Dr. John Vervaeke is a renowned cognitive scientist at the University of Toronto. He's published groundbreaking research on the cognitive science of "meaning." His popular "Awakening from the Meaning Crisis" lecture series is a massive 50 part video & podcast series with well over 1 million total views on YouTube. In this series, Vervaeke weaves together insights from cognitive science, biology, philosophy, theology, and history to try and help people understand how we've arrived at our current cultural meaning crisis in the West and what he thinks can be done about it. It really is impossible to give a succinct summary of everything that we discuss together in this extended episode, but what I can say is that it was one of the more mind-blowing and insightful conversations I feel like I've had on this podcast. Plus, it was so great to have such a meaningful discussion with someone who would not profess to share my Christian convictions. Hopefully, we've modeled a way of dialogue together that shows that we can respect each other's convictional differences and still be open to learning from each other.  You can check out John Vervaeke's "Awakening from the Meaning Crisis" lecture series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLND1JCRq8Vuh3f0P5qjrSdb5eC1ZfZwWJ 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 A 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

We're nearing the end of our problem of evil series. In today's episode, we'll explore the controversial theology and philosophy known as Open Theism, which was popularized in the 1990's by a group of predominantly evangelical theologians. These open theists challenged both classical and process views on God and attempted to find a way to make metaphysical sense of what they believed was essential to the biblical narrative. Believing that the entire biblical narrative collapses if we cannot find a way to account for human moral responsibility and that God cannot be good if He acts as the "arsonist firefighter" in creation, these controversial theologians attempted to bring an innovative approach to addressing the problems of evil and suffering. Did they succeed, or does open theism just fall into the same theodicy problems that both classical and process theists before them faced? 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 we discussed in Part 14 of this series, the 20th century brought unimaginable human moral evils, and yet much beneficial human progress. Our basic understanding of how the universe functions also shifted. Our Newtonian perspective gave way to Einstein and then to quantum physics. Perhaps, the metaphysics of classical theism need to be reexamined too if we're to properly address the problem of evil?  Enter the philosopher and mathematician Alfred North Whitehead and his new school of philosophy and theology known as process theism (aka process thought, process philosophy, etc). In today's episode, we'll explore what this new philosophy and theology is all about and how it attempts to address the problems with evil and suffering that proponents feel were inadequately addressed in more classical & traditional theologies. Is process theism a creative new solution, or is it simply a new kind of gnosticism? f you find this podcast to be helpful and you want to see it continue on 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. 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

Today's episode is a unique episode because I'm on the other end of the interview for a change!   Steven White is a pastor in Iowa, a long time listener of this podcast, and a member of our Deep Talks Patreon Community. He recently reached out to me to see if we could record an interview together as part of his Master's thesis he is completing focusing on cultural theology & church leadership. I was glad to be of help in that way, so we jumped on for a Zoom call last week. I thought he asked some really great questions about: -my own journey of faith and theological development -what the "meaning-making" part of my podcast title means (which I don't know if I ever properly explained on the podcast before!) - how values are connected to our cultural programming, genetic predispositions, and church environments & traditions - and some other excellent follow-up questions to material covered in the Christ and Culture series, the Mind Software series, the Hyper-Objects episode, liturgical programming and more. Steven had some really great insights of his own which really connected some dots together on how all of this stuff is related, so I asked him he wouldn't mind if I shared the recording of the conversation. I thought it might be a great way to recap so many of the things that have been discussed on this podcast throughout the course of 2020. If you find this podcast to be helpful and you want to see it continue on 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. 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 2 of our miniseries. Make sure to listen to part 1 (Episode 78) before you listen to this one. In this episode we'll explore the differences between masculine & feminine cultures, and the differences between cultures that avoid uncertainty and those that embrace it. Plus, we'll try to answer some of the initial questions I posed at the start of part 1 and consider how Christians can begin to comparatively discern the values of Jesus' Kingdom of God and the values within their own cultural frame. For Patreon supporters, there is a PDF download with some helpful notes and visual aides to accompany this two part series. https://www.patreon.com/posts/mind-software-44833021?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copy_to_clipboard&utm_campaign=postshare f you find this podcast to be helpful and you want to see it continue on 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. 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 is behind the Trump vs Biden, lefts vs right cultural divide in America? Why do some people become convinced by COVID conspiracies? Why do some march in Black Lives Matter protests while others fly Blue Lives Matter flags in their yards? Have you ever visited a foreign country and been completely shocked at how different the cultural values and behaviors were?  In this two-part miniseries, we'll explore how culture acts as software for our minds, shaping our perceptions of reality, and programming our values and behaviors. We’ll compare cultural values on the macro-national level, as well as look at how local cultures and sub-cultures like church communities develop unique values and attempt to interface with the larger cultural values of their nation. Are there American cultural values that are at odds with the values of Jesus’ “Kingdom of God” culture?  How would we begin to even see that if our culture shapes our perceptions of reality? To attempt to answer these questions, we'll be using the groundbreaking research of the 20th-century Dutch social psychologist, Geert Hofstede. Hofstede's initial research into the four dimensions of culture will be an absolutely transformative tool for helping you understand the world, your own upbringing, church community or religious experiences, and the divisive cultural moment we are living in here in America in 2020. THIS IS PART ONE OF A TWO-PART MINISERIES. PART TWO WILL BE RELEASED ON 12/9/20 ALONG WITH A PDF RESOURCE FOR PATREON SUPPORTERS. f you find this podcast to be of some help in your life and you want to see it continue on 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. 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 our dis-enchanted secular age, many of us struggle to believe in "spiritual" entities and powers. In fact, only 4 out of 10 Americans believe that "spiritual beings" exist, yet many people believe in "hyper-objects" like systemic racism, the stock market, climate change, or the "deep state." Are there any points of commonality between this relatively new philosophical concept called "hyper-objects" and the ancient, biblical notion of cosmic spiritual powers? In today's episode, we'll explore the concept of hyper-objects, cosmic spiritual powers in the writings of the Apostle Paul, and how C.S. Lewis' "Space Trilogy" might help us remain open to there being more going on in reality than we usually like to admit in our Western, post-Enlightenment culture.  The discussion between Paul Vander Klay & John Vervaeke mentioned in today's episode is available to watch here: https://youtu.be/GCeHJtdQ0fg?t=5784 To access the article on the Apocalyptic Paul mentioned in today's episode, become a member of the Deep Talks Patreon Community here: https://www.patreon.com/deeptalkstheologypodcast   If you find this podcast to be of some help in your life and you want to see it continue on 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. 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  

Paul Vander Klay is back on the program today to discuss a variety of topics and issues including: - The Post-COVID Church -Unplugging from the Culture War Matrix by following Jesus -The Rise and Fall of the Jordan Peterson zeitgeist and whether Peterson's theology was more Augustinian or Gnostic. -Why his church is in decline while his online influence keeps growing. - Why everyone believes in God - When dinosaurs causes a faith crisis - suffering with Christ and the problem of evil -the tension we experience on the narrow way -and so much more! Paul Vander Klay is a pastor in the Christian Reformed Church and a YouTuber/Podcaster who explores the intersection of theology with our cultural quests for meaning. Here's was our first discussion back in episode 18: https://www.podbean.com/eu/pb-cne6s-ae7587 And here was our second discussion back in episode 36: https://www.podbean.com/eu/pb-c6irj-bea95a Check out Paul Vander Klay's YouTube Channel at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGsDIP_K6J6VSTqlq-9IPlg If you find this podcast to be of some help in your life and you want to see it continue on 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. 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 we discussed in part 13, the scientific discoveries of the 19th century posed monumental theodicy challenges...especially to those trying to find God in reason and in nature. The 20th century only brought greater theodicy challenges when the two worst wars in human history unleashed unimaginable moral evils. Perhaps the problem of evil had killed God. In the midst of this, a Swiss theologian named Karl Barth claimed that God's revelation wasn't to be found in nature or reason because it was "hidden" in the suffering Christ. Barth had unique ideas about evil and suffering arguing that not all pain, suffering, or even death should be thought of as evil. In Barth's attempt to distinguish the goodness of God from the real forces of evil in the cosmos, did he go too far and fall into the ditch of hyper-dualism? How did he respond when his own son died in a rock-climbing accident? If you find this podcast to be of some help in your life and you want to see it continue on 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. 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

The 19th century marked a time of significant discovery in geology and biology, but with these scientific discoveries came a picture of a much older, more violent, and less human-centric world than people previously imagined. In many ways, it was this era that marked the beginning of the "science vs. faith" debates in Western civilization that continue on to this day. Can we really blame Adam and Eve's fall for the existence of disease, famine, and natural disasters when it becomes clear that these things were around for millions of years before humans? Was there an atheistic conspiracy to use this new science to do away with Christianity, or were people like Charles Darwin thrust into a crisis of faith after their scientific discoveries? Does evolution make God a moral monster, or does it make God's world filled with more mystery and wonder? Is it all just a matter of perspective? Plus: -Frankenstein's monster as a theological symbol of this era's quest for meaning,  -the discovery of dinosaurs -the horrific details of real parasites in creation that act like Xenomorphs in the Alien movies, -the historical roots of the young-earth creationism apologetics and a priest who said Darwin was right and Christians better start dealing with it. and so much more! If you haven't gone through the previous episodes in this extensive series, check them out at : https://deeptalkstheologypodcast.podbean.com/p/the-problem-of-evil-1572355242/ Deep Talks is trying to reach a goal of 300 patrons on Patreon to sustain weekly, ad-free episodes. Supporters on Patreon get access to bonus Q&A Episodes, articles, and other resources. Please consider supporting free theological and philosophical education for as little as $2 a month by going to: 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