Simple Gifts

George Orwell's 1984 is classic dystopian literature, but it is also psychologically astute and prescient concerning the totalitarian tendencies of the 20th century's ideologies. With the rise of 21st century Wokism currently in vogue, its message is a clarion call for the present, too. Let us beware of embracing rather than opposing the lies that are being forced upon us, lest we find ourselves, too, living in a world in which we must guard our very thoughts, lest they betray us. Hold fast to the truth, no matter the consequences!

Enjoy ... and be vigilant!

If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at [email protected]

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured

https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords

https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com

#georgeorwell #animalfarm #classic #classicdystopianliterature #dystopianliterature #dystopianfiction #dystopian #literature #fiction #psychologicalliterature #psychological #psychology #totalitarian #totalitarianfiction #totalitarianliterature #20thcentury #20thcenturyliterature #woke #wokism #orwell

Rene Descartes' classic philosophical work, Meditations on First Philosophy, is a participative exercise in thinking. Join one of history's great philosophical minds in considering the nature of the world and how we think about it.

Meditation 3, "Of God: That He Exists," is an extended argument that God necessarily exists. His argument, a version of Anselm's ontological argument, was later powerfully critiqued by Immanuel Kant. The ontological argument rises and falls in popularity. Whether or not the argument "works" for you, it is worthwhile to enter into Descartes' participative reasoning process, to "feel" the power of the logic as it unfolds. I encourage all my listeners to participate with one of history's great minds as he seeks to "prove" God's existence. 

If you’d like to support us, donate through Paypal at [email protected]

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured

https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords

https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com

#rene #descartes #renedescartes #meditations #meditation #meditationsonfirstphilosophy #firstphilosophy #materialthings #existence #evidence #senses #will #judgment #socrates #plato #philosophy #philosopher #frenchphilosophy #frenchphilosopher #skeptical #skeptic #faith

On November 9th, 1940, six months after resigning as prime minister, succeeded by his colleague in the Conservative Party, Churchill, Neville Chamberlain died of cancer.

In this eulogy to his colleague, whom Churchill certainly blamed for the war, he is both truthful and gracious.

"It fell to Neville Chamberlain in one of the supreme crises of the world to be contradicted by events, to be disappointed in his hopes, and to be deceived and cheated by a wicked man. But what were these hopes in which he was disappointed? What were these wishes in which he was frustrated? What was that faith that was abused? They were surely among the most noble and benevolent instincts of the human heart-the love of peace, the toil for peace, the strife for peace, the pursuit of peace, even at great peril, and certainly to the utter disdain of popularity or clamour. Whatever else history may or may not say about these terrible, tremendous years, we can be sure that Neville Chamberlain acted with perfect sincerity according to his lights and strove to the utmost of his capacity and authority, which were powerful, to save the world from the awful, devastating struggle in which we are now engaged. This alone will stand him in good stead as far as what is called the verdict of history is concerned."

If you’d like to support us, donate through Paypal at [email protected]

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured

https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords

https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com

#churchill #winston #winstonchurchil #worldwarii #worldwar2 #worldwartwo #worldwar #england #america #europe #europeanwar #americanwar #englandwar #warineurope #primeminister #bristishprimeminister #parliament #historicchurchillspeeches #houseofcommons #bbc #britishhistory #nevillechamberlain

In conjunction with episode 52 of our Christian Atheist podcast, "Archaeology and Faith," in which we discuss the amazing discovery of a curse tablet on Mount Ebal in Israel. we present here an essay by C. S. Lewis that critiques the motivations behind much of the hostility toward biblical historicity. Here is a link to that episode:

https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.podbean.com/e/52-christian-atheist/

Lewis here attacks the underlying assumptions that motivate the "higher criticism," and which they don't acknowledge as motivations. He also undermines the arrogance that fails to recognize its own weaknesses and limitations, and yet constructs what seems to them an iron-clad interpretation through textual criticism that, at best, should be approached with a certain degree of incredulity:

"These men ask me to believe they can read between the lines of the old texts; the evidence is their obvious inability to read ... the lines themselves. They claim to see fern-seed and can't see an elephant ten yards away in broad daylight."

This does not mean, of course, that biblical criticism is always wrong, or that its skeptical approach has no value:

"We are not fundamentalists. We think that different elements in this sort of theology have different degrees of strength. The nearer it sticks to mere textual criticism, of the old sort ... the more we are disposed to believe in it. It is as we glide away from this into reconstructions of a subtler and more ambitious kind that our faith in the method wavers.... I could not speak with similar confidence about the circle I have chiefly lived in myself. I could not describe even the history of my own thought as confidently as these men describe the history of the early Church's mind. And I am perfectly certain no one else could.... It encourages a due agnosticism. For agnosticism is, in a sense, what I am preaching. I do not wish to reduce the sceptical element in your minds. I am only suggesting that it need not be reserved exclusively to the biblical text. Try doubting something else."

If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at [email protected]

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured

https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords

https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com

#thechristianatheist #drjohndwise #drjohnwise #johnwise #christian #atheist #christianity #atheism #jesus #jesuschrist #god #bible #oldtestament #newtestament #nocompromise #rationality #faith #philosophy #philosopher #culture #society #religion #religious #evangelical #reason #incarnation #history#psychology #theology #literature #humanities #hardquestions #postmodernism #woke #wisdom #ethics #science #poetry #essay #cslewis #lewis #moderntheology #biblicalcriticism #criticism #moderntheologyandbiblicalcriticism #modern

One of the English language's great poems. It captured me as a high school student, helping to make me a lifelong devotee of poetry.

Water, water, everywhere,

and all the boards did shrink

Water, water, everywhere,

nor any drop to drink

Enjoy!

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43997/the-rime-of-the-ancient-mariner-text-of-1834

If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at [email protected]

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured 

#poem #poetry #verse #literature #aestheticliterature #aesthetic #rhythmic #phonaesthetics #soundsymbolism #metre #prosaic #literarycomposition #poet #ambiguity #symbolism #irony #poeticdiction #muse #prosody #meter #metricalpatterns #rhymescheme #rimeoftheancientmariner #rime #ancientmariner #coleridge #samueltaylorcoleridge #samuelcoleridge #thechristianatheist #drjohndwise #drjohnwise #johnwise #christian #atheist #christianity #atheism #jesus #jesuschrist #god #bible #oldtestament #newtestament

George Orwell's 1984 is classic dystopian literature, but it is also psychologically astute and prescient concerning the totalitarian tendencies of the 20th century's ideologies. With the rise of 21st century Wokism currently in vogue, its message is a clarion call for the present, too. Let us beware of embracing rather than opposing the lies that are being forced upon us, lest we find ourselves, too, living in a world in which we must guard our very thoughts, lest they betray us. Hold fast to the truth, no matter the consequences!

Enjoy ... and be vigilant!

If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at [email protected]

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured

https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords

https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com

#georgeorwell #animalfarm #classic #classicdystopianliterature #dystopianliterature #dystopianfiction #dystopian #literature #fiction #psychologicalliterature #psychological #psychology #totalitarian #totalitarianfiction #totalitarianliterature #20thcentury #20thcenturyliterature #woke #wokism #orwell

Rene Descartes' classic philosophical work, Meditations on First Philosophy, is a participative exercise in thinking. Join one of history's great philosophical minds in considering the nature of the world and how we think about it.

Meditation 3, "Of God: That He Exists," is an extended argument that God necessarily exists. His argument, a version of Anselm's ontological argument, was later powerfully critiqued by Immanuel Kant. The ontological argument rises and falls in popularity. Whether or not the argument "works" for you, it is worthwhile to enter into Descartes' participative reasoning process, to "feel" the power of the logic as it unfolds. I encourage all my listeners to participate with one of history's great minds as he seeks to "prove" God's existence. 

If you’d like to support us, donate through Paypal at [email protected]

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured

https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords

https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com

#rene #descartes #renedescartes #meditations #meditation #meditationsonfirstphilosophy #firstphilosophy #materialthings #existence #evidence #senses #will #judgment #socrates #plato #philosophy #philosopher #frenchphilosophy #frenchphilosopher #skeptical #skeptic #faith

"On 5 September the Luftwaffe switched tactics. Suddenly the weight of enemy attack was concentrated no longer against the bases of the Royal Air Force, but against the civilian population of London and other major cities. Churchill here gives full rein to his outrage and reavows his determination to secure victory."

https://www.nationalchurchillmuseum.org/every-man-to-his-post.html

"we must regard the next week or so as a very important period in our history. It ranks with the days when the Spanish Armada was approaching the Channel.... Every man and woman will therefore prepare himself to do his duty, whatever it may be, with special pride and care.... Our shores are well fortified and strongly manned, and behind them, ready to attack the invaders, we have a far larger and better-equipped mobile Army than we have ever had before.... Besides this, we have more than a million and a half men of the Home Guard, who are ... determined to fight for every inch of the ground in every village and in every street. It is with devout but sure confidence that I say: Let God defend the Right."

If you’d like to support us, donate through Paypal at [email protected]

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured

https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords

https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com

#churchill #winston #winstonchurchil #worldwarii #worldwar2 #worldwartwo #worldwar #england #america #europe #europeanwar #americanwar #englandwar #warineurope #primeminister #bristishprimeminister #parliament #historicchurchillspeeches #houseofcommons #bbc #britishhistory, #everymantohispost #royalairforce #letgoddefendtheright

In conjunction with episode 52 of our Christian Atheist podcast, "Archaeology and Faith," in which we discuss the amazing discovery of a curse tablet on Mount Ebal in Israel. we present here an essay by C. S. Lewis that critiques the motivations behind much of the hostility toward biblical historicity. Here is a link to that episode:

https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.podbean.com/e/52-christian-atheist/

Lewis here attacks the underlying assumptions that motivate the "higher criticism," and which they don't acknowledge as motivations. He also undermines the arrogance that fails to recognize its own weaknesses and limitations, and yet constructs what seems to them an iron-clad interpretation through textual criticism that, at best, should be approached with a certain degree of incredulity:

"These men ask me to believe they can read between the lines of the old texts; the evidence is their obvious inability to read ... the lines themselves. They claim to see fern-seed and can't see an elephant ten yards away in broad daylight."

This does not mean, of course, that biblical criticism is always wrong, or that its skeptical approach has no value:

"We are not fundamentalists. We think that different elements in this sort of theology have different degrees of strength. The nearer it sticks to mere textual criticism, of the old sort ... the more we are disposed to believe in it. It is as we glide away from this into reconstructions of a subtler and more ambitious kind that our faith in the method wavers.... I could not speak with similar confidence about the circle I have chiefly lived in myself. I could not describe even the history of my own thought as confidently as these men describe the history of the early Church's mind. And I am perfectly certain no one else could.... It encourages a due agnosticism. For agnosticism is, in a sense, what I am preaching. I do not wish to reduce the sceptical element in your minds. I am only suggesting that it need not be reserved exclusively" to the biblical text. "Try doubting something else."

If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at [email protected]

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured

https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords

https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com

#thechristianatheist #drjohndwise #drjohnwise #johnwise #christian #atheist #christianity #atheism #jesus #jesuschrist #god #bible #oldtestament #newtestament #nocompromise #rationality #faith #philosophy #philosopher #culture #society #religion #religious #evangelical #reason #incarnation #history#psychology #theology #literature #humanities #hardquestions #postmodernism #woke #wisdom #ethics #science #poetry #essay #cslewis #lewis #moderntheology #biblicalcriticism #criticism #moderntheologyandbiblicalcriticism #modern

One of the English language's great poems. It captured me as a high school student, helping to make me a lifelong devotee of poetry.

Water, water, everywhere,

and all the boards did shrink

Water, water, everywhere,

nor any drop to drink

Enjoy!

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43997/the-rime-of-the-ancient-mariner-text-of-1834

If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at [email protected]

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured 

#poem #poetry #verse #literature #aestheticliterature #aesthetic #rhythmic #phonaesthetics #soundsymbolism #metre #prosaic #literarycomposition #poet #ambiguity #symbolism #irony #poeticdiction #muse #prosody #meter #metricalpatterns #rhymescheme #rimeoftheancientmariner #rime #ancientmariner #coleridge #samueltaylorcoleridge #samuelcoleridge #thechristianatheist #drjohndwise #drjohnwise #johnwise #christian #atheist #christianity #atheism #jesus #jesuschrist #god #bible #oldtestament #newtestament