A recent Jordan Peterson podcast has had me processing. He discussed having a multi-variant approach to truth claims. In our pluralizing and relativizing culture the more paths to a truth claim there are the more that claim is substantiated. What does that mean, inside and out, for a Christian worldview? For Christian mission? What does that personally mean for me?
Despite the ostrich-mode taken by so many, America is in an unprecedented moment. Why is this different? What is the ingredient fueling this burn? How is it affecting me, personally? How is knowledge—and the PoMo anger about objectivity—at work in our cynical era? Instead of objectivity, what does society need? Come laugh and think with me!
Why do Postmodernists focus so much on knowledge? How do PoMos construct their knowledge? Why is knowledge at the root of the collision between PoMo-ism and liberalism, Modernism, and Christianity? What is my philosophical camp of choice? I also reflect on Psalm 14, a John Mayer tune, and loneliness. Come laugh and think with me about knowledge!
Philosopher Michael Polanyi described the Modernist quest for objectivity as a kind of second fall. What'd he mean by that? How does objectivity bind us? What is a better way? A more biblical and Christian way? Jesus called us to be salt, but if we process reality just like non-believers our saltiness will be effete. (I'm also joined by Milt the Mediocre Motivational speaker).
Christians represent 65% of the American population, but we are so faintly a cultural presence, so little salty. Why? Is it our sincerity? Our activism? No. I posit, following my interview last week of Nancy Pearcey, it is instead an intellectual straight-jacket. We've agreed to don an outfit that paralyzes us before we even walk out of the sanitarium. What is going on? What should we do?
In this interview with best selling author-theologian Nancy Pearcey we explore what has resulted from Christians having accepted a Postmodern framework for truth. How does that bent truth-frame mangle the issues of parental rights, human rights, sexuality, and abortion? How does today's gnosticism compare with ancient gnosticism? How is our current cultural trajectory mirroring pre-Nazi Germany? Why does beauty matter in Christian truth claims?
A little of this and a little of that, and whattaya get? An audio casserole! Variously I work through a common churchly sentiment about the culture wars, some positive and negative developments in the aftermath of Coronavirus, and the role of truth in life. Oh, and I muse about the most painful sport one can play. Come think and laugh with me.
Many folks have good personal reasons to get a Covid shot. Herein I work through six reasons why I am not, for now, getting an injection. I also explain some of the biases and limitations at work in science and how those have played out, or not, during the Coronavirus mess. What has concerned me? What about our context has made me leery throughout? Come think with me. Or come disagree with me!
By his Holy Spirit God spoke through different authors in history. What does that mean, not mean? Why is it erroneous to argue that God alone wrote the Bible? Why is it injurious to argue that people alone wrote the Bible? Is God more or less sovereign for having worked through people? I work through some of my own life story and introduce a new guest to the podcast. Come laugh and think with me!
To help you read your Bible better I explore three major genres: narrative, poetry, and discourse. Along the way we'll think through how God communicates and why each grouping is unique. I also consider the Catholic social teachings of solidarity and subsidiarity and why they are superior to current political configurations. Come laugh and think with me!
Many believers get stuck in their Bible reading. They want to do what is right and want to hear from the Lord, but because they only read in one set way they get stuck, and frustrated. I work through 5 different ways to change-up your reading method and tell some personal stories along the way. I also offer up an analysis of our societal chaos and sing a new ditty for your informational pleasure! :)
Postmodern definitions of personhood are both ambiguous and ambiguously grounded. Let alone the confusion, why is that dangerous? What kinds of demographic subgroups will be targeted in and through that strategic ambiguity? Why are Christians called to discern the Zeitgeist (spirt-of-the-age) in which they reside? Come laugh and think with me!
The 2015 SCOTUS Obergefell ruling created a new, if ambiguously grounded, right. The basis for that ruling? A philosophy that had been slow-cooking on college campuses for 150 years. How did Charles Darwin's faith play into the cooking of that philosophical stew? What is that philosophy doing to the fabric of society? Let's laugh and think together!
Sixteen years ago Michael Mitchell fought off cancer. Five years ago it returned. He's been battling with it, off and on, but is now confronted with two-to-four months to live. By having him on the show again I want to honor both he and his ministry, but also talk with him about a topic mostly avoided in our culture: death. What would he have us consider? What is important in such a critical season? How does one keep one's sense of humor through all that. Come and join us in a poignant and important conversation.
The SCOTUS Obergefell ruling of 2015 left behind a massive definitional vacuum: how should personhood be defined? How is it being defined? How does that ruling spill out of what people love? What are some profound implications resulting? What is rushing in to fill the vacuum created by the Obergefell ruling? Let's think together about our bodies and personhood.
Millions ask themselves, "Does God exist?" But that's not the rub; as if God were only happy that we acknowledge his existence. The more probing question, the one that is more foundational for Christian faith, is "Does God communicate?" And then, why does God allow for people to reject or manipulate his words? Come think and laugh with me through these seminal matters.
When I was in the seventh grade I was bullied by a bigger, taller eighth grader. What'd I learn? What do psychologists tell us about the mindset, the neediness, of bullies? What do most insightful websites say to do regarding bullies? What does that mean for Christian life and faith? Come laugh and think with me.
What is the core element of Christianity? In our confused and confusing society, is that core element variously love or the Bible or persons? Which one? And then, is that core element worth preserving? Why or why not? I also explain why many Christians like to say "Maranatha" as a kind of greeting or exclamation! Come laugh with me.
Filled by hope, should Christians be dismissive? Watching our societal foment should Christians be freaked out? With our eyes fixed on Christ, even while we watch society stab itself, just what is a healthy demeanor? (Quick hitter: 7 minutes)
Eight predictions for the future: Joe Biden, the price of gasoline, the Senate filibuster, UFOs, Derek Chauvin, the Vatican, the U.S. military, and the 2nd Amendment. I also mix in a personal reflection: what about the Christian faith fills my heart with hope? And yet another "CDC Ministry of Truth report" is inside the show.
