From Division to Dialogue

Dear Friends,

Last week, I invited you into a conversation about the growing canyon in American education, and the desperate longing for a foundation that brings together both head and heart. (If you missed it, you can read it here.)

There is a widespread hunger for something more integrated, more real. Not just schooling or soul-work, but a path where our best thinking and our core commitments actually reinforce one another. In other words: what we’re yearning for is a new intellectual coherence and spiritual commitment—not just a truce between mind and soul, but an honest peace.

Many of us have experienced the cost of their separation: education without a higher purpose leads to restlessness, cynicism, or even despair; spiritual communities detached from honest inquiry can drift into dogma or irrelevance. What if, instead, we could pursue a synthesis—an education designed to help us think rigorously, examine deeply, and stand, at the end of it all, on ground we truly trust?

A New Space for Real Dialogue: Intellectual Coherence Meets Spiritual Commitment

Because the need for integration has become so palpable in our community—and because of the momentum generated through our “Created in the Image of God: Building Vibrant Communities” project—I’m thrilled to announce a new experiment:

Starting Sunday, July 13th (or possibly July 20th—depending on how quickly we can get everything arranged), we’re launching a new show airing early every Sunday morning, pre-recorded and premiering at 9:00 AM Central Time. This weekly series will be dedicated to anyone who wants to start their week with a conversation that refuses false choices:

Can education shape not just our reasoning, but our souls?
Can we build communities that root intellectual rigor in actual, lived commitments—and avoid both the trap of rootless relativism and the lure of brittle dogmatism?
What would it look like for religion, faith, and shared wisdom traditions to participate in—not dominate, but illuminate—the project of education and community-building for the 21st century?

We’ll bring in guests from all walks: educators, youth, parents, spiritual seekers, and anyone intrigued by the challenge of weaving together intellectual coherence and spiritual commitment. We’re building an open, inviting, living space for honest, gentle but courageous dialogue.

Your Role: Inquiry, Commitment, & Conversation

If this theme of integrating mind and meaning speaks to you—if you want to share your own struggle, insight, or hope—consider applying as a guest, or simply join as a viewer. We need educators brave enough to question their assumptions, spiritual leaders humble enough to learn from every lamp, and curious souls everywhere who want to build, not just critique.

To apply as a guest (or recommend someone else), email me at Wade@SOOPMedia.net, or simply comment below. Introduce yourself, share your story, and let me know which facet of “intellectual coherence and spiritual commitment” you want to explore.
To watch the show each week, simply subscribe here on Substack, check out our Facebook and Spotify podcast feed, or tune in on YouTube. Add your voice to the comments, the DMs, or even just your quiet reflection.

Let’s begin our Sundays by turning together—not just to answers but to better questions: What, if anything, truly holds mind and spirit together? How do we build a world where our most passionate convictions and our highest standards of evidence work as partners, not rivals?

Momentum Toward Solutions—This Is Just the Beginning

With each new listener, guest, and comment, I’m more convinced: solutions exist—and they begin with spaces where intellectual coherence and spiritual commitment are not enemies, but allies. As work continues on the institute and educational model I outlined last week, this show will serve as our workshop: a place to test, challenge, and refine every blueprint for education, community, and civilization—before we lay a single stone.

There’s enduring wisdom:

“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
The same is true for our minds and hearts—for our search for knowledge and our deepest faith.

Let’s see if we can build something truly whole—together.

Mark your calendars for July 13th (or July 20th). Get ready, and stay tuned for the official launch announcement—more details are on the way! In the meantime, consider what you might want to share, and invite a friend to join the first wave.

See you soon on Sunday morning,
—Wade Fransson

Ready to help shape the conversation? Apply, comment, or just quietly listen in. We build coherence one honest conversation at a time. Stay tuned!