If God is all-powerful and loving why is there so much evil in the world? Why doesn't God stop avalanches, floods, and forest fires? Following theologian John Feinberg, I propose all manner of logical questions and the likely consequences of God's miraculous interventions in nature. Also? This episode has a review of the new Matrix Resurrections movie.
None of us approaches evil, pain, or suffering in neutral. We all do that through our pre-existing biases, pre-loaded perspectives. Across the Church what are four of the major positions on suffering? What is important to remember in showing mercy to those who are suffering? I also have a contemporary reflection related to the movie 300. Come and think carefully with me.
The apostle Paul has lengthy passages about his suffering. He counted it a privilege to suffer for Jesus. What were the historical reasons he rehearsed all his pain? What were his theological reasons? What does all that mean for our own suffering? Do we suffer in a way that helps to complete the redemption of Christ? I also explore the resurgence of the WWJD Christian-cultural slogan. Just what would Jesus do in light of the pandemic? Come to laugh, worship, and think with me here at Christmas time.
Jesus prophesied that we would suffer for his name but added that his Spirit would accompany us. Our suffering, then, can have a pregnant kairos-moment quality to it. And that dynamic—a charismatic quality amid suffering for Christ—led to the rise of the doctrine of saints in history. How so? What's that mean? What is a confessor? I also think aloud critically about the obliteration of freewill in American society.
Anchored in reality, the Bible is not shy about our suffering or lamenting our suffering. Jesus knew that, too. But he changed things when he told us that there is a cost to be paid for following him: the cross. What does that mean exactly? What did it mean in his day? What did Jesus do with regard to our suffering? Together let's press suffering through a Christ-centered sieve. (I also talk about the spiritual war we now find ourselves in.)
Ya know me? I hate glib Christian expressions. But still, it is good and wise to give God our pain, to learn from our pain, to practice a holy fear of God in the midst of our pain. So I share some heartfelt pastoral concerns about suffering. I also describe eating daily oatmeal with my grandson and share a story about Squirrel Tom, one of my golf friends. Come laugh and think with me about things the Church is terrified to address.
Jesus was asked twice about the suffering of others. Did he attribute that to karma? To God's punishment? To people's sin? Actually, Jesus responded in a way that affirmed the theology in Job: there is non-order (if even disorder) present in God's creation. Let's unpack what that means. I also explore the matrix of Progressive political policies. Come laugh and think with me!
Why do we suffer? Is God punishing us? Did we deserve it? Does the book of Job teach us the law of karma? In this show I look at Job in its historic context to see what it is teaching us about suffering, life, and God himself. Why does God teach Job about the monsters Behemoth and Leviathan? I also discuss why my show is subversive in Christ. Come laugh and think with me!
(Image: Léon Bonnat, “Job” 1880) Why do we suffer? Did we bring it on ourselves or is God punishing us? Job's story shines an intense light on those questions. Here's another, why do we serve God? For the bennies or because He is God? And then, how should we think about Satan in light of his appearance in the book of Job? I also share personally about why I serve God. Come think with me!
How did America's Founders' biblical understanding of human nature play into the way they framed the Constitution? How do the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence work together? If he showed up today what would James Madison be most proud of, and most disappointed about, regarding what has happened to what they founded? Is Covid being handled well according to the Constitution? Professor Darren Guerra helps us think through these knotty questions.
In this conversation with Political Science professor Darren Guerra I ask, were the Founders Christian? Or better, how were they? What were they doing with their faith that is so lacking in the contemporary Church? What is presentism and how does it shape people's assessment of history? What were the Founders' core commitments about being human? What did they borrow from Greek philosophy to build society? Why do core principles matter so much? And, why oh why did they value the Old Testament so much?
Memes this episode counters: "American Christians are too patriotic!"; "America was not really founded in a Christian worldview"; "America was started as an evil nation"; and, "American Christianity is too darned American!" In a quest for historical nuance, I critically work through the Declaration of Independence to discern the worldview of the Founders.
For 20 years I've been studying progressive ideology from a philosophical angle. Eric Hoffer wrote a book 70 years ago that peeled my eyeballs back about the psychology and sociology of mass movements. What ingredients fuel a mass movement? Why do mass movements become a holy cause? Why is there such credulity among those who join mass movements? I also ask more critical questions about the vaccine mandates.
How do governmental vaccine mandates mirror an episode of the Twilight Zone I saw as a kid? How are officials going around the Constitution to censor freedom? What does "enlightened despotism" mean? The Bible teaches God is sovereign. Given evil's existence, how is that possible? Is God a puppet-master kind of king? What does belief in God's utter control do to social engagement?
I'm concerned that millions of church folk are not, in fact, Christians. How do I assess that? By what criterion? I also unpack mercy and grace as critical components of a Christian worldview; grand examples and daily examples. Along the way I tell a couple stories about having worked at a Burger King as a young man. Come think and laugh with me.
Stemming from God's character—perfect love permeated with pure holiness—Christians celebrate justice. Pertinent for today, we have to ask how that compares with a Postmodern sense of justice. So for example, if society is undergoing a "new rising consciousness" how should Christians process justice? I also reflect on Joe Biden's recent vaccine mandate speech and strategize about how to dialogue with a Postmodernist.
Long before Jesus walked on to the historical stage the ancient Hebrews celebrated life. They were themselves surrounded by cultures that promoted death. Building on that, Jesus upped the ante by emphasizing life eternal. What are the implications of all that for life today? For being a disciple? For babies? What do I think about the new Texas pro-life law?
The Christian worldview is dynamic because it is literate, shaped by eternity, and in touch with transcendence. How are those grounded? How do they play out? What does that mean across life? How, in their respective ways, do each of those three help to make life more meaningful and beautiful? I also discuss what has been the cause of my disorienting dreams.
I refer to it all the time: a Christian worldview. But what is it? What essential elements go into such a worldview? How does that worldview compare to common philosophic and religious worldviews? Or, how does it compare to a postmodern worldview? I explore how the Bible presents reality, the infection, and the topic of agency. Come laugh with me!
Michelangelo's painting of creation on the ceiling of the Sistine chapel is genius not only for its artistic composition but its psychological insight. I take Michelangelo's insights and combine those with Nero playing his fiddle while Rome is burning. Oh, and I tell an exciting tale of victory in a recent league golf match. Come laugh and think with me!
