Varsity Reading List

Kickoff Session

• CanaVox, “What We Cheer For” (Email to those interested, 15 min study)

• CanaVox, “For Reading Group Participants”  (15 min study)

Leader Guide: Here (not for distribution)

Tips for Moderating a Reading Group: Here (not for distribution)

Optional Session 1: Natural Law

Required Readings for All:

• CanaVox, “What is Natural Law?”

Leader Guide: Here

Session 2: Friendship

READINGS:

Required Readings for All:

• CanaVox, C.S. Lewis on Friendship (12 min read)

Screen at the Beginning of Meeting

• C.S. Lewis Doodle, The Four Loves (“Philia” or “Friendship”) (Stop at 6:11 min)

For the Varsity Leader: 

• CanaVox, The Friendship Onion (6 min read) Only for the Varsity leader to read prior to the meeting).

• CV Varsity, The Friendship Onion Slideshow Presentation (5 min expo) Additional fodder for your meeting. You can screen this as a visual aid to fuel conversation about a distinct model of friendship based on the levels of intimacy)

Optional Readings for all (email out):

• Elizabeth at I Believe in Love, “How Friendship Prepared Me for Marriage” (3 min read)

Leader Guide: Here

Session 2.5: Friendship (Optional Session)

READINGS:

Readings for All: 

• D. C. McAllister, How to Stop Sexualizing Everything (12 min read; Email this article out)

Screen at the Beginning of Meeting

• CV Project Manhood, Friendship (3 min) (Screen at the beginning of the meeting as a “warm up.”)

For the Varsity Leader:

• The Art of Manliness, The History of Male Friendship, and Slideshow presentation (This is additional fodder for your meeting. You can print out the images, which we’ve included at the end of this leader guide too, as a visual aid to fuel conversation about the over-sexualization of male friendships today.)

Leader Guide: Here

Session 3: Dating

READINGS:

Required Readings for All: 

• CanaVox, A Dating Roadmap (Varsity Edition) For Guys

• CanaVox, A Dating Roadmap (Varsity Edition) For Women

• Mandy Len Catron, “To Fall in Love With Anyone, Do This” (3min read)

Screen at Beginning of Meeting

• The Atlantic, Dating is Hard (4:29 min)

For the Varsity Leader:

• CanaVox, The Dating Roadmap Infographic you might choose to hand out or screen)

Optional Readings for All: (email out)

• Barbara Wilson, Psy.D., “The Five Levels of Intimacy” (Excerpts, 5 min read)

• Love & Fidelity Network, “Get It Right: ‘Dating’ and ‘Relationship’ Don’t Mean the Same Thing” (2 min read)

Leader Guide: Here

Session 3.5 The Dating Project (Optional Session)

READINGS:

Required Readings for All: 

• The Dating Project, Rules of the First Date (2 min read)

Video

• Screening of The Dating Project (70 min movie, followed by discussion)

Leader Guide: Here 

Session 4 Sexual Identity NEW!

READINGS:

 Required Readings for All: 

• CanaVox, Sexual Identity (24-min read)
• CanaVox / Humanum, Understanding Man and Woman (17-min video)

Screen at the Beginning of Meeting

• Excerpts from the above video (choose your preferred 5-minute segment)

Leader Guide: Coming Soon

Session 5 The Hookup Culture vs. The Meaning of Sex

READINGS:

Required Readings for All: 

• CanaVox, On the Meaning of Sex (15-20 min read)

• Steven E. Rhoads, “The Emotional Costs of Hooking Up” (8 min read)

Screen at the Beginning of Meeting

• The Austin Institute, The Economics of Sex (10 min video)

Optional Readings (email out):

• Jennifer Joyner, I Thought Casual Sex Would be Empowering, but It Was the Opposite (8 min read)
• D.C. McAllister, Stop Pretending Sex Never Hurts (7 min read)
• John Prather, Waiting for Sex: an Honest Look at the Price of Patience (6 min read) (website archive, will take longer to load)
• Dear Katy, Know Your Worth (2 min video)

Leader Guide: Here

Session 5.5 Hookup Culture: Does Consent Cut It?
(Optional Session)

Required Readings for All:

• Anonymous, Pregnant at Harvard?
• Timothy Hsiao, “The Limits of Consent” (A philosophical critique of consent-based sexual morality)

Screen at the Beginning of the Meeting

• NYU, Let’s Talk About Consent, (4 min video)

Optional Readings:

• Mark Regnerus, “Naked Consent: Why Personal Speech Codes Won’t Curb a Problem Like Sexual Assault” (A sociological/ pragmatic critique of consent-based public policy)
• Elizabeth Schlueter and Nathan Schlueter, “What #MeToo and Hooking Up Teach Us About the Meaning of Sex”

Leader Guide: Here

Session 6 Pornography

READINGS:

Required Readings for All: 

• Morgan Bennett, “The New Narcotic”

Screen at the Beginning of the Meeting

• Ran Gavrieli, Why I Stopped Watching Porn (15-min TED talk video) Heads up: please do not screen min 2:50-4:30 since that section can make some people uncomfortable.

Optional Readings (email out):

Session 6.5 Pornography Pt. 2 (Optional Session)

READINGS:

Screen at the Meeting: 

• Brain, Heart, World Documentary Part 1 “The Brain: How Pornography Can Affect Individuals” (28:39)

• Brain, Heart, World Documentary Part 2 “The Heart: How Pornography Can Affect Relationships” (33:54)

• Brain, Heart, World Documentary Part 3 “The World: How Pornography Can Affect the World” (33:24)

  *leaders: You can choose either to watch all the parts at once, or stop at each part and discuss

Optional Readings:

• Fight the New Drug, “These Four Studies Show How Recovering From a Porn Habit is Absolutely Possible”

• What To Know To Break Free

Leader Guide: Here 

Session 7 The Public Meaning and Benefits of Marriage

READINGS:

Required Readings:

• Ryan Anderson, What is Marriage? (8.5 min @ 1.5x playback speed) (Watch from 0:15 -15:50)

• CanaVox Varsity, What is Marriage (15-20 min read)

• CanaVox Varsity, What is Marriage (Endnotes) (read as needed)

Screen at the Beginning of Meeting

• John Corvino, The Definition of Marriage (3 min video) (This video is meant to be a provocation. Corvino offers a somewhat condescending view of the pro-gay-marriage side of the debate.)

Optional Readings:

• Jordan Peterson, Podcast: Gay Parenting: Promise and Pitfalls | Dave Rubin & Dr. Jordan B. Peterson (listen from 13:35–25:27)

Leader Guide: Here

Session 7.5 Third Party Reproduction (Optional Session)

READINGS:

Screen at the Beginning of Meeting

• California Cryobank, Kids of Donor 5114 (9-min video)

Required Readings:

• Alana Newman, “What are the Rights of Donor-Conceived People?” 

• Katy Faust, “Third Party Reproduction vs. Adoption: There’s a Big Difference” (text) or Audio Recording (14-min podcast)

Optional Readings:

• CanaVox, Ethical Dilemmas of Assisted Reproductive Technology (We recommend that the local leader read this as background information.)

For Further Study:

• Institute for American Values, “My Daddy’s Name is Donor: 15 Conclusions from the Social Sciences” Pp. 7-14. (Statistical evidence.)
• Anonymous Us (Personal testimonies of donor-conceived kids; peruse the website for further testimonies — possibly to read a testimony or two at the meeting.)

Leader Guide: *Under Construction*

Session 8 The Personal Meaning and Benefits of Marriage

READINGS:

Required Readings (email to all participants):

• CanaVox, Marriage and the Public Good excerpt, Analysis from Philosophy: The Intrinsic Goods of Marriage – pages 43-44 (5-min read)

• Judith S., “Fidelity Amidst Hardship: Mexican Marriage Heroes” (15-min read)

• CanaVox, Marriage and the Public Good excerpt, Evidence from the Sciences: The Well-Being of Adults – pages 23-29 (8-min read)

Screen at the Beginning/Middle/End of Meeting (optional to email ahead, you can save for meeting) :

• Humanum, Hidden Sweetness: The Power of Marriage Amid Hardship (13-min)

Optional Readings (email out as optional):

• Angela Mckay Knobel, “Aristotle, True Friendship, and the ‘Soulmate’ View of Marriage” (15-min read)

Leader Guide: Here

Session 9 Understanding Same-Sex Attraction

READINGS:

Required Readings (email to all participants):

• Katy Faust and Ana Samuel, “Understanding Same-Sex Attraction” (25 min read) Leaders, please email the link to your reading group participants but do not post the link to any public website.

• Ron Belgau, “My Alternative Lifestyle” (18 min read)

Screen at the Beginning/Middle/End of Meeting (optional to email ahead, you can save for meeting):

• John Corvino, Is Homosexuality Unnatural? (4 minutes)

Optional Readings (email out as optional):

• CanaVox, Frequently Asked Questions About Same-Sex Attraction (20 min read) Leaders, please email the link to your reading group participants but do not post the link to any public website.

Leader Guide: Here

Session 9.5 Loving Those with Same-Sex Attraction Updated!

Screen at Meeting:

• Crossway, “How Radically Ordinary Hospitality Changed Rosaria Butterfield’s Life” (6-min video)

Required Readings (email to all participants):

• Amy Hamilton, “My Father Gives Me Bread: What the LGBTQ+ Community Needs from the Church”  (18-min read or listen)
• Anonymous, “The Gifts of Same-Sex Attraction: An Orthodox Jewish Man’s Journey” Story of a man in the Orthodox Jewish community who experiences same-sex attraction. (6-min read)

Optional:

• CanaVox,  “Leah’s Story“ Story of a Catholic woman who experienced the rejection of her sister and family when she did not affirm the sister’s gay identity and lifestyle. (23-min read)

Leader Guide: Here

Session 10 Cohabitation

Required Readings (email to all participants):

• Sara Jane Panfil, What I Wish I’d Known Before I Moved in with my Boyfriend (9-minute read)

• Theresa DiDonato, “Are Couples That Live Together Before Marriage More Likely to Divorce? A lot has changed. Has cohabitation’s link to divorce changed as well?” (5-minute read)

• W. Bradford Wilcox, “A Shaky Foundation for Families” (4-minute read)

• John Sedarati, “Jordan Peterson On Cohabitation Versus Marriage” (4-minute read)

Optional Video to Screen:

• PrepMedia, Scott Stanley, Relationship DUI: Are you Sure You’re in Love? (4-minute video)

Optional Readings (email out as optional):

• Katrina Fernandez, “Cohabitation is a Smack in the Face.”  (02:40 min read)

• Alysse Elhage, “Why I Never Considered Living With My Husband Before Marriage” (11 min read)

Leader Guide: Here

Session 11 Religious Liberty NEW!

READINGS:

Screen at the Beginning of Meeting (optional to email ahead, you can save for meeting):

• Heritage Foundation, America’s Biggest Issues: Religious Freedom (5-min)

Required Readings (email to participants):

• Time, “The Real Meaning of the Separation of Church and State” (6-min)
• Alliance Defending Freedom, When Cancel Culture Knocks on the Classroom Door (6 min video) and summary (2-min)
• Alliance Defending Freedom, “Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission” (8-min video) and summary (2-min)

Optional:

• Heritage Foundation, “What You Need to Know About Religious Freedom” (9-min)
• The Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs, “Religious Freedom: A Conversation with Rick Warren, Robert P. George and John Dilulio” (excerpts) (13-min)

Leader Guide: Here

Session 12 The Transformative Power of Family NEW!

READINGS:

Screen at the Beginning of Meeting (optional to email ahead:

• CanaVox / Humanum, “The Family: A Home for the Wounded Heart” (5-min video)

Required Readings (email to participants):

•  CanaVox / Humanum, “Creating the Future: The Fertility of Love” (5-min video)
•  Emma Waters, “Pro-Natalism Is Not Enough” (6-min read)
• Public Discourse, “What Makes America Family Unfriendly? A Q&A with Tim Carney” (15-min read)

Pick One:

• Bethany Mandel, I Never Wanted Kids. Number Six Is Due in a Few Months. (9-min read)
• Theresa Olahan, “I Love My Big Family” (5-min read)

Leader Guide: Coming Soon