Meaning in the Middle

After Landon left Christianity, he repeatedly encountered the claim that without god he no longer had a way to ground "objective" moral truth (ethical truth that applies to everyone regardless of individual opinion or preference) and was only left with moral relativism in which claims about morality must appeal to individual preference. 

His attempt to answer these claims has resulted in a fascination with moral philosophy and a very intentional exploration of how we can reason our way to universal moral truth. 

This episode is a snapshot of where he is in that journey. 
We would LOVE to hear your feedback!

To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.

Cheers! 

Whether you believe in Jesus or not, you can’t deny his story has had a radical effect on human society over the past 2000 years. While the debates about what actually happened or did not happen matter, we're are choosing to meditate on what Jesus’ story means for us, particularly in our understanding of self-sacrificial love and transcendence.

Useful references from the discussion: 

• Jordan Peterson -  is a Canadian clinical psychologist, YouTube personality, author, and professor emeritus of psychology
• John Vervaeke - is a professor of cognitive science at the University of Toronto, who has published a series on Youtube, called "Awakening from the Meaning Crisis"
• Carl Jung - was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Search his work on archetypes
• Paul Johannes Tillich - was a German-American Christian existentialist philosopher and Lutheran Protestant theologian who is widely regarded as one of the most influential theologians of the twentieth century
   

To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.

Cheers! 

We love discussing big topics in our normal episodes, but we REALLY LOVE hearing from you and being able to answer questions that the podcast is prompting! 

Thank you to everyone who submitted questions this time and please keep them coming! 

To join the discussion (and to ask some questions of your own), visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.

Cheers! 

Deconstruction has become a buzzword in many Christian circles. In recent years, we've seen the decline in church attendance punctuated by public announcements from prominent Christian leaders and artists explaining that they have gone through this thing called "deconstruction" and no longer consider themselves to be a part of the faith. 

Spoiler Alert: there's NUANCE to be explored! We chat about the healthy and unhealthy forms of deconstruction and what the implications might be for the future of the Evangelical church. 

To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.

Cheers! 

Is there a way to engage with religion, to benefit from its value and sacredness, even if we don't consider ourselves religiously ideological? Is modern religion up to the task of responding to our ever-changing world or do we need something new? 

This is one of our favorite conversations so far and we're really excited to share it with you! 

Useful references from the discussion: 

• John Vervaeke - is a professor of cognitive science at the University of Toronto, who has published a series on Youtube, called "Awakening from the Meaning Crisis"
• Paul Johannes Tillich - was a German-American Christian existentialist philosopher and Lutheran Protestant theologian who is widely regarded as one of the most influential theologians of the twentieth century
• Slavoj Žižek - is a Slovenian philosopher, a researcher at the Department of Philosophy of the University of Ljubljana Faculty of Arts and international director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities of the University of London.
• Robert Webber - Ancient Future Faith
• Richard Rohr -  is an American Franciscan priest and writer on spirituality
• Phyllis Tickle  - was an American author and lecturer whose work focuses on spirituality and religion issues.
   

To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.

Cheers! 

 

In this episode, Ryan offers Landon three approaches to the word that have helped him frame the discussion, from philosopher Kierkegaard’s palate-cleansing “virtue of the absurd”, to theologian Tillich’s “centered act of personality," and finally biblical scholar Matthew Bates’ “allegiance”.

Useful references from the discussion: 

• Søren Kierkegaard - was a Danish theologian, philosopher, poet, social critic, and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher
• Paul Johannes Tillich - was a German-American Christian existentialist philosopher and Lutheran Protestant theologian who is widely regarded as one of the most influential theologians of the twentieth century
• Matthew Bates - is Associate Professor of Theology at Quincy University. His main teaching area is the Bible and early Christian literature.

To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.

Cheers! 

In this episode, we're discussing the principles and techniques that we've found helpful for reaching "the middle" and generating productive conversations. 

We hope that these points will be helpful in guiding your own conversations to meaningful places. Good luck! 

• Curiosity
• Humility
• Nuance
• Self-Awareness
• Dignity

To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.

Cheers! 

In this episode, we dive into the weeds and try to understand exactly what we each mean when we say something is TRUE. 

Are we saying something is factual objectively or that it's meaningful and aligns with our human nature?
How important is that distinction anyway? 

This can be a tricky topic in religion and philosophy to navigate and we've found it very valuable to try and be as clear as possible about how we each think about TRUTH and what criteria we consider when determining whether or not something is TRUE. 

Useful references from the discussion: 

• Jordan Peterson -  is a Canadian clinical psychologist, YouTube personality, author, and professor emeritus of psychology
• John Vervaeke - is a professor of cognitive science at the University of Toronto, who has published a series on Youtube, called "Awakening from the Meaning Crisis"
• Søren Kierkegaard - was a Danish theologian, philosopher, poet, social critic, and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher
• Alexander Schmemann - For the Life of the World
• Jacques Lacan - a French psychoanalyst and psychiatrist who has been called "the most controversial psycho-analyst since Freud"
• Carl Jung - was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Search his work on archetypes 
• Julian of Norwich 
• Teresa of Avila
   

To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.

Cheers! 

What is GOD? 

In episode 3 we're tackling this question, and good news, we totally solve it once and for all. 
Ryan starts us off with the idea of God as the "ground of all being" and we discuss trying to connect that framing to a sentient God that intervenes in human affairs. 

Useful references from the discussion: 

• Jordan Peterson -  is a Canadian clinical psychologist, YouTube personality, author, and professor emeritus of psychology
• John Vervaeke - is a professor of cognitive science at the University of Toronto, who has published a series on Youtube, called "Awakening from the Meaning Crisis"
• Søren Kierkegaard - was a Danish theologian, philosopher, poet, social critic, and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher
• Paul Johannes Tillich - was a German-American Christian existentialist philosopher and Lutheran Protestant theologian who is widely regarded as one of the most influential theologians of the twentieth century
• Rene Descartes - was a French philosopher, mathematician, scientist and lay Catholic who invented analytic geometry
   

To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod or in our Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.

Cheers! 

In this episode, Ryan talks about being from Northern Ireland, growing up in the church as a pastor's kid, and unexpectedly finding his way to becoming a pastor himself. The guys explore his journey in and out of various church traditions and discuss important differences between Landon's background in American Evangelicalism and Ryan's background in the Anglican Church. 

To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod or in our Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.

Cheers!