Thinking Christianly

In this episode, J.P. and Stan discuss a path for ethical clarity through the complex conversations surrounding death and dying.   In this podcast we discuss: The two ways to define a person: functional and ontological What is life? How to gain clarity by asking the most fundamental question How to avoid unhelpful definitions and category fallacies when discussing death and dying The uniquely modern problem of distance from death How J.P.’s experience facing cancer encouraged him to dig deeper into a study of life after death Where we see the suppressed emotions and anxiety over mortality impacting our culture What the important difference is between “active” and “passive” euthanasia Is there such a thing as a life not worthy of being lived? Ways “thinking Christianly” about current events helps reduce the anxiety associated with overwhelming information Our role in nourishing a culture of life Resources mentioned during our conversation: 21 grams experiment, Wikipedia Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ JP Moreland, A Simple Guide to Experience Miracles: Instruction and Inspiration for Living Supernaturally in Christ John Burke, Imagine Heaven: Near-Death Experiences, God’s Promises, and the Exhilarating Future That Awaits You Jeffrey Long, M.D. with Paul Perry, Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences Mary C. Neal, M.D., To Heaven and Back: A Doctor’s Extraordinary Account of Her Death, Heaven, Angels, and Life Again Dale C. Allison, Encountering Mystery: Religious Experience in a Secular Age Unbelievable Podcast, “Angels, Visions and Near-death Encounters – Dale C. Allison on Whether Skeptics can take Religious Experiences Seriously” Soren Kierkegaard, The Concept of Anxiety: A Simple Psychologically Oriented Deliberation in View of the Dogmatic Problem of Hereditary Sin Leo Alexander, M.D., “Medical Science Under Dictatorship” Health Canada, “Final Report of the Expert Panel on MAiD and Mental Illness” Associated Press News, “‘Disturbing’: Experts Troubled by Canada’s Euthanasia Laws” Stan Wallace, “Saying ‘Goodbye’ Well” Connect with us!

In this episode, J.P. and Stan discuss a path for moral clarity through the complex conversations surrounding the abortion conversation.   In this podcast we discuss:  What does it mean to discuss something in the morally relevant sense? What is “it” at the center of the controversy? How to gain clarity by asking the most fundamental question. How to approach complex issues when values conflict. The two ways to define a person: functional and ontological. How to parse out exceptional cases in order to get at the morality of an issue. What does Augustine and Locke’s view of ‘ownership’ have to say about the abortion conversation? Stan’s story he has lived to tell Do ideas have a gender?  Resources mentioned during our conversation:  Medical Definition of Abortion – (RxList and Health.Harvard.edu) Andrew Moscrop, “‘Miscarriage or abortion?’ Understanding the medical language of pregnancy loss in Britain; a historical perspective” Greg Koukl, Stand to Reason Blog: Street Tactics Part 3 Kathryn Kost, Isaac Maddow-Zimet, and Ashley C. Little, Pregnancies and Pregnancy Desires at the State Level: Estimates for 2017 and Trends Since 2012 Stan Wallace, “Four Steps To Determining the Morality of Abortion” J.P. Moreland, “In the Morally Relevant Sense, It is Not a Woman’s Body” Connect with us!

In this podcast we discuss: What does it mean that Christianity is “verifiable” and “falsifiable”? Minimal Facts Approach – What are the historical facts that are generally agreed upon by Christians and non-Christians alike? Are the accounts of those who saw the resurrected Jesus likely to be accurate? What are the discontinuities between the gospel accounts and mythological writing? What are continuities and discontinuities with Jesus’s body pre-resurrection and post-resurrection? What should we make of the stories of people rising to life around the time that Jesus died? Is it possible to present evidence that Jesus of Nazareth is Yahweh, the God who created the universe? How do we use historical critical methodologies wisely? Resources mentioned during our conversation: Gary R. Habermas, Risen Indeed: A Historical Investigation into the Resurrection of Jesus The Gospel of Peter JP Moreland, Scaling the Secular City: a Defense of Christianity Stan Wallace, “Seven Common Objections to the Real Meaning of Easter” N. Stanton, Jesus of Nazareth in New Testament Preaching The Gospel of Nicodemus or the Acts of Pilate Craig Keener, The Gospel of John: A Commentary Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the God of Israel: God Crucified and Other Studies on the New Testament’s Christology of Divine Identity

In this first podcast of our second year, Jordan takes time to learn more about our sponsor Global Scholars. She gets the backstory of how the mission of this podcast and that of Global Scholars complement one another by interviewing Stan, who serves as President and CEO. Along the way are many great stories of how God is at work today in higher education globally. In this podcast we discuss: How professors influence their students to either seek Christ or reject Christ How professors influence culture through what they teach their students The estimated percentage of professors worldwide who are Christians How a Christian professor helped Stan continue in the faith without even know it! Examples of Christian professors integrating biblical truth into their teaching and writing How J.P. has mentored Stan for almost 40 years now, and a similar relationship Jordan has Why listeners may also be interested in Stan’s College Faith Podcast Why Stan has hope for the university and future generations of students Some ways God is using professors in the lives Ukrainian and Russian students Other ways God is using Christian professors to share Christ and disciple students Resources mentioned during our conversation: Os Guinness, The Gravedigger Files: Papers on the Subversion of the Modern Church The College Faith Podcast: Conversations at the Intersection of Christian Conviction and Higher Education. Specific podcasts discussed in this episode are: Ken Elzinga, How Students Succeed at the Intersection of Christian Conviction and Higher Education Christy Craft, Thriving as a Christian at a Secular University Michael Kruger, Surviving Religion 101 Mary Poplin, Is Reality Secular? A Former Secular-Progressive Professor Says “No!” Michael Kruger, Surviving Religion 101: Letters to a Christian Student on Keeping the Faith in College Mary Poplin, Is Reality Secular?: Testing the Assumptions of Four Global Worldviews Global Scholars website A Personal Message from the President video Why and How We Equip Christian Professors video Lasting Change 2023: Our Current Strategic Plan video

As we watch the invasion of Ukraine in horror, we wonder what could possess Putin to use force so ruthlessly and indiscriminately. At least part of the answer lies in a philosophy of life that runs back through many other despots and finds it roots in the writings on Nietzsche. In this episode, Stan and JP discuss how pervasive the philosophy of Nihilism has come to be in shaping our daily lives, from the individual to the global level. In this podcast we discuss: What is Nihilism? Nihilism in the trajectory of history How Nihilism follows from the rejection of objective values and meaning How Fredrick Nietzsche and his ideas impact culture What Ecclesiastes says about Nihilism How to spot Nihilism in popular culture The “Ubermensch” according to Nietzsche and in history How the collapse of the grand narrative of Christianity in the West impacts the future How to have a meaningful conversation with someone who accepts Nihilism The importance of committing to understand ideas as ambassadors in our culture Resources mentioned during our conversation: The Book of Ecclesiastes (NIV) More information on Hilary Putnum’s life and work Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spake Zarathustra Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil JP Moreland, The Recalcitrant Imago Dei: Human Persons and the Failure of Naturalism Romans Chapter 8 (NASB) George Weigel, “Europe’s Two Culture Wars” S. Lewis, Mere Christianity Randy Newman, Questioning Evangelism The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, directed by Peter Jackson (Newline Cinema, 2012) Stan’s article on Nihilism

C.S. Lewis defined chronological snobbery as “…the uncritical acceptance of the intellectual climate of our age and the assumption that whatever has gone out of date is on that count discredited.” In this podcast, Stan and JP talk about this idea as a danger to Christians seeking to become mature in their faith, practical tips to wisely discern the value of old ideas, and how to rethink some of our modern assumptions. In this podcast we discuss: The idea of “chronological snobbery” The necessity of reading beyond our own time and place How our cultural chronological snobbery thwarts our search for happiness in the modern era What it means to be a “dinosaur” and why we, like C.S. Lewis, should be one! A word about forgotten, pre-Enlightenment ideas How to avoid the fallacies of appeal to novelty or tradition The “clean sea breeze of the centuries,” and the benefit of historical understanding How reading old books can help us become mature Christians Resources mentioned during our conversation: More information about Owen Barfield’s life and works C.S. Lewis, “On the Reading of Old Books,” in God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life C.S. Lewis, Introduction to Athanasius’ On The Incarnation C.S. Lewis, De Descriptione Temporum (Lewis’s inaugural lecture as Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University) C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia C.S. Lewis, “Men Without Chests” in The Abolition of Man Michael Ward, After Humanity: A Guide to CS Lewis’s The Abolition of Man Michael Behe, Darwin’s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution Francisco Suarez, On Efficient Causality: Metaphysical Disputations More information about Francisco Suárez’s life and works J.P. Moreland and Stan Wallace, “Aquinas versus Locke and Descartes on the Human Person and End-of-Life Ethics,” International Philosophical Quarterly, vol. XXXV, no. 3:319-330, 1995 Aurelius Augustine, The City of God, Volume I (referenced Book 1, Argument 20) Stan Wallace, “How To Not Be A Chronological Snob” J.P. Moreland, Universals J.P. Moreland and Klaus Issler, The Lost Virtue of Happiness: Discovering The Disciplines of The Good Life Thomas A. Kempis, The Imitation of Christ: A Timeless Classic for Contemporary Readers Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection John of the Cross, The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross Os Guinness and Louise Cowan, Invitation to the Classics GK Chesterton, The Ballad of the White Horse

Prayer is an important part of how we engage in relationship with God. It remains, however, a mysterious practice to many Christians. In this episode, Stan and JP discuss key beliefs about the role of prayer in the life of the believer. They investigate the purpose of prayer and why so many Christians feel frustration around the discipline of prayer. In this podcast we discuss: What prayer is The relationship of prayer to God’s foreknowledge How we should understand unanswered prayer and disappointment with God Why God doesn’t interfere with our free will Prayer pitfalls: hat untrue ideas we might have about prayer How prayer helps us co-labor with God toward his purposes Why we should ask many people to pray for a specific request The value of written prayers in our formation The possible relationship between our personality type and prayer life The role of persistence in our prayer life. Resources mentioned during our conversation: Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God (not mentioned, but also see his Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God) Dallas Willard, A Paraphrase of the Lord’s Prayer JP Moreland, A Simple Guide to Experience Miracles: Instruction and Inspiration for Living Supernaturally in Christ Thomas Aquinas, A Prayer Before Study James Sire, Learning to Pray Through the Psalms James Sire, Praying the Psalms of Jesus Chester P. Michael & Marie C. Norrisey, Prayer and Temperament: Different Prayer Forms for Different Personality Types C. S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm, Chiefly on Prayer

On this episode of the Thinking Christianly podcast, we have the privilege of discussing J.P.’s newly released book, A Simple Guide to Experience Miracles. Jordan, J.P., and Stan share stories from their lives and the lives of others and evaluate whether or not the experience is a miracle or merely a coincidence. You will be encouraged and challenged by this conversation about God’s work in our day-to-day lives! In this podcast we discuss: The five types of miracles How to evaluate supernatural experiences with faith and reason Stories of God at work Why we should talk with others about how God is revealing Himself What it means to be “certain” and how this impacts our faith The important distinction between “belief” and “knowledge” Resources mentioned during our conversation: JP Moreland, A Simple Guide to Experience Miracles: Instruction and Inspiration for Living Supernaturally in Christ (with free Kindle preview!) JP Moreland, Kingdom Triangle: Recover the Christian Mind, Renovate the Soul, Restore the Spirit’s Power JP Moreland, Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul JP Moreland, Scaling the Secular City: A Defense of Christianity JP Moreland and Mark Matlock, Smart Faith: Loving Your God with All Your Mind JP Moreland and Klaus Issler, The Lost Virtue of Happiness: Discovering The Disciplines of The Good Life JP Moreland, Finding Quiet: My Story of Overcoming Anxiety and the Practices that Brought Peace JP Moreland and Gary Habermas, Beyond Death: Exploring the Evidence for Immortality Craig S. Keener, Miracles Today: The Supernatural Work of God in the Modern World Lee Strobel, The Case for Heaven: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for Life After Death John Burke, Imagine Heaven: Near-Death Experiences, God’s Promises, and the Exhilarating Future That Awaits You

JP and Stan continue their conversation on the nature of the soul, the many implications of us being a soul, and objections to substance dualism. In this podcast we discuss: Ethical decision making in light of substance dualism Why the soul is the only grounding for our intrinsic value The centrality of substance dualism to ethical issues at the beginning, during, and end of life Contemporary conversations around the question, “What are we?” Why the soul is needed to make the body valuable What happens when the body and soul are separated at death How horror genres often assume substance dualism Substance dualism and Darwinism Objections to substance dualism Resources mentioned during our conversation: JP Moreland and Scott B. Rae, Body & Soul: Human Nature the Crisis in Ethics JP Moreland, The Recalcitrant Imago Dei: Human Persons and the Failure of Naturalism Thomas Nagel, Mind & Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature is Almost Certainly False Etienne Gilson, From Aristotle to Darwin and Back Again: A Journey in Final Causality, Species, and Evolution John W. Cooper, Body, Soul, and Life Everlasting: Biblical Anthropology and the Monism-Dualism Debate Stan W. Wallace, “What Are We? The Three Answers Underlying Many Spiritual, Moral, and Political Disagreements”

A famous hymn is titled “It Is Well With My Soul.” What is this mysterious thing we refer to often, but have a hard time defining and an even harder time understanding? How is our soul different from our body and yet interact with our body? And why is it so important to have good answers to these questions? In this episode we tackle these tough issues, and draw out some of the practical implications related to understanding of life, death, the afterlife, and the person of Christ. In this podcast we discuss: What Scripture teaches about the soul (technically, “Substance Dualism”)? Understanding what a “substance” is (hint: you can’t weigh it). The key differences between the two prominent forms of Substance Dualism, and some implications of how both understand the soul-body relationship. The implications of Substance Dualism in biomedical ethics and other related fields. Stan’s personal example of how this all became very practical for him. The relationship between science, theology, and philosophy when thinking about the soul. Considering the objection “How can an immaterial soul interact with our bodies?”–the “mechanistic question” and the “skeptical question.” What does it mean that the body and soul have a “basic” interaction? How an understanding of Aristotle’s Four Causes helps us avoid errors in understanding soul-body interaction. Resources mentioned during our conversation: NT Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and The Mission of the Church Jonathan J. Loose, Angus J.L. Menuge, J.P. Moreland, eds., The Blackwell Companion to Substance Dualism Richard J. Connell, Substance and Modern Science Stan W. Wallace, “What Are We? The Three Answers Underlying Many Spiritual, Moral, and Political Disagreements”