Deep Talks | Cultural Theology with Paul Anleitner

What if our entire lives were affected by the outcome of a battle of the gods? Invisible "spirits" have always been on top of a hierarchy of culture dictating our entire way of life. From ancient Babylon to modern-day America, we'll explore the fascinating connection between the domain of "spirit" and how this spiritual realm is made manifest in our art, movies, music, economics & politics. Plus: -The connection between national flags and ancient idols -Why early Christians didn't understand violent passages in the Old Testament the same way we usually do today -Why American Jazz & Blues might actually be a perfect model for doing cultural theology -The importance of getting exposed to other cultures & denominations in order to make sure you're aren't secretly worshipping other gods For our supporters on Patreon, make sure to go download the free graphic that will help you unpack the ideas in this episode even better! Download that here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/28442712 This episode was originally aired in July of 2019 ____________________ TAGS: H.R. Niebuhr, H. Richard Niebuhr, Christ and Culture, Christ and Culture Niebuhr, theology and culture, cultural theology, theology podcast, Christian theology podcast, Dwight Hopkins theology, Jordan Peterson, James K.A. Smith, Charles Taylor _______________________ If you find this podcast to be helpful and you want to see it continue ad-free, would you consider becoming a supporter on Patreon? Members of the Deep Talks Patreon Community receive bonus Q & A Episodes, articles, charts, forum discussions and more. STARTING THIS MONTH, WE'LL HAVE AN PATREON COMMUNITY GROUP ZOOM HANG-OUT to build relationships with others across the world and to do theology and meaning-making together. Help us reach our first goal of 300 patrons in order to sustain weekly, ad-free theological and philosophical education to anyone with an internet connection! https://www.patreon.com/deeptalkstheologypodcast To Subscribe & Review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-talks-exploring-theology-and-meaning-making/id1401730159   Connect with Paul Anleitner on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/PaulAnleitner

This is PART TWO in a series entitled "Christ & Culture". If you haven't already, you may want to listen to Part 1 first. In today's episode, we'll explore three options for how Christians may relate to culture. These three mediating options are alternatives to the extreme  "Christ against Culture" & "Christ of Culture" theologies (which were covered in part 1). _____________________________ TAGS: H.R. Niebuhr, H. Richard Niebuhr, Christ and Culture, Christ and Culture Niebuhr, theology and culture, cultural theology, theology podcast, Christian theology podcast, ___________________________________ If you find this podcast to be helpful and you want to see it continue ad-free, would you consider becoming a supporter on Patreon? Members of the Deep Talks Patreon Community receive bonus Q & A Episodes, articles, charts, forum discussions and more. STARTING THIS MONTH, WE'LL HAVE AN PATREON COMMUNITY GROUP ZOOM HANG-OUT to build relationships with others across the world and to do theology and meaning-making together. Help us reach our first goal of 300 patrons in order to sustain weekly, ad-free theological and philosophical education to anyone with an internet connection! https://www.patreon.com/deeptalkstheologypodcast To Subscribe & Review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-talks-exploring-theology-and-meaning-making/id1401730159   Connect with Paul Anleitner on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/PaulAnleitner

Knowing that many of you became listeners over the past year or so, and knowing the intense difficulties many Christians in America are experiencing trying to navigate faith and culture war issues, I wanted to re-air an old series that has been absolutely foundational to just about everything else that gets covered in this podcast. So over the next several weeks, I will be re-airing the "Christ & Culture" series from the summer of 2019. Whether you've been a listener since day one or whether you're brand new to listening to Deep Talks, I strongly encourage you to listen to this series and consider participating in our discussion forums for each episode on Patreon. (See link below) _____________ Did you have to listen to D.C. Talk growing up because your church didn't let you listen to Nirvana? Why do some churches hang gay pride flags in front of their building while other churches preach that homosexuality is a sin? Did the author of John's Gospel do something wrong when he borrowed an idea from Greek philosophy and applied it to Christ? How could German Christians in the 1930s ever become Nazis? Answering these kinds of questions requires us to answer even deeper questions- how should Christians relate to their surrounding culture? Where can Christ be found in culture? Can He be found there at all? Theology of culture is a relatively new theological discipline and if you've never explored it before you might not think it's that big of a deal, but I promise you that it's actually one of the most important areas of theology that you'll ever explore. What you believe about this affects the music and entertainment choices you make, who you'll marry and how you'll raise your kids; it affects your views on science and morality, the church you choose to attend, and even your political perspective. From D.C. Talk to Christian Nazis, we'll explore it all! _____________________________ TAGS: H.R. Niebuhr, H. Richard Niebuhr, Christ and Culture, Christ and Culture Niebuhr, theology and culture, cultural theology, theology podcast, Christian theology podcast, ___________________________________ If you find this podcast to be helpful and you want to see it continue ad-free, would you consider becoming a supporter on Patreon? Members of the Deep Talks Patreon Community receive bonus Q & A Episodes, articles, charts, forum discussions and more. STARTING THIS MONTH, WE'LL HAVE AN PATREON COMMUNITY GROUP ZOOM HANG-OUT to build relationships with others across the world and to do theology and meaning-making together. Help us reach our first goal of 300 patrons in order to sustain weekly, ad-free theological and philosophical education to anyone with an internet connection! https://www.patreon.com/deeptalkstheologypodcast To Subscribe & Review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-talks-exploring-theology-and-meaning-making/id1401730159   Connect with Paul Anleitner on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/PaulAnleitner

In lieu of deepening tensions among Christians caught up in the Culture War, I thought it would be appropriate this week to re-air episode 73 (from October 2020). This episode is entitled "Christ & the Culture War (don't leave republican jesus for democrat jesus). ----- I'm an 80's/90's kid who grew up in the evangelical heyday of Christian subculture. "Christian" music, movies, tv, bookstores, and even our own brand of science was all part of a larger culture war movement. A lot of people my age eventually abandoned right-wing, Republican Evangelicalism but simply traded it for left-wing, progressive post-evangelicalism (if they didn't reject Christianity altogether) not realizing they were still combatants in a culture war even though they switched teams. How does the Culture War lure people into a false sense of community?   Why is cultural influence so much easier to attain if we just play the culture war game? How might serious reflections on historic Christology and philosophical theology on the nature of the Truth help us transcend the culture war? What possible dangers should we brace for if we attempt to leave the constant cycle of culture war?  If you find this podcast to be helpful and you want to see it continue ad-free, would you consider becoming a supporter on Patreon? Members of the Deep Talks Patreon Community receive bonus Q & A Episodes, articles, charts, forum discussions and more. STARTING THIS MONTH, WE'LL HAVE AN PATREON COMMUNITY GROUP ZOOM HANG-OUT to build relationships with others across the world and to do theology and meaning-making together. Help us reach our first goal of 300 patrons in order to sustain weekly, ad-free theological and philosophical education to anyone with an internet connection! https://www.patreon.com/deeptalkstheologypodcast To Subscribe & Review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-talks-exploring-theology-and-meaning-making/id1401730159   Connect with Paul Anleitner on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/PaulAnleitner

In part 3 of "Jesus and John Vervaeke", we'll be exploring the points of intersection between N.T. Wright's "epistemology of love" and Vervaeke's work on de-centering and agape love. How might love be foundational to knowing anything at all rightly?   John Vervaeke and I have had two wonderful discussions in the past. You can check them out here: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-cuaty-f7d11a and here: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-q3ccv-107e94b   A good intro to Wright's epistemology of love: https://www.firstthings.com/article/2020/02/loving-to-know https://www.amazon.com/History-Eschatology-Promise-Natural-Theology/dp/1481309625 _________________________ Tags: John Vervaeke, N.T. Wright, Tom Wright, N.T Wright epistemology of love, Awakening from the Meaning Crisis, theology an cognitive science, science and faith, cognitive science, John Vervaeke Jordan Peterson, N.T. Wright History Eschatology Natural Theology, Deep Talks, Paul Anleitner podcast, John Vervaeke Christianity,  _____________________________   f you find this podcast to be helpful and you want to see it continue ad-free, would you consider becoming a supporter on Patreon? Members of the Deep Talks Patreon Community receive bonus Q & A Episodes, articles, charts, forum discussions and more. STARTING THIS MONTH, WE'LL HAVE AN PATREON COMMUNITY GROUP ZOOM HANG-OUT to build relationships with others across the world and to do theology and meaning-making together. Help us reach our first goal of 300 patrons in order to sustain weekly, ad-free theological and philosophical education to anyone with an internet connection! https://www.patreon.com/deeptalkstheologypodcast To Subscribe & Review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-talks-exploring-theology-and-meaning-making/id1401730159   Connect with Paul Anleitner on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/PaulAnleitner

In part two of this series exploring the intersection of theology & cognitive science via the work of John Vervaeke, we'll examine the potential points of intersection between Vervaeke's work and the work of Christian theologians & philosophers such as David Bentley Hart, Pseudo-Dionysius, Søren Kierkegaard, & Miroslav Volf. We'll consider the nature of consciousness, how even mystical experiences may stop short of true metanoia/repentance, and what to look for as marks of genuine spiritual awakening using insights from theology and cognitive science. John Vervaeke and I have had two wonderful discussions in the past. You can check them out here: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-cuaty-f7d11a and here: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-q3ccv-107e94b     AS I MENTION IN TODAY'S EPISODE, there a free visual aides you can download here : https://www.patreon.com/posts/visual-aides-for-54677036?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copy_to_clipboard&utm_camp   -------------- TAGS: John Vervaeke, David Bentley Hart, David Bentley Hart consciousness, Consciousness Being Bliss, Awakening from the Meaning Crisis John Vervaeke, Soren Kierkegaard, Miroslav Volf, meaning crisis, cognitive science and theology, theology and science, post-secular, Christian mysticism, Christian mystics, Mystic theology, mysticism, meditation and contemplation ------------------ If you find this podcast to be helpful and you want to see it continue ad-free, would you consider becoming a supporter on Patreon? Members of the Deep Talks Patreon Community receive bonus Q & A Episodes, articles, charts, forum discussions and more. STARTING THIS MONTH, WE'LL HAVE AN PATREON COMMUNITY GROUP ZOOM HANG-OUT to build relationships with others across the world and to do theology and meaning-making together. Help us reach our first goal of 300 patrons in order to sustain weekly, ad-free theological and philosophical education to anyone with an internet connection! https://www.patreon.com/deeptalkstheologypodcast To Subscribe & Review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-talks-exploring-theology-and-meaning-making/id1401730159   Connect with Paul Anleitner on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/PaulAnleitner

What are the points of resonance & dissonance between Christian theology & the latest in cognitive science surrounding personal meaning & spiritual transformation? In this series, we'll examine the work of one of the world's most important voices in the field cognitive science and in it's intersection with philosophy & religion- Dr. John Vervaeke at the University of Toronto. In this series,  I'm going to take you through some of the highlights of Vervaeke's popular "Awakening from the Meaning Crisis" lecture series and examine where there may be harmony with historic Christian theology, as well as highlight places where I may have question or concern with it's compatibility.  In part one, we'll discuss the necessity of "disrupting the frame" in order for one to experience genuine metanoia (a change of mind/ the Greek word for "repentance" in the New Testament) and why "self-transcendence" can still lead to harmartia (missing the mark/ the Greek word for "sin" in the New Testament).  Plus, what about psychedelics? They seem to reliably produce altered states of consciousness & spiritual experience. Why have traditional religions been reluctant to incorporate them into their spiritual disciplines? I propose one theory.... ----------- John Vervaeke and I have two wonderful discussions in the past. You can check them out here: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-cuaty-f7d11a and here: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-q3ccv-107e94b   AS I MENTION IN TODAY'S EPISODE, there a free visual aides you can download here : https://www.patreon.com/posts/visual-aides-for-54677036?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copy_to_clipboard&utm_campaign=postshare   ________________ TAGS: John Vervaeke, Awakening from the Meaning Crisis, Jordan Peterson, Cognitive Science, Psychology, theology and cognitive science, Paul Vander Klay, psychedelic theology, Christianity and psychedelics, theology and science, Christian mysticism, meaning crisis, meaning making ------------------ If you find this podcast to be helpful and you want to see it continue ad-free, would you consider becoming a supporter on Patreon? Members of the Deep Talks Patreon Community receive bonus Q & A Episodes, articles, charts, forum discussions and more. STARTING THIS MONTH, WE'LL HAVE AN PATREON COMMUNITY GROUP ZOOM HANG-OUT to build relationships with others across the world and to do theology and meaning-making together. Help us reach our first goal of 300 patrons in order to sustain weekly, ad-free theological and philosophical education to anyone with an internet connection! https://www.patreon.com/deeptalkstheologypodcast To Subscribe & Review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-talks-exploring-theology-and-meaning-making/id1401730159   Connect with Paul Anleitner on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/PaulAnleitner

As the secular age approaches its inevitable demise, many who are dissatisfied with the claim that only what is immanent is real have begun to question whether immanence is real at all & considered pursuing transcendence through various forms of Neo-Gnosticism. We see this “red pill suspicion of immanence” in popular modern cultural stories such as The Matrix, WandaVision, and Loki.  In today’s episode, we’ll explore some of the symbols of those popular stories in the cultural zeitgeist and consider some of the practical manifestations of Neo-Gnosticism such as hyper-Charismatic theology, QAnon conspiracy culture, & the psychedelic resurgence.  Can one be re-enchanted by black magic not knowing of the true, white magic? ______ TAGS: Charles Taylor, James K.A. Smith, The Matrix, WandaVision, Loki, Secular Age, Lawrence Kraus, Paul Vander Klay, Jordan Peterson, John Vervaeke, Theology, Post-Secular, Meaning Crisis, Paul Anleitner, Nihilism, Theology & Film ___________ If you find this podcast to be helpful and you want to see it continue ad-free, would you consider becoming a supporter on Patreon? Members of the Deep Talks Patreon Community receive bonus Q & A Episodes, articles, charts, forum discussions and more. STARTING THIS MONTH, WE'LL HAVE AN PATREON COMMUNITY GROUP ZOOM HANG-OUT to build relationships with others across the world and to do theology and meaning-making together. Help us reach our first goal of 300 patrons in order to sustain weekly, ad-free theological and philosophical education to anyone with an internet connection! https://www.patreon.com/deeptalkstheologypodcast To Subscribe & Review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-talks-exploring-theology-and-meaning-making/id1401730159   Connect with Paul Anleitner on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/PaulAnleitner

I’m honored to once again be joined by Dr. John Vervaeke. Vervaeke’s first appearance on this podcast was back in Episode 83, and it was one of my all time favorites. If you want to know more about his backstory and work, then I’d encourage you to listen to that episode. John Vervaeke is a renowned scientist and award winning professor at the University of Toronto. He’s produced groundbreaking research in the area of cognitive science & the experience of meaning. He has also become a cult internet sensation with his “Awakening From the Meaning Crisis” YouTube/podcast lecture series. That series is truly an absolute gift to the world- a gift I still can hardly believe that he just gave away! While I certainly don’t want to oversell this and I generally despise hype, this felt like one of the most thought provoking conversations I’ve ever recorded. I strongly encourage you to listen all the way through. We build towards some really important questions- questions that get at the very core of religion and human experience.  Some topics/questions covered in this episode include: - What is a psycho-technology? How do they change our experience of consciousness? -What is nature of consciousness? Can it simply be the result of “bottom-up” emergence in a purely material universe, or does consciousness require a “top-down” emanation from some transcendent source? -Is God “Ultimate Consciousness” or “Necessary Consciousness”?  -Does Vervaeke agree with his colleague Jordan Peterson on value hierarchies determining what is relevant and salient to us?  - Can science make value claims devoid of religion? Can science tell us what is wise or ethically good without consulting a higher layer of reality? How do we access that? -Are there intermediary agencies or forces between our conscious experience and the highest degree of consciousness (which Paul believes is “God”, and John is properly agnostic on) that can negatively affect our experience of consciousness and move us away from wisdom? Plus so much more at the intersection of theology, philosophy, and cognitive science… including some fun moments of charitable disagreement! Dr. John Vervaeke’s “Awakening from the Meaning Crisis” is available on his YouTube channel here: https://youtube.com/user/johnvervaeke If you find this podcast to be helpful and you want to see it continue ad-free, would you consider becoming a supporter on Patreon? Members of the Deep Talks Patreon Community receive bonus Q & A Episodes, articles, charts, forum discussions and more. STARTING THIS MONTH, WE'LL HAVE AN PATREON COMMUNITY GROUP ZOOM HANG-OUT to build relationships with others across the world and to do theology and meaning-making together. Help us reach our first goal of 300 patrons in order to sustain weekly, ad-free theological and philosophical education to anyone with an internet connection! https://www.patreon.com/deeptalkstheologypodcast To Subscribe & Review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-talks-exploring-theology-and-meaning-making/id1401730159   Connect with Paul Anleitner on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/PaulAnleitner

Recently I was interviewed on the Behind the Image Leadership Podcast to discuss the role of our guiding stories and values in shaping the behaviors of individuals, non-profits, and businesses. I thought it was a fascinating conversation exploring points of application for cultural theology that I don't always explore on my podcast. Make sure to check out and subscribe to the Behind the Image Leadership Podcast, hosted by my friend Rick Guttersohn. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behind-the-image-leadership-podcast/id1464426816 If you find this podcast to be helpful and you want to see it continue ad-free, would you consider becoming a supporter on Patreon? Members of the Deep Talks Patreon Community receive bonus Q & A Episodes, articles, charts, forum discussions and more. STARTING THIS MONTH, WE'LL HAVE AN PATREON COMMUNITY GROUP ZOOM HANG-OUT to build relationships with others across the world and to do theology and meaning-making together. Help us reach our first goal of 300 patrons in order to sustain weekly, ad-free theological and philosophical education to anyone with an internet connection! https://www.patreon.com/deeptalkstheologypodcast To Subscribe & Review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-talks-exploring-theology-and-meaning-making/id1401730159   Connect with Paul Anleitner on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/PaulAnleitner