335 RfYtB (8) Vivid—Life in God's Spirit

335 RfYtB (8) Vivid—Life in God's Spirit

Uncensored Unprofessor
Reasons for Your Belief, Spirituality, Beauty

Christianity is not first the study of a book, or a new ethic, or a set of doctrines, as important as all those are. It is, instead, a lived experience. Or more carefully? Christianity is a felt telos: a orientation to life that filters and orients all our other experiences (even going to football games!). More specifically still, Christianity is (or can be) life in the third member of the Trinity: the Holy Spirit. And that is because the Spirit is a person, not a forcefield, not an it. In this episode I think pastorally and personally about life in God's Spirit. During the show's opening I reflect on the pastors—the Black Robed Regiment—who helped to foment the American Revolution. Would that revolt have occurred if it were up to today's pastors and priests? Why does that question even matter?

334 RfYtB (7) Election—Israel as Proof for God

334 RfYtB (7) Election—Israel as Proof for God

Uncensored Unprofessor
Reasons for Your Belief, Spirituality, The Spiritual World, Current Events

Election is a thoroughly biblical doctrine. Among many—Protestants especially—election goes to the matter of who is eternally saved, or not. But that's not where the Bible begins with the doctrine of election, and it's not even where Jesus began in his practice of election. No, instead? Election has to do with mission, being called to mission, and sharing in the mission of God's redemption of creation. With that formulation as a foundation, why then are the Jews so globally hated? Why, across all of written history, have the Jews been so targeted for pogrom, genocide, and Holocaust? And with that, why are the Jews so deeply hated and targeted for massacre today?

333 Israel & Gaza—Is this THE End?

333 Israel & Gaza—Is this THE End?

Uncensored Unprofessor
Current Events, Spirituality, The Common Good, Why Does Morality Matter?, World Religions

Immediately after an episode (last week) where I explained why governmental power (because it is too commonly insidious) should be slow-walked? Hamas invaded Israel. After I narrate some of the horrors of that, I explain my initial reactions to this heart-breaking event. What do we do to mitigate the "cycle of violence"? Or, is "cycle of violence" even the accurate way to assess what's going on? Then I frame our catastrophic-feeling era in light of both history and theology. Many Christians today—Catholics, Protestants, and Eastern Orthodox—sense how apocalyptic this all feels. So, are we in THE end times? 

332 RfYtB (6) My RealPolitik, The Moral Goodness of Hell

332 RfYtB (6) My RealPolitik, The Moral Goodness of Hell

Uncensored Unprofessor
Reasons for Your Belief, Heaven and Hell, Eds Personal

A Christian engagement with politics is idealistic, right? I mean, don't Christians want both a righteous messiah and an earthly Nirvana? Not me. I explain why I do engage politically, noting my historical and theological reasoning. In the show's second part I work through the topic of hell. Can we say God is loving if he sends people there? Can we say God is just if he sends people there? Well, actually, I believe there are profound reasons to suggest that hell is morally good. Let's be more nuanced.

331 2020 in the Rearview Mirror

331 2020 in the Rearview Mirror

Uncensored Unprofessor
Current Events, Cult of the Now, Eds Personal, Christian Worldview

The show starts with me praying for my listeners' provision: interest rates and the cost of living are soaring. Then I discuss how a NYT email news-feed hit me like a bolt of lighting. The story read, "2020 was driven by a righteous spirit and legitimate moral demands." How did that spirit and its moral demands shape the hearts of ten millions of good-hearted Christians? Can an emotional response be legitimate if the perceived event was based on a lie? Come think with me about why we are now experiencing another 16th century Reformation, but this time around it is entirely to the bad. 

330 RfYtB (5) Afloat on Culture, Jesus “JUST as he was”

330 RfYtB (5) Afloat on Culture, Jesus “JUST as he was”

Uncensored Unprofessor
Reasons for Your Belief, Current Events, Jesus, Who is Jesus?

Which is more influential, the culture or the Church? Man, it's not even close! How do we know? One crisp way: examine what church leaders are doing. Take Pope Francis, for example. Conservative life-long Roman Catholics are beside themselves with how Francis is either working around or apart from Church tradition. The reality is we are living in an era that mirrors the 16th century Reformation for its significance. I also suggest an approach for when you're in a debate. Finally I examine the a priori assumptions and methodology of the Jesus Seminar. Just who was Jesus as he was?

329 RfYtB (4) 2am Mozart?, Parsing the word 'Faith'

329 RfYtB (4) 2am Mozart?, Parsing the word 'Faith'

Uncensored Unprofessor
Reasons for Your Belief, Bible, Spirituality

This episode's content in order: a Sawtooth mountain campfire conversation; a from-the-future newscast; recognizing patterns; prayer to wake and shake; how to play it when you're outmatched in a conversation; carefully defining the meaning of faith; faith as Holy Spirit-ual attunement; the Jesus Seminar on Gospel manuscripts; and, the bulk of textual evidence behind the New Testament. Please, come think and laugh with me!

328 RfYtB (3) Organ of Divine Vision, Honest about Errors

328 RfYtB (3) Organ of Divine Vision, Honest about Errors

Uncensored Unprofessor
Reasons for Your Belief, Current Events, Spirituality

Had a grand talk with my mom last week. Turning philosophical it was about the organ of vision, the sensus divinitatis, that characterizes human nature; we cannot help but spectate about transcendence. This episode's latter half touches on ancient copyists errors in the process of biblical formation; concerning truth it's better to be frank than pompous (re. covering up embarrassments). I also variously muse about politicians who go vacant in front of cameras, what to do when you're outgunned in a conversation, and how the Dems might play 81million's next roll out. Come laugh and think with me.

327 RfYtB (2) Normal Doubting? Biblical Authority?

327 RfYtB (2) Normal Doubting? Biblical Authority?

Uncensored Unprofessor
Reasons for Your Belief, Bible

Reasons for You to Believe, #2. Is the version of the Bible we have in English accurate? In ancient history was it, as some scholars assert, ever taken and manipulated? I begin working through the process—the canonization process—of how we came to have our Bible. Also tackled in this episode: a) is it okay to have some doubts about the Christian faith? b) what is the perfect argument that precedes faith in God? c) what was Jesus' own Bible? and, d) a new election season UN-song!

326 Reasons for You to Believe (1) The Empirical Proof of Evil

326 Reasons for You to Believe (1) The Empirical Proof of Evil

Uncensored Unprofessor
Reasons for Your Belief, Christian Worldview, Current Events, Knowledge

What are the good reasons, if any, through which one could believe in Christianity? In this first episode of a series I work an apophatic argument, one by negation: the existence of evil. Evil is so common as to be empirically beyond question. But the Christian worldview goes further: it calls evil by the name sin. Why? I also consider more questions one might ask one's dialogue partner when it comes to conversations about life. Are opinions arguments? Are emotional stories legitimate arguments? Oh, and then, what about Trump's mugshot? Come laugh and think with me!

325 Secular vs. Sacred (15) Spirituality vs. Religion

325 Secular vs. Sacred (15) Spirituality vs. Religion

Uncensored Unprofessor
Secular vs. Sacred, Christian Worldview, Current Events

The global church has seen its fill of horrors: pastors and priests betraying their call by sinning and deflating congregants' attitudes toward Christianity. And yet the broader culture still makes evident a hunger for transcendence: spirituality is on the rise. So what, respectively, do religion and spirituality take as their focus and their telos? I compare spirituality and religion in this episode. Along the way I also share more strategic questions one might ask in thoughtful conversations. Come think and laugh with me! 

324 Secular vs. Sacred (14) Bodies and Wills

324 Secular vs. Sacred (14) Bodies and Wills

Uncensored Unprofessor
Bible, Human Bodies, Sex, Christian Worldview, Secular vs. Sacred

What does it mean to be human? The orthodox Christian worldview teaches we are embodied souls; not souls trapped in bodies, not spirits doomed to earth, but integrated, each valuable. The Postmodern secular worldview now holds we are consumers; choice is the exercise of willpower and nothing—especially others—should interfere with the exercise of one's own choice. The body, with all its appendages, is thus the both vehicle of consumer-choice and something to be used up, at will. In the first 12 minutes I talk, from Psalms 106, about the continual presence of God. Come think and laugh with me!

323 Secular vs. Sacred (13) What Did Feminism Get Right?

323 Secular vs. Sacred (13) What Did Feminism Get Right?

Uncensored Unprofessor
Current Events, Sex, The Common Good, Why is the Church Sick?, Christian Worldview, Secular vs. Sacred

Significant to our culture's secular quality has been the presence and role of feminism. I offer a historical overview of family-and-public life, noting how the Industrial Revolution did things to women, men, and the family that the Feminist movement was right to protest and critique. Along the way I also note some of the shortcomings of the Feminist critique. At the show's beginning I reflect on the legalization of drugs in the state wherein I grew up: Oregon. Come laugh and think with me.

322 Secular vs. Sacred (12) Questions to Ask in Honest Conversations

322 Secular vs. Sacred (12) Questions to Ask in Honest Conversations

Uncensored Unprofessor
Christian Worldview, Current Events, Eds Personal, Knowledge, Why Does Morality Matter?, Secular vs. Sacred

A recent experience at the Oregon coast: an unknown woman walked into our camp and began to visit with us. When, after ten minutes, the pleasant conversation turned to the cultural-shift she went on a verbal tirade. It made me think, what are some good questions to ask in an honest conversation? Why are questions disarming? Why do questions make for space? Oh, and this episode has a "special" advertiser joining us. Come laugh and think with me.

321 Secular vs. Sacred (11) Gutting Evangelical Minds

321 Secular vs. Sacred (11) Gutting Evangelical Minds

Uncensored Unprofessor
Bible, Christian Worldview, Current Events, Knowledge, Spirituality, Secular vs. Sacred

If it's hard to look back on one's personal history it's doubly hard to do that concerning group history. But to that end I unpack American Evangelicalism's trio of emphases: conversion as a subjective experience, turning pastors into celebrities, and a hyper-individualistic expression of Christian life. All three are two-edged blades, having both healthy and injurious qualities that help (or not) us navigate turbulent times. I also start the show with a prayer for broken relationships. Come laugh and think with me!

320 Secular vs. Sacred (10) Viral Darwinism

320 Secular vs. Sacred (10) Viral Darwinism

Uncensored Unprofessor
Christian Worldview, Current Events, The Common Good, Secular vs. Sacred

Darwinism is not merely a philosophy affirmed and disputed among scientists. No, today it permeates significant avenues of public life: law, education, theology, language, and economics. Herein I recount the whos and hows of this viral social spread. At the show's beginning I play back the contents of a "church-board meeting" I recently secretly recorded; silence is the tack of acquiescence. Come laugh and think with me!

319 Secular vs. Sacred (9) When Darwinism Drowns

319 Secular vs. Sacred (9) When Darwinism Drowns

Uncensored Unprofessor
Sciency-Y Stuff, Why Does Morality Matter?, Jordan Peterson, Bible, Current Events, Secular vs. Sacred

Darwinism asserts there is no there-there. Life's just the product of random chance. And so, life is inherently meaningless and empty. But most Darwinists, even in our crazy PoMo society, cannot live inside such emptiness or meaninglessness. Drowning in emptiness but still hearing the echo of morality in their souls, what do they do? They make leaps of faith, leaps of faith that defy the cold-emptiness of Darwinian philosophy. Even, I'm sad to say, even Jordan Peterson makes such faith-leaps. How so?

318 Secular vs. Sacred (8) The Magic Inside it All

318 Secular vs. Sacred (8) The Magic Inside it All

Uncensored Unprofessor
Sciency-Y Stuff, Christian Worldview, Current Events, Secular vs. Sacred

Darwinists tell us the universe is empty and meaningless. But that's just not true once one begins studying life. For instance, the Leafcutter ant exhibits profoundly sophisticated behaviors. The queen ant, herself, follows innate algorithms that help her build and foster enormous colonies. Hence, life is pre-wired by intense and specific coding; all of which suggests the hand of an exquisitely sophisticated intellect. I also reflect on recent SCOTUS rulings and address the question of whether or not America is God's chosen nation.

317 Secular vs. Sacred (7) Hang Yer Hat On These Two Truths

317 Secular vs. Sacred (7) Hang Yer Hat On These Two Truths

Uncensored Unprofessor
Jesus, Bible, Sciency-Y Stuff, Christian Worldview, Current Events, Secular vs. Sacred

What are the two central truths upon which I hang my own hat of belief? Importantly, both truths are rooted in history, fact, reality. The dogma of Lord Secularism says that the universe, for no discernible purpose, produced complex life; but there is no meaning to life. The Lord of creation sings that the cosmos is sated with beauty, love, and purpose; that life is grounded in meaning. Across these two diverse worldviews I search for answers. (Oh, and I also sing a Beatles song with new lyrics about top-level bribery.) Come laugh and think with me!

316 Secular vs. Sacred (6) Life's Deep Meaning

316 Secular vs. Sacred (6) Life's Deep Meaning

Uncensored Unprofessor
Christian Worldview, Current Events, Spirituality, Secular vs. Sacred

Most every self-aware person asks two questions, "what is life all about?" and, "who am I?" The human race always has, and does today, yearn for meaning. The Secular and the Sacred go about deep meaning in oppositional ways. Because it says the universe is empty and without purpose, Secularism shouts that we must create our own meaning. The Sacred, an element of reality that lives deep down in our bone marrow, says that the cosmos is sated with meaning. We don't just "need" religion, we are religion! I compare and contrast the Secular and Sacred on this ever-present question: what is life all about?

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