412 Crusades (5) Three Key Pre-Crusades Battles

412 Crusades (5) Three Key Pre-Crusades Battles

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Crusades

European folk, besieged in the East and invaded in the South, believed their civilization was at stake. They heard all about the Muslim invasions in the Balkans and the Muslim destruction of Christian Egypt. So the truth is there were many battles prior to the Crusades and in this episode I unpack three of those: one in Syria, one in Constantinople, and one in Southern Spain. What particular things ocurred in those battles to swing the outcome? What did the Muslims want? What did they especially want from out of Constantinople? What particular things (weather even) greatly impacted these battles? How did each respective side theologically interpret the outcome of the battles? In the show's opening I reflect on how the Gospel works inside both persons and cultures. Against shallow (popular) piety I argue the Gospel does not come to destroy the person, or the culture. And in fact? The Gospel does not come to make each respective person or culture more American. Come laugh and think with me.

411 Crusades (4) Muslim Religious Motives

411 Crusades (4) Muslim Religious Motives

Uncensored Unprofessor
Crusades

Welcome to the most-difficult-to-produce episode I've ever put out! Why? Because I am talking about Islam following the way Mohammed and the Koran talk(ed) about Islam. The West suffers from a kind of historical amnesia about both the Crusades and Islam; almost like there is a willful ignorance at work. But what did Mohammed himself offer to Muslims who go to war? With what kind of pious language did he describe jihad to the glory of Allah? To help frame the disconnect today I also explain the current perspective on religion versus how religion was always practiced, everywhere. And, to my surprise (I felt so naive) I note the reigning Protestant meme-perspective on the Crusades. To open the show I offer reflections both on today's Evangelical piety and the process of becoming who we are, as persons. We emphasize the "I'm at a crossroads!" decisions, but it is the little, daily, mundane decisions that truly shape who we are.

410 Crusades (3) Crusader Religious Motivations

410 Crusades (3) Crusader Religious Motivations

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Crusades

In my first two episodes I laid out geographically-oriented motivations for Crusading. This week we explore the religious motives of Crusaders. What were they offered by the papacy in return for joining a crusade? Was every Crusader on a journey of religious gain? Were Crusaders motivated either by their own poverty or a desire to evangelize pagans? Who was more likely to join a crusade, younger or elder brothers? Why? To develop our understanding of Medieval Catholic piety I explain and explore the Catholic practice of granting indulgences. I also warn us of running history through a sieve of chronological snobbery. Moreover, I address, yet again, the Postmodern interpretation of the Crusades and explain why that take is really just a cudgel to shame and silence Christians. In the show's opening theological reflection I ask, "what is faith?" To answer that I unpack the perspective of famed (by tormented) Russian author, Fyodor Dostoevsky, who famously once wrote, "beauty will save the world." I find both his insights about human nature and the nature of faith to be both helpful and true.

408 Crusades (1) Their First Motivation

408 Crusades (1) Their First Motivation

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Crusades

There are several curated narratives pertaining to the Crusades. Those narratives dominate not only our understanding of the Medieval Crusades but understandings of the Middle East today. But, what really happened? What initially, and really, motivated Holy Roman Empire Catholics to travel over 1200 miles eastward at the price of great sacrifice? To try to answer those questions we examine some of the history of Muslim expansion. I'll note how long before the Crusades it was that Muslims variously attacked and sacked Rome, Iberia (today's Spain & Portugal), and Jerusalem. Because we believe Jesus is Lord over culture and politics I also discuss President Trump's attempts to disassemble the GBM (Grinding Bureaucratic Machine). Along the way I tell some jokes, offer a tiny bit of health advice, and reflect on the horrors at work inside of contemporary Syria. Come laugh and think with me.

407 Anxiety—The Snake That Strangles All (4) Empathy? Exhausted!

407 Anxiety—The Snake That Strangles All (4) Empathy? Exhausted!

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Anxiety

Perhaps more than other people, Christians are susceptible to having their emotions manipulated. After all, love of neighbor is an express way to show love of God. But that beautiful attribute can be abused, primed, and played. What's happened? Well, we used to encourage compassion: feeling for the other such that one is moved to action. Today the emphasis is upon empathy: deeply sharing the feelings of the other person. I don't think it started out this way, but empathy has been so emphasized that today it can become not only exhausting but sinful. I explain the hows and whys of that possibility. Today our culture wants us to be mired in empathy and that can transpire to the point of being sinful. In my opening reflection I note different kind of Christian spiritualities: Baptisty, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, spiritual warfare, logos oriented, and affective types. I've learned from them all, but I explain what is dominating my own worldview right now. And then, in my cultural remarks I talk about pastors who shamed their congregations in various progressive ways. Have those same pastors either repented or apologized now that our culture is swinging happily back toward common sense?

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

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

Uncensored Unprofessor
Anxiety

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
Anxiety

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)

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Anxiety

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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. 

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