As a dark wave of fatalism and existentialist despair rolled over from Europe in the nineteenth century, one brilliant American thinker dared to stem the tide. What if we are MORE than machines? he asked. What if our choices actually matter? Join us as we explore the impact of psychologist-philosopher William James and his quest to make meaning out of the vibrant life of the mind.

Imagine for a minute that you’re an ambassador of Earth to an alien civilization. You’re asked, “What’s this RELIGION thing all about? Why do you all believe something’s WRONG with your world?” Be honest: would you have answers? In this episode of Authentic, Shawn Boonstra pursues a coherent definition for religion, shining a light on why humanity’s always trying to improve…and why our efforts tend to backfire.

"You can't tell me what to do!" From crib to nursing home, we all bristle like porcupines at claims of authority. Something in us HATES being commanded. Is it any surprise the Most High God gets massive pushback? But what if, Shawn Boonstra asks, this target is a painted one? Scripture reveals Someone wholly unlike the tyrant of our imagination...

Thinking outside the box isn't just for artists and engineers. We can all benefit from challenging assumptions that hold us back. But what happens when "radical = good" becomes an assumption itself? Shawn Boonstra ponders the consequences for a society obsessed with erasing all the lines, boundaries, and principles that built us.

It takes a skeptic to prove reality. Shawn Boonstra revisits an old "friend," René Descartes, and his groundbreaking decision to doubt everything and how he concluded, "I think, therefore I am." The way Descartes starkly split mind from matter, though, should trigger our own skeptical instincts.

What causes YOU to lose your cool? The roots of our anger are deep and varied, but Shawn Boonstra suggests it's usually less about cosmic justice and more about personal injury. So, how to name and tame this dragon of rage? A centuries-old Christian practice may be the key.

Wrath. It's known as one of the seven deadly sins—and yet Scripture is filled with descriptions of God getting wrathful. So what IS the problem with anger? Shawn Boonstra explores this dynamite emotion and how our personal experiences with anger can cloud our view of heaven's righteous outrage.

As the Voice of Prophecy team ramps up work on summer events, we're also tuning up the studio for a new season of Authentic that comes out September 13. Stay tuned! If you're interested, we do actually run weekly encore episodes—check out our Facebook for those releases: www.facebook.com/vopministry

The internet has supercharged the spread of conspiracy theories and urban legends both old and new. Many Christians have been caught up in its web. But their evangelizing, as Shawn Boonstra explains, has little to do with the core message of the Gospel. It may even be poisoning the faith for others. This week on Authentic: a plea for a return to Bible basics in a conversation that's gone off the walls and down weird rabbit holes.

If you were to build the perfect society, how would you do it? In this episode of Authentic, Shawn Boonstra breaks out his old copy of Plato's "Republic" to examine some of the allegedly best ideas for creating utopia. Somewhere between philosopher-kings, warrior-kings, and despots, the dream starts to dissolve... Can we find it for real?