We welcome Alan Noble to the show! Alan is a professor, beard enthusiast, onion field lover, and fan of 1940's men's fashion. He is also the author of You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World. Today, Travis and Alan discuss what it means to live in our modern-day world. It seems that everywhere we turn, there are promises of living a better life, of being a better you, of fill-in-the-blank that is going to make your life better and give you a more concrete and complete identity. But what if those promises are simply symptoms of something deeper and more sinister? What if they represent an incorrect view of the world that promise freedom but leads to tyranny instead? And if tyranny, how can we find freedom from it? That is what Travis and Alan talk about in today's episode of Apollos Watered!

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Takeaways:

• In our contemporary society, we confront a pervasive compulsion to define and enhance our identities, which can lead to profound frustration and existential distress.
• The concept of belonging to oneself is juxtaposed against the biblical assertion that we belong to God, fundamentally shaping our identity and purpose.
• Modernity presents us with an overwhelming array of choices, which can paralyze individuals, leading to anxiety and the inability to make fulfilling decisions.
• The burden of self-justification arising from modern societal pressures often creates a cycle of stress and resignation, detracting from genuine fulfillment and purpose.
• The dialogue suggests that our incessant pursuit of self-improvement may be counterproductive, potentially exacerbating our struggles rather than alleviating them.
• Engaging with the theological principle that we are not our own but belong to God can offer a path toward liberation from societal pressures and existential burdens.