The Lord of the Rings is a timeless work. It's an absolutely classic that will be cherished for generations to come... but is it a Christian story? Can we learn anything about the Gospel by reading it? And just what does it mean for a story to be Christian, anyway?

Joel's guest today is Michael Jahosky. Michael is assistant professor of Humanities at St. Petersburg College in Clearwater, Florida. Michael, a Roman Catholic, also teaches apologetics classes in a local (Protestant) church and is involved in campus ministry. Michael's academic background is in classical (Greek/Roman) and biblical history, as well as philosophy, theology, and the arts. He earned his two bachelor degrees from university of Central Florida and holds a Master's from University of South Florida. Michael routinely includes the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis in his Humanities classes. He is the author of the brand new book, The Good News of the Return of the King: The Gospel in Middle Earth, and he joins us today to help us answer the question:

Just How Christian Is the Lord of the Rings?

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Get the full show notes at https://thethink.institute/podcast.

Jordan Peterson says that the best men he knows are dangerous. And yet, for many, our conception of the archetypical Christian man is one who is gentle, even harmless. After all, wasn't even Jesus meek and mild while he was on earth?   In this episode, Joel and Pastor Raef will tackle the "impossible" question of whether it's better to be harmless or dangerous, whether we should learn to think like the enemy, and what exactly Jesus meant when he said "The meek shall inherit the earth." Given all that's going on in the world, is it time for Christians to become more dangerous? Tune in to this MUST-LISTEN Worldview Wednesday episode of the Think Institute Podcast to find out.  Catch Pastor Raef's podcast, "The Christian Optimist" at https://raefchenery.com/podcast.

Get the full show notes at https://thethink.institute/podcast.

Should we consider the possibility that the novel coronavirus is somehow nature's revenge for the way we humans have been treating our environment?

Recent remarks from Prince Harry would indicate so. Similarly, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has lamented that people have been waging a "suicidal war" on the planet. Could Covid-19 be nature's way of returning fire?

Joel and Pastor Raef dig into these questions today and explain whether it makes sense to think of "Mother Nature" as a thing, and whether she/it can retaliate against us. This will be fun.

Get the full show notes at https://thethink.institute/podcast.

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Did you hear the news? Pureflix has now been bought out by Sony, and with that news, people are talking about Christian movies and entertainment. When that happens, certain questions rise to the surface: What kind of entertainment should Christians enjoy? Why do so many Christian movies seem like cheaper knock-offs of secular films? Is it possible for the church to regain the artistic excellence of bygone eras?

Welcome to the Think institute Podcast with Joel Settecase, I’m Joel Settecase. And today’s impossible question is, “What Should Be The Christian’s Approach to Movies and Entertainment?

To help answer this question and more is Marcus Pittman, the film maker and show runner known for films like "Babies Are Murdered Here" and "How to Answer the Fool." He's also the Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder of LOOR.TV, and he joins Joel to talk about culture, entertainment, and whether we're really ready for a new standard in Christian movies and entertainment.

Get the full show notes at https://thethink.institute/podcast.

This episode is brought to you by Catakids. Get your copy from Amazon, or learn more (and get a free PDF version) here, and keep discipling your kids.

As part of our desire to equip believers to make disciples, we talk on the podcast about how to have a good family worship time. Do you have a family Thanksgiving worship tradition? In this episode, Joel Settecase (with some help from a few of his kids) lays out a helpful, 4-step guide for getting started in establishing one. Lord willing this will be quick, easy, and helpful to you for years to come.

Get the full show notes and a free 4-step guide to starting your own Christian Thanksgiving family worship order, here. 

Today Joel is joined by his own father, Jim "Pops" Settecase. Jim Settecase is the author of over 110 books(!) and the CEO of Beyond Carpet Cleaning. Today he drops by the Think Institute Podcast to tell his own story and reveal how a regular guy can share the hope of Jesus Christ with the people he meets every day. Do not miss this family affair, brought to you by the Think Institute.

Get the full show notes at https://thethink.institute/articles/ayns7edb6sot82aho25j11rj60eiff.

Joel and Pastor Raef answer a few questions from the proverbial mailbag. Questions include matters related to abortion and imposing Christian morality on the state, and how to approach someone with biblical concepts, when they don't believe the Bible.

Get the full show notes at https://thethink.institute/podcast.

As recently as five years ago, the word socialism was still considered something of a byword in the United States. No mainstream political candidate (or at least, very few) would have wanted to have the title "socialist" attached to his or her name. Today, however, is a different story. Socialism is gaining in popularity, even among evangelicals. So what should Christians make of socialism and its cousin, communism? How do these economic systems fit within the bounds of the biblical worldview? To help us grasp a biblical perspective on socialism and communism, Joel Settecase's guest is Gábor Grész.

Gabor (ThM, Karoli Gaspar University of Budapest), grew up in the communist Hungary, not hearing and knowing anything about Jesus. He became a believer at age 13 and was one of the first students to get involved in the underground ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) during communism in 1983/84. He is the co-founder and co-author of the Bible-based educational program called “Youth at the Threshold of Life” (YTL), used in 62 countries to train thousands of educators and expose them to the Gospel. Gabor also is the co-author with Dave Robinson of the book, “The Outrageous Promise.” Gabor served as the National Director for Cru Hungary between 2004-2017, and is currently serving on the Cru City team to help develop new evangelistic strategies and expand YTL globally, influencing the education domain of the society.

Gabor is an ordained presbyterian minister and the co-founder and church planter of Rosegarden Baptist Church of Budapest. He joins Joel to discuss communism and socialism from a biblical perspective.

Get the full show notes at https://thethink.institute/podcast.

It's been EIGHT days since the US presidential election, and there is still no clear winner.   Now, depending on your political view, you may respond to that opening sentence differently.   

If you say, "What are you talking about!? The AP, the respectable news outlets, Facebook, Twitter and the (impartial) Young Turks have all called the election for Joe and Kamala! Only tin-foil hat conspiracy theorists would even question it!" well that reveals one thing. 

And if instead you say, "Pshaw! It's obvious that Biden only won by fraud, and soon the hand recount and court system will reveal that... as foretold by (infallible) QAnon!" well that tells us all something else, doesn't it?   

All kidding aside, Christians do need to know how to respond to the current political situation in which we find ourselves. So today on Worldview Wednesday (one day late), Joel and Pastor Raef are going to seek to answer three questions:  1. How do we think about this biblically? 2. How do we prepare for various outcomes? 3. How do we maximize this opportunity to further Christ's Kingdom and spread the Gospel?

Get the full show notes at https://thethink.institute/podcast.

The 2020 Election is history! As the votes continue to be counted and the new political reality sets in, The Think Institute is here for you with unvarnished, straight-shooting and thoughtful biblical worldview analysis. Join Joel and Pastor Raef for a very special Worldview Wednesday broadcast. Comment and question in real time.   

The Think Institute Podcast and ministry continues to grow. Our mission is to equip believers to explain, share and defend the Christian message. Sign up to get tips and tools delivered to your inbox: https://thethink.institute/updates.