Postmodern Realities Podcast

Wonder Woman is a movie about heroes and the power of heroic role models to inspire heroism in others. Part of the cultural significance of Wonder Woman as a character is to provide young girls with a larger than life image to which they can aspire, parallel to the role Superman plays for young boys. This spoiler-filled podcast episode is a conversation with author John McAteer as he answers questions including what is the approach to heroes that Wonder Woman takes. Wonder Woman is a feminist icon is this movie trying to tear down biblical gender roles? What does the movie say about the origin of war and the possibility of ending war? Some Christian movie reviewers have interpreted Wonder Woman as a Christ-figure. Would you agree with that?

During the 1950s and 60s, Americans were confronted with a unique time of racial conflict. African Americans organized a movement to challenge the racial caste system in the nation. Amidst this largely Christian movement were African Americans who were disillusioned by Christianitys complicity in their experience of racial terror. Many of these people joined the movement known as the Nation of Islam NOI. Those two decades mark the zenith of the NOIs recruitment and activity. Although presently the numbers have dwindled, there are signs of continued influence in African American communities such as the continued ministry of Minister Louis Farrakhan and the twentieth anniversary of the Million Man March held in October 2015. One of the fruits of Farrakhans ministry is Dr. Wesley Muhammad, who has defended the doctrines of the NOI using his academic training in the area of religion. In the past, the myths taught by this group were seen as fanciful and easily rejected by the intellectually minded individual. However, Muhammad seeks to legitimize the teaching that the black man is God. This defense, however, although claiming to be founded on a historic Afrocentric philosophy, departs from the majority of African thought on the nature of God. Muhammad also bases his theory of the development of anthropomorphic understandings among philosophers on his presupposition about traditional Jewish hermeneutics rather than the history of interpretation of the Bible. Finally, he seems to miss the fact that his own explanation about an ontologically immaterial being conflicts with NOI orthodoxy. This podcast episode is a conversation with author Jimmy Butts as he answers questions including: What is the historical response to the Nation of Islam that Christians need to avoid? Why would some people accept the claims of the NOI that some would describe as outlandish? Why should Christian apologists have NOI apologist Dr. Wesley Muhammad on their radar? Who is Elijah Muhammad and why does he characterize the God of Christianity as the spook god? How does the NOIs doctrine of God influence their doctrine of the devil? How can churches prepare their members to engage adherents of NOI?

Over the past decade, there has been a revival of interest in comic book superheroes, driven in large part by the Disney owned Marvel Comics brand, publishers of such characters as Spider Man, the X Men, the Avengers, and more. Every culture has had its own heroes, from Hercules to King Arthur to the Lone Ranger, but the phenomenal popularity of Marvel superheroes in recent years suggests that Marvels unique approach to envisioning heroism is, for better or worse, feeding some sort of spiritual hunger in American culture. In the 1960s, Marvel transformed the entire comic book industry by introducing heroes who were ordinary people that found themselves with unique abilities and struggled to overcome personal weaknesses to use those abilities for the benefit of those in need. Marvels attempt to ground their heroes in a more realistic world than other superheroes led to at least two questionable results. First, the Marvel universe tends to avoid genuinely supernatural phenomena, instead explaining unusual events in science fiction terms. Second, as popular culture has coarsened in the decades since the 1960s, Marvels flawed heroes have had to become more violent to maintain their apparent psychological realism. This means that comic books are now less appropriate for children than they were in the past. On the other hand, the positive result of Marvels emphasis on ordinary, realistic people is that readers can identify with their flawed characters more easily than they could identify with the idealized heroes of yesteryear. This means that Marvel fans can imagine themselves as potential superheroes and learn to cultivate heroism in their own lives. Moreover, comic book stories give us a clear sense of good and evil and the human need for a Savior who is more than human, themes that Christian apologists can use to draw out the innate existential longing for Christ hidden in the heart of all people This podcast episode is a conversation with author John McAteer as he answers questions including Why is Marvel in particular doing so well at this moment? Marvel characters are less perfect compared to DC, but isnt the point of a superhero to be a role model? Shouldnt we want our heroes to be perfect? Does Marvel can go too far in making their heroes flawed? Are flawed and anti heroes really role models for kids? How can apologists and other ministers make use of comics in talking with people about faith?

It is often useful to prepare people for the gospel by asking them some key philosophical questions to help them recognize that truth is exclusive. In our postmodern culture, people think that we all create our own truth, so why would it matter what religion we believe? Universities claim to teach young people to think, but most teach relativism and thus undermine even the most basic distinction between truth and falsehood. Therefore, Christians should help an unbeliever understand the concepts of truth, knowledge, and the law of noncontradiction. This podcast episode is a conversation with author Mark Bird as he answers questions about witnessing to non Christians using philosophical questions. Issues discussed include How can understanding how to answer major philosophical questions from a biblical perspective help when talking with an unbeliever? What philosophical questions do you ask? How do you actually start the conversation? How do you help an unbeliever understand what truth is? How do you help an unbeliever understand what knowledge is? Why do you talk them about that? How do you help an unbeliever understand that the universe has a First Cause? Where do you work the gospel into a philosophical discussion?

A conversation with author Caleb Woodbridge as he answers questions about freedom and conscience when consuming TV shows and films. Issues discussed include What are some of the pitfalls that Christians fall into when deciding what to watch? What are the foundations for making wise choices? Did you grow up in a Christian family? What approach did your parents take to media consumption? Have there been stories you have enjoyed that other Christians have had a problem with? How do you recommend things that have questionable content? Do you offer a disclaimer or heads up? Or do you just let the work speak for itself? What stories have you stopped watching or reading because of conscience? How can engaging with stories help us connect with others?

Postmodern Realities Episode 036: "Three Ways to Teach Your Kids Apologetics (Without Them Realizing It)" (Volume 40 #2) with Paul Gould

Postmodern Realities Episode 035: Viewpoint-"All Sins Are Not the Same" (Volume 40 #2) with Michael W. Austin

Postmodern Realities Episode 034: "The Ethics of Modern Board and Card Games?" (Volume 40 #2) with Richard J. Poupard

Postmodern Realities Episode 033: "The Shack Movie - Heretical or Healing?" with Adam Pelser

Postmodern Realities Episode 032: "On Chimeras and What It Means to Be Human" with Jay Watts