Postmodern Realities Podcast

MY FEELINGS AS A CHRISTIAN POINT ME TO MY LORD AND SAVIOR AS A FIGHTER. ADOLF HITLERIt is not difficult to find collections of quotes like this one, intended to prove that Adolf Hitler was a Christian. In many of his speeches and writings, Hitler referred to God or Jesus or quoted the Bible. Consequently, it is argued, Hitler must have been a believing Christian. The matter, however, is not that simple. A Muslim may refer to God or Jesus, or allude to biblical teachings, but this does not make him or her a Christian. Hitlers religious beliefs have been the source of much misinformation. Some argue that while Hitler paid lip service to Christianity, he was actually an atheist. Others argue that Hitler was an occultist. The reality is that Hitler adhered to a system of belief that may be classified as pseudo Christian and extremely heretical. This Postmodern Realities podcast episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author J. P. Holding about his article Was Hitler a Christian?

If the battleground over abortion resembles a chess board, the new Netflix documentary Reversing Roe is an offensive bombardment on the pro life movements front lines. The problem is that the film talks around abortion without ever really talking about it at all. Its release is eerily timely its conclusion set the stage for the dramatic showdown over Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. And its method is strikingly similar to coverage of the Kavanaugh debacle a postmodern feelings led approach that runs roughshod over the ins and outs of valid arguments. The documentary juxtaposes a brief history of abortion rights with recent efforts several states have made since Roes inception to limit access to abortion. From the pre Roe era of illegal abortions whether therapeutic and performed in hospital settings or done with coat hanger segments in hidden rooms to President Trumps inauguration and nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, Reversing Roe spells out the purported dangers of eliminating abortion as a constitutional right for women. This Postmodern Realities podcast episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Megan Almon about her online review article Reversing Reason.

It is evident from social observation that human beings desire happiness, not as a means to something else but as an end in itself. Many major worldviews seem to agree that one crucial ingredient of happiness is virtuous living. This idea goes back at least as far as ancient Greek philosophy, particularly the works of Aristotle, who argued that virtue is necessary for a healthy soul, and that the soul is the part of humankind that is closest to the divine. Later, the idea was expounded by the great medieval Christian philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas, who wrote that God is the ultimate good, the end toward which humankind must move in order to properly flourish. In contemporary thought, virtue based happiness is endorsed in the writings of various world religions as well as secular humanism. However, unless a belief system posits the existence of God and an essential human nature that is designed to flourish under divine moral law, then the proposition that virtue, in the classical sense, is integral to happiness is incoherent. Without a transcendent good, virtuous living moral behavior has no content beyond mere subjective opinion on right and wrong, good and evil. Prominent atheist philosophers of the Western tradition, such as Nietzsche and Sartre, readily admitted this. Repelled by the notion that objective goodness does not exist, some espouse moral Platonism, but this view suffers from major shortcomings. Christianity provides the best grounds for believing that our happiness is closely linked to how we live. This Postmodern Realities podcast episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Melissa Cain Travis about her Volume 41 5 feature article Virtue, Human Nature, and the Quest for Happiness

It is evident from social observation that human beings desire happiness, not as a means to something else but as an end in itself. Many major worldviews seem to agree that one crucial ingredient of happiness is virtuous living. This idea goes back at least as far as ancient Greek philosophy, particularly the works of Aristotle, who argued that virtue is necessary for a healthy soul, and that the soul is the part of humankind that is closest to the divine. Later, the idea was expounded by the great medieval Christian philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas, who wrote that God is the ultimate good, the end toward which humankind must move in order to properly flourish. In contemporary thought, virtue based happiness is endorsed in the writings of various world religions as well as secular humanism. However, unless a belief system posits the existence of God and an essential human nature that is designed to flourish under divine moral law, then the proposition that virtue, in the classical sense, is integral to happiness is incoherent. Without a transcendent good, virtuous living moral behavior has no content beyond mere subjective opinion on right and wrong, good and evil. Prominent atheist philosophers of the Western tradition, such as Nietzsche and Sartre, readily admitted this. Repelled by the notion that objective goodness does not exist, some espouse moral Platonism, but this view suffers from major shortcomings. Christianity provides the best grounds for believing that our happiness is closely linked to how we live. This Postmodern Realities podcast episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Melissa Cain Travis about her Volume 41 5 feature article Virtue, Human Nature, and the Quest for Happiness.

In Choosing Down Syndrome Ethics and New Prenatal Testing Technologies, author Chris Kaposy, the associate professor of Bioethics in the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University Newfoundland, argues that advancements in less invasive prenatal testing will increase the use of those tests and produce a greater number of occurrences of selective abortion in cases of Down syndrome diagnosis. As the father of a son with Down syndrome, Kaposy encourages people to resist the overwhelmingly preferred option of abortion and choose to allow their children with Down syndrome to be born. Kaposy, however, argues from the perspective of an outspoken pro choice advocate who believes the human fetus is not the kind of organism that can be wronged and women should be free to choose abortion without interference of the state or community. This Postmodern Realities podcast episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Jay Watts about his Volume 41 5 book review article Assessing a Pro Choice Argument against Aborting Children with Down Syndrome

Stories of ghosts and experiences of the paranormal have been a historical constant for as long as humans have wondered what happens after death. But as the entertainment industry has become increasingly desperate for our always divided attention, these stories have been hybridized with reality TV and promoted on channels not traditionally associated with the category of the paranormal. The Travel, History, and National Geographic channels are the prime examples. In ghost hunting shows, for instance, teams travel around the world to places thought to be haunted, using various pieces of technology to test for the presence of paranormal activity. And they seem to find much to go on. From flickering lights, to temperature changes, to unexplained moving objects, these teams give producers and then viewers a great deal of excitement. But how should Christians respond? Our worldview supports the existence of the supernatural, and we also acknowledge the presence of evil. Not all of the supernatural realm is good, but in addition, not all is evil. It is therefore wise to test the spirits to see if they are of God, as we are instructed in 1 John 4:1. Moreover, perhaps understanding someones interest in paranormal activity could serve as a gateway into a conversation about other seemingly unexplained phenomena, such as angels, demons, and ultimately the nature of God. This Postmodern Realities podcast episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Sara Geis about her Volume 41 5 feature article Ghost Hunters and God Finding Reason in the Pursuit of the Paranormal.

Flannery OConnor was a Roman Catholic novelist, essayist, and short story writer whose Complete Short Stories won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1972. Her fictional work explores existential questions of grace, morality, freedom, and transcendence in the lives of grotesque characters. Are humans free to determine the nature of reality or does reality both spiritual and material precede the human will and make a legitimate claim upon it? Is truth a construct erected by powerful people to sustain their own power or is it a bedrock structure of being against which humans rebel at their own peril? This Postmodern Realities podcast episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Stephen Mitchell about his Volume 41 5 feature article Flannery OConnor and the Problem of Freedom.

Flannery OConnor was a Roman Catholic novelist, essayist, and short story writer whose Complete Short Stories won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1972. Her fictional work explores existential questions of grace, morality, freedom, and transcendence in the lives of grotesque characters. Are humans free to determine the nature of reality or does reality both spiritual and material precede the human will and make a legitimate claim upon it? Is truth a construct erected by powerful people to sustain their own power or is it a bedrock structure of being against which humans rebel at their own peril? This Postmodern Realities podcast episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Stephen Mitchell about his Volume 41 5 feature article Flannery OConnor and the Problem of Freedom.

Although masturbation solo sex is a nearly universal behavior, it is rarely discussed in the church. However, the increasing support in the media for solo sex as a healthy activity means the church must begin to address it. The moral legitimacy of this behavior has long been debated in Christian circles. To arrive at a biblical conclusion, we need to go beyond prohibitions to consider the positive teaching on sexuality with its profound theological implications. God intends sexuality to teach us what it means to be made in His image and, more importantly, what it means to be in relationship with Him. When we understand the design of biblical sexuality, coupled with the nature of Christian discipleship, it is clear this is not a legitimate sexual activity. The central New Testament passage discussing sexuality in marriage makes clear that the focus of marital intimacy is satisfying my spouse not my personal pleasure. In this way, our sexuality should reflect the larger call of discipleship to self denial and love for others. Questions asked in this episode include in what ways does the church need to improve the approach to sexuality? Why is teaching about sexuality in the church important? Since there isnt a clear biblical prohibition against masturbation, is it a sinful behavior? Does masturbation impinge on your relationship with God? What about solo sex and singles who face unsatisfied sexual desires? Is there a place for masturbation in marriage? Teenagers have raging hormones and since they arent married, if they engage in solo sex, who is that hurting? How do parents address the subject of a masturbation and a biblical sexual ethic with their kids? This Postmodern Realities extended episode is a conversation about biblical sexuality with JOURNAL author David White about his Volume 41 5 feature article, Solo Sex and the Christian.

There is little doubt that the New Testament makes several unique claims concerning Jesus. Some of these exclusive comments regard claims that Jesus Christ was deity, or that He is the sole path to salvation, or that He was raised from the dead. The claims and deeds of Jesus become even more distinct when compared with the founders of other religious traditions like Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, or Zoroastrianism. Crucially, the claims and actions of other religions founders encompass highly significant historical issues. The most common problem involves the time intervals between the claimed teachings or events and their recording, with usual gaps of hundreds to well over a thousand years. In contrast, the Gospels were written within a few decades after Jesus. Another significant problem concerns identifying when some founders such as Buddha or Zoroaster actually lived, involving differences of a thousand years or more. Hinduism faces huge problems regarding the extant date of the Upanishads, whether Hindu scholars think Krishna even lived, and treating the potential millennia gap with the Bhagavad Gita. Finally, scholars have too often placed world religious claims approximately on a par while failing to look critically at the historical case for the New Testament writings and events vis a vis non Christian claims. This has led to various confusions such as viewing all religious claims as being equally true or likewise historical, or that one religious truth automatically requires the truth of others. Overly critical attitudes toward Christian beliefs while hardly posing any similarly tough questions to the almost always unevidenced, non Christian beliefs reveals a scholarly double standard. This Postmodern Realities podcast episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Benjamin Shaw about his coauthored with Gary Habermas feature article The Historical Uniqueness of Jesus Christ among the Founders of the Worlds Major Religions in the Volume 41 4 2018 issue of the JOURNAL