Thinking Out Loud

Whether we recognize it or not, we all have a philosophy of life—a basic notion of what the good life is. But the problem isn’t just that we fail to live up to our own standards. The problem is that we’re often blissfully unaware of our life philosophy, simply taking it for granted. In this episode, we explore some of the implications of the examined life. 

We’re excited to announce that we’ve just launched TOL Connect, an online discussion forum for podcast listeners to continue the discussions we’ve begun on the podcast. In this episode, we talk about the what, why, and how of TOL Connect. Practically speaking, it’ll tell you how to join and how it works.

Pride Month continues to be a challenge to Christians as we make our way through a culture that increasingly views us as pariahs. Here, we continue to press into the conversation about how we respond to our rapidly shifting cultural landscape. 

Usually, our church conversations about our possessions turn on warnings about rampant materialism. But what if there’s a spiritual component to taking care of our things? From gardening and basic home maintenance all the way to renovations and car restorations, most of us will recognize the spiritual disciplines hardwired into these pursuits if we pause and think about it for a moment. Join us we talk about it.

A recent article by Ted Gioia on the decadent state of our culture pushed us to ask, “Are things really that bad?” It’s a question on many people’s minds these days, so we decided to explore it on this episode.

Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt continues to churn out bestsellers and his latest book, The Anxious Generation, is adding a new level of urgency to the conversation around parenting. But do we really need Dr. Haidt to tell us that smartphones and social media shouldn’t be in the hands of young children? TOL listeners know we’re fans of Haidt’s work, so this isn’t a knock on him. It is, however, a bit of a nudge to stop outsourcing our parenting to so-called experts. Join us as we discuss this issue.

A conservative Catholic speaking to conservative Catholics at a Catholic university argues for the importance of God and family values. And breaks the internet? Unsurprisingly, those with progressive leanings take umbrage at a popular athlete arguing for the normative place of a traditional family in society. What is surprising, however, are some of the theologically conservative Christians who who have also taken offense at the man's speech. Join us as we parse some of the reactions and consider some of their larger implications.

As the title suggests, we’re delving into the ethics of church security and considering how Christ’s moral vision shapes our approach.

We recently received a thoughtful question from a listener in Canada about the issue of reparations. Though we certainly can’t close the book on such a complex subject, we did our level best to offer some constructive thoughts on the issue. We pray it’s helpful to you. 

We’ve talked about Ayan Hirsi Ali. We’ve talked about a grudging admission from professor Richard Dawkins that he’s now a cultural Christian. And now we’ll add the bubbly, charming, and highly articulate Russell Brand to the discussion. We’ve seen this before, right? Kanye West, anyone? How about Bob Dylan? But something feels different this time. Join us as we talk about that difference.