The Republican Professor

Part 5 in the Mr. Steak series, and Part 4 of the Mr. Steak's Competitive Edge series. This one is from May 1978 and is on the topic of "The Law" by Frederic Bastiat. This was one of Grandpa Mather's favorite books and one that I saw him handout on many an occasion to total strangers. The reading is done by Robert Hite with interjections by Grandpa for Scriptural commentary and discussion. This was probably recorded in April 1978 for the May 1978 Poster Tape discussion program that went out to the entire nationwide chain's associates, managers, and staff.

Mr. Steak's Founder, Chairman of the Board and CEO James A. Jim Mather, my Grandpa Mather, interviews people in an effort to increase what he called Mr. Steak's Competitive Edge by encouraging people to smile in order to help beautify America. This was in December 1976 for the benefit of Mr. Steak's nationwide staff in 285 restaurants. Grandpa interjects his thoughts along with Scripture. This seems to have been a monthly series called "Mr. Steak's Competitive Edge," each month with a new theme.

Many thank to Kerri Marquadt, owner of 7 of the 286 Mr. Steak franchises including the Cheyenne Wyoming location, for the gift to me of these rare tapes of the Mr. Steak franchisor founder and motivational speaker, James A. Mather.

Grandpa Mather was raised by a single mother in the Great Depression in El Dorado, Kansas. He went on to serve as a Navy F2F Hellcat fighter pilot during World War 2. He started the company in 1962. He and his first wife Dottie raised 3 kids in Colorado. He died last year in the presence of his second wife Linda peacefully in Camarillo, California at the ripe age of 102 years young. Funeral services were held at Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Newbury Park and performed by Pastor Rob McCoy, whom Jim mentored in the Lord.

The still photo is one of my copies of The Law by Frederic Bastiat given to my father by my Grandpa Jim Mather probably while I was in high school. It has markings and marginal notes in pencil in my father's handwriting. It was passed down from him to me when I was in the U.S.Navy after high school, although I believe I read this for the first time in high school at Chatfield I'm-so-high-screwel (as Rush Limbaugh used to call them), part of the Jefferson County Public School System in a little town called Littleton, Colorado, where I grew up.

Enjoy.

The Republican Professor is a pro-free-enterprise-system podcast. Therefore, welcome back Grandpa Jim James A. Mather.

The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D

Part 7 of a series on the history of Israel based on a fair use and transformative reading of "Israel and the Nations: From the Exodus to the Fall of the Second Temple" (Eerdmans, 1963) by FF Bruce.

Prof. Bruce describes the purpose of his work on pages 11 and 12. Referring to the historical source material, he says, "For much of the period covered in this work, our most important primary sources are the books of the Hebrew Bible, which Christians call the Old Testament. In these books the story of Israel is told as 'sacred history.' That is to say, the narrators' interest was not so much in political developments as in the dealings of the God of Israel with His people. They retain their religious value to this day both for the Jewish people and for the Christian church.

"Yet," continues Prof. Bruce on the bottom of p. 11, "while these books have come down to us as Holy Scripture, they are historical source-documents of first-rate worth. The chapters (top of p. 12 now) which follow are not concerned with them as canonical writings, but as material for constructing a political narrative."

Don't forget that introduction to the book. The book is about politics, too, its intersection, in history, with theology.

This episode includes continued interaction with the famous historical characters of Isaiah and Hosea (along with the political authorities involved at the time) in his chapter VII entitled "Decline and Fall of the Northern Kingdom 745 to 721 BC" by the Rylands Professor of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis, FF Bruce, my intellectual and spiritual grandfather because he mentored my professor Bruce Demarest who himself studied under FF Bruce at the University of Manchester for his Ph.D.

We're going to do a fair use and make a transformative reading of this material. We'd like to thank Eerdmans for making it available and thank FF Bruce for writing it.

The Republican Professor is a pro-biblical-literacy, pro-Christmas, pro-quality-mentoring, pro-understanding-the-history-of-Israel podcast.

The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

Part 3.

We're continuing our discussion of The Trivium today in conversation with Sister Miriam Joseph, Ph.D., who joins us through her writing teaching ministry in "The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric" originally published in 1937. We're discussing the first section of her second chapter. That chapter is called The Nature and Function of Language. We start our discussion on the top of p. 15 where we left off 25 Feb 2026, and we end bottom of p. 18 today.

We'd like to thank Sister Miriam Joseph for writing this and we'd like to thank Paul Dry Books 2002 for making this particular edition available to readers (edited by Marguerite McGlinn).

We're doing a fair use and transformative reading, and would encourage you to go out and get yourself a physical copy of this book. Whether used or new, or even a different edition, if you can find it, get the book, a physical copy you can hold in your hand, and follow along with the discussion.

The Republican Professor is a pro-Trivium-done-right podcast.

The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

We're talking about the Bible's Influence on America's Legal Tradition. Happy 250th Anniversary of 'Murica. You're in for a treat .

This is part 4 of 4 (but it's Part 8 of the discussion of this book begun Fall 2025) on the Second Chapter "The English and American Public Culture." This is episode 8 of the series on the book.

This episode broaches the debate among the Founders on the use of the Bible in schools, for example in the election of 1800 of Thomas Jefferson, discussing pp. 42 through to the end of the chapter on p. 48.

"The American Founders read the Bible," Oxford University Rhodes Scholar Daniel Dreisbach says in his first sentence of his Oxford University Press book. "They knew the Bible from cover to cover."

"Its ideas shaped their habits of mind."

"The Bible left its mark on the political culture of the era."

Dreisbach's first sentence in his chapter 2 is:

Ready ?

"Anglo-Americans are people of the Book, and that Book is the Bible."

WOW !

We had the author, Dr. Daniel L. Dreisbach, D.Phil. (Oxford), JD (University of Virginia Law School) on the podcast for Thanksgiving, Fall 2022.

We're going to make a fair use, do a transformative reading of the book. We'd like to thank Dr. Dreisbach for writing this, and thank Oxford University Press for making it available.

Support publishers when they make something worth reading.

Support the publisher and throw some bidness their way. Support your brick and mortar book dealer.

The Republican Professor is a pro-correctly-and-adequately-articulating-the-Bible's-appropriate-influence-on-American-politics podcast.

Therefore, welcome again, through his writing, Dr. Daniel L. Dreisbach, D.Phil., J.D.

The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

Warmly,

Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

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Part 4 in the Mr. Steak series, and Part 3 of the Mr. Steak's Competitive Edge series. This one is from June 1976 and is on the topic of "Nobody Loves and Absentee." On the topic of Absenteeism, which apparently was a chronic condition for the managers and staff to work through at the time.

Mr. Steak's Founder, Chairman of the Board and CEO James A. Jim Mather, my Grandpa Mather, interviews people in an effort to increase what he called Mr. Steak's Competitive Edge by encouraging people to smile in order to help beautify America. This was in December 1976 for the benefit of Mr. Steak's nationwide staff in 285 restaurants. Grandpa interjects his thoughts along with Scripture. This seems to have been a monthly series called "Mr. Steak's Competitive Edge," each month with a new theme.

Many thank to Kerri Marquadt, owner of 7 of the 286 Mr. Steak franchises including the Cheyenne Wyoming location, for the gift to me of these rare tapes of the Mr. Steak franchisor founder and motivational speaker, James A. Mather.

Grandpa Mather was raised by a single mother in the Great Depression in El Dorado, Kansas. He went on to serve as a Navy F2F Hellcat fighter pilot during World War 2. He started the company in 1962. He and his first wife Dottie raised 3 kids in Colorado. He died last year in the presence of his second wife Linda peacefully in Camarillo, California at the ripe age of 102 years young. Funeral services were held at Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Newbury Park and performed by Pastor Rob McCoy, whom Jim mentored in the Lord.

The still photo is Grandpa Mather with Michigan Mr. Steak franchisee associates, managers, staff.

Enjoy.

The Republican Professor is a pro-free-enterprise-system podcast. Therefore, welcome back Grandpa Jim James A. Mather.

The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D