Thinking Out Loud

As we continue to process the assassination attempt on former president, Donald Trump, we sat down to consider the national response and its implications for the spiritual health of America.

Warren Smith has been on a fascinating journey ever since he lost his job as a teacher for challenging the tenets of gender ideology. We decided to chat with him about the principled resistance to serious conversation that we often encounter in our cultural moment. If you’d like to learn more about Warren Smith and his work, check out this page.

It’s no secret that we live in an age of information overload. On a practical level, this often shows up in the numerous links people send to us in a given day. We know that this flood of news and entertainment wastes time and feeds anxiety, but we can’t seem to look away. In this episode, we consider some strategies for freeing up mental space.

It’s a time of great transition and social upheaval in North America and the church is far from immune. In this episode, we interview Stuart McAllister about this shifting dynamic and what it might mean for those of us who follow Christ today.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry recently signed a bill mandating the public display of the 10 Commandments in public school classrooms in his state. Does this represent a victory for democracy and the values that have shaped our nation? Or is this yet another episode in the ongoing culture war between conservatives and progressives? Join us as we dive into the discussion. 

From Plato’s Republic all the way to the trope of the faithless priest, there’s a rich tradition of thought focused on heroic modes of unbelief—elites who mislead others in a self-sacrificial manner in order to promote social stability. In this episode, we ask, Is it noble to tell people a lie that seems to make them happier? 

Addiction in North America is nothing new, of course. What’s changed in recent years, however, is the sophistication behind our mind-altering technologies. In the episode, we discuss our addiction to mood control and consider its implications for the church.

A thoughtful listener recently posed the question about the alleged difference between joy and happiness. In numerous books and sermons, joy is represented as something that transcends one’s immediate circumstances and happiness is portrayed as relatively superficial. Is this true? And when did the opposition emerge? (We think it might have a little something to do with C.S. Lewis.) Join us as we discuss joy vs. happiness. 

Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan recently announced that it’s slashing its humanities department in an effort to boost student enrollment and offer more “market value” for degrees. From a business standpoint, this might make some sense, but what precisely is a liberal arts college without any liberal arts? And what does this say about Christianity’s abiding emphasis on the life of the mind? Join us as we dive into the subject.

We get older and discover that life is often deeply ambiguous. Confoundingly, the Bible often matches that ambiguity. People come down with terminal illnesses. Some are healed. Some are not. If scripture is supposed to help us make sense of human experience, what do we do when it appears to raise more questions than answers? We invite you to think alongside us on this issue.