PODCAST · science
Sanity Check
by Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation
Welcome to Sanity Check (formerly Created to Reign), a production of the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation. On this podcast, Dr. E. Calvin Beisner, Dr. David Legates, and experts in science, economics, theology, ethics, and public policy strive to think Biblically about creation care, global warming, and the world’s poor.
Episodes
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Can Christians Practice Conventional Agriculture?
Can Christians glorify God through conventional agriculture, or does faithful stewardship require regenerative or small-scale farming? In this episode of Sanity Check, Dr. E. Calvin Beisner responds to a Christian farmer who feels discouraged by claims that conventional agriculture is…
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Pay More, Get Less: America’s Energy Policy
What does Diet Coke have to do with America’s energy supply? In this episode, Dr. David Legates explores that question through a surprising comparison from James Taylor of the Heartland Institute. Taylor’s Diet Coke analogy exposes the flaw in politicians’ “all-of-the-above” approach to energy:...
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How One EPA Finding Reshaped American Energy Policy
For nearly two decades, the EPA’s 2009 Endangerment Finding has served as a legal foundation for federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. Its history begins with the Supreme Court’s 2007 decision in Massachusetts v. EPA, continues through the Obama administration’s Endangerment Finding…
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AI, Climate Science, and the Loss of Human Judgment
What can a devastating Himalayan avalanche teach us about climate change—and about the growing role of artificial intelligence in scientific research? In this episode, Dr. David Legates examines claims that a catastrophic 2026 avalanche in Nepal was caused by human-induced climate change. He...
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The Supreme Court’s Climate Change Showdown
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear one of the most consequential climate-related cases in the country this October: Suncor Energy v. County Commissioners of Boulder County. At issue is whether cities and counties can sue oil and gas companies for alleged damages caused by climate change, or...
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The Affordability Crisis—Is It All in Your Head?
Millions of Americans believe that everything from groceries and cars to homes and vacations has become impossibly expensive. But are things actually less affordable than they were in the past, or are we measuring affordability the wrong way? In this episode of Sanity Check, Cal Beisner revisits…
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Is Carbon Dioxide Making Our Blood Toxic?
Could rising carbon dioxide levels actually be changing the chemistry of our blood? A new study makes the startling claim that increasing atmospheric CO₂ could eventually make the atmosphere toxic—but does the evidence really support such a dramatic conclusion? In this episode, Dr. David Legates...
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Science Without the Propaganda
What does it look like to approach climate, water, economics, and environmental questions from a Biblical perspective? In this episode, Dr. David Legates introduces the Cornwall Alliance’s growing catalog of online courses, designed to equip Christians with the scientific, economic, and…
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The Environmental Lawsuit Power Grab
In this episode, Dr. David Legates examines the growing legal battle over “citizen suits” and who has the authority to enforce federal environmental law. The Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Safe Drinking Water Act all gave private citizens and organizations the ability to sue when they…
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Did Cleaning Up Europe’s Air Make It Hotter?
Europe has been warming significantly faster than the global average, and this summer’s heatwaves once again prompted politicians and environmental activists to point to fossil-fuel emissions as the obvious culprit. In this episode, Dr. David Legates examines a new study that suggests there is...
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El Niño Explained: Climate, Forecasts, and Uncertainty
Episode Description El Niño has returned, and forecasters around the world are watching closely. In this episode, Dr. David Legates explains what El Niño is, why the tropical Pacific Ocean is warming, and what scientists expect as the 2026 event continues to develop. He explores how El Niño...
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Can We Buy More Sunshine?
Can humanity turn night into day? In this episode, Dr. David Legates examines Reflect Orbital's ambitious proposal to place mirrors in space that would redirect sunlight onto Earth after sunset. Marketed as a breakthrough for renewable energy, disaster response, agriculture, and industry, the...
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Can America Find Its Way Home?
Episode Description What can one of the most influential Christian thinkers of the past half-century teach us about the future of America? In this episode, Dr. E. Calvin Beisner pays tribute to Os Guinness following his receipt of the Wilberforce Award, reflecting on a lifetime of scholarship...
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I Led the USGCRP. Here's What's Different Now.
When the United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) was dissolved, many assumed its role in federal climate policy had come to an end. Now the program has returned under new leadership and with a different direction. In this episode of Sanity Check, David Legates draws on his own...
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Latin America Says No To Energy Poverty
In this episode of Created to Reign, Vijay Jayaraj discusses the oil, coal, and natural gas comeback in Latin America. Contrary to what some people say, this is not reneging on "creation care," but a Christian attitude toward earth stewardship and care for the poor. Visit our podcast resource…
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The Heat Wave Headline That Didn't Last
When CNN declared that the July heat wave would have been "virtually impossible" without fossil fuel emissions, it pointed to a rapid-attribution study as proof. But does the evidence support such a sweeping claim? In this episode of Sanity Check, Dr. David Legates examines the meteorology behind...
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US-India Big, Beautiful Deal?
Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent visit to India highlighted a growing area of agreement between two of the world’s largest democracies: the need for abundant, reliable energy. As India’s economy expands and hundreds of millions continue moving into the middle class, demand for electricity,...
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How to Manufacture a Climate Crisis
In this episode of Sanity Check, David Legates examines a Guardian article claiming that U.S. immigration enforcement flights carry a "huge climate cost." Looking beyond the headline, he compares the reported emissions with total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, aviation emissions, and other major...
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Another Climate Case Falls Short
After a string of high-profile climate lawsuits, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has delivered a ruling that supporters of sound energy policy may have reason to celebrate. In this episode of Sanity Check, David Legates examines a lawsuit brought by twenty-three young activists challenging...
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The Pacific's Climate Wild Card
El Niño may begin as a patch of unusually warm water in the Pacific Ocean, but its effects can be felt across the globe. In this episode of Sanity Check, David R. Legates explores one of the most powerful climate phenomena on Earth and explains why forecasters are closely watching the possibility...
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Why Science is Deadly Without Christ
This episode of Sanity Check examines a question that sits at the heart of modern scientific culture: Can science remain ethical when divorced from a moral framework? Drawing from a standout presentation delivered at the recent Cornwall Alliance Spring Conference in Memphis, Daniel O’Malley…
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Why Climate Models Are Changing Course
For years, the most extreme climate scenarios shaped headlines, policy debates, and public fear—despite growing evidence that many of those projections were increasingly detached from real-world energy and emissions trends. Now, in a major shift ahead of the IPCC’s Seventh Assessment Report,...
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What Does the "Green" Agenda do to the Developing World?
This episode is a bit different from our usual content. We are bringing you a lecture from our inaugural conference, "Heaven and Earth, the Struggle for Faith and Science in the Public Square." If you missed our conference, you're in luck, because we're bringing you a key lecture from our very…
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Is Capitalism Bad for the Environment? Part 3
In this episode, E. Calvin Beisner takes on three enduring claims about capitalism and the environment: that it depletes resources, imposes unjust costs, and prioritizes the short term at the expense of the future. Drawing on economic theory, historical evidence, and real-world data, he…
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The Myth of Environmental Tipping Points
The concept of “planetary boundaries” has become one of the most influential frameworks in modern environmental science—shaping global policy, corporate behavior, and public perception. But how solid is it, really? In this episode of Sanity Check, Dr. David R. Legates examines the origins of the...
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Sue and Settle
What happens when lawsuits quietly shape public policy—without a full trial, public scrutiny, or legislative debate? In this episode of Sanity Check, David R. Legates unpacks the controversial practice known as “sue-and-settle.” What begins as a seemingly straightforward legal mechanism—citizens...
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How Solid Is the Data Behind Climate Claims?
How reliable are the measurements behind climate claims? In this episode of Sanity Check, David R. Legates examines the data systems used to estimate Earth’s energy imbalance—particularly ocean temperature measurements from Argo floats. While widely treated as authoritative, these measurements…
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Greenwashing and Greenhushing
In this episode of Sanity Check, David R. Legates explores the rise of “greenhushing”—a growing corporate trend where companies pursue environmental initiatives but deliberately stay silent about them. Contrasting it with the more familiar concept of greenwashing, this episode examines why major...
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Is Climate Change Driving Insurance Costs?
Are rising insurance costs really driven by climate change—or is that just the latest political narrative? In this episode, Dr. David Legates takes apart the claim that extreme weather is driving a home insurance crisis. From hurricanes and droughts to wildfires in Maui and Los Angeles, he…
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Is Capitalism Bad for the Environment? Part 2
In this episode, Cal Beisner takes on a common claim at the heart of modern environmental debates: that capitalism is inherently harmful to the natural world. Engaging directly with leading environmental critiques—especially those of Gus Speth—he examines whether capitalism is truly indifferent…
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Introducing Sanity Check: A New Chapter for the Cornwall Alliance Podcast
In this special episode, producer Liza Claire introduces the Cornwall Alliance podcast’s new name: Sanity Check. After several years as Created to Reign, the show is relaunching with a clearer title and a renewed commitment to thoughtful, rational discussion about the environment, economics, and...
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Where’s the Beef? The Climate Debate on Your Plate
Is eating beef really bad for the planet? Environmental activists often claim cattle are a major driver of climate change, deforestation, water shortages, and biodiversity loss. From methane emissions to land use, the beef industry has become a central target in the modern environmental movement....
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Dustbin of History—or Climate Comeback?
For more than fifteen years, the EPA’s 2009 Endangerment Finding has been the legal foundation for sweeping federal greenhouse gas regulations—impacting everything from your car to the power grid. But what if the ruling that launched trillions of dollars in climate policy wasn’t the purely...
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Think Climate Alarmism is Dead? Go to a Blue State
With headlines declaring the end of climate extremism and federal withdrawals from global climate bodies making waves, many are celebrating what looks like a turning point. But is it really over? In this episode, David R. Legates argues that while the federal government may be stepping back, the...
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Does Capitalism Harm the Environment?
Is capitalism wrecking the planet—or is that the biggest environmental myth of our time? From Naomi Klein in This Changes Everything to Karl Marx in Das Kapital, and even Pope Francis in Laudato Si', influential voices have argued that free markets are fundamentally incompatible with…
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Use It or Lose It: How the Electric Grid Works
Most people think the electric grid is a giant battery—store power when there’s extra and pull it out when you need it. Simple. And completely wrong. In this episode, David R. Legates explains how the electric grid actually works: a just-in-time system where electricity must be generated and...
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Blaming the Weather for Your Migraine
Migraines are a debilitating neurological condition affecting millions—and no one who has experienced one takes them lightly. In the United Kingdom alone, an estimated 10 million adults suffer from migraines, costing millions of lost workdays each year. So when headlines recently declared that...
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Keep Your Hands in Your Own Pockets
$7.56 billion. 321 grants. One federal judge. And a big question: who should be spending your money? In this episode of Created to Reign, Dr. E. Calvin Beisner breaks down the Department of Energy’s attempt to cancel billions in clean-energy and climate grants—and why a federal court just forced...
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NCAR, Alarmism, and the Federal Gravy Train
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has been called the “mothership” of climate science. So when reports claimed the Trump administration was planning to shut it down, the reaction was explosive—headlines screamed “destruction of knowledge” and “war on science.” But is that what’s...
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God Never Lost Control of Creation
Psalm 104 offers a bracing corrective to the modern habit of treating the world as fragile, chaotic, or fundamentally out of control. In this episode of Created to Reign, Cal Beisner walks through one of Scripture’s most vivid portraits of creation—not as a system teetering on the brink, but as a...
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This New Company Lets You "Save the Planet" for $9.95
Some efforts are so disproportionate to their impact that they border on the absurd—like bailing out the ocean with a teaspoon. In this episode of Created to Reign, David R. Legates takes aim at one such effort: a Silicon Valley–style geoengineering startup selling “cooling credits” by launching...
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More on the Greenhouse Effect
In this episode of Created to Reign, Dr. David Legates revisits the most controversial sentence he’s ever spoken: “Carbon dioxide contributes very little to the greenhouse effect.” That single line has earned him everything from eye-rolling to outright insults—but it also reveals how deeply...
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Is The Science Really Settled?
Sometimes new research genuinely advances our understanding. Other times, long-standing claims quietly fall apart. In this episode of Created to Reign, David R. Legates walks through two major developments in the climate literature from late 2025—one newly published paper that challenges…
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Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire
What wiped out the great American Chestnut Tree—human industry or nature itself? The answer might surprise you. In this episode, Dr. E. Calvin Beisner revisits one of North America’s greatest ecological losses to reveal how the near-extinction of the American Chestnut wasn’t caused by human greed...
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What You Need to Know About Natural Asset Companies
What are Natural Asset Companies, and why did 24 states fight to stop them? In this episode of Created to Reign, David R. Legates explains how NACs would turn the ecological “value” of forests, watersheds, and other natural areas into tradable corporate assets—placing control of land use in the...
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Try This Life-Changing Christmas Experience
In this special Christmas episode of Created to Reign, Cal Beisner steps away from the usual discussions of environmental stewardship and economic wisdom to explore a different kind of wonder. Drawing on Virgil’s Eclogue IV—a poem early Christians saw as foreshadowing the birth and kingdom of...
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Roman Catholics Speak Out On Climate Change... Again.
Roman Catholic leaders are sounding the climate alarm again—but are their claims grounded in reality? In this episode of Created to Reign, Dr. E. Calvin Beisner takes a hard look at the latest warnings, from Laudato Sí to the Claretian Missionaries’ “Glad You Asked” podcast, and tests them…
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The German Idi-oddessy
Germany has long been considered an industrial powerhouse—but in recent years, its energy policies have charted a path that looks less like progress and more like self-inflicted decline. From shuttering reliable energy sources to binding one of its most prosperous cities to an aggressive net-zero...
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Did Bill Gates Do a 180 or a 360?
Did Bill Gates really change his mind about climate change—or did he simply repackage the same old alarmism with softer language? In this episode of Created to Reign, Cal Beisner revisits Gates’s much-discussed COP30 “memo” and explains why the tech billionaire’s supposed turnaround may be less…
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Richard and Jane's Second Podcast
In this episode, Dr. David Legates turns the microphone back over to Richard and Jane—the AI duo created with Google Notebook LM—for their second appearance on Created to Reign. This time, they tackle the Genesis creation account, exploring its literal interpretation and relationship to…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Welcome to Sanity Check (formerly Created to Reign), a production of the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation. On this podcast, Dr. E. Calvin Beisner, Dr. David Legates, and experts in science, economics, theology, ethics, and public policy strive to think Biblically about creation care, global warming, and the world’s poor.
HOSTED BY
Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Sanity Check have?
Sanity Check currently has 220 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Sanity Check about?
Welcome to Sanity Check (formerly Created to Reign), a production of the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation. On this podcast, Dr. E. Calvin Beisner, Dr. David Legates, and experts in science, economics, theology, ethics, and public policy strive to think Biblically about creation...
How often does Sanity Check release new episodes?
Sanity Check publishes regularly with 220 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Sanity Check?
You can listen to Sanity Check on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Sanity Check?
Sanity Check is created and hosted by Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation.
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