Postmodern Realities Podcast

The increasing acceptance of polyamory by progressives and soon to be former evangelicals is a symptom of the state of the churchs witness to Gods normative pattern for sexuality after Obergefell the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision ruling that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same sex couples. Whether pressured or free to come to terms with their accusers in the wider culture, these pastors and teachers have taken license with the biblical text to open up a path for LGBTQ and polyamorous persons into the church without confession and repentance of their sexual sin required by Jesus Christ. This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author C. Daniel Motley about his Volume 41, no. 2 Postmodern Realities article, Two or More? Christian Polyamorys Problematic Theology.

Our Internet connected devices offer an amazing world of information and connectivity, yet many feel more fragmented and disconnected than ever. Dont blame it all on Google or Facebook rather, a great deal of our angst comes from a more subtle restructuring of human life the virtualization of culture. The church, too, is being virtualized; but it more naturally provides the solution. This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author John Dyer about his feature length cultural discernment Viewpoint article in Volume 40 5 called The Virtualization of Culture and the Need for an Embodied Christian Alternative

Whatever argument the Christian apologist hopes to present, he must first find, or make, its frame. There must be form, else the idea comes to nothing. As C. S. Lewis understood well, the more penetrating and memorable instances of apologetic defense are those with harmony between idea and form. The apologist, like the writer, must become a rhetorical craftsman, careful about how shell say what needs saying. This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Corey Latta about his feature article in Volume 41 1 2018 called Something Made The Role of Form in Apologetics. To read Coreys article, please subscribe to the JOURNAL

Editors note The following review contains many spoilers about the content of the film. The podcast conversation also touches on subject matter not covered in the written review. Ernest Clines 2011 science fiction novel Ready Player One tells the story of a dystopian society in the near future where people spend most of their waking hours inside a virtual reality simulation called the OASIS where they can live out any fantasy they can imagine. After the creator of the OASIS James Halliday, played by Mark Rylance dies, it is revealed that he has embedded a series of video game like puzzles within the OASIS. The first person to solve the puzzles will inherit Hallidays stock and become an instant billionaire. The trick is that the solution to the puzzles require exhaustive knowledge of 1980s nerd culture. Some of the themes discussed in this podcast episode are virtual reality, video gaming, technology, religion in a technology centered dystopian future, the themes of Spielberg films, and how to use this film as an apologetics tool. This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author John McAteer about his equip.org film review called Spielbergs Nostalgia for Reality in Ready Player One

Comic Cons, Geek Culture, and the Mission of Christ" with Drew Dixon

Every year, millions of devoted fans travel to our nations largest cities to play unreleased video and board games, meet the stars of their favorite scifi shows, and attend panel discussions on fantasy worlds. Last year, 150,000 people attended New York City Comic Con, 130,000 people attended San Diego Comic Con, and more than 200,000 people attended one of the three Penny Arcade Expos located in Seattle, Boston, and San Antonio. About 65 percent of American households are home to someone who plays video games regularly. Board game sales are rapidly rising, and cafes and bookstores dedicated to tabletop gaming are springing up all over. Scifi, superhero, and fantasy are among the most widely loved And yet, the churchs default reaction to geek culture in recent history has ranged somewhere between guarded skepticism and ignorance. As has been documented, evangelical preachers commonly assume that video games are at best a waste of time and at worst destructive to spiritual health. It has been documented, however, that playing video games in moderation relieves stress, improves brain function, and boosts creativity. While video games and geek culture certainly contain their share of graphic violence, sexual objectification, and addictive qualities, much good can be found in these mediums as well. So how can apologists reach this unchurched group of nerds for Christ? This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Drew Dixon about his Postmodern Realities article in Volume 40 6 called Comic Cons, Geek Culture, and the Mission of Christ.

The new Greg Berlanti directed film, starring Nick Robinson, is a teen romantic comedy in the vein of its John Hughes directed predecessors from the 1980s Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink. This time, though, the teenage search for romantic love involves the main characters gay identity. Will he come out of the closet? This film has been well received by movie critics and has earned an A plus rating from filmgoers. Should Christians see the film? How do parents respond if their kids ask to see the film? How do Christians engage with friends about the films world view? On this episode of the Postmodern Realities podcast, CHRISTIAN RESEARCH JOURNAL contributing writer Joe Dallas gives his insights into the film. To read the written review by Joe Dallas please go to our Website

Although the Bible teaches that Gods existence is evident from nature, it has become commonplace in modern society for people to doubt or deny that God exists. This article contends that six aspects of our lives that all of us take for granted existence, values, morality, reason, mind, and science can only be explained adequately on a theistic basis. 1 The existence of contingent things including humans ultimately depends on a noncontingent, selfexistent God who freely created the universe. 2 Objective value judgments about things within the universe presuppose an absolute standard of goodness that transcends the universe, by which those things can be judged good or bad. 3 Objective moral judgments about human actions presuppose transcendent moral laws that in turn require a transcendent moral lawgiver, as even many atheists concede. 4 Our rational faculties must find their ultimate origin in a rational source reason cannot come from nonreason, and naturalistic evolutionary explanations of our cognitive faculties are selfdefeating. 5 Our possession of conscious minds cannot be explained on an atheistic materialistic basis; naturalistic evolutionary accounts of the emergence of complex conscious minds assume the very thing they purport to explain. 6 Science rests on a host of foundational philosophical presuppositions, including two assumptions that cannot be justified apart from a theistic worldview the universe is orderly and rational and 2 our minds are wellfitted to comprehend that order and rationality. Insofar as atheists take these six things for granted, they have to depend on God even while they deny His existence. This Postmodern Realities Podcast episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author James N. Anderson about his feature article in Volume 40 5 called The Inescapability of God. This article is based on Andersons book Why Should I Believe Christianity?, which is available to you as one of the Equipping Essentials Resources when you join the CRI Support Team

Last week, our online film review of Black Panther by Eric C. Redmond was one of the most viewed articles on our Website. Since then, Black Panther ticket sales soared to $1.1 billion and also became the first movie since Avatar to have five straight weeks at the number one spot in the box office. On this episode of the Postmodern Realities podcast, author Eric C. Redmond gives his insights into the film and how it can be used as an apologetics tool. To read the written review by Eric C. Redmond please visit our Website

The notion that there is a mysterious resonance between the structure of the material world, the abstract world of mathematics, and the human mind what can be called Cosmic Resonance not only has major implications for the contemporary debate between materialism and theism but also is rooted in some of the earliest thought of the Western tradition. This episode is a discussion of the rich intellectual pedigree of Cosmic Resonance and how well this great idea endured, and indeed flourished, through periods of major scientific advancement. Cosmic Resonance effectively dispels the myth that progress in the sciences has been driven by materialism and has undercut the case for design. This Postmodern Realities Podcast episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Melissa Cain Travis about her feature article in Volume 41 1. Her article is called A Grand Cosmic Resonance How the Structure and Comprehensibility of the Universe Reveal a Mindful Maker

Kurt Vonneguts frequently challenged novel SlaughterhouseFive 1969 still influences American culture via high schools and colleges. Truth can come from unexpected places, and a fresh look at this offensive novel reveals some thought provoking lessons about the churchs blind spots. This Postmodern Realities Podcast episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Stephen D. Mizell about his feature article in Volume 41 1 called Slaughterhouse Five as a Tool for Christian Self Examination