On this mini-episode, Jen Wilkin and JT English talk about false stories—what they are, which are most prevalent, and how the true story of the Gospel provides a solution.
Questions Covered in This Episode:
- What are false stories?
- Which of those do you most typically see people living in?
Helpful Definitions:
- False stories: All of us are living in the midst of a narrative that informs us on what the good life is. By default, all of us are living in false stories and need to be invited to participate in the true story - the Christian story.
- Romanticism: The story that says, “You are your emotions.” The more intense the emotion the more authentic it is. The good life is authenticity.
- Consumerism: The story that says, “You are what you have.” Worth is based upon the value and quality of what belongs to me. The good life is having great things.
- Rationalism: The story that says, “Whatever seems reasonable to you must be true, despite emotions or religious belief.” Only our own reason or experience can be trusted. The good life is using my mind as the arbiter of what is true and good.
- Pragmatism: The story that says, “Whatever works must be true.” The good life is productivity, functionality, and practicality.
- Individualism: The story that says, “You are at the center of all things.” Autonomy is prized over all things because the self and its pleasure is the goal of this story. The good life is the authority of the independent individual.
- Progressivism: The story that says, “Things are continually getting better.” Advancements in science, technology, economics, etc., are constantly improving the human condition. The good life is the belief that through human ingenuity, we are better today than yesterday and we will be better tomorrow than we were today.
- Secularism: The story that says, “There is nothing beyond the natural world.” Religious belief in God is seen to be one option among others, and is both contestable and contested. We must shift our attention only to worldly concerns of human flourishing. The good life is the human experience.
- Perfectionism: The story that says, “You must be perfect in order to be accepted.” The good life is found in success.
- American Civil Religion (Moral Therapeutic Deism): The story that says, “Christianity should be palatable and to modern sensibilities.” The good life is “Pleasantville”, a society with no discomfort and no suffering.
Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
- Matthew 16, Matthew 16:13-20, Mark 10:35-45, Matthew 16:24-26, Matthew 5:3-12
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On this mini-episode, Jen Wilkin and JT English talk about false stories—what they are, which are most prevelant, and how the true story of the Gospel provides a solution.
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