406 Anxiety—The Snake That Strangles All (3) Sober-Mindedness

406 Anxiety—The Snake That Strangles All (3) Sober-Mindedness

Uncensored Unprofessor

The Bible is most aware of the problem of anxiety vortexes. But whereas too many believers today get sucked into those vortices the Bible counsels sober-mindedness. In this episode we unpack just what is sober-mindedness and offer some steps for how to achieve emotional sobriety. If you've ever watched professional golf you'll have realized that the pros intentionally seek to remain calm, sober-minded. Why is that? In the NFL Patrick Mahomes is a superb example of sober-mindedness, if not also athletic excellence. Let's examine some biblical cues so we can move toward emotional health. In the episode's cultural reflection I unpack further how unprecedented are the Trump administration's efforts to assess and trim the Federal bureaucracy. America's founders, when they established the grounds for our nation, never foresaw the explosive and unconstrained growth of what has become the fourth branch of government: the bureaucracy. Come laugh and think with me.

405 Anxiety—The Snake That Strangles All (2) Stepping Back In Differentiation

405 Anxiety—The Snake That Strangles All (2) Stepping Back In Differentiation

Uncensored Unprofessor

We get enculturated: the anxiety of someone (anyone!) should trump the norms, behaviors, hopes, and values of everyone. "Anxiety trumps all!", we are incessantly taught. So what to do? How to respond? When to respond? I offer several strategies for dealing with hyper-anxious groups and persons, strategies oriented in the notion of differentiation. What is differentiation? How can you practice that as you pursue your own peace and stability? What is a Christian's first calling when confronted with an anxious person? Also, in the show's first fifteen minutes I reflect on what Elon Musk and DOGE are doing, what their stated procedural mandates are, and how historically unprecedented are their efforts. Specifically, what has DOGE been up to that is historically unprecedented? Come laugh and think with me.

404 Anxiety—The Snake That Strangles All (1)

404 Anxiety—The Snake That Strangles All (1)

Uncensored Unprofessor

Families and churches are swept through with anxiety, and they get split, shredded. If we don't see it everywhere we feel the power of anxiety everywhere. Why does anxiety disassemble entire communities? Why is it that the entire community gets pulled down to the level of its least mature members? In this first episode in a new series we talk about the mechanisms that force anxiety down everyone's throats. Why has our country been pulled down into a Peter Pan syndrome? Why is it that company workers are not allowed to name the big Pink Elephant everyone knows is in the room? Why does anxiety seek a "shoot the messenger" strategy? And why oh why is it that when we all gather to help anxious persons it only seems to reinforce, in their minds, that they are after all the most oppressed? In the episode's opening segment I work through the recent curtain-pulls regarding Church culture and the effects of USAID money. How and why have churches worked against their own members' best interests? What happened to the Roman Catholic church that caused it to turn to the government for billions of dollars? The camel has its nose in the tent, let's see what that smells like.

403 Jesus said. . . That?! (16) Finale—Cosmic Christ

403 Jesus said. . . That?! (16) Finale—Cosmic Christ

Uncensored Unprofessor
Jesus said. . . That?!, Jesus' Hard Sayings

After a four-month series on Jesus' harsh sayings what are my final takeaways? I work through why Jesus was a first-century shock-jock, how in light of Jesus love can be tough, Jesus' axiology, why He was a man's man, how amazing it was that Jesus was not snared by the anxiety of those around him, and why—when it comes to my faith—I am "Curious Eddie." I also unpack what the progressive Gospel says today about Christianity and how the notion of a "Cosmic Christ" is more of a nod to religious pluralism than it is harmonious with the Gospels. In the show's cultural reflection I both explain why I resist Christian-ese bumper stickers and describe the utterly historical, massive, cultural shift that is underway since the presidential election. What does that cultural shift say about the Church, say to the Church, and what opportunity is now facing the Church? Come laugh and think with me. 

402 Jesus said. . . That?! (15) I am Lord of the Sabbath

402 Jesus said. . . That?! (15) I am Lord of the Sabbath

Uncensored Unprofessor
Jesus said. . . That?!, Jesus' Hard Sayings

"Jesus was just a common Jew who wanted the best for everyone." "Jesus was a liberal first-century rabbi." Those memes have captured much of the public's imagination about Jesus. But they both are 180 degrees off the mark, especially when we read what Jesus said about himself. He said, "I am Lord of the Sabbath," and "I am greater than the Temple". And certainly those don't square with the Jesus-the-liberalizing-rabbi meme. In this episode we explore what Jesus' self-speak indicates about how he perceived himself. I also offer an extended reflection on thinking about thinking. What is the best argument for the existence of mind? Instead of probing how inert matter produced consciousness, what counter (older) argument has more explanatory power? I also muse aloud about how, for the first time in my adult life, I do not feel like the Federal government is against us. What do I mean? 

401 Jesus said. . . That?! (14) Shake the Dust from Your Feet

401 Jesus said. . . That?! (14) Shake the Dust from Your Feet

Uncensored Unprofessor
Jesus said. . . That?!, Jesus' Hard Sayings

"If they will not welcome you shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them," Jesus said as he gave the Twelve missional instructions. That just seems so abrupt! And it wouldn't have been recorded as part of the Gospel if it were recorded for us by someone from the 21st century; it's just too embattled. So why did Jesus say that? What did it mean? Not mean? In this week's episode we unpack the what-what of Jesus' stern sayings for the Twelve as he sent them into battle. I also ask, what does this passage mean for us today? What can we learn? In the show's opening I reflect on the massive historical shift we just witnessed. And then I ask, what does this mean for today's Church? What does it mean for Christian universities? Come, let us reason together for such a time as this.

400 Jesus said. . . That?! (13) I Came to Divide

400 Jesus said. . . That?! (13) I Came to Divide

Uncensored Unprofessor
Jesus said. . . That?!, Jesus' Hard Sayings

It was brutal when in Luke 12:51 Jesus said, "Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, I came to bring division!" That embattled utterance falls inside a three-chapter-or-so pericope of urgent proclamations from Jesus. Why did he say such harsh things? How should we understand that he said he came to bring fire? In this week's episode I both frame the great invasion that Jesus led and contrast that with the inclusive-Jesus of contemporary Christianity. Then I offer practical-pastoral application of all that for an Evangelical culture. In the show's cultural reflection I remark on Mark Zuckerberg's recent strategic changes at Facebook. Additionally, I comment on why the Biden Whitehouse is working hard to prevent a smooth transition of power into the next four years. Come laugh and think with me.

399 Jesus said. . . That?! (12) Hate Your Parents

399 Jesus said. . . That?! (12) Hate Your Parents

Uncensored Unprofessor
Jesus' Hard Sayings, Jesus said. . . That?!

"Unless you hate your parents and siblings, and even your own life, you cannot be my disciple," Luke 14:26. What a harsh statement! We have to hate our parents? Our sisters? Children? Why was that utterance even more severe in the first century than it is today? Was Jesus being literal? How does that square with "love your enemies"? We're to love enemies but hate our own family? That seems upside down, absurd even. We first explore this brutal statement in its literary and historical context. Then we show what it can mean in our own world today. At the show's beginning I reflect, again, on consciousness and mind. Do computers think? Do they remember? Experience? What has caused us to view computers with such awe? And, why do so many hope for an A.I. utopian future? All of that is unpacked in this rich episode. Give the Lord your mind and come and think with me!

398 Jesus said. . . That?! (11) Love Your Enemies

398 Jesus said. . . That?! (11) Love Your Enemies

Uncensored Unprofessor
Jesus said. . . That?!, Jesus' Hard Sayings

Hindus who've never read four Gospel sentences and Wiccans all know he said it, "love your enemies." But since we know Jesus was not trying either to lay down a new ethical code or teach pacifism, what was his point? What did his words mean in a first century business framework of amicitia? What did Jesus' words mean in light of the Old Testament teaching on enemies? Just how should one pray for one's enemies? How have these specific words of Jesus reshaped western civilization? In the show's opening I also reflect on how Daniel Dennett, a leading evolutionary philosopher, explains away consciousness and mind. Moreover, I lament the global Church's leadership vacuum; what do we do in light of the dearth of leaders? 

397 A New Years Jambalaya

397 A New Years Jambalaya

Uncensored Unprofessor

This is a Happy New Years, more light-hearted, episode for my listeners. There are two extended reflections: what are mind and consciousness in light of the prevailing evolutionary narrative? And, what hopes do I have for the newly configured Trumpian DOGE? But along the way I also variously interweave reflections on New Years resolutions, Trump's inauguration, 11 animal kinds that pair and mate for life, the top 15 worst nations for persecution of Christianity, what motivates me (negatively and positively) as a podcaster, and what do I think about a professor's legacy? Come and start your New Years thinking from out of Christian commitments.

396 A Christmas Potpourri

396 A Christmas Potpourri

Uncensored Unprofessor
Advent

It's Christmas time so it's time for a more light-hearted episode! In this potpourri I work through: my favorite and least-favorite Christmas music, my favorite and least-favorite Christmas food, my best-ever Christmas present, Jesus' first-century audience and their worldview, the snare that the Democrats laid for themselves and then walked into, what I think about the college football playoffs and who I'm rooting for, the massive cultural shift we are witnessing and how it came about, the many businesses that are forsaking DEI in their HR offices, and describe what is happening to DEI on college campuses. I also variously explain what a Confessing Church is, tell a Christmas joke, and narrate the recent assassination of a Russian general and what that was all about, or what might happen in and through that. And there's even more. Come laugh and think and reflect and pray with me! 

395 Jesus said. . . That?! (10) Those Greater Than John the Baptist

395 Jesus said. . . That?! (10) Those Greater Than John the Baptist

Uncensored Unprofessor
Jesus' Hard Sayings, Jesus said. . . That?!

Dismayed in prison and puzzled by Jesus' military restraint, John the Baptist sent an envoy of disciples to ask Jesus, "are you the One or should we look for another?" Jesus answers their question, and then some! (And by his answer we learn still more about the way Jesus thought about himself.) Then Jesus added, "Truly, I say, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he." In my opinion, that's a weird thing to say. Why would Jesus say it? By saying such a thing what was Jesus indicating? What were the other things he said that help us build an answer to why Jesus said we (you and me) can be greater than his own cousin, Baptist John? In this episode I also talk about exegetical method—how to go about studying a biblical text—and reflect still further (for the third consecutive show) on transhumanism. Come think and pray and laugh with me.

394 Jesus said. . . That?! (9) You Gotta Have Faith to Move Mountains

394 Jesus said. . . That?! (9) You Gotta Have Faith to Move Mountains

Uncensored Unprofessor
Jesus said. . . That?!, Jesus' Hard Sayings

"If you had the faith of a mustard seed you could say to that mountain, 'be cast into the sea,' and it would be done for you," Jesus said three different times in the Gospels. Across my life that is one of the more terrifying phrases Jesus ever uttered, and that's why I take more time than in most of my shows to address the particularities. In the literary and historical context what did Jesus mean? What was he addressing? What was he saying about himself inside of those contexts? Why did he say such loud things? I also address the common pastoral take-away from these passages: our having enough faith. How much faith is enough? What is faith? What usually happens among Christians with application of this "faith to move mountains" phrase? In the show's cultural reflection I talk, again, about transhumanism. This time about how transhumanism is making inroads into culture and why some unspeakable eventualities lay on the threshold of history for us.

393 Russell Brand—Saved by Faith or Grace?

393 Russell Brand—Saved by Faith or Grace?

Uncensored Unprofessor

In a recent Tik Tok video, Russell Brand, a believer now for eight months, asked a probing question, "are we saved by faith or grace?" I thought, "man, that's a great question!" So, on a lark, I decided to answer his 1:22 second question with a 4 minute 45 second answer. Christians should not be afraid to ask any questions about their faith, and I'm glad brother Brand asked a solid query. 

392 Jesus said. . . That?! (8) Don't Give Pearls to Swine

392 Jesus said. . . That?! (8) Don't Give Pearls to Swine

Uncensored Unprofessor
Jesus' Hard Sayings

In the same sermon wherein he told us, "love your enemies," Jesus said, "do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine." Why would a loving Jesus teach us to call someone a pig? In this episode I work through the Old Testament, First Century Jewish, and Jesus-ian layers of this strange onion of a saying. There are several practical for-the-now applications of Jesus' meaning here. More, it shows us something about whom Jesus really was. At the show's opening I work through the burgeoning transhumanism movement. What is it about? What does it want? Who comprises the transhume crowd? What are their philosophical commitments? Is it theological or more narrowly spiritual? Come laugh and think with me.

390 Jesus said. . . That?! (7) I Never Knew You

390 Jesus said. . . That?! (7) I Never Knew You

Uncensored Unprofessor
Jesus' Hard Sayings

When I was in junior high and I would hear or read Matthew 7:23, "On that day I will say to you, 'I never knew you'", I would be terrified! I just knew I could never be perfect enough, or do enough good deeds, or perform a miracle so as to dodge Jesus' wrath. In this episode I peel back several layers of the onion: a) the Old Testament context for what Jesus says, b) the rabbinic background to what Jesus says, c) the literary context, and d) the theological avenues that are both at hand and not at hand with this profound warning. I also offer four contemporary applications of what Jesus was saying via his stern admonition. At the show's beginning I reflect on why it is that Christians, living inside their Christianity, have children, and value children. Conversely, why are millions (billions?) around the world forsaking the bearing of children? Let's look at life through the lens of Christ Jesus, God in the flesh.

389 Jesus said. . . That?! (6) That They May See But Never Understand

389 Jesus said. . . That?! (6) That They May See But Never Understand

Uncensored Unprofessor
Jesus' Hard Sayings

In Mark 4 Jesus tells a story about sowing seed in different kinds of soil. Then he concludes, "I talk this way so that they may not perceive or repent or be forgiven." What on earth?! Doesn't Jesus want everyone to repent? Why would he say he's speaking in riddles precisely so that some will not be saved? In this show I work through the different angles—the playfulness of Aramaic language, the precedent established by Isaiah, the contrasts given us by Matthew and Luke on this same parable—which scholars say are at work in Jesus' strange saying here. In my conclusion I work through whether and how Jesus saying here might be about the Elect and Unelect; why does that Reformed lens not apply? To begin the show I reflect on our national presidential election and the things that have already changed in light of a pending Trump presidency. Download this show, turn your brain on, and let's think together about life in light of the layered and beautiful person, Yeshua Nadzaret!

388 We Dodged A Bullet—Now Let's Look Forward

388 We Dodged A Bullet—Now Let's Look Forward

Uncensored Unprofessor

To my own surprise the Orange Sunkist won a big red wave. What does this mean for the Church? The nation's majority said, "enough." (Enough what?) And with Felonious Orange taking the popular vote will we finally stop hearing about how the Electoral college is unnecessary? In this immediately-following-the-election episode I work through my "Day 1" wish list, my "First 100 Days" wish list. What does this victory mean for Progressive politics and the mainstream media? What's it mean for the Ukraine war? And wow, what happened to 20 million voters from the last presidential election cycle? But for the show's last half I reflect on what this election means for Church mission. How have the last 4+ years lazer-focused our missional thrust? Come laugh (and sing) and think with me about our lives in Christ.

387 Vote 2024—What's at Stake

387 Vote 2024—What's at Stake

Uncensored Unprofessor

On the eve of America's election, what is at stake? I clarify and explain my answer to that now-historic question. Also, I explain what it means to vote on the basis of biblical values. Along the way I sing multiple versions of a popular children's song from the 1800s. . . hey, let's have fun while we ponder together! Near the show's ending I quote a diplomat to the USA who understands what is at issue for this election. And because so many Christians wonder about it, I explain why national borders are essential for the Common Good. Oh, and why is it that some 30 million Christians are not voting this time around? I offer some plausible reasons. Come laugh and think with me.

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