What does the New Testament teach us about the virginal conception of Jesus? Was the event God-initiated or Mary-initiated? What are some theological ramifications of his birth, especially for being human? What did the very first Christians believe about all of that? Why does it matter today? And what, especially, seems to prevent belief in Jesus' birth today?
The Patristic world was both less opposed and less cut off from the supernatural world. MA student Michael Bozmarov shares with me the insights he learned writing a sizable paper on Ambrose of Milan's reflections. How are angels greater than us? In what ways are we greater than them? Why does God use angels? What can we learn from philosophy about angels? Come think with us about angels during Advent season!
This episode: my reflections on the state of the election; ancient Jewish wisdom about friendships; and how most things in life change. On the latter I explore incrementalism regarding ourselves as individuals and then about families and nations. We tend to assess the big events and ignore the little ones, when it is the small things that really add up.
Spirituality means a kazillion diverse things today. But in the bible there are specific ways of framing what spirituality means. Variously the doctrines of creation, eschatology, and incarnation reveal what spirituality looks like through godly lenses. It's time for believers to process more biblically and less Gnostically on this important topic.
Beauty is not in a fight with reason, but transcends reason. Beauty flows from the character and being of God himself. So why do Protestants so miss out on God's beauty? How might we recover a sense of beauty? How might beauty be used as a conversation starter in our relationships? All those topics and questions are addressed in my conversation with PhD student, pastor Michael David Mitchell. Come laugh and think with us!
The mantras in bumper-stickerish Christian-ese are that Christians should always turn the other cheek, always be pacifistic, always defer, never upset anyone. But sometimes, out of the constricts Christ places upon us, we are required to take a stand, to draw a line in the sand. When should we do that? How should we do that?
What a clown rodeo! In that light I share personal, national, philosophical, and theological reflections on the presidential election. How has it hit me? What does it mean for the nation? How should we think about history? And, is everything that happens, especially when we prayed about it, God's will?
Society teaches us that our emotional state is of supreme importance. How does that compare with the Christian way of life? To make the point I tell three of my life-changing stories. How had God re-directed my own path? I also offer some immediate post-election reflections. Come, think and laugh with me.
Words have contexts. So what is the context for the word "nice" here in the early 21st century? How do insecurity and self-hatred drive our understandings of niceness? Still further, how does a market-place mentality play into our understandings of God? I also share how I occasionally try to bargain with God. Let's go deeper.
The common human tendency is to fashion God or the gods in our own image. The Bible calls that tendency idolatry. How did the ancients work idolatry? How do we today? But if we study nature, the circle of life, what does it show us about God? What, for instance, might we learn from observing bees? Or, what might we learn by studying Michelangelo's David?
Do you have to pray, "Dear Jesus, come into my heart," in order to be a Christian? How else might we assess whether someone is a believer? Then, in my final episode in this "Cult of the Now" series, I address the issue of taking a stand. To that end I offer 6 practical steps pertinent for our strange and disorienting era.
Across human history American culture is quite unique. Part of that novelty concerns the Founders' concerns to halt the ability of the state to rototill any and all opposition into the dirt of non-existence. What did they especially ensconce to slow the all-devouring state? Individualism. I explain why Marxists loathe individualism. More, I look at some biblical categories on the matter. This episode also looks into the future for where this cultural revolution may be headed.
Significant for the shape of our nation is care for the poor. What did Jesus model and teach that we can implement in our strategies today? What has America, and Christians inside America, done for the poor over some 230 years? What do Marxists want for the poor? How we frame the issue is foundational for how we will go about trying to address the issue. Let's move past shouting and think together.
Neo-Marxists are not only pushing for cultural change they're pushing for a new consciousness, a consciousness summed up in the term 'Wokeness'. What is that wokeness? From whence in the history of philosophy did it derive? How does it compare to a biblical and Christian worldview? What are work-place consciousness training sessions about? On the personal front, what singular victory did I just enjoy? Come laugh, sing, and think with me!
We here in America are witnessing an energetic push for cultural revolution. But it is not new. It's happened before. What lessons can we draw from Russia, a land that had been suffused with Christian values? What did Marxism and its culture change do the Russian church? What was the decided strategy for undoing and replacing the church? What should critically minded believers learn from all that?
Yes this involves history, philosophy, truth-claims, and power. But there is still more at stake for me in all of this: profound suffering. Under Marxism the poor and the vulnerable are always the first ones to get eaten. What Christian values deeply benefit society? What American values deeply benefit society? What kind of things keep the state in check? What role does American niceness have to play in all of this? Why do I even care?
Christians are aware of the Holy Spirit and lesser spirits like angels and demons. What about impersonal, non-living, spirits that are as powerful as demons? What about spirits that live as ideas and values in people's hearts and minds? In this episode I examine the spiritual nature of Marxism by unpacking some of its history and central doctrines. I also take you behind the scenes into a private church confessional.
We hear it from daily news coverage. We hear it from crowds chanting in the streets. Professors ubiquitously use it in lectures: social justice. Just what is social justice? What caused the phrase to arise? When did it first arise? What are its philosophical premises? Why are BLM and Antifa getting so much media attention and moral cover? What does the Bible have to say about justice? And who does the Bible blame for racism? Come, let us reason together.
We are profoundly shaped by our ideas, our mental outlook, and our vision. We are no less shaped by our vision for society. What does Marxism envision for society? How does that compare to a fundamentally Christian vision for society? Why do Karl and his dreary band of disciples constantly elevate mediocrity over excellence? Come think and laugh with me.
In this episode: why is the self-named anti-racism movement a false gospel? what is original sin in this new gospel? how does one get saved in this new false gospel? what kind of good things are going on despite our tumultuous era? why does this movement cherish grand gestures? how does Marxism consistently try to "help" people? why is there so much largesse involved in Marxism? And, what kind of things can Christians be doing to effect change? Come think and laugh with me.
