The Nothing Human Podcast

Michael discusses the touchy topics of superiority and submission, explaining how an understanding of domain, power, and authority helps us navigate both the internal submission necessary to become whole people and the external submission that grants peace and productivity in communities.

Michael’s Patreon

Voluntary Submission: The Art of Becoming Bigger than Yourself, by Michael Minkoff, Jr.

Perichoresis

Jesus is Dead, Long Live Jesus, by Michael Minkoff, Jr.

Michael investigates the ways that the three powers of the human spirit relate to Christian faith as the instrument of salvation. He begins with a discussion of the intellectual aspects of faith, and another damaging corollary of the primacy of the intellect error in the West. He thens goes on to discuss historical Christian definitions of faith, in both confessions, texts, and practice. Most address faith in terms of both intellect and will, but still fail to address the affectional aspects of faith and salvation. Michael explores some of the biblical conceptions of affectional faith, closing with some advice about choosing a church and evangelism.

Michael’s Patreon

Why Did New England Puritanism Fail? by Michael Minkoff, Jr.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, 155, “On Faith”

The Orthodox Faith, on “Faith” by Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko

Rebalancing Calvin’s Equation of Faith and Knowledge by Michael Minkoff, Jr.

Michael applies the three power framework to anthropology—the study of humankind—with a wide-ranging conversation on gender, ethnic groups, global missions, and denominations.

Michael's Patreon

StackExchange Discussion of Man and Woman Made in God's Image

Arianism

Augustine, On the Trinity

Man or Bear Question

Women Marrying Up, “Hypergamy”

Male vs. Female IQ

James Brown, “It's a Man's, Man’s, Man’s World,” Live at the L’Olympia, Paris, 1966

Ozymandias, by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Ode to the Mothers in their Sisyphean Joy, by Michael Minkoff, Jr.

Traducianism

The Chrysanthemum and the Sword, by Ruth Benedict

Guilt–shame–fear spectrum of cultures

Paul G. Hiebert, Anthropological Insights for Missionaries (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1985). Quoted from p. 287–288.

Michael explores the intellect, truth, fact, bias, imagination, and experience to arrive at a more relational and integrated understanding of the spirit of the mind. He explores disorders of the intellect, which contribute to everything from sociopathy to sloth, and establishes humility as the only virtue that can cut through self-deception.

Subscribe to Michael’s Patreon

Facial Scar Experiment

“Believing Into Christ,” by Living to Him Ministries

How Christian Rationalism Turned Me Into a Psycopath, by Michael Minkoff, Jr.

Bartleby, the Scrivener

The Prophetic Imagination, by Walter Brueggeman (Helped me sort through some of these concepts)

Michael explores the power of the will on its own terms, the difference between good/evil and righteousness/wickedness, the nature of divine righteousness, the location of the self, and various disorders of the will.

The Problem of Evil Has an “Evil” Problem

Civil Forfeiture

Kant’s Categorical Imperative

Michael traces a bit of the human and Christian history on the devaluation and dismissal of the affections, explaining along the way some of the reasons for that low assessment. He then outlines some biblically-informed objections to our collective abuse of the affections (and affectional people), and proceeds to discuss the distinction between the affections and the emotions and some ways to order and cultivate the affections.

On the Nicene Creed

The Holy Spirit in the WCF

"The Enticing Sin of Empathy,” by Joe Rigney

“The Sentimentality Trap,” by Benjamin Myers

Discussion of the Passions in Aquinas (a bit meandering, but generally good)

“We Sin Because We Have Bad Taste,” by Michael Minkoff, Jr.

This episode explores how each power of the human spirit might be well-ordered or disordered. Michael begins by explaining the relationship of the fruit of the Spirit and the three powers, gleaning from Paul’s letters to discern the well-ordered functions of the affections (Love), will (Patience), and intellect (Faith). He then goes on to discuss how these functions relate to the three classic or cardinal temptations of Pleasure, Power, and Prestige. Assessing the disorders of our spiritual powers has an impact on both the relationship of the powers within an individual as well as the shape of one’s community. Self-abuse nearly always precedes abuse of others, and therefore, properly diagnosing disorders in the powers can help us become more whole individuals in more harmonious communities.

The affectional grouping in the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, and peace. The central virtuous function of affection is love. When intellect serves affection and affection submits to it, it produces joy. When will serves affection and affection submits to it, it produces peace.

The volitional grouping in the fruit of the spirit is patience, kindness, and goodness. The central virtuous function of the will is patience or hope. When affection serves will and will submits to it, it produces kindness. When intellect serves will and will submits to it, it produces goodness.

The intellectual grouping in the fruit of the spirit is faith, meekness, and self-control. The central virtuous function of intellect is faith(fulness). When affection serves intellect and intellect submits to it, it produces meekness. When will serves intellect and intellect submits to it, it produces self-control.

Dismissing Jesus, by Douglas M. Jones

Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, trans. Pevear and Volokhonsky

How do the three powers relate, both in individuals and in community? Michael explores the idea of the “throne room of the spirit,” where the leader, partner, and subject powers work together, or not, to accomplish the goals of the main power. He then explores the need for a standard for each power, and how the source and feedback metric for that standard has a profound influence on human personality, creating the 12 basic personality types for human beings.

LINKS

Bessel van der Kolk's The Body Keeps the Score

Internal Family Systems Therapy

Kant’s Categorical Imperative

In this episode, Michael investigates whether there is a proper ordering of the powers of the human spirit. Is one power supposed to be primary in the human individual or in a community? He discusses how that question has already been answered for most Westerners with the “primacy of the intellect.” He traces this idea to its roots in Greco-Roman philosophy and the Reformation, then shows how it prevails over Western societies and beyond. Why is the "primacy of the intellect" an incorrect and dangerous assumption? Listen and discover for yourself.

LINKS:

Aquinas on The Will (Summa, Q. 82, Articles 3 and 4)

Calvin on Faith and Knowledge

On Puritanism (and Packer), Especially Concerning the Failure of the Puritan Project

What is Mimetic Teaching? (Circe Institute)

Michael introduces both the Nothing Human podcast and his first multi-part series on the Three Powers of the Human Spirit. Join him as he introduces the ancient categories of mind, heart, and will and begins an exploration of their meaning-making capacity in biblical theology, self-awareness, and persuasion.

The Great Chain of Being

How Christian Rationalism Turned Me Into a Psychopath

Are You an “Ought To” or a “Want To” Christian?

Modes of Persuasion: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos