To get beyond the enduring impasse of the "science vs. religion" debate, let's give science its due—and then leave it in the dust! There's no need to affirm the historical basis of the Christian story to relate to the Christ of faith. If we can accept that the Gospels are prehistorical materials, we can get beyond the classic hangups and begin to see how "it's all made up" AND "it's all real!" are both true simultaneously. Here I frame the current debates around history and religion in light of the "pre/trans fallacy" so well described by integral theory. This framing, I think, helps position us to appreciate what a truly metamodern Christianity can look like. By accepting the historical Jesus account, we are freed to embrace the Christ of faith and tradition—not in spite of the facts, but because we have transcended them. 0:00 Introduction 2:01 Moving Beyond History 4:20 The Pre/Trans Fallacy 8:31 "Trans-" Demonstrates Capacity and Transformation 13:56 The Gospels and the History of History 21:05 Christianity and the Fallacy of Origins 24:38 Transcending the Claims History Makes on Us 39:11 Cultural Metamodernism and the Transhistorical 46:41 Owning Deconstruction without Equivocation 54:41 The Growth Edge of Christianity 56:31 Conclusion

Exploring the balance between historical analysis and belief in miracles, the podcast challenges preconceived notions of the Gospels. It delves into the complexity of Jesus' birth, calming of the storm, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, offering a critical perspective on traditional interpretations. The discussion also touches on the evolution of oral storytelling, the historical Jesus as a healer and exorcist, and the integration of modernity in Metamodern Christianity.

Exploring the fusion of Christianity and metamodernism, the podcast delves into the evolution of biblical interpretation from traditional devotional to modern historical-critical methods. It highlights the contrasting lenses on the Old and New Testaments, emphasizing the challenges of applying psychological interpretations to ancient texts. The discussion also touches on biblical authorship, apocalyptic themes, and the need for a metamodern Christianity that integrates traditional beliefs with modern scholarship.

Complexity scientist David Wolpert discusses the thermodynamics of meaning, highlighting how information can have causal power to influence the well-being of systems. They explore the concept of semantic information across the complexity stack, from whirlpools to humans, emphasizing the evolution of meaningful information and the interplay between intelligence, behavior, and ethics.

Philosopher Zak Stein discusses reconstructing value in a post-postmodern context, avoiding premodern pitfalls, challenges of language tracking value, and shifting paradigms. Topics include panpsychism, emergentist framings, dissipative structures, anti-value, and moving towards the infinite intimate. The conversation explores the essence of life, intersection of intimacy and complexity, and the relationship between God and the future through sacred architecture.

Jared Morningstar discusses the relationship between metamodernism and traditional faith, advocating for experimentation and epistemic humility. They explore the role of 'causal opacity' in religious functionality and the engagement of traditional faiths with hyper-complex phenomena. The conversation touches on religious pluralism, tradition-specific language, and integrating general and particular perspectives in metamodern spirituality.

Integrative thinker Layman Pascal explores God from a metamodern lens, discussing surplus cohesion, 2nd person relations, and communicating across memetic structures. They dive into God as dynamic becoming, problematizing the 'Creator' image, and the metamodern sort of God. The conversation touches on the divine other, pluralistic mysticism, and the concept of God as love.

Process theologian Jay McDaniel discusses the contributions of process thought to Christianity, exploring God as a living whole, a counter-entropic force, and a source of play and beauty. The conversation delves into metamodern reinterpretations of Christianity, consciousness evolution, divine suffering, and the evolution of thought in postmodern and metamodern contexts.

Brendan Graham Dempsey discusses a metamodern version of Christianity, integrating tribal, imperial, traditional, modern, and postmodern conceptions of God. He explores the deepening relationship between God and man through a series of covenants/dispensations, highlighting the evolving understanding of the ever-transcendent Divine. The podcast covers the dynamics of learning, the revelation of God as a learning process, and the progression of divine relationships through different epochs in sacred history.

In this episode, I assume the modern historical-critical perspective with pastor and 'This Little Corner of the Internet' thinker Paul VanderKlay to explore the tension points it has with the traditional-devotional lens--and to consider if and how these impasses might be transcended. Does history matter to faith and to the faithful? If so, how, when, and why? Can we avoid equivocating discussions around the "reality" of Christianity? How crucial is the nonrational? Overall, we rehearse what challenges the traditional approach to Christianity faces as it develops into modern expressions and interpretations on the way towards a metamodern instantiation. 0:00 Introduction 0:55 The "God Pivot" and Metamodernism: The Missing Modern 7:39 How Does Faith Relate to Modern & Postmodern Critical Approaches? 24:30 The Reality of Religion in Different Psycho-Social Contexts 36:18 Reality vs. History: Language as Metaphor or Fact 52:38 Worldview, Rationality, and Projection 1:04:28 "Spirit": False Substance Reification vs. Real Transjective Relationality 1:07:22 Avoiding Equivocation and Taking Modern Science Seriously 1:20:59 Pragmatic and Developmental Hermeneutics 1:44:16 Nonrationality and the Meaning Crisis 1:59:15 Different Metamodern Spiritual Arcs: The Theological is Personal 2:16:00 Conclusion