Spiritually Incorrect

As violence erupts around the world, many are feeling more unsettled now than ever. And one conflict at the forefront of many's attention is the war in Gaza. For some, it's just one more example of religions causing divisions and violence that would otherwise not exist. It joins a long list that includes the medieval Crusades, Witch Hunts, and the Wars on Terror. But how true is this? Are religions inherently violent, and would the world be more peaceful without them? To quote John Lennon's famous song, if there were no religions, would we all just live for today? Helping us dissect this myth is Dr. William Cavanaugh, one of the world's leading theologians and experts on the history of religion and warfare.

Special Giveaway: For all $5 a month Patreon subscribers, you now have free access to Jonathan's book Monothreeism: An Absurdly Arrogant Attempt to Answer All the Problems of the Last 2000 Years in One Night at a Pub! Euthanasia, the act of ending someone's life in hopes of sparing them further pain and misery, has become an increasingly common practice in Western nations. Already, nations like The Netherlands, Canada, and Australia have programs for carrying it out. But despite its name meaning "good death," is euthanasia morally acceptable? Or have we gone one step too far when we intentionally kill people, even those who are suffering pain and disease? Here to help us wrestle with the issue is Prof. Margaret Somerville, whose decades of work at McGill and Notre Dame Australia have been at the forefront of the debate.

With November rapidly approaching, it's everyone's (least) favorite time of year... political season. Most of us are already tired of the constant ads, the infighting, and the nonstop social media disputes. And even among Christians, we can never seem to agree. But what did Jesus teach us about politics? Did He have certain positions that we have ignored? Would he have voted Republican or Democrat? To help us answer these questions, we have Dr. Mark Moore, an expert on the topic and a New Testament scholar. And DON'T FORGET! Our Patreon subscribers get access to the full interview plus tons of free content (including a free university course on Eastern religions). Check it out for only $5 a month at spirituallyincorrectpodcast.com!

We're constantly bombarded with bad news about the environment. Another species has been declared extinct... Another natural disaster blamed on changing temperatures... How much of it is true? And should we, the church, care? If the world is ultimately going to end, why care too much about it? Or is this mentality wrong? On today's episode, we tackle the ever-controversial topic of environmentalism with Prof. Bethany Sollereder!

While most Christians obviously assume Jesus knew who He was, it may surprise them to learn that many (if not most) New Testament scholars debate about this. And even assuming Jesus did know this, when did He learn it? Did He come out of the womb with this knowledge or learn it along the way? How? Here to help us through these difficult questions is Dr. Austin Stevenson, who has recently written on the topic.

Outside of Jesus, Siddhartha Gautama, better known as "The Buddha," is perhaps the most revered spiritual figure in history. Indeed, even many Christians have come to admire and revere the teachings attributed to this mysterious figure. But what did he actually teach? And what are we to make of the enormous religion that remains his greatest legacy? On today's episode, we invite Dr. Tyler McNabb to help us wrestle through the teachings of Buddhism and the enigmatic sage who supposedly taught the way to Enlightenment.

When talking about God, angels, etc., you may sometimes hear it described as a "spiritual/higher dimension". In fact, authors such as Billy Graham and C. S. Lewis used just such language. It's an interesting description, but what does it mean? Are there other dimensions? Are they like the three dimensions of space we have only... more? Where did this talk come from? Joining us today is Dr. Christopher White, an expert on the origin of and conversation around higher dimensions and their relationship to Christian faith.

War. Disease. Famine. No, I'm not talking about the evening news (though I easily could be). These are the supposed signs of the end of the world. Yet many Christians believe that before it gets too bad, the church will be raptured and taken away from the world. The idea of the Rapture and the Apocalypse has gained pop cultural attention through the Left Behind series and an uncountable number of books claiming to interpret the prophecies of Revelation. Yet according to many biblical scholars, we may have gotten it wrong. In fact, the majority now believe the Bible teaches something completely different. Here with us today is Dr. Shane Wood, a scholar on the book of Revelation, to help clear up this most unusual book and discover just how the world will really end.

Does God really get angry? Upset? Horrified? If so, is God's emotional life less than perfect? How, then, can we call God perfect? If God doesn't feel these emotions, why does Scripture portray Him this way? Can we truly figure out what sort of emotions God feels? According to our guest, Dr. Ryan Mullins, we can. Join us in this episode for our deep dive into the emotional life of God!

You have questions; we have answers. We can't promise they're good ones, but on this episode, we take your questions and give our best (off-the-cuff) responses!