Shows / Approach the Bench
Approach the Bench
Two Christian Conservative Bachelors at Harvard Law take on the world's most difficult problems — on a bench. New episodes every Thursday. Send in your questions to approachthebenchquestions@gmail.com or record a voice memo at https://www.speakpipe.com/approachthebench. You can also submit anonymous questions and comments through https://forms.gle/qxmFi2y5DAnsbnBv8.
Episodes
- Approach the Bench
Should Christians Celebrate Halloween? | ATB Halloween Special
Should Christians Celebrate Halloween? (Plus: The Definitive Candy Rankings)Every October, the same debate splits church parking lots: is Halloween harmless…
- Approach the Bench
How Big Is the Blue Wave? | We Predicted EVERY Major Midterm Race
2026 Midterms: Our PredictionsWith Election Day just weeks away, Mason and Will break down the 2026 midterms. We walk through the Senate map race by race, make…
- Approach the Bench
Originalism, Outcomes, & the Next Generation w/ Judge Josh Divine
In our first-ever live taping, Mason and Will sit down with Judge Josh Divine of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri. He…
- Approach the Bench
Teddy Roosevelt's Comeback: Inside His New Presidential Library | ATB S2 E3
Will heads out to the Badlands for this one — to Medora, North Dakota, where the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library opened its doors on July 4, 2026…
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Our Struggles as Christian Guys | ATB S2 E2.5
Most Christian guys won't say this out loud. Mason and Will get honest about where their faith actually feels hard. Mason admits he keeps treating grace like a…
- Approach the Bench
We went to Europe. It's Bad. | ATB S2 E2
Mason just got back from the ARC conference in London, where he spent a week at a summit about rebuilding Western civilization and came home mostly annoyed…
- Approach the Bench
When and How to Ask a Girl Out | ATB S2 E1.5
We sat down to give some practical advice to our fellow men on this SPECIAL episode of Approach the Bench. If you’ve ever wondered, how should I ask a girl…
- Approach the Bench
TOTAL BOOMER LUXURY COMMUNISM | ATB Season 2 Ep. 1
Every few months someone declares that the Baby Boomers ruined America — and every few months someone else points out that most Boomers never sat in Congress…
- Approach the Bench
Feminist AND Christian: Can You Be Both? | ATB Rewind #3
What does it actually mean to call yourself a feminist in 2026?In this 45-minute, single-shot sit-down on a couch (no bench to be found!)), the three of us -…
- Approach the Bench
The Disturbing Truth about Dating Apps | ATB Rewind #2
Hinge, Bumble, Tinder --- they're supposed to help you find a partner. Right? On this segment from Ep. 21 of Approach the Bench, Harvard Business School…
- Approach the Bench
Our Democratic Socialism Rant | ATB #43
WEEK 43 The Socialists Are Winning. What Do They Actually Want? We're in a fine Utah hotel for this one, and there's no guest — just the two of us and a stack…
- Approach the Bench
OBJECTIVELY Ranking the Best and Worst Presidents | ATB Rewind #1
We sat down with Brian Rath and debated who the best and worst American Presidents are. This was a surprising debate, full of all sorts of twists and turns…
- Approach the Bench
We Went Back to Where Charlie Kirk Was K*lled — With a Man Who Saw It Happen
WEEK 42: We Took an Eyewitness Back to Where Charlie Kirk Was Killed We're not on a bench this week. We're on a courtyard at Utah Valley University in Orem…
- Approach the Bench
We Shared Our Full Testimonies (Christian Conversion Stories) | ATB #41
WEEK 41: Our Testimonies We're on a bench in Arlington, Virginia for this one — and we're doing something we've never done in 40 episodes. No guest, no topic…
- Approach the Bench
Will AI Destroy Gen Z? | ATB #40
WEEK 40: What Happens When AI Replaces Us? We're filming this one on a rooftop overlooking the U.S. Capitol — which felt right, because this episode is about…
- Approach the Bench
Is Feminism Compatible With Christianity? | ATB #39
WEEK 39: Feminism (with Hannah, Concerned Women for America) We sit down with Hannah, who works for Concerned Women for America — the largest conservative…
- Approach the Bench
We Asked a Rear Admiral What Makes America Great | ATB #38
WEEK 38: What Makes America Great — w/ Rear Admiral Putnam Browne We recorded this one at the Iwo Jima Memorial in Washington, DC, in front of the flag-raising…
- Approach the Bench
The DEFINITIVE Guide to Men's Fashion. | ATB #37
Congratulations, you've stumbled across a treasure trove of men's fashion wisdom. Consider this your lucky day. WEEK 37: The DEFINITIVE Guide to Men's Fashion…
- Approach the Bench
We Asked a Celibate Priest How to Date | ATB #36
WEEK 35: We Asked a Dominican Priest How to Date (ft. Father Max, O.P.) We're at a resort with a guest who brings the theology heavy: Father Max, a Dominican…
- Approach the Bench
10,000 Baptized — Something Is Happening to Gen Z (ATB #35)
WEEK 35: Something Is Happening to Gen Z | The Campus Revival w/ Josh Moran We're coming to you from Lansdowne, Virginia — outside, golden hour, with a guest…
- Approach the Bench
The Strange, Sweaty, Totally American Ritual of "DC Summer"
WEEK 34: DC Summer Is Miserable. We Wouldn't Be Anywhere Else. We're coming to you live from a bench in Washington, DC — and before we get into the summer…
- Approach the Bench
Harvard Business School Has a Morality Problem
WEEK 33: Harvard Business School Has a Morality Problem This week, we're joined by Edward Doan — Harvard Business School student and devout Catholic. And we're…
- Approach the Bench
Are Protestants Going to Heaven? | 2 Protestants Debate a Catholic (ATB #32)
WEEK 32: Are Protestants Going to Heaven? Welcome to Harvard Divinity School. This week, we sit down with Edward Doan to take on one of the oldest and most…
- Approach the Bench
Everybody is Wrong About Men | ATB #31
WEEK 31: Are Men Useless? (REUPLOAD) Welcome to Harvard Stadium. This week, we bring in Daniel Nivens and take on one of the most charged questions in modern…
- Approach the Bench
A Rare Inside Look at the Life of a Harvard Law Professor (w/ Professor Jesse Fried) | ATB #31
WEEK 31: Inside the Life of a Harvard Law Professor. Welcome to Newton, MA. This week, we sit down with Professor Jesse Fried — William Nelson Cromwell…
- Approach the Bench
Are Mormons Christians? | 2 Protestants Debate a Mormon (ATB #30)
WEEK 30: Are Mormons Christians? (Outside an LDS Church) This week, we take the conversation outside—literally. Filmed in front of an LDS church in Cambridge…
- Approach the Bench
The War Fracturing the Legal Right (ft. Sarah Isgur) | ATB #29
WEEK 29: Sarah Isgur on the War Fracturing the Legal Right Welcome back to Approach the Bench. This week we sit down with Sarah Isgur — SCOTUSblog editor…
- Approach the Bench
How to Get Into Harvard Law with the LITERAL Dean of Admissions | ATB #28
WEEK 28: How to Get Into Harvard Law (with the Dean of Admissions). Welcome to the Charles River. This week, we sit down with Dean Kristi Jobson—the literal…
- Approach the Bench
Can the Right Win Women Back? | ATB #27
WEEK 27: Can the GOP Win Women Back? (with Keri Collins). Welcome to the Harvard Salient office. This week, we’re joined by Keri Collins, a freshman at Harvard…
- Approach the Bench
Should Gay Marriage Be Legal? | ATB #26
WEEK 26: The Gay Marriage Debate (with Ripken). Welcome back to the bench. This week, we’re joined by Ripken Holt for one of our most direct and controversial…
- Approach the Bench
You Might Be Single Forever… And That’s Okay | ATB #25
WEEK 25: The Singleness Special Welcome to Will’s house. This week, we slow things down after a run of politics-heavy episodes to ask a different kind of…
- Approach the Bench
Should We Keep Doing This? | ATB #24
Week 24: The Spring Break Special Shooting at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, Mason and Will take a bit of a break from the typical content flow to have a…
- Approach the Bench
Three Interventionists Debate Iran, Progressive Christian Nationalism, and Marriage | ATB #23
WEEK 23: American Empire & Progressive Christian Nationalism. This week, we take the bench to the Radcliffe Gardens across from Cambridge Common and are joined…
- Approach the Bench
The Pastor Calling Harvard Law Back to Christianity | ATB #22
WEEK 22: The Pastor Calling Harvard Law Back to Christianity Recorded in Hastings Hall, the oldest dorm at Harvard Law School, this week we sit down with…
- Approach the Bench
Dating is Dead, Short Kings Fight Back, and the American Dream Lives On | ATB #21
WEEK 21: Is Modern Dating Rigged? (With Luis Penichet, HBS & Former Marine) This week we’re joined by Luis Penichet — second-year Harvard Business School…
- Approach the Bench
The Secret Lives of Protestant Guys | ATB #20
WEEK 20: Inside the Life of Three Protestants at Harvard Welcome to Brian’s apartment. This week, we bring Brian Rath, Harvard Business School student, into…
- Approach the Bench
Can You Love Your Country? | ATB #19
WEEK 19: Can You Love Your Country in a Divided Age? This week, we open by reacting to this year’s Super Bowl commercials — what they reveal about American…
- Approach the Bench
Two Men vs. Birth Control | ATB #18
WEEK 18: In this episode, we sit by the frozen-over Charles River and work through listener feedback, campus reactions to the show, and what it’s been like…
- Approach the Bench
Harvard Law Students Grade Trump’s First Year Back | ATB #17
WEEK 17: Welcome to Will’s home. In the snow. This week, we open with a long overdue feedback segment — responding to some of the strongest reactions we’ve…
- Approach the Bench
One Leftist. Two Conservatives. All at Harvard Law. | Part 2 (ATB #16)
WEEK 15 (PART TWO): We’re back at Harvard Law with Larissa Truchan for part two of our conversation, and the discussion gets even sharper. We start by…
- Approach the Bench
One Leftist. Two Conservatives. All at Harvard Law. | Part 1 (ATB #15)
WEEK 15 (Part 1): In front of the Harvard Law library, we sit down with Larissa Truchan — a Harvard Law student and viral leftist political influencer — for…
- Approach the Bench
What It's Like to Support Israel at Harvard and Beyond┃ATB #14
WEEK 14: Returning from a trip to Israel, we sit down with Shanee Markovitz Kay — an Israeli American and fellow Harvard Law student — for a deeply personal…
- Approach the Bench
From our Hotel Bed in Tel Aviv: GEN Z IS FALLING BEHIND (and Happy New Year!)┃ATB #13
WEEK 13 (NEW YEAR’S EPISODE): It’s January 1st — a new year, new resolutions, and the usual promises of change. In this episode, we look back at 2025, make…
- Approach the Bench
We Went to Israel to Find the TRUE Meaning of Christmas┃ATB #12
WEEK 12, THE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL: This episode was filmed in Israel, overlooking the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, just steps from where Christianity began. We…
- Approach the Bench
The Truth about Harvard Law School┃ATB #11
WEEK 11: Harvard carries unmatched prestige — but what is it actually like on the inside? In this episode, two Harvard Law students sit down to give an…
- Approach the Bench
Treason, Socialism, and Woke Churches┃ATB #10
WEEK 10: Freedom is fragile — and the cultural battles shaping America today aren’t coming from where most people think. In this episode, Mason Laney, Harvard…
- Approach the Bench
Is Mass Deportation Immoral?┃ATB #9
WEEK 9: America is in the midst of a historic immigration clash — from a rising foreign-born population to surging ICE removals and detention numbers. In this…
- Approach the Bench
We Went to Plymouth to Solve Thanksgiving┃ATB #8
THANKSGIVING SPECIAL: In this episode of Approach the Bench, we travel to historic Plymouth, Massachusetts — the birthplace of the American Thanksgiving…
- Approach the Bench
Choose ANY Stat → Men Are Behind.┃ATB #7
WEEK 7: Young men in America are struggling — in school, in dating, in work, in purpose, in faith, and in mental health. In this episode, we sit down in…
- Approach the Bench
Why the Girls Have Gone Left┃ATB #6
The women are moving, and so are the men, just not in the same direction. How do we reconcile the gender political divide, if at all? Mason and Will tackle…
- Approach the Bench
Spare the Rod. Spoil the Child.┃ATB #5
Rodrigo Estrada joins Mason and Will to discuss Spanking, MAGA Dating, Conservatism, and some very interesting Girl Problems. Mason has strong opinions on…
- Approach the Bench
What if We All Just Stopped Dating?┃ATB #4
In the longest episode to date, Mason and Will debate arranged marriage, tattoos, love for America, and 30 minutes worth of Girl Problems. They also dabble in…
- Approach the Bench
The Next Great Awakening┃ATB #3
Mason and Will debate the next Great Awakening (circa 2025) and analyze whether conservatives should have "enemies to the Right." Plus, they take on many…
- Approach the Bench
We Got One Star Reviews.┃ATB #2
Mason and Will try to figure out why anyone could have disliked episode 1, and Will wonders why people have to wear clothes. Email approachthebenchh@gmail.com…
- Approach the Bench
The Episode Heard Around the World┃ATB #1
Mason and Will inaugurate the podcast at the Old North Bridge — the site of the Battle of Concord. Email approachthebenchh@gmail.com with your…