-Life joined Josh to film a few episodes on what the pro-life movement should be doing right now. It took us a while to get back to regular podcast editing due to a TON of travel, but everything they said is still relevant. The discussion includes: - The five state amendments the pro-life movemen…
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Josh explains how some upgrades to our podcast equipment will save us time editing the episodes later and how that will affect our listeners. (This will make even more sense if you watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2cqGMIgp9mM There's a short 2-minute summary, and then a longer "nerdier" version for those who are interested. We have some great …
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Josh Brahm was invited to answer questions about abortion late last year at Fusion City Church in Kannapolis, NC. Pastor Brian Duncan had preached on abortion the week prior and asked Josh to help field the questions that came from the congregation afterward. *Sorry for the bad audio during the intro. I forgot to grab the better audio before I form…
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We've received hundreds of messages and comments about Emily's appearance on MSNBC last week! By popular demand, Josh and Emily are joined by Tim Hull to discuss the behind-the-scenes story of how Emily ended up discussing abortion with the President of NARAL on national television live from NBC studios in New York City! In this episode, Emily will…
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Josh and Emily share interesting stories from their last two semesters of campus outreach, and some of the trends they're noticing among pro-choice college students. This is part two of the series, and includes the story of protesters apologizing to us, why we might change the way we promote Emily's speeches, the creative ways the pro-choice studen…
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Josh and Emily share interesting stories from their last two semesters of campus outreach, and some of the trends they're noticing with respect to abortion dialogue among pro-choice college students. This is part one of a two-part series, and includes the story of a young woman who chewed Josh out in Wisconsin, how Emily varies her "elevator pitch"…
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It's the question we're asked more often than any other, and we want to answer it carefully. The question is, "What should I do about the pro-life activist near me who is being difficult? Should I approach them differently than I do my dialogues with pro-choice people?" Josh and Emily invited ERI Lead Editor Andrew Kaake and Secular Pro-Life's Exec…
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Everyone has been talking about the tragic case of a 10-year-old who was raped, became pregnant, and driven across state lines to get an abortion. Even President Biden referenced her story in public. Multiple ERI followers have asked us how pro-life people can answer questions about this story without sounding like a moral monster. Josh and Emily i…
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The days after Roe v. Wade’s overturning have been riddled with confusion, panic, anger, protests, and misinformation. There has never been a more important time for pro-life advocates to provide clarity, explain what overturning Roe v. Wade really means, and describe how we want to see our society move forward. Josh, Emily, and Andrew went live on…
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It's the question we're asked more often than any other, and we want to answer it carefully. The question is, "What should I do about the pro-life activist near me who is being difficult? Should I approach them differently than I do my dialogues with pro-choice people?" Josh and Emily invited ERI Lead Editor Andrew Kaake and Secular Pro-Life's Exec…
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In this podcast, two authors discuss recent research regarding fetal pain: John Bockmann, co-author of "Reconsidering Fetal Pain" (2020) and Dr. Bridget Thill, MD, MS, author of "Fetal Pain in the First Trimester" (2021). Bridget and John graciously typed out a full transcript of this episode that includes a ton of links to sources of the factual s…
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This is a continuation of Josh's conversation with Gary Freeman on crossing the racial divide in pro-life work. In this episode they discuss the high abortion rate in the African-American community and why that is, and how we should think about the debate over Planned Parenthood being an allegedly racist organization. Learn more about Major League …
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This is a continuation of Josh's conversation with Gary Freeman on crossing the racial divide in pro-life work. In this episode they contrast Gary's position with those who say that you can't be pro-life unless you agree with them on other social issues, why people in black churches are distrustful of Gary as soon as he calls himself "pro-life", an…
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Josh and Emily went live last Friday with Lauren Handy and Terrisa Bukovinac from Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU) to discuss the story people around the world are talking about, and get answers to the questions everybody is asking. Lauren and Terrisa were incredibly open and shared a lot of information that hasn't been released before. If…
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This is the first of a three-part series of conversations with Josh and Gary Freeman, a former guest on our podcast. In this episode they discuss Gary's new ministry, on relationships being key to white and black people understanding each other better, as well as the need to serve people well in spite of cultural differences. Learn more about Major…
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While at our AirBnb in Washington, D.C. we filmed a set of podcasts with Emily, Jacob, and Meredith Maloley. Meredith helped Emily run the pro-life club at St. Olaf, and now volunteers as an ERI Club Coach and works at a Pregnancy Resource Center. In this episode they discuss the most common myths that organizations like NARAL and Planned Parenthoo…
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While at our AirBnb in Washington, D.C. we filmed a set of podcasts with Emily, Jacob, and Meredith Maloley. Meredith helped Emily run the pro-life club at St. Olaf, and now volunteers as an ERI Club Coach and works at a Pregnancy Resource Center. In this episode they discuss what pro-life advocates ought to know about how PRC's work behind the sce…
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Jacob interviews Missy Stone, CEO of Reprotection, a new organization that helps pro-life advocates protect women and children from harm by investigating and closing down dangerous abortion providers. In this interview you will learn about how Reprotection works, the many government agencies that regulate abortion facilities, a few crazy stories, a…
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Josh Brahm shares why the podcast was on hiatus for three months, our surprising success on TikTok, and the top 5 videos, podcasts, and articles of 2021. Chapters: 00:00: Intro and why we haven't published podcasts lately 05:35: Surprisingly fast success on TikTok! 08:22: Top 5 videos of 2021 13:30: Top 5 podcasts of 2021 17:35: Top 5 articles of 2…
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Josh Brahm and Emily Albrecht discuss pull the curtain back and talk about what ERI has done in the last year before announcing our biggest project of 2022! Finally we take questions from the live viewers. Thanks to apologist Tim Hull for hosting the live stream! Help us reach our goal and make next year's project a reality at https://EqualRightsIn…
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Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization is widely considered to be the most important Supreme Court Case on abortion in nearly three decades. We want you to understand what's happening in real-time and equip you with tools to discuss it effectively. ERI staff members Josh Brahm, Andrew Kaake, and Emily Albrecht listened live to the oral argume…
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In this episode Muslim intellectual Dr. Javad Hashmi refutes pro-choice arguments made by famous Islamic scholars. Javad reacts to multiple videos in this episode, so to watch this episode on YouTube, click here: https://youtu.be/4DKXWOKhjeE Otherwise, there are links to everything he references in the description below. Javad T. Hashmi is a board-…
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This is the first of a two-part series with Muslim intellectual Dr. Javad Hashmi. In this episode Josh interviews him about his journey from pro-choice to pro-life and how Muslims think about moral culpability and human value. They spend the rest of the episode having an impromptu nerdy philosophy debate about personhood. Javad T. Hashmi is a board…
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Robin Atkins is back to discuss mental health, informed consent, abortion risks, the level of counseling in abortion facilities, and more. Robin is a licensed mental health counselor, specializing in reproductive issues. She also has a philosophy degree. She spent four years doing home-based therapy with the Department of Children's Services. She's…
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Robin Atkins is back to discuss psychology in debate. Robin is a licensed mental health counselor, specializing in reproductive issues. She also has a philosophy degree. She spent four years doing home-based therapy with the Department of Children's Services. She's a pro-life advocate with an atypical perspective on some of the issues surrounding a…
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This is a companion discussion to our first episode with Robin Atkins, "A Different Perspective: Adoption vs. Foster Care vs. Abortion", which you can watch here: https://youtu.be/yChl-sReTP0 The primary question being discussed is whether sidewalk counselors should NEVER bring up adoption, or whether they should RARELY bring up adoption. Both Jaco…
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Robin Atkins is a licensed mental health counselor, specializing in reproductive issues. She also has a philosophy degree. She spent four years doing home-based therapy with the Department of Children's Services. She's a pro-life advocate and has very interesting thoughts on the topic of abortion. This is the first of three episodes with Robin. In …
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Jonathon Van Maren joins the podcast for the second part of a discussion on what is going on with a hostile anti-abortion group called Abolish Human Abortion (AHA). In this episode, Jonathon discusses the history of the pro-life movement and why it needs to be understood, AHA's "Free the States" strategy, and what pro-life organizations and sidewal…
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Emily pulls back the curtain to explain the ways that her club leaders established a good working relationship with their administration, dealt with vandalism, connected with the pro-choice club, and more! 00:00 Introduction 02:11 Coaching other clubs 04:26 Managing a club's image 07:24 Dealing with vandalism 29:36 The importance of outreach 31:03 …
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Now that she has talked about the initial outreach mistakes the Oles for Life club at St. Olaf made, Emily discusses their initial dialogue mistakes. Toward the beginning, she blows Josh's mind by explaining how many of their member's musical backgrounds made it easier for them to critique each other without anyone's feelings getting hurt. (We bet …
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Our regular listeners have heard by now about the great successes of Oles for Life, the pro-life student club at St. Olaf College. In this episode, Emily Albrecht pulls the curtain back to share five mistakes their club made when they began doing outreach. This episode will be followed by one on specific dialogue mistakes they made during their out…
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Josh Brahm interviews comedian Josh Harris about how he got into sidewalk counseling, how he uses humor on the sidewalk, and some practical tips for you to use to add more humor and friendliness to your conversations about abortion! Chapters: 0:00 Introducing Josh Harris; 03:23 How a Comedian Began Sidewalk Counseling; 08:45 Humor in pro-life dialo…
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Josh Brahm and Jacob Nels, ERI's Sidewalk Counseling Trainer, finish reacting to videos sent in by Rebekah Dyer while sidewalk counseling. If you haven't seen part one yet, please watch that first for more context: https://youtu.be/rqdQO_nFsGg PARENTAL ADVISORY NOTE: Unlike the previous episode, the videos we review in this episode include very str…
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Josh Brahm brings Jacob Nels, ERI's Sidewalk Counseling Trainer, to react to videos sent in by Rebekah Dyer while sidewalk counseling. Rebekah works with Justice For All, which includes her sidewalk counseling, and has benefitted from our Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass. Rebekah has had multiple run-ins with police and private security officers whi…
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We bring you the extended interview of Emily Albrecht (our newest team member!) from the recent ERI Pajama Gala. Emily explains how she got involved in the pro-life movement, and how her campus club used their training from the Equipped for Life Course to transform the culture at St. Olaf, from one where they hated pro-lifers to one where pro-lifer…
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Jordan Warfel is our guest today because he discovered a conspiracy theory that NARAL promoted in a recent virtual conference. The theory is based on a book by Ilyse Hogue that argues the pro-life movement doesn't actually care about babies, but is a front for evangelicals to bring back racial segregation. The discussion includes the horrible dialo…
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It's our first podcast with Emily Albrecht, the co-president of St. Olaf Students for Life and our next speaker/writer/coach! Josh and Emily discuss the recent HBO film "Unpregnant" because there are themes taught in this movie that may influence some of your conversations with pro-choice people who have seen it. ***SPOILER ALERT*** If you would li…
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Josh Brahm interviews Ali Rak, an incredibly effective community organizer and activist in Maryland, to explain the nuts and bolts of how she gets people involved in contacting their political representatives in order to accomplish pro-life goals. 0:00: Introducing Ali and the topic; 13:14: Why apologetics training is important for lobbyists; 15:20…
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*Republishing with the correct spelling of Julie's last name.* Josh interviews Family Therapist Julie Dodson to discuss the "Showing Understanding Skill" technique she's been trained in. Pro-life advocates can use this skill to grow in their empathy and navigate conversations better, especially the ones that turn to particularly emotional aspects o…
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