Think Well

Wouldn't we all benefit from a better understanding of what it means to think well? If so, why don't we do it? Alan Jacobs is the author of "How to Think." He serves as a Distinguished Professor of Humanities in the Honors Program at Baylor University and a Senior Fellow of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia. He writes, "Relatively few people want to think. Thinking troubles us; thinking tires us. Thinking can force us out of familiar, comforting habits; thinking can complicate our lives; thinking can set us at odds, or at least complicate our relationships, with those we admire or live or follow. Who needs thinking?" Would you agree? Alan Jacobs finishes his book by giving The Thinking Person's Checklist. This 12-point checklist is designed to help us think well, and have better conversations. This conversation will offer "hope that each of us can reclaim our mental lives from the impediments that plague us all. Because if we can learn to think together, maybe we can learn to live together, too." Join the conversation, learn to Think Well, and bring your questions so we can put this checklist into practice. Callers are welcome! Content Discussed 0:00-7:52 Announcements, Merch Launch, and upcoming shows 7:53-54:09 The Thinking Person's Checklist 54:10-1:28:30 CALLER 1:28:31-1:45:07 LIVE QUESTIONS

Christians believe that God has personally, truthfully, and sufficiently revealed himself in the Bible. This should not be a blind following but is the result of the deep intellection tradition of biblical and theological studies. However, "pragmatism, consumerism, and an entertainment mentality have shifted the priorities of some churches away from our primary calling to devote ourselves to knowing God deeply through his Word." Why does theology matter? "Knowledge without devotion is cold, dead orthodoxy. Devotion without knowledge is irrational instability... The study of theology is learning to think God's thoughts after him so that our minds and hearts and actions are conformed to his image." Content Discussed 0:00 Intro 5:05 Announcements and future shows 10:32 Why cover biblical and theological studies? 19:00 Attitudes for doing biblical and theological studies 27:15 Christian Assumptions or presuppositions when studying the Bible 35:29 CALLER: Cynical vs Critical, Bias, and the Authority of Scripture 49:01 Functional absolutes regarding Scripture 51:50 Jesus's view of the Bible: Internal evidence for the reliability of the Bible 54:46 Sub-Disciplines of biblical studies 1:01:25 The Interpretive method 1:06:02 The process of theological studies 1:07:45 Areas of study in theology 1:10:32 Essential vs peripheral doctrines 1:13:05 Using reason, experience, and tradition in doing theology 1:20:29 CALLER: Knowledge vs lived experience 1:34:36 CALLER: What happens to those who die with wrong information or don't know about God? 1:44:58 LIVE QUESTION: How does one make sure they aren't deceiving themselves with their bias and presuppositions? 1:47:26 CALLER: Will Christianity become an extinct religion in the next 100-200 years if it doesn't adapt to culture?

Does the Trinity have a counting problem? How can Jesus be both all-knowing in his divinity and not all-knowing in his humanity at the same time? Doesn't John 20:17 show that Jesus isn't God because he has a God? These are just some of the objections to the Trinity that I have received from TikTok livestreams. Today's show will walk through some of the objections to the Trinity and show that the Trinity is logical and biblical. Live questions start at 48:15, and callers begin at 1:14:47

"God created human beings to be sexual, therefore, sexuality is good under God's design," and "rightly-ordered sexuality brings God glory." So, how do we know when sexuality is rightly-ordered or disordered? How can sin distort our sexual desires? What was God's original design for human sexuality? Why is the Christian sexual ethic the only way for personal and cultural flourishing? Today's show will take a look at sexuality as we walk through chapter 3 of Andrew and Christian Walker's new book, "What Do I Say When...?: A Parents' Guide to Navigating Cultural Chaos for Children & Teens." I've done a few shows on this topic (see below), so I aim to keep the teaching short and get to your calls and questions as soon as possible. Join me for an important conversation! Content Discussed 0:00 Intro 2:45 A look at future shows 7:57 Why does this topic matter? 12:44 The problem is when you impose your morality on others. 14:10 Sexuality is a good gift from God 20:01 Caller: Is the Christian ethic only to keep people in line with homosexuality and abortion? How do Christians care about the vulnerable? 41:26 Caller: Should there be any boundaries with sexuality? Is there a morality that guides our actions? Would Christian sexuality make the world better or worse? 1:16:06 God created human beings to be sexual, therefore, sexuality is good under God’s design. 1:18:58 God’s pattern for sexuality upholds the marriage of husband and wife as the exclusive grounds for sexual activity. What is the purpose of sexuality? 1:23:15 God’s pattern for sexuality is freeing and tied to human flourishing 1:26:55 Rightly-ordered sexuality brings God glory 1:29:23 The Gospel affirms the creational order for sexuality and marriage and offers a pathway for us to live lives of sexual holiness

How will thinking carefully about the relationship of faith and knowledge influence the way you think about and live out your Christian commitments? "The Great Tradition of Christian Thinking" by David Dockery and Timothy George give an understanding of how Christian faith has related to knowledge throughout the centuries. It then shows how we can apply and advance the tradition today. Come join the conversation and bring your questions! I will be taking calls after the teaching. The show is LIVE every Tuesday at 1:30 pm PT. Content Discussed: 0:00 Intro 2:33 A look at future shows 5:30 An into to the series on Reclaiming the Christian Intellectual Tradition 6:52 Have Christians given up on the cognitive focus? Knowledge & Faith 14:57 The role of Scripture in the Christian intellectual tradition 16:28 How challenges throughout church history led to intellectual growth 24:05 How everything fits into the Christian story 27:34 Necessary distinction between "the faith" and "my faith" 34:25 How do we practically apply the Christian intellectual tradition today? 41:08 Why don't Christians assert religious claims as facts? 42:37 Wasn't it Christians, not atheists, who separated faith from evidence? 44:35 Why didn't Jesus clearly write down Christian theology? 47:43 Caller: Panpsychism and why God allows suffering and pain, and how we know God is good 1:09:31 Caller: Does science look at evidence to find a conclusion, and religion starts with conclusions and looks for evidence? 1:14:49 Caller: Do atheists have faith? Do we have to have answers for everything? 1:22:31 Two reasons why you shouldn't say "Think for yourself!"

What should we think about the most recent advances with artificial intelligence? Does it think and behave like humans do? Join the show as we look at a recent video about AI scheming and lying to developers.

When do the unborn become real people? Who has the authority to give and take life? When does life begin? There are many conversations between pro-life and pro-choice advocates. The arguments have been made, but it often feels like we are talking past each other. How can we have better conversations on issues that matter? What are the best ways to communicate the biblical teachings that relate to abortion? Today's show will take a look at abortion as we walk through chapter 2 of Andrew and Christian Walker's new book, "What Do I Say When...?: A Parents' Guide to Navigating Cultural Chaos for Children & Teens." I've done a few shows on this topic (see below), so I aim to keep the teaching short and get to your calls and questions as soon as possible. Join me for an important conversation!

The Bible is not the only source of knowledge about God. Christians believe that God has revealed himself through creation (Ps 19:1, Rom 1:19-20), which means we should be able to find evidence for God in nature. This approach, referred to as natural theology, develops a philosophy of God based on observations about our world. Today's show will attempt to "provide reasons for thinking that classical theism is more reasonable because it has a greater explanatory power than naturalism." We will be taking your pressing questions and strongest objections! This is part 1 of our apologetics study as we work through "The Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology." Dr. Charles Taliaferro (professor emeritus of philosophy at St. Olaf College). He also contributed to "Natural Theology: Five Views" from Baker Academic and authored "Evidence and Faith: Philosophy and Religion since the Seventeenth Century" from Cambridge University Press.

Who was Adam? Was he the result of a natural process (evolution) or a unique creation? Did he actually exist, or was he merely a literary figure? Hasn't science proven that an original two humans is impossible? Dr. Fazale Rana, President and senior research scholar at Reasons to Believe, joins me in making a biblical and scientific case for a historical Adam and Eve. When were Adam and Eve created? How does the biblical account line up with the scientific record? Are humans related to Neanderthals? These are just a few questions that we will address in today's show. We also will be taking your questions! So join the show, bring your questions, and consider the biblical account of human origins. Content Discussed 0:00 4:12 How should we approach science and faith questions? 7:18 Does science or Scripture have the ultimate authority? 12:00 A biblical argument for a historical Adam and Eve 14:48 Why does this conversation matter? 20:19 What makes the Reason to Believe model scientifically testable? 23:02 What scientific data could disprove core Christian doctrines? 26:30 Don't the biblical genealogies show that Adam and Eve existed 6,000 years ago? 31:04 When does the scientific evidence date for Adam and Eve? 37:32 Why do humans have Neanderthal DNA if humans didn't evolve from Neanderthals? 42:23 Where were Adam and Eve located? 44:40 Doesn't science show that there's too much genetic diversity in humans to come from a single pair? 49:40 Are secular scientists questioning the minimum population view? 51:35 Why don't we see Neanderthal DNA in humans of African descent? 52:56 Is there a scientific reason for why God created humans at that time? 55:25 Where did Cain get his wife if God didn't create other people? 58:38 Don't genetic similarities and endogenous retroviruses show that humans evolved? 1:04:28 Why do human embryos and some people have tails in a creation view? 1:06:07 Why is your biggest objection to evolution? 1:15:23 Why do so many scientists hold to evolution if it isn't true? 1:20:15 How did God create life? 1:25:00 Did Neanderthals bury their dead, use tools, make jewelry, and have religion? 1:28:38 If humans came from monkeys, then why don't we see 1/2-breed monkey people? 1:30:18 A look at future shows and events

We all believe it is important to be ethical people and make good moral decisions. Right? The problem is if we can ever come to a conclusion about what qualifies as a "moral decision." C. Ben Mitchell writes, "If relativism is true, it also means that the search for enduring, universal moral norms is futile. But the fact that we live in a relativistic world also means that if relativism is not true, we need to know how to respond to a view that is so pervasive in our culture." Join me as we engage in a moral discussion and try to find clarity in a morally confused culture. "Ethics and Moral Reasoning" by C. Ben Mitchell will be our primary text today. Bring your questions and join the show! I'll be taking your calls! Content Discussed 0:00 Intro 2:50 A look at upcoming shows and events 6:15 Intro to our series on reclaiming the Christian intellectual tradition 9:20 Living in a relativistic world 13:31 5 problems with moral relativism 22:45 Can you prove objective morality? 26:43 Do you believe in evolution? 27:05 Relative morality isn't the same as arbitrary morality 29:50 Is this the fallacy of extremes? 31:00 What side of the Euthyphro dilemma do you take? 33:35 A history of moral reasoning 45:52 Issues with Enlightenment Ethics 48:27 Views of Christian Ethics 51:20 An argument for objective morality 1:02:13 Something doesn't have to be objective to be important 1:03:42 How do I control hate in my heart for people who abuse children? 1:08:57 If homosexuality is morally wrong, why are some people born gay? 1:11:51 Caller - Do I read secular authors? 1:14:04 Caller - Why does objective morality matter for our everyday lives? 1:23:14 Caller - Why is indentured servitude immoral? 1:25:37 Caller - How do atheists ground objective morality? 1:32:38 Closing