This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Anne Kennedy about her Practical Hermeneutics article, “The Upside-Down Metaphor: A Hermeneutical Critique of Josh Butler’s Beautiful Union“. Also see Alisa Ruddell’s Viewpoint article on the same book, “Beautiful Union by Joshua Ryan Butler and the Trouble with Borrowing Icons”. Coming Soon!

When you support the Journal, you join the team of to help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here

Other recent articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring Anne Kennedy:Hank Unplugged: Gaslighting, BLM, Cancel Culture and More with Anne KennedyPostmodern RealitiesEpisode 331 A Mountain Made Low—A Look at Brianna WiestA Mountain Made Low—A Look at Brianna WiestEpisode 325 Life in the Church and the Liturgical Church CalendarGo to Church! How Living Through the Church Year Can Help You Get a Grip on Your Life, Your Faith, and Your FamilyEpisode 316 Take Joy: Santa, St. Nicholas, and JesusTake Joy: Santa, St. Nicholas, and JesusEpisode 313 Spiritual Friendship: Temptation or Belonging?Spiritual Friendship: Temptation or Belonging?Episode 308 A More Unconditional Love: Modern Iterations of Platonic MarriageEpisode 299: I’m the Head and Not the Tail: A Christian Decides to Skip the Daily AffirmationI’m the Head and Not the Tail: A Christian Decides to Skip the Daily AffirmationEpisode 279: Haven’t We All Sacrificed Enough: A Christian Tries to Observe LentHaven’t We All Sacrificed Enough: A Christian Tries to Observe LentEpisode 273: Identity and Obedience in Revoice 2021Identity and Obedience in Revoice 2021Episode 268 I’ll Start My Diet Tomorrow: A Christian Makes a New Year’s ResolutionI’ll Start My Diet Tomorrow: A Christian Makes a New Year’s Resolution-Special limited previewEpisode 255 For Our Lamps Are Going Out: Gaslighting in the Age of Social MediaFor Our Lamps are Going Out: Gaslighting in the Age of Social Media

CRISPER biotechnology, an acronym for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, took the expensive and complicated world of gene editing and transformed it into a more accessible field. Born out of the ongoing war between bacteria and viruses, CRISPR scientists discovered a bacterial defense mechanism built around identifying and splicing genetic information in viruses and transformed that bacterial defense into a tool that promises medical miracles, cures, and the ability to edit DNA in areas as diverse as food production and curing cancer. Some worry intellectual and scientific advancement threatens to be divisive by nature if treatment costs and not medical need determines who receives care. The promise of CRISPR, like all medical treatments, comes with built in risks. Copying and editing errors may be a source of mild embarrassment for those who trade in the written word, but so called off target edits in our genetic makeup could have devastating consequences. How do Christians spiritually navigate a world advancing aggressively in the ability to alter the building blocks of life, for good or bad, in areas like CRIPSR research? An apparent lack of consideration for early human life fosters a distrust for the scientific community within many people who identify themselves as Evangelicals. This frustration will not deter advancement. It is incumbent on Christians to reflect deeply on what it means to be a human being in an age where some scientists actively seek to fundamentally alter the human experience or even leave it behind altogether.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Jay Watts about his online article, “CRISPR, Cures, and the New World of Gene Editing”. When you support the Journal, you join the team of to help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here

Other recent articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:Episode 326 Life After Roe: A Follow UpLife After Roe: A Follow UpEpisode 288 The Leaked Draft: Is this the Fall of Roe v. Wade?The Leaked Draft: Is this the Fall of Roe v. Wade?Episode 296 The End of Roe V. WadeThe End of Roe and the Beginning of a New FightEpisode 284 What Attorney Mary Ziegler Gets Wrong About Pro-Life TacticsWhat Attorney Mary Ziegler Gets Wrong About Pro-Life Tactics Episode 274 Filipovic’s Confused Claim that the Pro-Life Community Must Champion ContraceptionFilipovic’s Confused Claim that the Pro-Life Community Must Champion ContraceptionEpisode 249: Do Abortion Politics Hurt Women Enduring Miscarriage?Do Abortion Politics Hurt Women Enduring Miscarriage?Episode 230: Is it Ethical for Pro-Life Christians to Receive Covid-19 Vaccines?Assessing the Confession of Norma McCorvey in AKA Jane RoeEpisode 134 Are Laws Restricting Abortion Forced Organ Donation? A Review of Beyond RoeAre Laws Restricting Abortion Forced Organ Donation? A Review of Beyond RoeEpisode 117-Unplanned: An Imperfect but Brave Film Unplanned: An Imperfect but Brave Film

In the last few years, many Christians had said that all Christians need to be winsome at ALL times. Now, of course, Christians should always have the fruit of the Spirit in their lives and that absolutely must govern our conversations. But it is not that simple. Some Christian apologists are so nice and so accepting when talking with those who have rejected the truths of Christianity that the non-Christian they were talking to might not realize that their eternal destination is at stake. Also, believers need to be careful that winsome doesn’t become a cloak for cowardice. The word winsome is defined by Merriam-Webster as “1: generally pleasing and engaging often because of a childlike charm and innocence….: CHEERFUL, LIGHTHEARTED” (capitalization in original). The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as “attractive and pleasing, with simple qualities, sometimes like those a child has.” Princeton Writes defines winsome as “pleasing or attractive in appearance, handsome, comely; of attractive nature or disposition, of winning character or manners.” Now Jesus may have evinced a “winning character or manners,” but “attractive in appearance, handsome, comely” perhaps isn’t true because we read in Isaiah, “he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him” (53:2). And did Jesus always come across with an “attractive nature or disposition”? There is a great difference between Jesus’ ministry and much Christian public discourse today. Namely, Jesus wasn’t concerned about scoring political gains, except indirectly as He changed the hearts of those in power. Since Jesus was not trying to win the Pharisees over, He was laying out plain truth for the audience’s sake. Jesus was letting the crowd know that the Pharisees were evil and that their counsel should be rejected.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Clay Jones about his online article, “Jesus Wasn’t Always Winsome“.

When you support the Journal, you join the team of to help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here

Other articles and podcasts featuring this author: Episode 333 A Question Mormons Can’t AnswerA Question Mormons Can’t AnswerEpisode 270 The Divine Hiddenness of GodFour Types of Divine Hiddenness of God. For a special limited preview of this print article please click here! To read the article in it’s entirety please please click here to purchase this issue. Postmodern Realities Episode 247: Is It True That There Are Good Non-Christians?Is It true That There Are Good Non-Christians?Postmodern Realities Episode 233 You Probably Aren’t Saved If…(This Is about Sex)You Probably Aren’t Saved If…(This Is about Sex)Postmodern Realities Episode 202 Symbolic Immortality Projects Can’t Save YouSymbolic Immortality Projects Can’t Save YouPostmodern Realities Episode 183 Immortal: How the Fear of Death Drives Us and What We Can Do About ItImmortal—Epicurus, Sam Harris, and Bart Ehrman Are Wrong: Death Is SomethingPostmodern Realities Episode 176 Our Fallen WorldHank Unplugged: Why God Permits Evil with Clay JonesPostmodern Realities: Episode 114 Why Did God Let that Child Die?Why Did God Let That Child Die?Postmodern Realities: Episode 068: Something Made: The Role of Form in ApologeticsSomething Made : The Role of Form in Apologetics Postmodern Realities: Episode 030: Evangelizing the Cultural Christian Evangelizing the Cultural ChristianKilling the Canaanites: A Response to the New Atheism’s “Divine Genocide” Claims

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Cole Burgett about his online article, "Finding Family Among The Last of Us." the discusses the video game and HBO Tv Series, The Last of Us.

When you to subscribe to and support the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here

Other recent Podcasts and articles featuring this author: Episode 335 Let Faith Oust Fact: A Review of The WhaleLet Faith Oust Fact: A Review of The WhaleEpisode 330 Finding Empathy in the Trenches: A Review of Netflix’s All Quiet on the Western FrontA Review of the Oscar Winning Netflix’s All Quiet on the Western Front-Finding Empathy in the TrenchesEpisode 324 The Way of Family in Avatar: the Way of WaterThe Way of Family in Avatar: the Way of WaterEpisode 318 An Occasion for Just War: A Review of AndorAn Occasion for Just War: A Review of AndorEpisode 314 Tolkien Reimagined: A Series Review of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerTolkien Reimagined: A Series Review of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerEpisode 309 The Devil and Kristen Bouchard: A Series Review of EvilThe Devil and Kristen Bouchard: A Series Review of EvilEpisode 303 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the New Old-Fashioned WayStar Trek: Strange New Worlds and the New Old-Fashioned Way

​This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author John Ferrer about SatanCon 2023 held in Boston, MA on April 28th-30th, 2023 presented by The Satanic Temple.When you to support the Journal, you join the team of members who help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Please click here to support the ongoing work of the JOURNAL and for information on our Special Themed, Double Journal Issue on The Greatest Assault on Human Nature Ever Devised: Everything You Need To Know About the Cult of WokeismAnother way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here

Other podcasts and articles by this author: Episode 327 A Christian Apologist Responds to Sam Smith and Kim Petras’s Satanic Grammy PerformanceA Christian Apologist Responds to Sam Smith and Kim Petras’s Satanic Grammy PerformanceEditor’s note: While nothing explicit is discussed in the article and related podcast above, the subject matter of the Unholy song lyrics and original music video is rated R. Episode 146 Recognizing and Responding to Occultism in Your Church and A Film review of Hail Satan?Satanic Lessons on Religious Freedom: A review of Hail Satan?Infiltrated: Recognizing and Responding to Occultism in Your ChurchEpisode 131 Sabrina The Teenage Anti-ChristSabrina The Teenage Anti-Christ

In discussions about modern infertility treatments, many articles concerning in vitro fertilization (IVF) and surrogacy, and even the ethics of using a third-party gamete donor, have been written. As an extension of the ethical conversation surrounding fertility treatments, the fertility industry itself must be examined. From lack of reasonable regulations, to targeting young gamete donors, to the problem of anonymous donors and non-transparent medical information, the fertility industry itself does not at present align with Christian moral values. In the United States, however, there is currently no federal law prohibiting doctors from swapping chosen donor sperm with their own, or any other sperm for that matter. The New York Times reports that since the popularization of commercial DNA testing in recent years, over fifty doctors have been accused of doing the same thing. This is the case even though only approximately twenty-one percent of Americans have taken a commercial DNA test. The number of offending doctors may be much higher. The fertility industry in America is largely anonymous. Anonymity leaves the door open for serial donors to run rampant, for sibling pods to grow to excessive numbers, and for significant mental distress to occur in donor-conceived individuals and recipient families. In America, there is currently no national donor registry, making it difficult to track serial donors across multiple clinics. Because American donors can remain anonymous, and each bank maintains its own records without necessarily communicating with other banks, this can lead to enormous sibling pods — some reaching over one hundred. With more couples than ever before opting to use fertility treatments to conceive, it is imperative for Christians to weigh the ethical issues of the fertility industry alongside the procedures themselves. From regulation issues to problematic practices, the industry at present poses many concerns that must be thoroughly considered, prayed about, and weighed by Christians who are struggling to conceive. There may be situations in which Christians believe they can ethically make the choice to use various types of fertility treatments, but this industry should not be opted into without significant care and concern, with full awareness about the procedures and the industry’s current practices.

​This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Lisa Cooper about her online article, “Is Participating in the Fertility Industry Ethical?” When you to subscribe to and support the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here

Other podcasts and articles by this author: Episode 276 Boba Fett’s Character Arc Actually Makes Sense ( A Review of The Book of Boba Fett)Boba Fett’s Character Arc Actually Makes Sense ( A Review of The Book of Boba Fett)Episode 197 Was God at Sandy Hook Elementary that Day?School Shootings and the Problem of Evil (Was God at Sandy Hook that day?)

“I am a woman trapped in a man’s body.” “Trans women are women.” “A woman is anyone who identifies as a woman.” Statements like these are now commonplace: they reveal that words, and the way we use them, change over time. That which used to go without saying is now being said in a way that implies its opposite. The words “woman” and “man” and the categories they denote, which used to be intuitive and axiomatic, are beginning to crack under the pressure of a culture determined to do away with nature’s limits, and to elevate freedom (underwritten by technology) as the highest good. On June 6, 2020, J.K. Rowling retweeted an op-ed piece whose title conspicuously replaced the word “woman” with a female bodily function. “‘People who menstruate,’” Rowling mused.” I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” she wrote. Rowling is right: there used to be a word for those people, but it has been pressed into the service of a new purpose. Rowling’s tweet dropped like a hand grenade into Twitter, and the sheer volume of verbally profane pushback she received, loaded with sexually violent threats, is astounding. Many people, myself included, are concerned that the word “woman” is decaying with repeated twisting and misuse, and that natal females will suffer from the “slip slide and perish” of its broken meaning. The problem of universals — how it is that we can recognize categories like Woman, Tree, or Cat — has been a source of philosophical debate since Plato and Aristotle, through Boethius and Augustine, to Thomas Aquinas and William of Occam.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Alisa Ruddell about her online Viewpoint article, “What Happened To The Word “WOMAN”? When you to subscribe to and support the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here

Other podcasts and articles featuring this author: Episode 321 Carl Jung and the Modern World’s WoundCarl Jung and the Modern World’s WoundEpisode 307 Raised by Wolves: The Temptation and Trauma of an Android EveRaised by Wolves: The Temptation and Trauma of an Android Eve

Athenagoras of Athens is one of three great Greek pagan philosophers who, during the second century AD, converted to Christianity on account of the wisdom of its teachings and the moral lives of its followers. Rather than abandon their former training, Aristides, Justin Martyr, and Athenagoras all used their pagan learning as a springboard for bearing witness to the gospel before the most powerful rulers of their day.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Lou Markos about his online article, “Athenagoras of Athens”.

To learn more about receiving the book that this is adapted from, Ancient Voices: An Insider’s Look at the Early Church, for your partnering gift, please click here. When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here

Other recent Podcasts and articles featuring this author: Hank Unplugged:How to Explain Hell with Louis MarkosHow Dante’s Inferno Can Help Explain Hell to Modern Seekers (article)Atheism on Trial with Dr. Louis MarkosPostmodern Realities podcastsEpisode 332 Exhortations to College-bound StudentsSeven or So Exhortations to College-Bound StudentsEpisode 319 The Martyrdom of PolycarpThe Martyrdom of PolycarpEpisode 290 Just So ScienceEpisode 221: Tennyson on Theodicy: How a Victorian Poet Can Help Modern Christians Deal with the Problem of PainTennyson on Theodicy: How a Victorian Poet Can Help Modern Christians Deal with the Problem of PainEpisode 171 Why Christians Should Read the Pagan ClassicsWhy Christians Should Read the Pagan ClassicsC. S. Lewis on HellThe Legacy of G.K. Chesterton and Dorothy Sayers

Buried beneath a mountain of make-up and prosthetics so that he is nigh unrecognizable, Brendan Fraser has earned no small amount of acclaim for his portrayal of Charlie. The Whale, filmed on a $3 million budget (pocket change by the standards of modern Hollywood), first began making waves when Fraser received a highly publicized six-minute standing ovation at the movie’s Venice Film Festival premiere. The role has since netted him “Best Actor” accolades from outlets as varied as the Toronto International Film Festival, the Hollywood Critics Association, and the Academy Awards. But for all the acclaim that The Whale has received, perhaps its most important aspects are those overlooked by the vast majority of critics. The focus on Charlie’s homosexuality and the flaws of the Christian missionary attempting to proselytize him overlook the haunting themes of sin and guilt, as well as Charlie’s terrible need for absolution, which permeate Aronofsky’s film from first frame to last. Though The Whale tackles issues of sin, faith, homosexuality, and the family unit, there is no sense in which it lands the plane on any particular runway. The film is most certainly not the all-out assault on the church that some critics seem to think it is, but at the same time, it is still a product of the modern Hollywood machine. Charlie does not find Jesus. Nevertheless, The Whale is a film that is interested in the complexities of faith in a modern context, and that makes it worth paying attention to. Material abounds here for the Christian apologist or evangelist to take hold of and step into conversations with people struggling with homosexuality and feelings of guilt and depression. It would be unwise to ignore a movie that really does seem to be interested in interacting with people of the Christian faith, especially when the broader culture is so uninterested in what Christians have to say.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Cole Burgett about his online article, "Let Faith Oust Fact: A Review of The Whale." **Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for The Whale.** When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here

Other recent Podcasts and articles featuring this author: Episode 330 Finding Empathy in the Trenches: A Review of Netflix’s All Quiet on the Western FrontA Review of the Oscar Winning Netflix’s All Quiet on the Western Front-Finding Empathy in the TrenchesEpisode 324 The Way of Family in Avatar: the Way of WaterThe Way of Family in Avatar: the Way of WaterEpisode 318 An Occasion for Just War: A Review of AndorAn Occasion for Just War: A Review of AndorEpisode 314 Tolkien Reimagined: A Series Review of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerTolkien Reimagined: A Series Review of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerEpisode 309 The Devil and Kristen Bouchard: A Series Review of EvilThe Devil and Kristen Bouchard: A Series Review of EvilEpisode 303 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the New Old-Fashioned WayStar Trek: Strange New Worlds and the New Old-Fashioned Way

​That those who do not believe might be converted to genuine faith has been the constant prayer of the church since the apostolic era. Every preacher hopes that God might use his preaching to bring this about. Within the context of this hope, the practice of the altar call has arisen. Most readers will be familiar with the altar call, but perhaps not all. So I will sketch out two of the most common methods. The first, popularized by Billy Graham, has antecedents stretching back to the 19th century and Charles Finney’s “anxious bench” (about which I will have more to say below). Billy Graham would typically preach a fiery sermon in which he spent a good deal of time calling his listeners to measure their own lives by the requirements of God’s law. Then, as his warnings of God’s judgment and hell reached their crescendo, he would tell of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and of the offer of salvation and forgiveness to all who believe. The first time I listened to a Billy Graham sermon after my conversion, I recognized much the same message I had heard from Dr. Sproul. But the crowning moment of Dr. Graham’s sermon was his invitation to come forward. The walk from your seat to the front of the stage (the figurative altar) was presented as the outward, visible sign of your inward decision to commit your life to Jesus Christ. Thousands of smaller local churches still use this method of the altar call in their regular Sunday lineup. A second method — perhaps more popular — still requires an active response on the part of the hearer but a less public display. The preacher proclaims the law and gospel, and after his sermon, presumably, he asks the entire congregation to bow their heads and close their eyes. Then he asks those who are willing to repent and turn to Jesus to raise their hands. Then the preacher leads them, usually still seated, in some version of the “sinner’s prayer.”3 The preacher sees those who raise their hands and, presumably, at some point the rest of the congregation will know, but for the immediate moment the act is between the preacher, those with raised hands, and God. Committing your life to Christ, in both forms of the altar call, involves some kind of more or less public act.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Matthew M. Kennedy about his online-exclusive viewpoint article, “Do Altar Calls Add To The Gospel?“. When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here

When the Mormons (also known as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) come to my door, you should always ask them the same question because it’s a question Mormons can’t answer. You should do this because this question is essential to their beliefs. The question to ask regards why Mormons believe Mormonism is true, which they believe to be true because they had a subjective personal inward witness of the truth of it. The book of Moroni encourages seeking this inward witness (what follows is on the first page of one of my copies of the Book of Mormon): “Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things….that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost” (Moroni 10:3–5). This is also known as the “burning in the bosom.” In their Doctrine and Covenants, which Mormons also consider to be inspired scripture, it says, “But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right” (9:8). Now obviously if any person believes that they have received a personal revelation — directly from God — that something is true, then that can trump just about any other arguments about the truth of whatever they believe. Therefore, if a Christian chooses to argue with a Mormon about any other doctrine, it’s unlikely to change their minds because they have received what they believe is a subjective personal assurance directly from God that Mormonism is true. Therefore, the question concerns the trustworthiness of their subjective personal experience.


This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Clay Jones about his online-exclusive article, "A Question Mormons Can’t Answer." When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here


Other articles podcasts featuring this author:Episode 270 The Divine Hiddenness of GodFour Types of Divine Hiddenness of God. For a special limited preview of this print article please click here! To read the article in it’s entirety please please click here to purchase this issue. Postmodern Realities Episode 247: Is It True That There Are Good Non-Christians?Is It true That There Are Good Non-Christians?Postmodern Realities Episode 233 You Probably Aren’t Saved If…(This Is about Sex)You Probably Aren’t Saved If…(This Is about Sex)Postmodern Realities Episode 202 Symbolic Immortality Projects Can’t Save YouSymbolic Immortality Projects Can’t Save YouPostmodern Realities Episode 183 Immortal: How the Fear of Death Drives Us and What We Can Do About ItImmortal—Epicurus, Sam Harris, and Bart Ehrman Are Wrong: Death Is SomethingPostmodern Realities Episode 176 Our Fallen WorldHank Unplugged: Why God Permits Evil with Clay JonesPostmodern Realities: Episode 114 Why Did God Let that Child Die?Why Did God Let That Child Die?Postmodern Realities: Episode 068: Something Made: The Role of Form in ApologeticsSomething Made : The Role of Form in Apologetics Postmodern Realities: Episode 030: Evangelizing the Cultural Christian Evangelizing the Cultural ChristianKilling the Canaanites: A Response to the New Atheism’s “Divine Genocide” Claims

Most universities today are swiftly accommodating themselves to an increasingly radicalized postmodern worldview. American colleges and universities— a disturbing number of which claim to be Christian —have abdicated their responsibility to train students in virtue and to measure what they teach against cultural standards of goodness, truth, and beauty. But it's not all doom and gloom—there is hope. Christian college-bound students need to keep their eyes fixed on their true and secure citizenship in the Kingdom of God and forearm themselves against the philosophical presuppositions and political agendas that undergird much of higher education today. The Christian students who keep their eyes fixed on the true wisdom that is from above can survive and do thrive in the university. This episode is a discussion of some of the dos and don’ts to forearm the college-bound student.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Louis Markos about his Viewpoint article, “Seven or So Exhortations to College-Bound Students” in the 45:2-3 (Fall 2022) edition of the Christian Research Journal. Normally their is an extended window on articles in print being available on our Website; however as student prepare for college acceptance letters to be arriving soon for Fall 2023, we made an exception in an effort to equip student and parents as they prepare for this next stage in their lives.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here.



Other articles and podcasts featuring this author:Hank Unplugged:How to Explain Hell with Louis MarkosHow Dante’s Inferno Can Help Explain Hell to Modern Seekers (article)Atheism on Trial with Dr. Louis MarkosPostmodern Realities podcastsEpisode 319 The Martyrdom of PolycarpThe Martyrdom of PolycarpEpisode 290 Just So ScienceEpisode 221: Tennyson on Theodicy: How a Victorian Poet Can Help Modern Christians Deal with the Problem of PainTennyson on Theodicy: How a Victorian Poet Can Help Modern Christians Deal with the Problem of PainEpisode 171 Why Christians Should Read the Pagan ClassicsWhy Christians Should Read the Pagan ClassicsC. S. Lewis on HellThe Legacy of G.K. Chesterton and Dorothy Sayers

Brianna Wiest is lesser known self-help guru (author of The Mountain is You and 101 Ways to Change Your Thinking) but her voice is one to be reckoned with. Her unique, breezy, even comforting blend of psychological tips and spiritual advice is both nuanced and potent. Following her path will lead you to the front of the Temple, your face turned up to heaven, explaining how good you are. For, indeed, Wiest is more right than she knows—you are a mountain. But if God is merciful, not one to be summited, conquered by your own efforts, but rather laid low, cast to the earth while there is still time to get mercy from the very God who made you and knows you best. You can do all Wiest says and you will never ascend to the height of the most crucial mountain—the one where God dwells. “Who,” cries the psalmist, “shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?” (Psalm 24:3).

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Anne Kennedy about her online-exclusive article, “A Mountain Made Low—A Look at Brianna Wiest". Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.For more information and to subscribe please click here.Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here





Other articles podcasts featuring this author:Hank Unplugged: Gaslighting, BLM, Cancel Culture and More with Anne KennedyPostmodern RealitiesEpisode 325 Life in the Church and the Liturgical Church CalendarGo to Church! How Living Through the Church Year Can Help You Get a Grip on Your Life, Your Faith, and Your FamilyEpisode 316 Take Joy: Santa, St. Nicholas, and JesusTake Joy: Santa, St. Nicholas, and JesusEpisode 313 Spiritual Friendship: Temptation or Belonging?Spiritual Friendship: Temptation or Belonging?Episode 308 A More Unconditional Love: Modern Iterations of Platonic MarriageEpisode 299: I’m the Head and Not the Tail: A Christian Decides to Skip the Daily AffirmationI’m the Head and Not the Tail: A Christian Decides to Skip the Daily AffirmationEpisode 279: Haven’t We All Sacrificed Enough: A Christian Tries to Observe LentHaven’t We All Sacrificed Enough: A Christian Tries to Observe LentEpisode 273: Identity and Obedience in Revoice 2021Identity and Obedience in Revoice 2021Episode 268 I’ll Start My Diet Tomorrow: A Christian Makes a New Year’s ResolutionI’ll Start My Diet Tomorrow: A Christian Makes a New Year’s Resolution-Special limited previewEpisode 255 For Our Lamps Are Going Out: Gaslighting in the Age of Social MediaFor Our Lamps are Going Out: Gaslighting in the Age of Social Media

Please see this encore presentation of Episode 283: When the Hurlyburly’s Done: A Review of Everything Everywhere All at Once that we did in April 2022. In March 2023, this film won the following Oscars. Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Cole Burgett about his online-exclusive article, “When the Hurlyburly’s Done: A Review of Everything Everywhere All at Once” Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for Everything, Everywhere All at Once
For further information the multi-verse please see the discussion on Hank Unplugged with Stepehen Meyer on Return of the God Hypothesis: Evidence for the Existence of God.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here

The term “war film” tends to conjure in the popular imagination one of two images: 1) that of the sober-faced “band of brothers” toughing it out together somewhere in Europe or in the Pacific isles during the Second World War (à la Saving Private Ryan [1998], Band of Brothers [2001], or The Pacific [2010]); or 2) that of the shellshocked soldier in green fatigues stumbling out of the Vietnamese jungle wearing a thousand-yard stare (à la Apocalypse Now [1979], Platoon [1986], or Full Metal Jacket [1987]). These images also reinforce the two different “approaches” or “tones” that films of the genre tend to take regarding the subject matter: either a kind of admiration for the unique sense of brotherhood among combatants found in times of war, or a critical look at the hopelessness and futility of war altogether. Thus, in recent years, the “epic war film” genre has been further subdivided into “war film” and “anti-war film” categories to accommodate these tonal nuances. Yet both images, the band of brothers and the shellshocked jungle warrior, reinforced in the collective conscience by wildly popular video games such as Call of Duty, are exclusively American images, and reflect a dichotomized look at the historical record.Can violence, with respect to the epic war film umbrella, ever be redemptive? Well, the answer seems to depend on which approach one takes. Set out to explore the dynamics between soldiers who forge a kind of surrogate family with their “brothers in arms,” then, yes, it can be redemptive — but only the context of echoing Jesus’s words that “greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13 KJV). However, if the goal is to show the cost of war, the futility of bloodshed, and the meaninglessness of human life thrown away, then no, violence is, ultimately, pointless and war is fundamentally nihilistic. Few major films have tried to cross the treacherous no man’s land between these two approaches, one notable exception being Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge (2016). And now Edward Berger’s 2022 reimagining of All Quiet on the Western Front (nominated for nine Oscar awards) marches flint-faced into the same territory. The end result is less than spectacular.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Cole Burgett about his online-exclusive article, “Finding Empathy in the Trenches: A Review of Netflix’s All Quiet on the Western Front“ Starting in February 2021, online-exclusive articles, have been locked and are only available for Journal subscribers as noted below; however, given the time sensitive nature and global importance of this subject, our editorial board decided to make this available to the public as soon as possible. Also consider this a free preview of the quality and in-depth research that goes into our online-exclusives. To learn more about subscribing and gaining early access to future online-exclusive articles, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here and subscribing by clicking here.Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.For more information and to subscribe please click here.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here


Other articles featuring this author: Episode 324 The Way of Family in Avatar: the Way of WaterThe Way of Family in Avatar: the Way of WaterEpisode 318 An Occasion for Just War: A Review of AndorAn Occasion for Just War: A Review of AndorEpisode 314 Tolkien Reimagined: A Series Review of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerTolkien Reimagined: A Series Review of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerEpisode 309 The Devil and Kristen Bouchard: A Series Review of EvilThe Devil and Kristen Bouchard: A Series Review of EvilEpisode 303 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the New Old-Fashioned WayStar Trek: Strange New Worlds and the New Old-Fashioned Way

Christian theology regards human beings as creatures standing both within and beyond nature, the material world. Although exceptions as old as Lucretius abound, this belief is also found outside the Christian faith. So far as we can tell, humans are the only creatures who distinguish themselves in this way. Mary Oliver, best known for her Pulitzer-prize-winning poetry collection American Primitive (Atlantic/Little, 1983), believes animals rejoice at being alive in this world but knows they do not question their place in it. Given this difference between us and the rest of the cosmos, it is reasonable to wonder if nature can tell us anything significant about our spiritual selves or lead us to God. Oliver’s poems — anchored by close, attentive descriptions of the natural world — reach beyond the physical to consider the nature of God and human beings, and the possibilities of life after death. Her works detail the beauty, fragility, cruelty, and kindness of the natural world. From it, she gleans hints about human life, attentiveness yielding wonders — both glorious and terrible — that would otherwise pass her by. Forming her to receive the world as a gift, attentiveness draws Oliver ever more deeply into the world’s always deepening depths. She is surprised by revelations, moved by beauty, solaced by a creature’s contentment with itself, instructed by its willing consent to be what it is given to be. If, however, nature were enough, Christ would be superfluous. St. Bonaventure claims, “we are so created that the material universe itself is a ladder by which we may ascend to God.” But he also insists, “we cannot rise above ourselves unless a superior power raise us,” a power he identifies as Christ in whom we have definitive hope for life in the face of death. Because He is truth both incarnate and transcendent, Christ overrules the norms of nature.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Stephen Mitchell about his online-exclusive article, “Christ or Lucretius: Nature and Nature’s God in the poems of Mary Olivere".

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.For more information and to subscribe please click here.Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here





Other articles podcasts featuring this author:Episode 301: Moving by Staying Put: Christian Pilgrimage in Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead“Moving by Staying Put: Christian Pilgrimage in Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead” in the 45:2-3 (Fall 2022) edition of the Christian Research Journal.Episode 248 Myself Am Hell: Rebellion and Gratitude in Milton’s Paradise LostMyself Am Hell: Rebellion and Gratitude in Milton’s Paradise LostEpisode 201 Albert Camus and the Fight for LifeThe Sting of Death: Albert Camus and the Fight for LifeEpisode 189 Second-Rate Musician: Vocation and Performance in T. S. Eliot’s The Confidential Clerk“Second-Rate Musician: Vocation and Performance in T. S. Eliot’s The Confidential Clerk “.Episode 135-Questing for Divine Love-Cormac McCarthy’s The RoadQuesting for Divine Love-Cormac McCarthy’s The RoadEpisode 111 Humanity Crucified: Hemingway and the Human ConditionHumanity Crucified: Hemingway and the Human ConditionEpisode 092 Literary Apologetics: Flannery O’ConnorFlannery O’Connor and the Problem of FreedomEpisode 045: Alexander Solzhenitsyn Confronts the Grand InquisitorAlexander Solzhenitsyn Confronts the Grand Inquisitor

The recent occurrences of unidentified anomalous phenomenon (aka unidentified flying objects) over United States airspace has caused some renewed interest in extraterrestrials (ETs). Curiosity about the possibility of life beyond our planet is nothing new, and films and television shows have never shied away from the conversation. Ancient Aliens (History, 2009-) fuels the flames of speculation. The series, which is in its nineteenth season, continues to captivate viewers, so much so that it has spawned live events starring its ancient astronaut theorists. The series features episodes that ask viewers to consider questions about the Bible, humanity, and the potential of ET presence within the biblical narrative. For example, did Satan and other fallen angels set out to do good for humanity by revealing divine knowledge? What really happened to Moses on Mount Sinai? Was the Ark of the Covenant a toolkit full of ET power? As of today, humans have not discovered rational life anywhere else in the universe. There are good reasons to believe that we have not been visited by ETs. But with each claim of UFO belief by celebrities and politicians, speculation that we are not alone in the universe increases. In fact, according to Pew, more than fifty percent of Protestants and sixty-seven percent of Catholics believe in intelligent life on other planets. What would the discovery of intelligent ETs mean for the Christian faith?

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Lindsey Medenwaldt about her online-exclusive article, “Ancient Aliens and the Bible: What the Popular Television Series Says about Extraterrestrials in Scripture”.

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.For more information and to subscribe please click here.Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here

Other recent articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:Episode 311 Divination and Contemplation-Tarot’s Impact on Culture and ChristianityDivination and Contemplation-Tarot’s Impact on Culture and ChristianityEpisode 305 #Witchtok — Sorcery at Your FingertipsWitchtok — Sorcery at Your Fingertips” in the 45:2-3 (Fall 2022) edition of the Christian Research Journal.Episode 287 Corey Goode: Time-Traveling Secret Space Program WhistleblowerCorey Goode: Time-Traveling Secret Space Program Whistleblower” in the 45: 1/2 edition of the Christian Research Journal.Episode 219: Humanity’s Ascension: Assessing the History Channel’s New Age, Time Travel Guru David Wilcock“Humanity’s Ascension: Assessing the History Channel’s New Age, Time Travel Guru David Wilcock.” Episode 168: Best Selling Author and Astrologer Chani Nicholas Brings New Age Teaching to the Social Media GenerationEpisode 166 Controversial Guru Teal Swan Brings New Age Teachings to the Social Media GenerationControversial Guru Teal Swan and Astrologer Chani Nicholas Bring New Age Teachings to the Social Media Generation​Episode 244: Falun Gong: How the West Was WonFalun Gong: How the West was Won

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author John Ferrer about his online-exclusive article, “A Christian Apologist Responds to Sam Smith and Kim Petras’s Satanic Grammy Performance” Editor’s note: While nothing explicit is discussed in the article and related podcast, the subject matter of the Unholy song lyrics and original music video is rated R.
Starting in February 2021, online-exclusive articles, have been locked and are only available for Journal subscribers as noted below; however, given the time sensitive nature and global importance of this subject, our editorial board decided to make this available to the public as soon as possible. Also consider this a free preview of the quality and in-depth research that goes into our online-exclusives. To learn more about subscribing and gaining early access to future online-exclusive articles, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here and subscribing by clicking here.Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.For more information and to subscribe please click here.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here



Other recent articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:Episode 146 Recognizing and Responding to Occultism in Your Church and A Film review of Hail Satan?Satanic Lessons on Religious Freedom: A review of Hail Satan?Infiltrated: Recognizing and Responding to Occultism in Your ChurchEpisode 131 Sabrina The Teenage Anti-ChristSabrina The Teenage Anti-Christ

On June 24, 2022, The Supreme Court of the United States released the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, ending Roe v Wade’s nearly 50-year legal hegemony over the issue of abortion throughout the U.S. Pro-life advocates, many who had been active fighting to overturn Roe their entire adult lives, celebrated hoping the tide had turned as our nation moved toward a future without abortion. Abortion rights advocates mourned the ruling as an attack on their rights and warned the American public of the coming of abortion deserts where women would be forced to travel across the barren wasteland of abortion-free states to find access to what they believe is essential healthcare. It would be premature to pass a verdict on the premonitions of either side. Nothing like the hopes or fears of the most passionate advocates materialized, but the landscape of abortion law changed. Both sides pushed advantages in states deemed politically friendly to their causes producing some surprising results. The pro-life community faced unexpected challenges as abortion rights advocates enjoyed multiple victories establishing constitutional rights to abortion in new states while turning back efforts to restrict abortion in others. Federal efforts by the Democrats to reestablish national laws through the U.S. Congress failed, and neither side is happy with their progress. At the same time, uncompromising voices are finding new strength. Abortion advocates expressed strong dissatisfaction with the foundations of the Roe decision and see this moment as an opportunity to reset the dialogue with language more fitting the absolute rights to autonomy they seek. Some anti-abortion advocates counter this by introducing Equal Protection legislation at the state level, pressing the moment to move our judicial system toward holding women who procure abortions accountable in the same manner we would any other individual who intentionally killed a human life. Abortion is murder, they reason, therefore those guilty of abortion ought to be treated in the same manner. The extreme representatives of both sides raise the stakes as a population divided and less certain of their position on abortion seeks to sort out a new legal approach to an issue recently assumed to be settled law.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Jay Watts about his online-exclusive article, "Life After Roe: A Follow Up".

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.For more information and to subscribe please click here.Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here





Other recent articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:Episode 288 The Leaked Draft: Is this the Fall of Roe v. Wade?The Leaked Draft: Is this the Fall of Roe v. Wade?Episode 296 The End of Roe V. WadeThe End of Roe and the Beginning of a New FightEpisode 284 What Attorney Mary Ziegler Gets Wrong About Pro-Life TacticsWhat Attorney Mary Ziegler Gets Wrong About Pro-Life Tactics Episode 274 Filipovic’s Confused Claim that the Pro-Life Community Must Champion ContraceptionFilipovic’s Confused Claim that the Pro-Life Community Must Champion ContraceptionEpisode 249: Do Abortion Politics Hurt Women Enduring Miscarriage?Do Abortion Politics Hurt Women Enduring Miscarriage?Episode 230: Is it Ethical for Pro-Life Christians to Receive Covid-19 Vaccines?Assessing the Confession of Norma McCorvey in AKA Jane RoeEpisode 134 Are Laws Restricting Abortion Forced Organ Donation? A Review of Beyond RoeAre Laws Restricting Abortion Forced Organ Donation? A Review of Beyond RoeEpisode 117-Unplanned: An Imperfect but Brave Film Unplanned: An Imperfect but Brave Film

“So teach us to number our days,” prayed the great prophet Moses in Psalm 90, “that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90: 12).1 The request lies at the center of his meditation on the impermanence of the creature compared with the everlasting power of God. Our days end “like a sigh” (Psalm 90:9), they are “soon gone and we fly away” (Psalm 90: 10). For modern people striving to separate themselves from any sign of death, it might seem morbid to ask God to show you how short your life will be. Worse, for many people — the young mother cooking yet another meal, those suffering chronic health conditions, the increasing number of people enduring mental and emotional anguish — the effort of “numbering” days might feel cruel. I get up and do the same set of tasks over and over — bathing, eating, working — only to do it all again tomorrow. I kick against these cyclically monotonous goads. I should be going somewhere, accomplishing something, or — that most elusive hope — flourishing. Is there a way out of the drudgery? The simple answer is yes — by considering the day of your inevitable death. But how can you do that? By following the church year in the company of other believers. In other words, by going to church. The heart of the church year is the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. The work of celebrating His life — from the time you are born until the time you die — is the spiritual backdrop, the practical meditation on that difficult line from Moses’ psalm: “For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past” (Psalm 90: 4). A spiritual community of people toiling through the church year is going to do a lot of worshiping and working together. They are going to want to be reverent, but also “at home” in the space they weekly gather. The whole church together is the Bride that Christ purchases for Himself on the cross. There is, therefore, enough room for the whole mystical body of his faithful people — toddlers, tweeners, snowbirds, able, infirm, functional, dysfunctional, confused. The rhythm of their lives is determined by the inclinations and habits of the worshiping community. That community won’t be people they pick for themselves among their favorite TikTok followers. Rather, they will be people God places as burdens on their weary minds, as part of their heavenly inheritance. When the local church gathers for prayer, worship, study, and meals, you’re going to want to try to figure out how to be there. It is almost impossible to accomplish this anchoring rhythm on your own without the help of an actual in-real-life group of people who are also trying to bend themselves to the strange pleasures of that other home. Fundamentally, when you walk into a room filled with other Christians, however sad or anxious you are, you gradually want to feel the deep gladness of God’s favor in the peculiar communion of those particular people. Only God has the power to confer that gift. He accomplishes it when you submit yourself to the work and worship of a distinct, local body. If the Scriptures are the bedrock of that body, the cornerstone, the sure foundation, whatever their special days, their feasts and fasts, the Christian’s obedient gladness in that community will lighten the way and make the long journey seem much, much less than a thousand years.


This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Anne Kennedy about her online-exclusive article, "Go to Church! How Living Through the Church Year Can Help You Get a Grip on Your Life, Your Faith, and Your Family". Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.For more information and to subscribe please click here.Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here





Other recent articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:Hank Unplugged: Gaslighting, BLM, Cancel Culture and More with Anne KennedyPostmodern RealitiesEpisode 316 Take Joy: Santa, St. Nicholas, and JesusTake Joy: Santa, St. Nicholas, and JesusEpisode 313 Spiritual Friendship: Temptation or Belonging?Spiritual Friendship: Temptation or Belonging?Episode 308 A More Unconditional Love: Modern Iterations of Platonic MarriageEpisode 299: I’m the Head and Not the Tail: A Christian Decides to Skip the Daily AffirmationI’m the Head and Not the Tail: A Christian Decides to Skip the Daily AffirmationEpisode 279: Haven’t We All Sacrificed Enough: A Christian Tries to Observe LentHaven’t We All Sacrificed Enough: A Christian Tries to Observe LentEpisode 273: Identity and Obedience in Revoice 2021Identity and Obedience in Revoice 2021Episode 268 I’ll Start My Diet Tomorrow: A Christian Makes a New Year’s ResolutionI’ll Start My Diet Tomorrow: A Christian Makes a New Year’s Resolution-Special limited previewEpisode 255 For Our Lamps Are Going Out: Gaslighting in the Age of Social MediaFor Our Lamps are Going Out: Gaslighting in the Age of Social Media

When James Cameron’s Avatar hit theaters in 2009, few could have predicted the new, CGI-laden intellectual property would enjoy such a staggering box office return, becoming the first film in history to gross two billion dollars. The film would be nominated for a whopping nine Academy Awards, and end up winning in three categories, all of them related to the film’s stunning visuals. Given Hollywood’s propensity to capitalize on success, a sequel was inevitable and long discussed by Cameron. That sequel finally arrived in December of 2022 with Avatar: The Way of Water. Boasting one of the largest budgets for any motion picture and a stunning new array of underwater motion capture technology pioneered by Wētā FX (formerly Weta Digital, of The Lord of the Rings fame), Avatar: The Way of Water carries audiences once again to the mid-22nd century moon of Pandora for another adventure. With more films on the way, Cameron’s series is here to stay. But despite the fantastical subject matter, the story that he is crafting throughout the Avatar films is very quickly shaping up to focus on something surprisingly domestic: the nuclear family. For the cultural apologist interested in engaging in the discussion about the traditional family unit, Avatar: The Way of Water is a major cultural artifact that presents the opportunity to do just that.


This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Cole Burgett about his online-exclusive article, “The Way of Family in Avatar: the Way of Water”.**Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for Avatar: The Way of Water .**

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.For more information and to subscribe please click here.Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here









Other articles featuring this topic:Avatar: A Postmodern Pagan MythOther recent articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:Episode 318 An Occasion for Just War: A Review of AndorAn Occasion for Just War: A Review of AndorEpisode 314 Tolkien Reimagined: A Series Review of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerTolkien Reimagined: A Series Review of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerEpisode 309 The Devil and Kristen Bouchard: A Series Review of EvilThe Devil and Kristen Bouchard: A Series Review of EvilEpisode 303 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the New Old-Fashioned WayStar Trek: Strange New Worlds and the New Old-Fashioned WayEpisode 298: The Essex Serpent: By Tongue of BruteThe Essex Serpent: By Tongue of BruteEpisode 297 Why are we down here still working in the dark? (A Web TV Series Review of Severance)Why are we down here still working in the dark? (A Web TV Series Review of Severance)Episode 295 Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Freedom of Forgiveness (A Series Review of Obi-Wan Kenobi)Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Freedom of Forgiveness (A Series Review of Obi Wan Kenobi)

Why do humans exist? What is our ultimate purpose? A person will arrive at wildly different answers depending on whether they’ve been spending more time under the cross of Christ or under the “Bodhi Tree” (the “tree of awakening” under which the Buddha found enlightenment). On the one hand, there is Christianity’s robust sense of purposefulness, as humans were created by God for a purpose — eternal life in union with God. On the other hand, there is Buddhism’s view that life is fundamentally impermanent and ultimately without purpose. Both religions have defenders who claim their view to be not only true but also inspiring. As one of the world’s “missionary” religions, Buddhism deserves attention because it has been making effective cultural inroads in the Western world. Buddhism’s emerging cultural influence in the West can be seen in university curricula, bestselling spiritual books, health and wellness practices, and interfaith efforts to bridge what are seen as the most influential religions of the Western and Eastern world: Christianity and Buddhism. Buddhism teaches tranquil, even blissful, purposelessness, while Christianity teaches ultimate purpose. Buddhists reason that acceptance of purposelessness is existentially preferable to getting continually disappointed by the popping of inflated desires. Christianity offers ultimate purpose grounded in a trustworthy God. An acceptance of the world’s “thusness” may bring one inward bliss, but Christianity’s recognition of the world’s “oughtness” brings restoration, as Christians trust and follow a God at work making all things new.


This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Daniel J. McCoy about his online-exclusive article, “Why Do We Exist? Opposite Answers from Buddhism and Christianity”. https://www.equip.org/articles/why-do-we-exist-opposite-answers-from-buddhism-and-christianity/
Note: This article is adapted from Buddhism or Christianity : Which is Better for the World? By Daniel McCoy (Houston, TX: Moral Apologetics Press, 2023). Click here for information on receiving for your partnering gift.
When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here

JOURNAL author Doug Groothuis of Denver Seminary talks about his anecdotes of apologetics encounters over his lifetime to encourage Christians to have fire in their bones, love in their hearts, and knowledge in their minds to bring the whole Bible to the whole world for the glory of God, the good of His church, the extension of His Kingdom, and for peace and truth on earth (Jeremiah 20:9; Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Corinthians 10:31). As the apostle Paul said, follow me inasmuch as I follow Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Doug Groothuis about his online-exclusive article, “Apologetics Anecdotes to Inspire Christian Witness”. Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.For more information and to subscribe please click here.Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here







Other recent articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author: Episode 302 Defining the Meaning of Woman (Review of Matt Walsh’s Documentary Film and Book, What Is a Woman?)Defining the Meaning of Woman (Review of Matt Walsh’s Documentary Film and Book, What Is a Woman?)”in the 45:2-3 (Fall 2022) edition of the Christian Research Journal.Episode 293 Sexual Identity and the Biblical Philosophy of GenderSexual Identity and the Biblical Philosophy of Gender” in the 45: 1/2 edition of the Christian Research Journal

Carl Jung is a controversial figure. This pioneer of psychoanalysis, though beloved by the pop psychology world, has a dark side: he experimented with occult spirit guides, his movement was both an esoteric mystery-cult and a personality cult, and his theology was heretical, his conception of God that of an amoral demiurge beyond good and evil. Jung made theological errors worthy of rejection, but also stunning insights worthy of attention, especially because his psychoanalytic work with patients gave him an inside look into the weaknesses of modern-day Protestantism. Although most of Jung’s patients had lost their faith, the healthiest were church-goers still immersed in liturgies thick with participatory symbols and rituals: their sacramental experiences nudged them towards wholeness. “Even in this day and age,” Jung wrote, “the believer has the opportunity, in his church, to live the ‘symbolic life.’” Most people “look to therapy rather than to religious tradition for their soul development,” ethicist Timothy Patitsas writes, but “the great hospital for the soul is liturgy because in liturgy we are invited to fall in love with what is most Beautiful.” But when much of the American church has been reduced to “four bare walls and a sermon,” there is plenty for the conscious mind to think about, but little for the body to do, or for the unconscious to experience. Jung thought every religion has two feet — faith and ritual — but Protestantism hops on one foot more often than not. Jung’s ability to alleviate psychological suffering should intrigue iconoclasts: he gave people another leg to stand on. Protestants rejected veneration of the holy departed and the hierarchy of angels and saints whose prayerful assistance built up the Body. Jung compensated with darker principalities — spirit guides and inner gurus. Protestants abandoned confession to a priest and penance for the soul’s repair. Jung compensated with the confessional therapist’s office. Protestants repudiated iconography and pilgrimages. Jung gave them dream symbolism and archetypes, an inward journey replacing the outward. Protestants exchanged God’s “real presence” in the Mass for a memorial. Jung showed them “the Numinous” within, mingling the archetypal Christ with the Self. Protestants exchanged synergistic theosis for passively imputed righteousness. Jung gave them an arduous process of “individuation” that resonated like a call to adventure. What the Reformers amputated re-emerged as a phantom limb in the form of depth psychology. Therapeutic “priests” now provide us with the healing and self-transcendence that was once the province of church sacraments, spiritual practices, and the heavenly hierarchy. The body and the unconscious (which are so deeply connected) must play their part in the faith. Exclude them, and who knows what will rush in to meet the ineradicable needs of human nature? Icons, rituals, liturgies, hymns, chanting, sacred spaces, fasts and feasts, pilgrimages, and sacraments — these are symbolic (“joining/uniting”) modes of participation indigenous to Christianity that psychology can only imitate, and they function fractally, healing not only the individual (psychotherapy’s aim), but also facilitating a broader communion of persons. Because Christ joins together all the opposites (Col. 1:17, 21), Eucharistic communion creates communion. In Him, all things hold together; without Him, things fall apart.


​This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Alisa Ruddell about her online-exclusive article, “Carl Jung and the Modern World’s Wound”. https://www.equip.org/articles/carl-jung-and-the-modern-worlds-wound/

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.For more information and to subscribe please click here.Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here

Other podcasts and articles featuring this author: Episode 307 Raised by Wolves: The Temptation and Trauma of an Android EveRaised by Wolves: The Temptation and Trauma of an Android Eve

In 2001, Spirited Away became the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time. Twenty years later, in the midst of the pandemic, another Japanese release emerged and toppled Spirited Away’s box office record. This film wasn’t a critical darling or the work of an esteemed auteur. It wasn’t even a standalone film. It was a transitional installment of the anime series Demon Slayer (2019–), fitting right between seasons one and two. This 1-hour and 57-minute bridge story made more than 500 million dollars worldwide. The film’s American success is almost entirely due to the popularity of season one, streamed on Netflix at the height of the pandemic. In 2001, Spirited Away made $13.7 million in the US. In 2021, Mugen Train made $49.5 million stateside. 20 ago anime was still a niche interest for a small set of avid American fans. Now it is pervasive. Many people in older generations may not realize exactly how popular anime is with younger viewers, but, it is very popular. When students are asked what their favorite films are. Often they can’t think of one, but ask, “Can I tell you what my favorite anime is?” While American animation tends to target children, anime is often unexpectedly (and sometimes distressingly) adult to Western eyes. It also draws on vibrant narrative art (manga), which provides a depth of worldbuilding and storytelling often unavailable to Western animation. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba began as a popular manga in 2016. It tells the story of Tanjiro Kamado, a humble woodsman, who provides for his fatherless family by selling charcoal down the mountain in the local village. In the first episode, he returns to find his family killed by a demon. The only survivor of the attack is his sister Nezuko who has been transformed into a demon with a thirst for blood. Rather than killing Nezuko, Tanjiro tames his sister through his hopeful compassion for her, and resolves to find a way to restore her humanity. The series follows Tanjiro as he trains as a demon slayer and seeks a cure for Nezuko. The eponymous monsters of Demon Slayer bear little resemblance to the evil spirits of Christian theology. They are more like the oni of Japanese folklore, wicked or dangerous creatures haunted by the pains of the former human lives.

​This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Phil Tallon about his online-exclusive article, “Slaying and Redeeming Demons: Understanding the Anime Film Demon Slayer”. https://www.equip.org/articles/slaying-and-redeeming-demons-understanding-the-anime-film-demon-slayer/Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.For more information and to subscribe please click here.Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here

This episode focuses on the sad but triumphant tale of the martyrdom of Polycarp. Well-named was our beloved Bishop of Smyrna; “much fruit” is what his name means in Greek, and he has done just that, both in his ministry to the church and in the glorious manner of his death. There are some who claim that Polycarp harbored a death wish, but nothing could be further from the truth. When he was advised to flee the city to avoid arrest, trial, and execution, he humbly complied. But escape was not to be the lot assigned to him by God. Polycarp learned this himself from a prophetic dream that was vouchsafed to him by heaven. In his dream, he lay in bed upon a flaming pillow. When he awoke, he could still see vividly in his mind’s eye the image of that pillow reduced to ashes; it was then that he announced to us that he would die, not by wild beasts, but by fire. Though we who live in America in the 21st century need not fear that we will be martyred as Polycarp was, we can learn from his brave resolve and unshakable faith to speak the truth of Christ in love to those in power.


This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Louis Markos about his online-exclusive article, “The Martyrdom of Polycarp”.

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.For more information and to subscribe please click here.Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here


Other articles podcasts featuring this author:Hank Unplugged:How to Explain Hell with Louis MarkosHow Dante’s Inferno Can Help Explain Hell to Modern Seekers (article)Hank Unplugged: Atheism on Trial with Dr. Louis MarkosPostmodern Realities podcastsEpisode 290 Just So ScienceEpisode 221: Tennyson on Theodicy: How a Victorian Poet Can Help Modern Christians Deal with the Problem of PainTennyson on Theodicy: How a Victorian Poet Can Help Modern Christians Deal with the Problem of PainEpisode 171 Why Christians Should Read the Pagan ClassicsWhy Christians Should Read the Pagan ClassicsC. S. Lewis on HellThe Legacy of G.K. Chesterton and Dorothy Sayers

In many ways, Andor is anti-Star Wars—and not in the same sense that many seem to think Rian Johnson’s 2017 sequel, The Last Jedi, is anti-Star Wars. That film is subversive, sure, but Andor, by comparison, seems downright heretical. Gone is the clear sense of good and evil that defines the moral compass of the films. Gone are even passing references to the Jedi or the Sith. Forget the will of the Force, consider the willpower of the average, everyday folks just trying to make it through life under the oppressive thumb of a lazy and bureaucratic Galactic Empire. These sorts of complexities are certainly new to Star Wars, which has traditionally been bent more toward a black-and-white (i.e., light side vs. dark side) morality scale. But Andor wrinkles this, suggesting instead that the true rebels are the ones who are willing to get their hands dirty. Due to its exploration of the morality of warfare, Andor presents a unique opportunity the Christian apologist or military ethicist looking to interact with a pop culture artifact. The just war tradition is particularly applicable to the discussion, helping to frame the motivations and actions of characters on both sides of the conflict. War is all too frequently dehumanizing, and few things rob a human being of their own humanity than taking another’s life, regardless of whether the act is state-sanctioned—otherwise firing squads would never have to retain unloaded or blank-firing weapons to mitigate the psychological and emotional trauma to the trigger-pullers. Andor, being interested in these traumas, gives viewers uncommonly complex, multi-dimensional characters as civil war looms. Andor represents the property’s first confident steps out from under the shadow of George Lucas. Star Wars is something different now, the galaxy a more complicated place. But, true to form, the property has given Christians yet another artifact to interact with in the public sphere, and this is an opportunity not to be wasted.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Cole Burgett about his online-exclusive article, ” An Occasion for Just War: A Review of Andor”. https://www.equip.org/articles/an-occasion-for-just-war-a-review-of-andor/

**Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for Andor.**

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.

2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

For more information and to subscribe please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/online-early-access-subscription-options/

Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Episode 295 Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Freedom of Forgiveness (A Series Review of Obi-Wan Kenobi)

Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Freedom of Forgiveness (A Series Review of Obi Wan Kenobi)

Episode 314 Tolkien Reimagined: A Series Review of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Tolkien Reimagined: A Series Review of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Episode 309 The Devil and Kristen Bouchard: A Series Review of Evil

The Devil and Kristen Bouchard: A Series Review of Evil

Episode 303 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the New Old-Fashioned Way

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the New Old-Fashioned Way

Episode 298: The Essex Serpent: By Tongue of Brute

The Essex Serpent: By Tongue of Brute

Episode 297 Why are we down here still working in the dark? (A Web TV Series Review of Severance)

Why are we down here still working in the dark? (A Web TV Series Review of Severance)

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Jonah Haddad about his online-exclusive article, “Wagering with Jesus and Pascal: Two Prudential Offers for Christian Belief”. https://www.equip.org/articles/wagering-with-jesus-and-pascal-two-prudential-offers-for-christian-belief/

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.

2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

For more information and to subscribe please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/online-early-access-subscription-options/

Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/
Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Episode 237: Faith, Fact, and Reason: Ingredients for Knowledge

Faith, Fact, and Reason

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Anne Kennedy about her online-exclusive article, “Take Joy: Santa, St. Nicholas, and Jesus”. https://www.equip.org/articles/take-joy-santa-st-nicholas-and-jesus/

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.

2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

For more information and to subscribe please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/online-early-access-subscription-options/

Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Some other articles and podcasts featuring this author

Hank Unplugged:

Gaslighting, BLM, Cancel Culture and More with Anne Kennedy

Postmodern Realities

Episode 313 Spiritual Friendship: Temptation or Belonging?

Spiritual Friendship: Temptation or Belonging?

Episode 308 A More Unconditional Love: Modern Iterations of Platonic Marriage

Episode 299: I’m the Head and Not the Tail: A Christian Decides to Skip the Daily Affirmation

I’m the Head and Not the Tail: A Christian Decides to Skip the Daily Affirmation

Episode 286 Trusting Jesus in a Universe that Doesn’t Have Your Back: A Christian Looks at Manifesting

Trusting Jesus in a Universe that Doesn’t Have Your Back: A Christian Looks at Manifesting

Episode 279: Haven’t We All Sacrificed Enough: A Christian Tries to Observe Lent

Haven’t We All Sacrificed Enough: A Christian Tries to Observe Lent

Episode 273: Identity and Obedience in Revoice 2021

Identity and Obedience in Revoice 2021

Episode 268 I’ll Start My Diet Tomorrow: A Christian Makes a New Year’s Resolution

I’ll Start My Diet Tomorrow: A Christian Makes a New Year’s Resolution-Special limited preview

Episode 255 For Our Lamps Are Going Out: Gaslighting in the Age of Social Media

For Our Lamps are Going Out: Gaslighting in the Age of Social Media

Episode 224 You Only Die Once: Why It’s Okay Not to Live in the Present

Why Do I Call Myself Good? A Look at Virtue Signaling

Episode 211: There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

Episode 204: The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

Episode 198 Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Netflix’s Ozark while dealing with the very dark themes of drug trafficking and murder, is a show that can help the Christian apologist intersect with its depiction of culture and family and use those themes as a springboard to contrast it with the truth of Christianity.

***Warning Ozark Season One and Two (SE E2) contain nudity, sexual situations, graphic violence, and language. All seasons (1-4) contain graphic violence and language.***

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Joshua Ferris about the series Ozark. **Note: This podcast contains spoilers for the Series Ozark (2017-2022).*

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

In November of 2017, Amazon secured the rights for The Lord of the Rings from the Tolkien estate, promising to resurrect the dormant series and adhere even more faithfully to Tolkien’s source material, even bringing in Tolkien’s grandson, Simon, during the development process. The culmination of Amazon’s acquisition of the prestigious property arrived in September 2022 as the first episodes of a proposed five season television series titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, a prequel to Tolkien’s trilogy and Jackson’s subsequent film adaptations, though the series stands alone and separate from the continuity of Jackson’s films.

While The Rings of Power takes certain liberties with Tolkien’s timeline, the themes at play throughout the series—from the conflict between good and evil, to the attempts made to maintain the longevity of life—would seem to walk in lockstep with Tolkien’s analysis of his own work.

What sets Tolkien’s fantasy apart from so many others today is its clear sense of right and wrong, of good and evil firmly rooted in a well-developed Christian imagination that was capable of wrestling with difficult subjects, such as death, without compromise.


This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Cole Burgett about his online-exclusive article, “Tolkien Reimagined: A Series Review of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”. **Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.** https://www.equip.org/articles/tolkien-reimagined-a-series-review-of-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power/

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.

2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

For more information and to subscribe please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/online-early-access-subscription-options/

Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Episode 309 The Devil and Kristen Bouchard: A Series Review of Evil

The Devil and Kristen Bouchard: A Series Review of Evil

Episode 303 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the New Old-Fashioned Way

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the New Old-Fashioned Way

Episode 298: The Essex Serpent: By Tongue of Brute

The Essex Serpent: By Tongue of Brute

Episode 297 Why are we down here still working in the dark? (A Web TV Series Review of Severance)

Why are we down here still working in the dark? (A Web TV Series Review of Severance)

Episode 295 Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Freedom of Forgiveness (A Series Review of Obi-Wan Kenobi)

Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Freedom of Forgiveness (A Series Review of Obi Wan Kenobi)

Wesley Hill in his book, Spiritual Friendship: Finding Love in the Church as a Celibate Gay Christian, poses the following question, “Perhaps celibate gay and lesbian Christians, precisely in and out of their celibacy, are called to express, rather than simply renounce and deny, same-sex love. And perhaps this is where, for all the potential trials and temptations that come with this way of thinking, same-sex friendship represents one way for gay Christians who wish to be celibate to say: “I am embracing a positive calling. I am, along with every other Christian, called to love and be loved.” As Anne Kennedy notes in her article, “This is the central, pressing concern of the Spiritual Friendship movement. How same-sex attracted Christians order their relationships increasingly touches on today’s fluid assumptions about identity, acceptance, and belonging. The issues underscored by Hill deserve to be studied and understood. Their answers carry immense spiritual and practical implications for Christian doctrine, worship, and community life. While I am sorely sympathetic to the desires of same-sex attracted Christians and their need for family and belonging, I believe that the proponents of modern-day spiritual friendship disorder the precious mystery of friendship. In collapsing the good desire for home and belonging with the wrong one for familial and even romantic intimacy with the same sex, the Spiritual Friendship movement, relying as it does on categories derived from the Sexual Revolution and postmodernism, devalues the institution of marriage and wanders into self-defeating contradiction.”

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Anne Kennedy about her online-exclusive article, “Spiritual Friendship: Temptation or Belonging?” and the above questions and issues. https://www.equip.org/articles/spiritual-friendship-temptation-or-belonging/

Starting in February 2021, online-exclusive articles, have been locked and are only available for Journal subscribers as noted below; however, given the time sensitive nature and global importance of this subject, our editorial board decided to make this available to the public as soon as possible. Also consider this a free preview of the quality and in-depth research that goes into our online-exclusives. To learn more about subscribing and gaining early access to future online-exclusive articles, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/ and subscribing by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/product/online-early-access-subscription-options/

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

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When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other articles and podcasts featuring this author

Episode 273: Identity and Obedience in Revoice 2021

Identity and Obedience in Revoice 2021

Episode 308 A More Unconditional Love: Modern Iterations of Platonic Marriage

Millennials and Gen Z increasingly reject biblical sexuality, and they aren’t shy about saying why. For American evangelical millennials (ages 26 to 41), specifically, the shift happened at least in part with ‘90s purity culture, which shouldn’t be a shock. Many were blindsided by tyrannical youth pastors wielding half-eaten lollipops, chewed gum, flowers without petals — symbolic, they said, of budding sexuality gone awry. These metaphors devaluing the human body while seemingly idolizing virginity were originally intended to exemplify our need for the redemptive work of Christ, but too often overly-zealous church leaders made them their primary focus. Girls had their developing bodies reduced to stumbling blocks and traps, waiting to ensnare their brothers in Christ hopelessly enslaved to their hormones. The fallout has deeply affected evangelical Gen Z’s perception of sex and the church. They have parents who are just now shedding the weight of shame placed upon their teenage shoulders. Parents who refused to make their own children walk through the same sexual minefield. As a result, they have largely kept silent. They believed that their children wouldn’t listen to their beliefs about sex, let alone wish to discuss it. Within progressive sexuality, purity rings have been exchanged for how-to classes on bondage. Condoms, not Christ, protect the heart. Teens, who not long ago would have had to sneak into the darkened back room of a video store to glimpse an adult film, can access the darkest pornography with a few clicks on their smartphone. If they aren’t watching porn, celebrities encourage them to make it. Why wouldn’t they? They are sexual beings after all, and sex, not some patriarchal religion, is the path to empowerment, liberation, even the American dream. Without biblical morality, design, and truth, our bodies lose all value. It isn’t until children encounter the biblical worldview that they see themselves and sexuality for what they truly are, precious creations worthy of protection. Our children have to feel welcome to discussing sex and their sexuality with us, even if they choose not to sometimes. If our children have the maturity to ask the question, we have the God-ordained responsibility to give them an answer, no flinching allowed.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Amy Davison about her article, “Youth are Walking Away from Biblical Sexuality: What Parents Can Do About It” in the forthcoming 45:2-3 (Fall 2022) edition of the Christian Research Journal.

To subscribe and make sure you get this issue when released, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Understanding how tarot works can help us see why it might be attractive to some for divination and self-awareness. To see the cards is to see yourself. Tarot decks are made up of seventy-eight cards divided into two sections, the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. Arcana is Latin for “secrets” or “mysteries.” Think of the tarot as unlocking the mysteries of life. The Major Arcana is comprised of twenty-two cards that represent life’s biggest events. For instance, the Fool card indicates a beginning, and Death card an end. The Wheel of Fortune card alludes to change while the Lovers Card points to potential partnerships. Each of the twenty-two cards in the Major Arcana is important, and when one appears in a tarot reading, great attention is usually given to it. As for readings, it all begins with the shuffle. During the shuffle, the person being read is supposed to concentrate on what they want to know, the wisdom they are seeking. Indeed, tarot cards do contain some Christian images, from crucifixes to angels to even the Devil himself. But tarot is more than art. It is art designed with divination in mind. Alongside Christian imagery is occultic imagery, including pentacles, wands, and astrological signs. Despite some Christian tarot card readers' desire to cleanse the deck with Christian meanings, it’s still an occultic tool. However, just as a Christian shouldn’t use an Ouija board to hear from the Lord or go to a psychic as a means to prophecy from God, Christians should avoid using tarot to enhance their prayer lives. There are Christian cards and Christian readers. Yet, something is amiss. Sorcery and magic are against God’s Word. Spiritual forces of the world are not the spiritual forces of God. Tarot will not send you on a path toward righteousness but on one toward destruction. Find restoration for your soul in God’s Word, not in a deck of cards created by man for his own pleasure and self-knowledge.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Lindsey Medenwaldt about her online-exclusive article, “Divination and Contemplation-Tarot’s Impact on Culture and Christianity”. https://www.equip.org/articles/divination-and-contemplation-tarots-impact-on-culture-and-christianity/

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

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2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

For more information and to subscribe please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/online-early-access-subscription-options/

Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.

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In some parts of the world, demonology has been overemphasized; however, the Western world seems to be dealing with the opposite end of the spectrum. Naturalistic materialism has brought with it the notion that passages in Scripture describing demonic activity —especially in the Gospels— ought to be understood as a primitive society reacting to cases of mental illness, unknown to them at the time. However, Scripture teaches that demons are spiritual in nature, like angels, having special powers as demonstrated by their titles. One of these powers is the ability to affect human bodies and minds. There are many testimonies in Scripture of spiritual beings directly or indirectly affecting human health.
This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author J. Alberto Paredes about the topic of   “Demons, Disease, and Deity: Why We Need A Biblical Worldview To Respond To The Problem of Evil”. https://www.equip.org/articles/demons-disease-and-deity-why-we-need-a-biblical-worldview-to-respond-to-the-problem-of-evil/

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

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2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

For more information and to subscribe please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/online-early-access-subscription-options/

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When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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One of the best-reviewed shows currently streaming features a seminary student who takes hallucinogens to receive visions from God (I must have missed that class during my own seminary stint) and a succubus demon that wears a retainer. This kind of absurd, off-beat humor has come to define Robert and Michelle King’s CBS supernatural procedural Evil, which only recently concluded its third season on Paramount Plus. With its creepy content, scares, and quirky humor, the show has managed to carve out a niche in popular culture, receiving acclaim for its writing, direction, cinematography, and acting. If that near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score is to be believed, Evil is actually quite good. But how well does the series handle its lofty subject matter? After all, Evil attempts nothing short of an exploration of the crisis of evil in the modern world. Each episode or “case” plays a bit like a parable, though the show trades the distinct moralism of that genre of storytelling for something more ambiguous. While the more obscure approach to the material will certainly frustrate viewers looking for a singular take on the supernatural, there is no denying that Evil has grown into one of the twenty-first century’s most unique series with a strong religious bend. Given the subject matter and graphic sexuality portrayed in seasons two and three, it is not recommended that any Christian watch the sexual deviancies portrayed. But whether even with fast-forwarding of certain scenes the series is worth the Christian’s time is another story—some will say “no,” others will say “yes.” I will say that Kristen and David are no Scully and Mulder. Go and watch The X-Files instead of Evil, as that classic series moves in similar directions with infinitely more depth and nuance.



This Postmodern Realities episode is a in-depth conversation with Journal author Cole Burgett about the themes of the series and his online-exclusive, “The Devil and Kristen Bouchard: A Series Review of Evil”.***Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for Seasons One, Two and Three of the CBS/Paramount show Evil.*** https://www.equip.org/articles/the-devil-and-kristen-bouchard-a-series-review-of-evil/

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.

2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

For more information and to subscribe please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/online-early-access-subscription-options/

Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Episode 303 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the New Old-Fashioned Way

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the New Old-Fashioned Way

Episode 298: The Essex Serpent: By Tongue of Brute

The Essex Serpent: By Tongue of Brute

Episode 297 Why are we down here still working in the dark? (A Web TV Series Review of Severance)

Why are we down here still working in the dark? (A Web TV Series Review of Severance)

Episode 295 Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Freedom of Forgiveness (A Series Review of Obi-Wan Kenobi)

Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Freedom of Forgiveness (A Series Review of Obi Wan Kenobi)

Episode 283: When the Hurlyburly’s Done: A Review of Everything Everywhere All at Once

When the Hurlyburly’s Done: A Review of Everything Everywhere All at Once

Marriage has been around almost as long as the romantic kind, but it was recently rediscovered as a “radical,” even courageous choice in the post-Obergefell v. Hodges era when same-sex couples received the legal right to marry. Like other trending topics, it has its own hashtag leading to tweets like: “can we normalize platonic marriage pls i would love to spend the rest of my life with people that i just don’t feel any romantic attraction to.” (Officialtheo23 (@officialtheo23), Twitter, May 13, 2022, https://twitter.com/officialtheo23/status/1525132444340346880). The reason that sex belongs in marriage, temporized by the joy of friendship, is because of how all-consuming God’s love is for His people. It is such a great mystery, so strong a force, that we cannot comprehend it. St. Paul’s admonition that the wife has authority over the husband’s body, as well as he over hers (1 Cor. 7:4), that he is to love her as himself, however haltingly obeyed, ultimately produces marriage in which men are expected to be both friends and lovers with their wives. Marriage, that most ancient rite, serves three purposes: a remedy against sexual sin, the procreation of children, and the mutual companionship and love that makes the long road to eternal life more comfortable, if not absolutely satisfying in its own right. Yet even these three purposes do not explain its greatest good — the icon of union with Christ. The layers of biblical and sacramental images culminating in the holy city coming down out of heaven adorned as a bride (Rev. 21:2) defy common sense safety-ism. We are caught up, corporately, into a communion with a Savior who searched out a bride with an unquenchable and unconquerable love. “You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken,” cries Isaiah, anticipating the time when Christ will be all in all. “Your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married” (Isa. 62:3–4).

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Anne Kennedy about her article, “A More Unconditional Love: Modern Iterations of Platonic Marriage” in the forthcoming 45:2-3 (Fall 2022) edition of the Christian Research Journal.

To subscribe and make sure you get this issue when released, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

See also the related article "Marriage Is about the Gospel: Clarifying the Boundaries of Christian Orthodoxy" in this same issue and the podcast here. https://www.equip.org/postmodern-realities/episode-306-marriage-is-about-the-gospel-clarifying-the-boundaries-of-christian-orthodoxy/

The science fiction television series Raised by Wolves (HBO Max) draws on this ancient story, while moving the myth into uncanny, alien territory. This time the “Mother of all the Living” (Gen. 3:20) isn’t an innocent woman in communion with God at humanity’s beginning: she is an android programmed with a naive atheism, living at a time when humanity has almost reached its end. Created by Aaron Guzikowski (and partially directed by Ridley Scott), Raised by Wolves (RBW) nests these iconic elements in a high-tech future where artificially intelligent androids are approaching the borderlands of personhood and moral agency. In this world, the tools we’ve fashioned (artificial intelligence — AI) are placed in the position of fashioning us: robots aren’t just appliances, they are parents — male and female persons in a human drama. The fact that they’re responsible for children opens up the potential for something to emerge beyond their programming: the realm of desire, purpose, self-reflection, happiness, and love — with its shadow-side of grief, failure, sin, and regret. This raises a question: if an android could transcend its code, what would it want? Could its naive desires and biases be exploited? What temptations would a self-aware AI face? What happens when the maternal impulse is wedded to a machine?

This Postmodern Realities episode is a in-depth conversation with Journal author Alisa Ruddell about the themes of the series and her online-exclusive, “Raised by Wolves: The Temptation and Trauma of an Android Eve​”.***Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for Seasons One and Two of Raised by Wolves.*** https://www.equip.org/articles/raised-by-wolves-the-temptation-and-trauma-of-an-android-eve/

This conversation includes a discussion of evolution as it relates to the Raised by Wolves series. CRI does not affirm theistic evolution or the evolutionary concept of common descent (macro-evolution) and refutes it. Please see the following resources: “Did God use evolution as His method of creation?”, https://www.equip.org/bible_answers/god-use-evolution-method-creation/ What about “theistic evolution”? https://www.equip.org/bible_answers/what-about-theistic-evolution-draft/, Stephen Meyer, et al., Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical, Theological Critique. “ https://www.equip.org/product/theistic-evolution-scientific-philosophical-theological-critique/The New Theistic Evolutionists: BioLogos and the Rush to Embrace the Consensus” https://www.equip.org/articles/new-theistic-evolutionists-biologos-rush-embrace-consensus/, and The Campaign to Embarrass Christians into Accepting Darwinism“. https://www.equip.org/articles/campaign-embarrass-christians-accepting-darwinism/

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.

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Christians weary of the tumultuous debates over human sexuality sometimes wonder whether such a divisive conflict is necessary. After all, many of those promoting arguments in favor of affirming sexual relationships outside of traditional marriage also affirm the Trinity, the full deity and humanity of Christ, and confess Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Why shouldn’t they be recognized as brothers and sisters despite their disagreements with the classical position? Christian orthodoxy rests on not merely the creedal formulas but on the entirety of biblical revelation. Scripture teaches that human sexuality and marriage, in particular, are far from being non-essential, residing at the very heart of the Christian faith because God made us male and female in order to tell the world about Christ and His church. That is, God intends that the one-flesh union between husband and wife refer to, bear witness to, and make visible the union between Jesus and His church. Since marriage refers to Christ and His church and the sexual bond consummates the union, sexual relationships outside of biblical marriage obscure, misrepresent, and even blaspheme Christ and His bride. Therefore, to reject what the Bible reveals about sex and marriage is to reject the gospel.
This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Matthew M. Kennedy about his article, “Marriage Is about the Gospel: Clarifying the Boundaries of Christian Orthodoxy” in the forthcoming 45:2-3 (Fall 2022) edition of the Christian Research Journal.

To subscribe and make sure you get this issue when released, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Catchy beats, wild camera angles, and hipsters talking about Tarot cards, crystals, and astrology. Just your average day on TikTok’s #witchtok. The hashtag has more than twenty-seven billion views. If you were to scroll through TikTok for a few hours, you’d maybe start to believe that witchcraft is cool. Witchcraft is alive and well, even among Christians. There are astrology apps where you can access your charts online for free — you no longer need to call the Psychic Friends Network. There are dating apps that check to see if your stars align with potential mates. You can even download personalized Spotify playlists based on your astrological sign. So, it’s not that far-fetched that you can find out how to be a witch on TikTok, the most popular social media app among pre-teens and teens. Christians need to know how to respond well to those involved in sorcery because it’s a growing trend that is infiltrating the church.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Lindsey Medenwaldt about the new witchtok trend, how Christians need to respond to it, and about her Effective Evangelism article, “Witchtok — Sorcery at Your Fingertips” in the forthcoming 45:2-3 (Fall 2022) edition of the Christian Research Journal.


To subscribe and make sure you get this issue when released, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts related to this subject:

Episode 146 Recognizing and Responding to Occultism in Your Church and A Film review of Hail Satan?

Infiltrated: Recognizing and Responding to Occultism in Your Church

Satanic Lessons on Religious Freedom: A review of Hail Satan?

Episode 131 Sabrina The Teenage Anti-Christ

Sabrina The Teenage Anti-Christ

Satanism: A Taste for the Dark Side

Modern Witchcraft: It May Not Be What You Think

Bespoke Religiosity and the Rise of the Nones: a review of Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World by Tara Isabella Burton

Samuel, the Witch, and the Watchtower

Practicing “the Craft”: Why Young People Are Attracted to Wicca

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Episode 287 Corey Goode: Time-Traveling Secret Space Program Whistleblower

Corey Goode: Time-Traveling Secret Space Program Whistleblower” in the 45: 1/2 edition of the Christian Research Journal.

Episode 219: Humanity’s Ascension: Assessing the History Channel’s New Age, Time Travel Guru David Wilcock

“Humanity’s Ascension: Assessing the History Channel’s New Age, Time Travel Guru David Wilcock.”

Episode 168: Best Selling Author and Astrologer Chani Nicholas Brings New Age Teaching to the Social Media Generation

Episode 166 Controversial Guru Teal Swan Brings New Age Teachings to the Social Media Generation

Controversial Guru Teal Swan and Astrologer Chani Nicholas Bring New Age Teachings to the Social Media Generation​

Episode 244: Falun Gong: How the West Was Won

Falun Gong: How the West was Won

Transhumanists desire to create a utopia of their own design through science and technology. Though clothed in technical language, a strong religious undercurrent buoys this deceptive philosophical movement. As societies around the world become increasingly secular, transhumanism represents an eschatological source of hope, purpose, and destiny — an alluring competitor to the gospel.
This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Fazale “Fuz” Rana about his article, “Can Science and Technology Save Us? The False Gospel of Transhumanism” in the forthcoming 45:2-3 (Fall 2022) edition of the Christian Research Journal.

To subscribe and make sure you get this issue when released, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 277: Who Was Adam? (Summary Critique of William Lane Craig’s In Quest of the Historical Adam)

Who Was Adam? A book review of In Quest of the Historical Adam by William Lane Craig-Special limited preview To read the full article, please purchase this individual issue by clicking here.

Junk DNA: Evidence for Evolution or Design?

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is the best thing to happen to Star Trek in a long time, standing as a testament to what a little inspired casting and the power of social media can do. When Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, and Rebecca Romijn stepped into the respective roles of Christopher Pike, Spock, and the enigmatic Number One during the second season of Star Trek: Discovery back in 2019, the notion of another series set aboard the Enterprise of yore seemed like a fever dream. But when fans took to social media to voice their support for the casting choices and the characters, CBS quickly greenlit a spin-off. With Star Trek undergoing a bit of a renaissance via streaming services, did the world really need yet another iteration of the prestigious science fiction series? The answer, it would seem, from audiences and critics alike, is a resounding, “Yes!”

The height of irony is this: one of the most traditionally anti-religious television series out there has found as its most compelling lead a man who embodies one of the most nuanced portrayals of Christlikeness in modern storytelling. There are few heroes today who navigate the modern world with a strong sense of morality and right and wrong, but Pike certainly does his best despite an ugly future. And Christians (especially young ones) who find themselves caught between the siren and the sage in their day-to-day existence, hunted by the sheepskin-wearing wolf with “identity” stamped on one ear and “politics” stamped on the other, could do far worse than looking at how Pike navigates the parables and allegories of Strange New Worlds as a starting point for navigating the conflicts of today—with a clear sense of morality, unsentimental compassion, selfless sacrifice, and no small dose of grace.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Cole Burgett about his online-exclusive, “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the New Old-Fashioned Way​”. https://www.equip.org/articles/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-and-the-new-old-fashioned-way/**Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for the first season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.**

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

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3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

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When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Episode 214 Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old Fashioned Hero For Our Cynical Times

Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old-Fashioned Hero for Our Cynical Times

Episode 298: The Essex Serpent: By Tongue of Brute

The Essex Serpent: By Tongue of Brute

Episode 297 Why are we down here still working in the dark? (A Web TV Series Review of Severance)

Why are we down here still working in the dark? (A Web TV Series Review of Severance)

Episode 295 Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Freedom of Forgiveness (A Series Review of Obi-Wan Kenobi)

Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Freedom of Forgiveness (A Series Review of Obi Wan Kenobi)

Episode 283: When the Hurlyburly’s Done: A Review of Everything Everywhere All at Once

When the Hurlyburly’s Done: A Review of Everything Everywhere All at Once

How could a popular podcaster and author produce a feature film and write a book with the title “What is a Woman?” Does not everyone know the answer to that? After all, humanity is a dimorphic species, consisting of males and females, each with its own distinctive DNA (XY or XX) and gametes (sperm or egg). .... When Walsh asks Dr. Michelle Focier, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and an Assistant Dean of Admissions at the Brown University Alpert Medical School, what a women is “in reality, truth,” she responds: “Whose truth are we talking about?” she retorted. “The same truth that says we’re sitting in this room right now, you and I. We’re not on a plane in the sky. We’re not in Victorian England.” “My patients’ truth isn’t determined by you,” Dr. Forcier said, matter of factly. This muck about truth is postmodernism applied to gender. There is no fixed and objective truth, especially related to human existence. Our identities are constructed, deconstructed, and may be reconstructed—all without appeal to any objective and normative standard outside of ourselves. Even more, the hard and unambiguous physical reality of biology is ignored or discounted. The body is mere stuff to be manipulated as one pleases; it not taken to be “fearfully and wonderfully made,” as Scripture teaches (Psalm 139:14).
on .

​This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with with a long-time Jᴏᴜʀɴᴀʟ author Douglas Groothuis who is Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary, about his article, “Defining the Meaning of Woman (Review of Matt Walsh’s Documentary Film and Book, What Is a Woman?)” in the forthcoming 45:2-3 (Fall 2022) edition of the Christian Research Journal.

To subscribe and make sure you get this issue when released, please click here.https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/
When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 293 Sexual Identity and the Biblical Philosophy of Gender

Sexual Identity and the Biblical Philosophy of Gender” in the 45: 1/2 edition of the Christian Research Journal

Christian Apologetics in a Nutshell

Episode 226: A Heretic’s Christ, a False Salvation: A Review of The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope for, and Believe Richard Rohr

A Heretic’s Christ, a False Salvation: A Review of The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope for, and Believe Richard Rohr

Episode 220 God and Our Ignorance

God and Our Ignorance

Episode 194 Autobiography as Apologetic

Autobiography as Apologetic

Episode 157: The Reincarnation of Reincarnation

The Reincarnation of Reincarnation

Episode 122 Shamelessly Wrong

Shamelessly Wrong: Book Review of Shameless: A Sexual Reformation Nadia Bolz-Weber

Episode 004: Agile Apologetics

Developing an Agile Apologetic

And many more, Dr. Groothuis has written articles for us for over 30 years.

In the medieval Christian tradition, one form of travel—pilgrimage—functioned as a spiritual discipline in which the act of walking prefigured the soul’s movement from spiritual death to life with God. Indeed, at the roots of Christian story is the pilgrimage of Abraham, who leaves his country to wander in search of another. Today, pilgrimage functions primarily as a metaphor, reminding us that we are incomplete, that our homes and our selves are, in their fullest form, still to be found. As St. Augustine contends, the true pilgrimage is one of inner transformation: “[we do] not approach God by moving across intervals of place, but by likeness or similarity, and [we move] away from him by dissimilarity or unlikeness.” If, therefore, our goal is inner transformation, we are as likely to reach it by remaining physically in place as by moving about.
      Outward movement may even thwart interior growth--when we seek to change our circumstances rather than adjust ourselves to the realities set before us. Early Christian monks known as the Desert Fathers counseled their spiritual followers to remain in their specific monastic communities, even in their own small cells, insisting that “A tree cannot bear fruit if it is often transplanted. So it is with the monk.”
      Marilynne Robinson’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel Gilead is the story of a man whose faith trains him to love both a place and its people. He is a man whose pilgrimage--an inner journey--takes place almost entirely within the confines of Gilead, Iowa, a small town on the American prairie. Precisely because his life develops within narrow geographic boundaries, he achieves growth by attentiveness: to books, scripture, self, place, and people--who reveal themselves to be not thin but deep, rooted in a spiritual reality that causes the world to flash with light and beauty.
      Our world does not usually know itself to be threadbare and pierced by divine light. And a life of frenetic movement is unlikely to see this light. So the Christian faith trains us to stillness, allowing us to see who and what stands before us--each person one of the great, good glimpses of God given to this world.


This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Stephen Mitchell about his article, “Moving by Staying Put: Christian Pilgrimage in Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead” in the forthcoming 45:2-3 (Fall 2022) edition of the Christian Research Journal.

To subscribe and make sure you get this issue when released, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles podcasts featuring this author:

Episode 248 Myself Am Hell: Rebellion and Gratitude in Milton’s Paradise Lost

Myself Am Hell: Rebellion and Gratitude in Milton’s Paradise Lost

Episode 201 Albert Camus and the Fight for Life

The Sting of Death: Albert Camus and the Fight for Life

Episode 189 Second-Rate Musician: Vocation and Performance in T. S. Eliot’s The Confidential Clerk

“Second-Rate Musician: Vocation and Performance in T. S. Eliot’s The Confidential Clerk “.

Episode 135-Questing for Divine Love-Cormac McCarthy’s The Road

Questing for Divine Love-Cormac McCarthy’s The Road

Episode 111 Humanity Crucified: Hemingway and the Human Condition

Humanity Crucified: Hemingway and the Human Condition

Episode 092 Literary Apologetics: Flannery O’Connor

Flannery O’Connor and the Problem of Freedom

Episode 045: Alexander Solzhenitsyn Confronts the Grand Inquisitor

Alexander Solzhenitsyn Confronts the Grand Inquisitor

Shaun of the Dead, and most zombie movies, bring home the truth that such stories often tell. They often portray civilized life as damning and even deadening. (It’s notable that Night of the Living Dead begins in a graveyard. It’s notable that the zombies in both versions of Dawn of the Dead shamble to the shopping mall.) The civilization zombies destroy is already infected. The stories we tell about them offer a dark fantasy of escape, a return to a simpler, if more brutal, existence. One of the beautiful features of revolting horror movies is their liberation from the need to offer any positive resolution or benign anthropology. Though comedies tell a deep truth about eschatological hope, horror movies speak a prophetic, if unwelcome, word about our predilection toward evil. In this way, the horror genre may be closer to the Christian worldview than we may like to admit. Instead of vain trust in the kindness of strangers, zombie movies are often more honest about our unredeemed spiritual state.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Phil Tallon about his online-exclusive, “Our Own Worst Enemy: Zombie Movies and the Horror of Human Sin“. https://www.equip.org/articles/our-own-worst-enemy-zombie-movies-and-the-horror-of-human-sin/

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.

2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

For more information and to subscribe please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/online-early-access-subscription-options/

Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Episode 001: The Films of Quentin Tarantino

“Reservoir Gods: Quentin Tarantino’s Premodern Theology

Daily affirmations arose out of what is called “The Law of Attraction,” popularized by author Rhonda Byrne in The Secret. This book was featured by Oprah in her book club in the early 2000s, and fleshed out by one of her favorite spiritual gurus, Eckhart Tolle. When The Secret first came out it was viewed skeptically by Christians and secularists alike. The idea of the practitioner bringing some desired object or circumstance into being by aligning her thoughts with vibrational frequencies of the “universe” —attracting money, fame, health, and love — is absurd on its face. Money comes not by feeling and thinking but by working. Love is a complicated business. And fame, well, in the age of social media, that is perhaps easier to attain. But over the decades, manifesting has entered into many Christian circles through the Word of Faith heresy and the extreme popularity of Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, and Rachel Hollis. By building habits, particularly through the daily affirmation, you can begin to tune your feelings and thoughts to the frequencies that will bring you happiness and wealth. You step, as it were, into the current of all the good you desire. That is why the grammatical tense of the affirmation matters. You have to begin to live now as if you already have all the money. But what were we made for? What should we desire? Should Christians practice daily affirmations?


This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Anne Kennedy about her online-exclusive, “I’m the Head and Not the Tail: A Christian Decides to Skip the Daily Affirmation”. https://www.equip.org/article/im-the-head-and-not-the-tail-a-christian-decides-to-skip-the-daily-affirmation/

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.

2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

For more information and to subscribe please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/online-early-access-subscription-options/

Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and podcasts featuring this author

Hank Unplugged:

Gaslighting, BLM, Cancel Culture and More with Anne Kennedy

Postmodern Realities

Episode 286 Trusting Jesus in a Universe that Doesn’t Have Your Back: A Christian Looks at Manifesting

Trusting Jesus in a Universe that Doesn’t Have Your Back: A Christian Looks at Manifesting

Episode 279: Haven’t We All Sacrificed Enough: A Christian Tries to Observe Lent

Haven’t We All Sacrificed Enough: A Christian Tries to Observe Lent

Episode 273: Identity and Obedience in Revoice 2021

Identity and Obedience in Revoice 2021

Episode 268 I’ll Start My Diet Tomorrow: A Christian Makes a New Year’s Resolution

I’ll Start My Diet Tomorrow: A Christian Makes a New Year’s Resolution-Special limited preview

Episode 255 For Our Lamps Are Going Out: Gaslighting in the Age of Social Media

For Our Lamps are Going Out: Gaslighting in the Age of Social Media

Episode 224 You Only Die Once: Why It’s Okay Not to Live in the Present

You Only Die Once: Why It’s Okay Not to Live in the Present

Episode 216 Why Do I Call Myself Good? A Look at Virtue Signaling

Why Do I Call Myself Good? A Look at Virtue Signaling

Episode 211: There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

Episode 204: The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

Episode 198 Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Apple TV+’s new six-part limited series, The Essex Serpent, based on Sarah Perry’s bestselling and award-winning 2016 novel of the same name,1 is a bit more nuanced than the standard prestige television fare, being less a series of intersecting parallel plots and more about combustible characters with nebulous motivations who collide at key points. Emmy Award-winning Homeland (2011–2020) alumna Claire Danes leads the cast as the fiercely headstrong emotional train wreck that is Cora Seaborne, supported primarily by Tom Hiddleston as the earnest but blundering local pastor, Will Ransome. The heavily metaphorical plot about a potential sea serpent haunting the waters of Essex, England in 1890 is far less significant to the actual narrative, which is more interested in the connection formed between these two emotionally compromised people.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Cole Burgett about his online-exclusive, “The Essex Serpent: By Tongue of Brute“. **Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for The Essex Serpent.** https://www.equip.org/article/the-essex-serpent-by-tongue-of-brute/

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.

2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

For more information and to subscribe please click here.

Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/


Other articles and podcasts featuring this author

Episode 297 Why are we down here still working in the dark? (A Web TV Series Review of Severance)

Why are we down here still working in the dark? (A Web TV Series Review of Severance)

Episode 295 Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Freedom of Forgiveness (A Series Review of Obi-Wan Kenobi)

Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Freedom of Forgiveness (A Series Review of Obi Wan Kenobi)

Episode 283: When the Hurlyburly’s Done: A Review of Everything Everywhere All at Once

When the Hurlyburly’s Done: A Review of Everything Everywhere All at Once

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Joshua R. Farris about his online-exclusive, “Why are we down here still working in the dark? (A Web TV Series Review of Severance)”. https://www.equip.org/article/why-are-we-down-here-still-working-in-the-dark-a-web-tv-series-review-of-severance/

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.

2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

For more information and to subscribe please click here.

Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other articles related to this topic and noted in the article:

Jean-Paul Sartre And The Resurgence Of Existentialism

Immanuel Kant: Is God with Us or Beyond Us?

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Now that Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, what’s next for the pro-life movement? This episode of the Postmodern Realities Podcast is a very deep dive into issues now being raised in a post-Roe climate with Journal author Jay Watts. More will also be discussed in an article in the future 45:02/03 edition of the Christian Research Journal to be released later this year. To subscribe and make sure you get this issue when released, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/For a special limited-time offer (Spring-Summer 2022) on gift subscriptions please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/may-june-2022-resource-wa/

Roe v Wade was nearly 50 years old, what reasons did the Supreme Court majority give for overturning it now after all of this time and after affirming rights in subsequent cases like Planned Parenthood v. Casey and even Gonzales v. Carhart? What about Justice Alito’s claim in his majority opinion that the history in Roe was bad history? What about the Palko test—how does that figure into the new legal decision? How do Christians answer the claim women will die as a result of this decision? There have been some who claim this decision violates their own religious freedom, how should the Christian apologist respond to this claim that allowing laws against this procedure violates the religious freedom of others? Another common claim is that we are now embarrassingly out of step with the rest of the world by curtailing women’s rights to this procedure as other countries expand them. Is the U.S. out of step? There is a claim this is just the beginning of the attack on personal freedoms and introducing all-new intrusions into citizens’ private lives. Should we be concerned about new governmental invasions of our privacy to police medical choices and are other rights at risk? A group calling themselves Jane’s Revenge has promised to attack pro-life groups—what have they done to this point? What does the pro-life movement look like going forward in a Post Roe world? And finally, what does the Bible have to say about the value of human life?

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 288 The Leaked Draft: Is this the Fall of Roe v. Wade?

The Leaked Draft: Is this the Fall of Roe v. Wade?

Episode 284 What Attorney Mary Ziegler Gets Wrong About Pro-Life Tactics

What Attorney Mary Ziegler Gets Wrong About Pro-Life Tactics

Episode 274 Filipovic’s Confused Claim that the Pro-Life Community Must Champion Contraception

Filipovic’s Confused Claim that the Pro-Life Community Must Champion Contraception

Episode 249: Do Abortion Politics Hurt Women Enduring Miscarriage?

Do Abortion Politics Hurt Women Enduring Miscarriage?

Episode 230: Is it Ethical for Pro-Life Christians to Receive Covid-19 Vaccines?

Is it Ethical for Pro-Life Christians to Receive Covid-19 Vaccines?

Episode 190 Assessing the Confession of Norma McCorvey in AKA Jane Roe

Assessing the Confession of Norma McCorvey in AKA Jane Roe

Episode 134 Are Laws Restricting Abortion Forced Organ Donation? A Review of Beyond Roe

Are Laws Restricting Abortion Forced Organ Donation? A Review of Beyond Roe

Episode 117-Unplanned: An Imperfect but Brave Film

Unplanned: An Imperfect but Brave Film

Episode 007: Rape and Sexual Violence on the College Campus

Rape and Sexual Violence on Campus

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

The record-breaking Obi-Wan Kenobi is an overhyped snooze fest that barrels ahead when it should linger and lingers when it should barrel ahead. There are strokes of brilliance contained within what was clearly, at one point, the core storyline, even if some of those scenes we have already witnessed played out in other Star Wars media. Christians who happen to be Star Wars fans might find in the core emotional story beats a worthwhile meditation on the nature of guilt and forgiveness.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Cole Burgett about his online-exclusive, “Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Freedom of Forgiveness (A Series Review of Obi Wan Kenobi)”. https://www.equip.org/article/obi-wan-kenobi-and-the-freedom-of-forgiveness-a-series-review-of-obi-wan-kenobi/

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.

2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

For more information and to subscribe please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/online-early-access-subscription-options/

Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this topic:

Episode 276 Boba Fett’s Character Arc Actually Makes Sense ( A Review of The Book of Boba Fett)

Boba Fett’s Character Arc Actually Makes Sense ( A Review of The Book of Boba Fett)

Episode 234: Star Wars Happy and Glorious in The High Republic

Happy and Glorious in The High Republic: A Review of The High Republic Era beginning with Star Wars: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule

Episode 217: Thinking About Religion in The Mandalorian

This is the Way…Or is It?: Thinking About Religion in The Mandalorian

Episode 154: The Dead Won’t Stop Talking: A Review of The Rise of Skywalker

The Dead Won’t Stop Talking: A Review of The Rise of Skywalker

Episode 054: The Last Jedi: A Star Wars Movie for the Era of “the Nones”

The Last Jedi: A Star Wars Movie for the Era of “the Nones”

Episode 027: “Evaluating the Star Wars Worldview”

May the Force Bewitch You: Evaluating the Star Wars Worldview”.

Get “May the Force Bewitch You: Evaluating the Star Wars Worldview” in PDF format in:

English

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For the past decade, proponents of theistic evolution have convinced many evangelicals that modern-day human genetic diversity has refuted a historical Adam and Eve. But recent analyses have shown these arguments to be wrong. An important lesson is that one should never rush to abandon important biblical doctrines based upon unclear evidence.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Casey Luskin about his article, “Lessons Learned (and Not Learned) from the Evangelical Debate over Adam and Eve” in the 45:1/2 edition https://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/the-battle-for-the-historical-adam-and-eve-contents-back-issue/

To subscribe and make sure you get this issue, please click here. This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Casey Luskin about his article, “Lessons Learned (and Not Learned) from the Evangelical Debate over Adam and Eve” in the current new issue of the Christian Research Journal (June 2022).

To subscribe and make sure you get this issue, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/
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Other articles and podcasts featuring on this subject:

Hank Unplugged:

The Battle for the Historical Adam and Eve: Hank On Adamic Denial and Distortion

Did Adam and Eve Really Exist? with Casey Luskin

Misreading the Book of Knowledge and the Book of Nature with Hank Hanegraaff

Related article: Misreading the Book of Knowledge and the Book of Nature

Postmodern Realities and related articles:

Episode 277: Who Was Adam? (Summary Critique of William Lane Craig’s In Quest of the Historical Adam)

Who Was Adam? A book review of In Quest of the Historical Adam by William Lane Craig-Special limited preview

Adam and Eve Redux

Paul, Second Adam, and Theistic Evolution

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When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other articles and podcasts featuring on this subject:

The New Theistic Evolutionists: BioLogos and the Rush to Embrace the “Consensus”

Adam and Eve Redux

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Does the phenomenon of intersex justify “gender fluidity,” the rejection of fixed and God-given categories of gender identity and the decoupling of gender from biological sex? Supposedly, sex is “assigned” at birth based on sexual organs and chromosomes but need not define one’s gender identity. Why are people abandoning the biblical basis and norms of gender and sexuality?

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Doug Groothuis about his article, “Sexual Identity and the Biblical Philosophy of Gender” in the 45:1/2 edition https://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/the-battle-for-the-historical-adam-and-eve-contents-back-issue/

To subscribe and make sure you get this issue when released, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/ For a special limited-time offer (Spring-Summer 2022) on gift subscriptions please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/may-june-2022-resource-wa/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts related to this topic:

Episode 235: Does the Bible Dictate Clothing Style by Gender? Cross Dressing and the Gender Binary

Does the Bible Dictate Clothing Style by Gender? Cross Dressing and the Gender Binary

Episode 028: “The Unending Bending of Gender: Helpful or Harmful?”

The Unending Bending of Gender: Helpful or Harmful?

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In a culture consumed by consumerism in the age of globalization, the Christian who seeks to make a case for his or her dependency on an old rugged cross and an empty tomb must compensate for the lack of “common ground” between the believer and the unbeliever. Because of the secularization of the culture and the dwindling of the Christian mind, there are now few epistemological topics on which the believer and the unbeliever can converse without talking past each other simply because their categories of thought are vastly different; in fact, it was Blamires’s fear that many Christians, hoping to woo the culture, might end up unwittingly borrowing more from secular categories of thought than biblical ones. The secularization of the Christian mind proves to be one of the biggest hurdles to clear when it comes to modern apologetics. Not only is the apologist seeking to build a rational defense of the faith, but now must also contend with the fact that much of the zeitgeist has shed itself of the more traditional categories of thought that would allow for natural inroads into conversations about that faith. Ironically enough, the real merit of being a culturally aware apologist can be seen (at least in principle) in Scripture. Consider the oft-discussed instance in Acts 17, wherein the apostle Paul visits Athens and finds within an altar to an “unknown god” the opportunity to preach the gospel to the Athenians in the Areopagus. He quite literally exegetes the culture of Athens in the first century and concludes, “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in all respects” (Acts 17:22ff) and manages to leverage their interest in religious affairs to steer the conversation to Yahweh and His messiah. In a sense, cultural apologetics is one of the oldest methods, used to some degree by at least one of the apostles. Evidence-based apologetical methods, while certainly having merit, especially in the twentieth century, arose more as a response to an increasingly secularized culture that worshipped at the altar of science and swore by the scientific method and philosophies such as empiricism.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL contributing writer Cole Burgett about his online exclusive article “What Has Athens to do With America? A Case for Cultural Apologetics.” https://www.equip.org/article/what-has-athens-to-do-with-america-a-case-for-cultural-apologetics/

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

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2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

For more information and to subscribe please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/online-early-access-subscription-options/

Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.
When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Related resources you may be interest in:

Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton

Cultural Apologetics: Book and DVD Video Lectures

Other related articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts

Episode 037: Choose Your Own Enchantment: Freedom and Conscience in What We Watch

Choose Your Own Enchantment: Freedom and Conscience in What We Watch

Episode 068: Something Made: The Role of Form in Apologetics

Something Made : The Role of Form in Apologetics (how to present ideas in words)

Your Word is a Lamp to My Feet: Metaphor and the Work of the Apologist

Note the below podcast and article are drawn from principles Paul Gould uses in the Cultural Apologetics book mentioned above:

Episode 124 Conscience, Justice, Morality and the College Admissions Scandal

Conscience, Justice, Morality and the College Admissions Scandal
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Sharing the gospel with those who are adopted—there’s not a one-size-fits-all approach because adoptions come in all shapes and sizes. There are domestic and international adoptions. There are adoptions through exclusive private agencies that sometimes can look like purchasing a designer baby, and there are adoptions where the children are highly challenging, requiring a lifetime of service and commitment from the parent. This conversation also includes practical suggestions on how to share the gospel with those who have experienced adoption as well as cautions on how not to attempt to connect the gospel to adoption.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Robert Barnes about his effective evangelism article, “The Adoption of God” in the 45:1/2 edition https://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/the-battle-for-the-historical-adam-and-eve-contents-back-issue/

To subscribe and make sure you get this issue when released, please click here.https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/ For a special limited-time offer (Spring-Summer 2022) on gift subscriptions please click here.https://www.equip.org/product/may-june-2022-resource-wa/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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The inventive and memorable tales in Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories explain how the elephant got his trunk, the leopard his spots, and the camel his hump. Evolutionary naturalists tell their own "Just So" stories to explain why humans think and desire, behave and interact the way they do. But with one major difference. Evolutionists, who ground their cause/effect explanations in a Darwinian worldview, believe their tales are true.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Louis Markos about his article, “Just So Science” in the 45:1/2 edition https://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/the-battle-for-the-historical-adam-and-eve-contents-back-issue/

To subscribe and make sure you get this issue when released, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/ For a special limited-time offer (Spring-Summer 2022) on gift subscriptions please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/may-june-2022-resource-wa/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other articles podcasts featuring this author:

Hank Unplugged:

How to Explain Hell with Louis Markos

How Dante’s Inferno Can Help Explain Hell to Modern Seekers (article)

Hank Unplugged: Atheism on Trial with Dr. Louis Markos

Postmodern Realities podcasts

Episode 221: Tennyson on Theodicy: How a Victorian Poet Can Help Modern Christians Deal with the Problem of Pain

Tennyson on Theodicy: How a Victorian Poet Can Help Modern Christians Deal with the Problem of Pain

Episode 171 Why Christians Should Read the Pagan Classics

Why Christians Should Read the Pagan Classics

C. S. Lewis on Hell

The Legacy of G.K. Chesterton and Dorothy Sayers

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How often do those of us who are Christians stop to think about the place of imagination in reading the Bible? Among big ideas like exegesis and hermeneutics, where does imagination fit in? With most books, it’s unremarkable to say that we need imagination to read them well. But Christians sometimes get nervous about imagination and the Bible. Doesn’t using our imaginations mean we’re going to be making up a lot of stuff in our heads that isn’t actually there in the text? Isn’t imagination the pathway to fanciful speculation, even to false teaching and heresy?

But when the Bible calls us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (see Rom. 12:2), it isn’t just talking about mind in a narrow sense of the intellect. The Bible has an integrated view of the human heart, which encompasses not only what we think and believe but also how we feel, imagine, and desire. What’s more, imagination helps us steal past what C. S. Lewis called the “watchful dragons” of overfamiliarity and the sense of obligation to feel the “right” responses to the Bible that can freeze feelings. Let’s explore the place that imagination plays in engaging with the Bible.


This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Caleb Woodbridge about his online-exclusive article, “Stealing past watchful dragons-How Reading the Bible Imaginatively Helps Bypass Our Overfamiliarity ” https://www.equip.org/article/stealing-past-watchful-dragons-how-reading-the-bible-imaginatively-helps-bypass-our-overfamiliarity/

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.

2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

For more information and to subscribe please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/online-early-access-subscription-options/

Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Episode 152 The Romantic Rationalism of BBC’s Doctor Who

The Romantic Rationalism of BBC’s Doctor Who

Episode 148-In Defense of Pop Culture

Ditching Netflix? Engaging Pop Culture in the Age of Binge-Watching

Episode 037: Choose Your Own Enchantment: Freedom and Conscience in What We Watch

Choose Your Own Enchantment: Freedom and Conscience in What We Watch

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

On May 2, 2022, the website Poltico posted a story attributed to Josh Gerstein and Alexander Ward sharing a leaked first draft of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) majority opinion on Dobbs vs Jackson Women’s Health Organization addressing the constitutionality of a Mississippi law restricting abortion after the 15th week of pregnancy. The majority opinion draft, authored by Associate Justice Samuel Alito, overturned Roe v Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v Casey (1992), releasing the stranglehold the judicial branch has held over abortion and sending the issues to the individual states to settle the abortion laws within their borders through local democratic efforts and elections. Chief Justice John Roberts almost immediately verified the document’s authenticity announcing the breach in secrecy which generally surround the deliberations of the Supreme Court would be met by an internal investigation. The draft and the decision were real. The outcry from both sides of the issue was immediate and intense. Most of the loudest objections to the draft center on emotional appeals and anecdotal testimonies about women who need abortions and will be forced to compromise their safety and freedom to carry an unwanted child to term. The idea that Roe v Wade will be overturned produced a wave of fear, anger, and anti-religious vitriol. How could 50 years of legal precedent defending Roe suddenly be swept aside?

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversion with JOURNAL author Jay Watts about the leaked SCOTUS opinion in Dobbs vs Jackson Women’s Health Organization and about his online-exclusive article, “The Leaked Draft: Is this the Fall of Roe v. Wade?” https://www.equip.org/article/the-leaked-draft-is-this-the-fall-of-roe-v-wade/

Starting in February 2021, online-exclusive articles, have been locked and are only available for Journal subscribers as noted below; however, given the time sensitive nature and global importance of this subject, our editorial board decided to make this available to the public as soon as possible. Also consider this a free preview of the quality and in-depth research that goes into our online-exclusives. To learn more about subscribing and gaining early access to future online-exclusive articles, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/ and subscribing by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/product/online-early-access-subscription-options/

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

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3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

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When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 284 What Attorney Mary Ziegler Gets Wrong About Pro-Life Tactics

What Attorney Mary Ziegler Gets Wrong About Pro-Life Tactics

Episode 274 Filipovic’s Confused Claim that the Pro-Life Community Must Champion Contraception

Filipovic’s Confused Claim that the Pro-Life Community Must Champion Contraception

Episode 249: Do Abortion Politics Hurt Women Enduring Miscarriage?

Do Abortion Politics Hurt Women Enduring Miscarriage?

Episode 230: Is it Ethical for Pro-Life Christians to Receive Covid-19 Vaccines?

Is it Ethical for Pro-Life Christians to Receive Covid-19 Vaccines?

Episode 190 Assessing the Confession of Norma McCorvey in AKA Jane Roe

Assessing the Confession of Norma McCorvey in AKA Jane Roe

Episode 134 Are Laws Restricting Abortion Forced Organ Donation? A Review of Beyond Roe

Are Laws Restricting Abortion Forced Organ Donation? A Review of Beyond Roe

Episode 117-Unplanned: An Imperfect but Brave Film

Unplanned: An Imperfect but Brave Film

Episode 007: Rape and Sexual Violence on the College Campus

Rape and Sexual Violence on Campus

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In 2019, two million people on Facebook said they were going to raid Area 51, a military base in Nevada, with the hopes of proving theories that extraterrestrials (ETs) and their spaceships were being stored there. In the end, only about 150 people showed up, and the “Storm Area 51” raid was a failure. But perhaps the most exciting recent occurrence regarding ETs and unidentified flying objects (UFOs) happened in early 2021 when the U.S. government released video footage of UFOs that they could not, of course, identify. This created a firestorm in the media, but especially among ufologists, people who believe UFOs have extraterrestrial origins. With shows like Ancient Aliens (A&E, 2009–) giving what appears to be evidence of alien life not only on other planets but inside our planet, Christians are grappling with questions about our place in the universe. One of the most popular promoters of ETs, space travel, and government conspiracies is self-identified whistleblower, Corey Goode. He has a wide following on social media and is the primary subject and informant for a book, Insiders Reveal: Secret Space Programs and Extraterrestrial Alliances (Exopolitics Institute, 2015). His claims read like the latest sci-fi novel: a world where benevolent ETs are trying to save humanity from the malevolent ETs. This isn’t science fiction, though — at least not to Goode and others like him who believe in a Secret Space Program that has spanned for decades and believe that ETs live among us. Intertwined with his beliefs about ETs, as often happens with this subject, are New Age beliefs like karma, reincarnation, and humans as gods.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Lindsey Medenwaldt about her article, “Corey Goode: Time-Traveling Secret Space Program Whistleblower” in the 45:1/2 edition https://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/the-battle-for-the-historical-adam-and-eve-contents-back-issue/

To subscribe and make sure you get this issue when released, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/ For a special limited-time offer (Spring-Summer 2022) on gift subscriptions please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/may-june-2022-resource-wa/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 219: Humanity’s Ascension: Assessing the History Channel’s New Age, Time Travel Guru David Wilcock

“Humanity’s Ascension: Assessing the History Channel’s New Age, Time Travel Guru David Wilcock.”

Episode 168: Best Selling Author and Astrologer Chani Nicholas Brings New Age Teaching to the Social Media Generation

Episode 166 Controversial Guru Teal Swan Brings New Age Teachings to the Social Media Generation

Controversial Guru Teal Swan and Astrologer Chani Nicholas Bring New Age Teachings to the Social Media Generation​

Episode 244: Falun Gong: How the West Was Won

Falun Gong: How the West was Won



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In the early 2000s, Oprah featured what became one of the most popular books of the last twenty years, one that transformed a culture eager to abandon the old mores of hard work and bygone Judeo-Christian scruples in favor of an easier, technologically shaped personal fulfillment. The book was called The Secret, and in it the author, Rhonda Byrne, claimed to have discovered mysterious — though eminently practicable — knowledge from ancient, learned men.2 These sages knew how to harness the powerful vibrational “quantum” energy frequencies of the Universe to get what they needed, and, more importantly, what they wanted. In some version of gnostic prosperity-seeking faith, possessors of the secret, people as removed from each other as Jesus of Nazareth, da Vinci, and Goethe, nevertheless understood that their thought could draw forth what the Universe has to offer. Either for good or for ill — for the Universe is able only to hear the thoughts of people and not to discern or interpret them — the manifester in every time and place is able to master her thoughts by listening to her feelings. She then aligns herself with those frequencies. The oft appealed to word is “intentional.” Don’t let your thoughts and feelings get away from you. Intentionally drive your desires into the Universe through your positive thinking. Examine yourself and then alter your emotional and intellectual life to put yourself in the place to receive riches and blessing.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Anne Kennedy about the practice of manifesting and her article, “Trusting Jesus in a Universe that Doesn’t Have Your Back: A Christian Looks at Manifesting” in the 45: 1/2 edition of the Christian Research Journal https://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/the-battle-for-the-historical-adam-and-eve-contents-back-issue/

To subscribe and make sure you get this issue when released, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/ For a special limited-time offer (Spring-Summer 2022) on gift subscriptions please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/may-june-2022-resource-wa/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other related articles:

What is the Secret?

The Secret Revealed

Paradise Still Lost in Eckhart Tolle’s “A New Earth”

What’s Wrong with the Word Faith Movement? (Part One)

What’s Wrong with the Word Faith Movement? (Part Two)

Christianity in Crisis: 21st Century: Wealth and Want

Christianity Still in Crisis?

Osteenification and What It Portends

Your Best Life Now: Seven Steps to Living at Your Full Potential

Joyce Meyer in the Twenty-first Century

Jeremiah, Preacher of Prosperity?

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Agelessness appeals in a culture which will do anything to disguise or deny the fact that we’re all, minute by minute, day by day, getting older. Agelessness appeals in a culture in which the elderly are often mocked and marginalized. And yet, as Christians, we must ask, is agelessness really God’s plan for us? To answer that question, we must recapture a biblical theology of aging. As we explore what the Bible says about aging, we discover that God has written purpose and meaning into the life of the aged. When we embrace aging with the confidence that Christian immortality awaits us, we discover rich opportunities in aging. Aging may indeed become the age of opportunity, the opportunity first, to grow closer to Christ through suffering and weakness; second, to blossom with the fruit of a rich humility and a persevering patience; third, to live our calling as disciples in new ways; fourth, to prepare to die with the hope of a resurrection body; and finally, to leave a legacy that draws others to glorify and enjoy God. As we ourselves age and as we care for aging loved ones, we must embrace the biblical hope for aging.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Elizabeth Turnage about her article, “The Age of Opportunity: How the Bible Gives Hope for Aging” in the 45: 1/2 edition of the Christian Research Journal https://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/the-battle-for-the-historical-adam-and-eve-contents-back-issue/

To subscribe and make sure you get this issue when released, please click here https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/. For a special limited-time offer (Spring-Summer 2022) on gift subscriptions please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/may-june-2022-resource-wa/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 256: How Unanswered Prayer Grows Faith, Hope, and Love

How Unanswered Prayer Grows Faith, Hope, and Love

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The New York Times recently published an opinion essay from Mary Zigler, Florida State University law professor and author of Abortion and the Law in America: Roe v. Wade to the Present, titled, “Anti-Abortion Groups Once Portrayed Women as Victims. That’s Changing.” Ziegler claims that opponents of legal abortion have gravitated away from offering legislation grounded in arguments framing women as additional victims of abortion. Reasoning from that claim, Ziegler believes that conservative state legislators introducing more aggressive abortion restrictions signals that women seeking abortions, no longer idealized by abortion opponents, will become the focus of aggressive prosecutions should Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood v Casey be overturned with the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision expected from the Supreme Court this summer.

This Postmodern Realities episode is an in-depth conversation with Journal contributor Jay Watts about Ziegler’s claims and about his accompanying online-exclusive article, “What Attorney Mary Ziegler Gets Wrong About Pro-Life Tactics“. https://www.equip.org/article/what-attorney-mary-ziegler-gets-wrong-about-pro-life-tactics/

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content. https://www.equip.org/product/online-early-access-subscription-options/

1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.

2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

For more information and to subscribe please click here.

Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 274 Filipovic’s Confused Claim that the Pro-Life Community Must Champion Contraception

Filipovic’s Confused Claim that the Pro-Life Community Must Champion Contraception

Episode 249: Do Abortion Politics Hurt Women Enduring Miscarriage?

Do Abortion Politics Hurt Women Enduring Miscarriage?

Episode 230: Is it Ethical for Pro-Life Christians to Receive Covid-19 Vaccines?

Is it Ethical for Pro-Life Christians to Receive Covid-19 Vaccines?

Episode 190 Assessing the Confession of Norma McCorvey in AKA Jane Roe

Assessing the Confession of Norma McCorvey in AKA Jane Roe

Episode 163 Merely Human: The Problem of Recognizing Chimpanzees as Persons

Merely Human: The Problem of Recognizing Chimpanzees as Persons

Episode 134 Are Laws Restricting Abortion Forced Organ Donation? A Review of Beyond Roe

Are Laws Restricting Abortion Forced Organ Donation? A Review of Beyond Roe

Episode 117-Unplanned: An Imperfect but Brave Film

Unplanned: An Imperfect but Brave Film

Episode 042: When Freedom of Expression and Emotions Collide on Campus

When Freedom of Expression and Emotions Collide on Campus

Episode 032: On Chimeras and What It Means to Be Human

On Chimeras and What It Means to Be Human

Episode 013: Death with Dignity and the Imago Dei

Death with Dignity and the Imago Dei

Episode 007: Rape and Sexual Violence on the College Campus

Rape and Sexual Violence on Campus

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This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Cole Burgett about his online-exclusive article, “When the Hurlyburly’s Done: A Review of Everything Everywhere All at Once” **Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for Everything, Everywhere All at Once ** https://www.equip.org/article/when-the-hurlyburlys-done-a-review-of-everything-everywhere-all-at-once/

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

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2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

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Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Articles referenced in this podcast:

Would Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life Spell Doom for Christianity?

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Scientific materialists recognize that an intellectually satisfying worldview must account for the entirety of human experience. A previous article explored how various contemporary authors attempt to explain the quintessentially human intuition that our existence has meaning, purpose, and value, and argued that their efforts inevitably fail. In addition to providing a foundation for the indispensable intangibles that make life worth living, a viable worldview must include plausible explanations for major origin events — the origin of the universe, the origin of life, and the origin of consciousness. The latest popular level scientific materialist manifestos written by prominent public figures who specialize in fields such as astrophysics and cosmology include extensive discussions of these so-called singularities in cosmic and biological history — presenting the current naturalistic theories for the various origin events. However, they do so with a veneer of unwarranted optimism. They regard these abysses as temporary obstacles to a comprehensive scientific narrative and proffer an unwavering faith that researchers will eventually cross them. Some writers are more transparent than others in terms of their philosophical commitment to a reductionist, materialist understanding of the natural world and suggest that permanent mystery is vastly superior to positing the involvement of a transcendent intelligence. This is particularly evident in treatments of the origin of life problem. Further, these writers fail to acknowledge that plausible scientific explanations, should such be forthcoming, do not diminish the case for a Designer of life.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Melissa Cain Travis about her article in the 43:3 issue of the Christian Research Journal, entitled, “Facing The Abyss: Scientific Materialism and the Origin of Life Problem.“ https://www.equip.org/article/facing-the-abyss-scientific-materialism-and-the-origin-of-life-problem/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 238: Scientific Materialist Manifesto: The Pursuit of Meaning in a Godless Universe

Scientific Materialist Manifesto: The Pursuit of Meaning in a Godless Universe

Episode 062: How the Structure and Comprehensibility of the Universe Reveal a Mindful Maker

A Grand Cosmic Resonance: How the Structure and Comprehensibility of the Universe Reveal a Mindful Maker

Episode 266 Exploring Philosophical Themes in Apple TV’s Foundation Series

Religious Robots and Other Curiosities: Exploring Philosophical Themes in Apple TV’s Foundation Series

Episode 138-Using NBC’s The Good Place in Conversational Apologetics

Using NBC’s The Good Place in Conversational Apologetics

Episode 132: The Artistic Pro-Life Theme in Netflix’s I Am Mother

The Artistic Pro-Life Theme in Netflix’s I Am Mother

Episode 095 Virtue, Human Nature, and the Quest for Happiness

Virtue, Human Nature and the Quest for Happiness

Episode 002: Motherhood and the Life of the Mind

Motherhood and the Life of the Mind

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The purpose of this podcast and accompanying article is to understand the doctrine of the eternal generation of the Son. Eternal generation is not a philosophical speculation, nor a theological deduction, but an exegetically grounded doctrine. The church fathers appealed to several biblical texts in both the Old and New Testament in support of their conviction that the Son is eternally begotten of the Father. The concept of begetting is a metaphor drawn from the embodied experience of human fathers begetting human sons. This doctrine is important because it is crucial to defending the full deity of the Son, and it is the linchpin of the classical doctrine of the Trinity.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Charles Lee Irons about his article from the 40:1 issue of the Christian Research Journal, entitled, “Begotten of the Father before All Ages: The Biblical Basis of Eternal Generation according to the Church Fathers.” https://www.equip.org/article/begotten-father-ages/

To subscribe to the Journal to receive articles like this in future editions, please click here.https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles featuring this topic:

Athanasius A C.S. Lewis of the Early Church

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The Eyes of Tammy Faye is a film that probably works best as a companion to the compelling 2000 documentary that inspired it. While watching that documentary is not a prerequisite to enjoy the film on its own terms, the movie will certainly appeal best to people who have a working knowledge of the hilarious and tragic hijinks that ensued in America in the 1970’s and 1980’s. What the documentary — by nature of its medium — lacks in pathos, this film more than makes up for by giving viewers a look at the life, times, and hardships of the controversial late-20th century televangelist, here portrayed by a truly mesmerizing Jessica Chastain in an Oscar-nominated performance. Does Tammy Faye really buy all that she’s selling, or is it all just a means to an end for her, a way of making a quick buck at the expense of the burnt-out and the gullible? Wisely, the film never seeks to provide a definitive answer to the question. That conclusion is left up to the viewer to determine for themselves, much like it was at the end of the 20th century for those who witnessed the collapse of the PTL empire firsthand. Instead, the film opts to paint viewers a portrait of Tammy Faye that perhaps wasn’t as obvious on the television sets, portraying her as a human being of texture and contradiction. The story of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker is something of a tragedy of Shakespearian proportions, full of self-sabotage and rich paradox. At the end of the day, these are two people undone by their own fantasies. The whole affair calls to mind the dark irony found in any number of Psalms, such as Psalm 10, wherein the psalmist cries out to the Lord demanding that the arrogant wicked who pursue the poor are caught in their own schemes (Ps. 10:2). Can anyone look at Tammy Faye and say, with certainty, whether the woman truly believed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ as the basis of her right standing with the Father? No, and to that end, The Eyes of Tammy Faye does not even attempt to offer comment. But she was sincere in her delusion, that much comes through in the film, and pathetic in the truest literary sense of the word. I believe that Jesus Christ must have felt deeply for her, as he feels deeply for those who, like Tammy, remain ensnared by the fixed illusion that God has only ever intended the faithful to prosper materialistically

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Cole Burgett about his online-exclusive article, “Tragedy and Delusion in The Eyes of Tammy Faye.” **Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for The Eyes of Tammy Faye.** https://www.equip.org/article/tragedy-and-delusion-in-the-eyes-of-tammy-faye/

Starting in February 2021, online-exclusive articles, have been locked and are only available for Journal subscribers as noted below; however, given the time sensitive nature and global importance of this subject, our editorial board decided to make this available to the public as soon as possible. Also consider this a free preview of the quality and in-depth research that goes into our online-exclusives. To learn more about subscribing and gaining early access to future online-exclusive articles, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/and subscribing by clicking here.https://www.equip.org/product/online-early-access-subscription-options/

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.

2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

For more information and to subscribe please click here.

Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 276 Boba Fett’s Character Arc Actually Makes Sense ( A Review of The Book of Boba Fett)

Boba Fett’s Character Arc Actually Makes Sense ( A Review of The Book of Boba Fett)

Episode 271 Spider-Man: No Way Home and the Emotional Cheapening of the Modern Blockbuster

Spider-Man: No Way Home and the Emotional Cheapening of the Modern Blockbuster

Episode 269 The Matrix Resurrections: Self-Awareness and Romance in the Digital Age

The Matrix Resurrections: Self-Awareness and Romance in the Digital Age
Episode 263: Free Will, the Power of Choice, and Skin in Eternals

Episode 261 Dune and the Future of the Science Fiction Epic

Dune and the Future of the Science Fiction Epic

Episode 259: All the Time in the World: No Time to Die and the End of an Era

All the Time in the World: No Time to Die and the End of an Era

Episode 251 Growing Up and Letting Go in CODA

Growing Up and Letting Go in CODA

Episode 242: Friendship and Fatherhood in Pixar’s Luca

Friendship and Fatherhood in Pixar’s Luca

Episode 239: No Us Without Him: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Zack Snyder’s Justice League

No Us Without Him: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Episode 234: Star Wars Happy and Glorious in The High Republic

Happy and Glorious in The High Republic: A Review of The High Republic Era beginning with Star Wars: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule

Episode 227 Catharsis and the Power of Release in WandaVison

Catharsis and the Power of Release in Wandavison

Episode 222 Deconstructionism and the Gospel of Hope in Logan

Deconstructionism and the Gospel of Hope in Logan

Episode 218: Wonder Woman 1984: The Truth Is Enough.

Wonder Woman 1984: The Truth Is Enough.

Episode 214 Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old Fashioned Hero For Our Cynical Times

Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old- Fashioned Hero for Our Cynical Time

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

​“I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent,” the pastor paused for breath and stretched out his hands to the congregation, trying by the power of his will to disbar the sleep from their eyes, for it was only seven in the morning, and a miracle that any of them were there at the appointed time. His voice called across the empty pews, “by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and almsgiving; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.” The assembled ten people, bilious from the carb-laden stupor of previous evening’s Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, wrestled their wandering minds to the liturgical mat and began to confess their sins.

It is an ancient practice — the observation of Lent — and one that for many, especially in the apocalypse of COVID-19, is falling by the way. It is becoming a vestigial yet beautiful anachronism for which formerly religious people feel nostalgia, without being able to remember why they obeyed when the church called for their penitent attention.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Anne Kennedy about her online-exclusive article, “Haven’t We All Sacrificed Enough: A Christian Tries to Observe Lent”. https://www.equip.org/article/havent-we-all-sacrificed-enough-a-christian-tries-to-observe-lent/

Starting in February 2021, online-exclusive articles, have been locked and are only available for Journal subscribers as noted below; however, given the time sensitive nature and global importance of this subject, our editorial board decided to make this available to the public as soon as possible. Also consider this a free preview of the quality and in-depth research that goes into our online-exclusives. To learn more about subscribing and gaining early access to future online-exclusive articles, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/ and subscribing by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/product/online-early-access-subscription-options/
Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.

2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

For more information and to subscribe please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/online-early-access-subscription-options/

Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and podcasts featuring this author

Hank Unplugged:

Gaslighting, BLM, Cancel Culture and More with Anne Kennedy

Postmodern Realities

Episode 273: Identity and Obedience in Revoice 2021

Identity and Obedience in Revoice 2021

Episode 268 I’ll Start My Diet Tomorrow: A Christian Makes a New Year’s Resolution

I’ll Start My Diet Tomorrow: A Christian Makes a New Year’s Resolution-Special limited preview

Episode 264: The Windswept Plains of the Heart: A Review of Wholehearted Faith and What is God Like

The Windswept Plains of the Heart: A Review of Wholehearted Faith and What is God Like

Episode 258: African Traditional Religion

African Traditional Religion, Black Lives Matter, and Prosperity Gospel

Episode 255 For Our Lamps Are Going Out: Gaslighting in the Age of Social Media

For Our Lamps are Going Out: Gaslighting in the Age of Social Media

Episode 252 Meditation Upon the Death of a Pet

Meditation Upon the Death of a Pet

Episode 245: Glimpsing the Grave: A Critical Review of The Book of Longings

Glimpsing the Grave: A Critical Review of The Book of Longings: A Novel by Sue Monk Kidd

Episode 240: Be Free! The Making of Biblical Womanhood A Summary Critique review of The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr

Be Free! The Making of Biblical Womanhood A summary critique review of The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr

Episode 224 You Only Die Once: Why It’s Okay Not to Live in the Present

You Only Die Once: Why It’s Okay Not to Live in the Present

Episode 216 Why Do I Call Myself Good? A Look at Virtue Signaling

Why Do I Call Myself Good? A Look at Virtue Signaling

Episode 211: There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

Episode 209 She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

Episode 204: The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

Episode 198 Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Episode 193 Catching UP with Rachel Hollis, Glennon Doyle & Jen Hatmaker

Episode 191 Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Episode 181 But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

Episode 178 Worshipping Together

Episode 160-Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Episode 151 Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Episode 147 Book Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage and An Evaluation of 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

A Helper Like Me: A Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage by David and Constantino Khalaf

Losing Faith: A Look at the 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

Episode 140 The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

The Unhindered Leadership of Jen Hatmaker

The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

Episode 136 Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

To say that director Matt Reeves’s approach to the Batman character is scaled back would be an understatement, but this doesn’t come at the expense of audience expectations. The whole affair plays out across its walloping three-hour runtime like an acoustic cover of some of Batman’s greatest hits. The clever gadgets are present, but they’re not gimmicks; they are practical, accessible tools that make sense not only in the context of the narrative, but also in the context of the dirty, grimy version of Gotham City that Reeves has created, one rife with corruption and rotting from the inside. Even the iconic Batmobile makes an appearance in one of the movie’s most thrilling action sequences, but in Reeves’s capable hands it’s a rugged, applied, hand-built horsepower machine — when the engine thunders, the theater shakes. Part of what makes Reeves’s vision so compelling is the way he methodically reinvents these concepts that have become enmeshed in the popular imagination over the past century. This is undoubtedly and unashamedly a Batman film — for my money, the best adaptation yet — but it is Batman unlike we have ever seen him on the silver screen.

“I’m Vengeance” are the first words the Batman utters onscreen, and this is the best indicator for how this version of the character sees himself. In this film, those words become a brilliant starting point for his deconstruction of the character. And this is the character arc that Reeves gives Bruce Wayne here, the realization that violence, retribution, vengeance are all banal, are not enough to truly heal the putrid, festering heart of Gotham City. In fact, if the Batman does not come to stand for something more than vengeance, then he is only perpetuating the endless cycle of violence corroding Gotham’s soul. This is a noir, after all, the film genre that excels in making the whitest of whites look a little gray. There are no “good guys” in film noir, and everyone in some way, shape, or form is morally compromised. A film that begins with Batman stalking a gang of thugs and beating them to a bloody pulp ends with this same dark figure carrying an injured little girl to safety in the light of dawn. Bruce’s voiceover narration — a staple of the noir genre — explains that the Batman must become more than a symbol of vengeance and retribution if Gotham is to recover. He can no longer stand for revenge alone, but his true calling must instead be as a symbol of courage and hope. The unfortunate reality is that, by and large, this is a film that will be ignored by most Christians due less to its content than its tone. Because the modern American church has become ensnared by the quaint but sinister trappings of sentimentality, which promise goodness without context, atonement without sacrifice.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Cole Burgett about his online-exclusive article, “The Batman and the Banality of Vengeance”.

**Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for The Batman.** https://www.equip.org/article/the-batman-and-the-banality-of-vengeance/

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.

2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

For more information and to subscribe please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/online-early-access-subscription-options/

Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 276 Boba Fett’s Character Arc Actually Makes Sense ( A Review of The Book of Boba Fett)

Boba Fett’s Character Arc Actually Makes Sense ( A Review of The Book of Boba Fett)

Episode 271 Spider-Man: No Way Home and the Emotional Cheapening of the Modern Blockbuster

Spider-Man: No Way Home and the Emotional Cheapening of the Modern Blockbuster

Episode 269 The Matrix Resurrections: Self-Awareness and Romance in the Digital Age

The Matrix Resurrections: Self-Awareness and Romance in the Digital Age
Episode 263: Free Will, the Power of Choice, and Skin in Eternals

Episode 261 Dune and the Future of the Science Fiction Epic

Dune and the Future of the Science Fiction Epic

Episode 259: All the Time in the World: No Time to Die and the End of an Era

All the Time in the World: No Time to Die and the End of an Era

Episode 251 Growing Up and Letting Go in CODA

Growing Up and Letting Go in CODA

Episode 242: Friendship and Fatherhood in Pixar’s Luca

Friendship and Fatherhood in Pixar’s Luca

Episode 239: No Us Without Him: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Zack Snyder’s Justice League

No Us Without Him: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Episode 234: Star Wars Happy and Glorious in The High Republic

Happy and Glorious in The High Republic: A Review of The High Republic Era beginning with Star Wars: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule

Episode 227 Catharsis and the Power of Release in WandaVison

Catharsis and the Power of Release in Wandavison

Episode 222 Deconstructionism and the Gospel of Hope in Logan

Deconstructionism and the Gospel of Hope in Logan

Episode 218: Wonder Woman 1984: The Truth Is Enough.

Wonder Woman 1984: The Truth Is Enough.

Episode 214 Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old Fashioned Hero For Our Cynical Times

Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old- Fashioned Hero for Our Cynical Time

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Philosopher and Christian apologist William Lane Craig’s latest work, In Quest of the Historical Adam, is an impressive, bold interdisciplinary exploration into the historicity of Adam (and Eve). Analyzing key texts in the Old and New Testaments, Craig concludes that Scripture presents Adam as a historical person and progenitor of humanity who introduced moral evil into the] world through disobedience. Craig adopts an evolutionary perspective on humanity’s origin. To reconcile a human evolutionary history with the biblical account of humanity’s creation, he makes the case that Genesis 1–11 belongs to a genre called mytho-history (a sacred mythical origins narrative that also makes allusions to real people, places, and events). Craig holds the view that it is up to modern science to determine who Adam was and when he (and Eve) lived. Based on the evidence from anthropology, Craig provisionally concludes that Adam lived between 750,000 and 1,000,000 years ago as a member of the hominin species Homo heidelbergensis. Craig’s theological and scientific conclusions. This episode focuses on the scientific issues — in particular, how symbolic artifacts in the fossil record provide compelling evidence that Adam (and Eve) are best understood as modern humans, who alone display cognitive capacities that reflect the image of God.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Fazale “Fuz” Rana about his article in the current issue (March 2022) 44:4 edition of the Christian Research Journal entitled, “Who Was Adam? (Summary Critique of William Lane Craig’s In Quest of the Historical Adam)”. Available as your first issue if you subscribe in the Spring of 2022! Click here for information on subscribing. Click here for a Special limited preview of the article. https://www.equip.org/article/who-was-adam-a-book-review-of-in-quest-of-the-historical-adam-by-william-lane-craig-special-limited-preview/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles related to this subject:

Misreading the Book of Knowledge and the Book of Nature

Junk DNA: Evidence for Evolution or Design?

Neither Human Evolution nor Theistic Evolution

Lost World of John Walton a book review of The Lost World of Adam and Eve: Genesis 2-3 and the Human Origins Debate

The New Theistic Evolutionists: BioLogos and the Rush to Embrace the “Consensus”

Paul, Second Adam, and Theistic Evolution

Adam and Eve Redux

No God-of-the-Gaps Allowed: Francis Collins and Theistic Evolution



Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Boba Fett is a Star Wars icon. A brutal bounty hunter first seen in the original Star Wars films with limited lines and on-screen presence, Boba Fett has been the center of fan adoration and speculation since the very beginning of the franchise. But how did we get from the rough-and-tumble bounty hunter to whom Darth Vader instructs, “No disintegrations” to the Boba Fett who intends to “rule with respect” as he reigns on the late Jabba’s throne as a crime lord on Tatooine? Has Boba Fett gone soft? Has the fan-imagined lore surrounding his character distracted us from a story that could be even more compelling? The Book of Boba Fett presents a much richer story than fan-imagined futures of Boba Fett. We see a story of lives changed: resurrection narratives, a life trajectory shifted through adoption, resulting in a recapturing of his morality and convictions.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Lisa Cooper about her online-exclusive article, ” Boba Fett’s Character Arc Actually Makes Sense ( A Review of The Book of Boba Fett)”. https://www.equip.org/article/boba-fetts-character-arc-actually-makes-sense-a-review-of-the-book-of-boba-fett/

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.

2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

For more information and to subscribe please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/online-early-access-subscription-options/

Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this topic:

Episode 234: Star Wars Happy and Glorious in The High Republic

Happy and Glorious in The High Republic: A Review of The High Republic Era beginning with Star Wars: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule

Episode 217: Thinking About Religion in The Mandalorian

This is the Way…Or is It?: Thinking About Religion in The Mandalorian

Episode 154: The Dead Won’t Stop Talking: A Review of The Rise of Skywalker

The Dead Won’t Stop Talking: A Review of The Rise of Skywalker

Episode 054: The Last Jedi: A Star Wars Movie for the Era of “the Nones”

The Last Jedi: A Star Wars Movie for the Era of “the Nones”

Episode 027: “Evaluating the Star Wars Worldview”

May the Force Bewitch You: Evaluating the Star Wars Worldview”.

Get “May the Force Bewitch You: Evaluating the Star Wars Worldview” in PDF format in:

English

Chinese

Spanish

By giving Jesus and his disciples clear and discernable personalities, The Chosen rises above the traditional (some would say “wooden”) Christian adaptations of the gospel story to offer viewers a thoroughly engrossing series. Of course, this means creative licenses are taken when fleshing out the gospel characters. But the most intriguing character to get a refined personality is, of course, Jesus (Jonathan Roumie) himself. The Chosen picks through the gospels with a fine-toothed comb to find every trace of his personality and attempts to pull those thin threads into a cohesive whole. Consider, by way of example, Jesus’s interaction with the Pharisees in Matthew 12. The Pharisees see his disciples picking and eating heads of grain on the Sabbath and confront him for breaking the Law of Moses. In his response, Jesus leads with, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?” (Mt. 12:3). Theological points aside, look at the texture of Jesus’s response—asking Pharisees whether they have read about David! And this is not the only time in the gospels he poses this question to the same group. Obviously, the Pharisees have read about David—they are the religious leaders of the day. The question demonstrates the man’s cutting sense of irony, itself a form of humor. And this sense of humor is on full display in The Chosen. The ultimate result is a portrayal of Jesus that is actually quite believable. This is not to say that all other portrayals are faulty, because they certainly aren’t. However, where most other mainstream portrayals of Jesus lean into the ambiguity of his personality as depicted in the biblical canon (thereby make him seem distant or aloof), The Chosen gives him well-defined, multi-dimensional personality traits and marches forward with the story. The attention to context, both historical and immediate (for the characters), sets The Chosen apart from the usual Christian media fare. Yet these creative licenses, sure to provoke the ire of some, are what make The Chosen work as good contemporary television in ways that other adaptations, like History’s 2013 The Bible miniseries, simply cannot. If nothing else, The Chosen is worth viewing for Christians simply to see Jesus portrayed in a way that is achingly human. The show never shies away from his divinity but recognizes that this would be the most difficult characteristic of the man for his fellow humans to grasp. Rather than distance him and render him aloof as a result, the show leans into his human qualities to present a Christ who experiences real and complex human emotions; a Christ who is keenly aware of the fate that awaits him but is nonetheless capable of enjoying himself and others along the way.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Cole Burgett about his online-exclusive article, “King Laugh: Jesus of Nazareth In the Chosen ( A Series Review of The Chosen)”. https://www.equip.org/article/king-laugh-jesus-of-nazareth-in-the-chosen-a-series-review-of-the-chosen/

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.

2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

For more information and to subscribe please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/online-early-access-subscription-options/

Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Related articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts

Episode 012: Jesus Films

Jesus Films: Who Does Hollywood Say That I Am?

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

In a recent New York Times editorial entitled The Anti-Abortion Movement Could Reduce Abortions if It Wanted To, lawyer and journalist Jill Filipovic makes the case that an unhealthy preoccupation with birth control at the expense of limiting abortions exposes some ugly truths about the pro-life movement. According to Filipovic, pro-lifers are more interested in controlling women’s bodies than they are in pursuing measures that reduce the number of abortions, those measures being free access to long-term contraception and comprehensive sex education. Filipovic characterizes “many” pro-life individuals as mistakenly believing that contraception causes an abortion. These same people work to deny access to sex education and family planning, preventing the most vulnerable members of society, those most likely to experience unplanned pregnancies and seek abortions, the ability to use the most effective forms of contraception. The editorial is an oddly argued ad hominem attack. She condemns the prolife movement for not doing things to limit the number of abortions, which she believes are a fundamental right for all women and a good thing she has no interest in limiting. In an amazing coincidence, the measures most likely to serve the pro-life cause of reducing abortion happen to line up with the author’s own agenda for free contraception and progressive ideas on sex education. At our best, the pro-life community champions a clear message. Every human being ought to be treated with dignity and respect. Human beings are the imago Dei, the image-bearers of God. The embryonic and fetal humans are one of us and establishing a culture that protects their lives is better for us all. It elevates us to see the most vulnerable members in our community as worthy of our personal sacrifice. It gathers the community to seek creative solutions to life’s most difficult problems rather than seeking a minimally disruptive path that destroys human lives deemed inconvenient. The benefits of a clear and passionate call to respect life are obvious. If we can become convinced to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, the change will immediately protect those most at risk, the unborn, but also those who would destroy the unborn out of fear or selfishness. We endeavor to end abortion because any amount of abortion in our community hurts us all.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Jay Watts about his online-exclusive article, “Filipovic’s Confused Claim that the Pro-Life Community Must Champion Contraception”.https://www.equip.org/article/filipovics-confused-claim-that-the-pro-life-community-must-champion-contraception/

Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.

1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.

2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.

For more information and to subscribe please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/online-early-access-subscription-options/
Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it’s originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 249: Do Abortion Politics Hurt Women Enduring Miscarriage?

Do Abortion Politics Hurt Women Enduring Miscarriage?

Episode 230: Is it Ethical for Pro-Life Christians to Receive Covid-19 Vaccines?

Is it Ethical for Pro-Life Christians to Receive Covid-19 Vaccines?

Episode 190 Assessing the Confession of Norma McCorvey in AKA Jane Roe

Assessing the Confession of Norma McCorvey in AKA Jane Roe

Episode 163 Merely Human: The Problem of Recognizing Chimpanzees as Persons

Merely Human: The Problem of Recognizing Chimpanzees as Persons

Episode 134 Are Laws Restricting Abortion Forced Organ Donation? A Review of Beyond Roe

Are Laws Restricting Abortion Forced Organ Donation? A Review of Beyond Roe

Episode 117-Unplanned: An Imperfect but Brave Film

Unplanned: An Imperfect but Brave Film

Episode 042: When Freedom of Expression and Emotions Collide on Campus

When Freedom of Expression and Emotions Collide on Campus

Episode 032: On Chimeras and What It Means to Be Human

On Chimeras and What It Means to Be Human

Episode 013: Death with Dignity and the Imago Dei

Death with Dignity and the Imago Dei

Episode 007: Rape and Sexual Violence on the College Campus

Rape and Sexual Violence on Campus

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Revoice 2021 Together met in October 2021 in Dallas to encourage what they call “sexual minorities” within the church to obedience, to reach out evangelistically to LGBTQ people, and to minister to “sexual majority” Christians. The conference featured Eve Tushnet, Preston Sprinkle, Greg Johnson, Misty Irons, Greg Coles, and many other speakers, as well as panels on gender minorities, racial minorities, and women. With an emphasis on community support (reflected in the theme “together”), the speakers called the gathered assembly to be obedient to a biblical sexual ethic, as well as acknowledging the pain that the church has caused to those who identify as LGBTQ.

Revoice 2021 positions itself in the theological mainstream, as if the controversies surrounding the conference and movement are purely semantic. The wider evangelical church, for example, by policing the language of people who identify as LGBTQ, are said to erect artificial barriers for entrance into the kingdom of God, akin to those of New Testament era Judaizers. Revoice, as a movement, is prepared to forgive and reach out to those in the church who are complicit in this grave sin, but the church should repent and move on from these kinds of debates for the sake of mission and the witness of the gospel.

Rather than a purely semantic disagreement over whether or not to use the word “gay,” the language applied to self-hood and identity by Revoice points to underlying philosophical and theological assumptions that Christians should identify themselves by sexual behavior and inclinations, grounding this identification in a secular gender ideology rather than the Scriptures. Furthermore, by framing the semantic issues as Side A and Side B — referring to “Side A brothers and sisters” — they make the question of sexuality, both behavior and identity, to be adiaphora, a non-essential issue that Christians are free to disagree about. Rather than a “slippery slope,” both the ideology and language that Revoice is embracing will eventually take them over a spiritual cliff.

*Note this description has been updated along with the article below on February 8th, 2022. *

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Anne Kennedy about her online-exclusive article, “Identity and Obedience in Revoice 2021”. https://www.equip.org/article/identity-and-obedience-in-revoice-2021/

This is an online-exclusive from the Christian Research Journal. This in-depth primary research is made possible by our Journal subscribers and from tips by readers like you. Please consider tipping us $3 or $5 for this article. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Starting in 2021, most of our online-exclusive articles were only available to subscribers. Given the global importance of this subject, our editorial board decided to make this available to the public as soon as possible. Also consider this a free preview of the quality and in-depth research that goes into our online-exclusives. To learn more about subscribing and gaining early access to future online-exclusive articles, please see our FAQ section on Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here and subscribing by clicking here.https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/ and https://www.equip.org/product/online-early-access-subscription-options/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.



Other articles featuring this topic:

Homosexuality and Modern Ministry: Examining Old Approaches and Assessing New Ones Part One: A History of Missions and Missteps

Identity, Terminology, and the Revoice Conference

A brief podblast update on what’s upcoming on the Postmodern Realities Podcast and the Christian Research Journal.

As mentioned in the podblast, although getting a print subscription is the best value to get access to online-exclusives, we have launched two new options of a monthly or annual online exclusive content subscription that includes viewing to online-exclusive articles and select recent print articles. To see these new options please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/online-early-access-subscription-options/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

In some ways, Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) represents the zenith of the modern pop-culture superhero craze. While it’s certainly better than any film of this sort has any right to be, it’s also not as good as that Rotten Tomatoes score would lead you to believe. There is a certain logic that is absent from the core mechanics of how the “multiverse” is supposed to work. But what Spider-Man sacrifices in the way of coherency, it more than makes up for in the way of generating pathos. The real draw of Spider-Man: No Way Home is the chance to see the three modern cinematic incarnations of Spider-Man all playing in the same sandbox at the same time. Perhaps the reason Spider-Man: No Way Home seems stale has to do with the fact that this story has already been told in a much more interesting fashion, and recently. There is little doubt that 2018’s Academy Award-winning animated feature Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse played a significant role in the trajectory the current live-action Spider-Man films are now taking. But where Sony’s hit wowed critics and audiences alike with the limitless flair of animation, Disney’s live-action version of the dimension-hopping Spider-Men looks like any of the other CGI-laden superhero blockbusters of recent years. And in the context of the previous narratives that Spider-Man: No Way Home tries to tie off, what results is something worse than cynicism — sentimentality, the reducing of complexity to trite cliché, preying on nostalgia, the trading on emotion for the sake of emotion, and that is the currency with which this film pays dividends. Spider-Man: No Way Home is a film just about anyone can sit down and enjoy. No one can accuse these kinds of films of being poorly made; studios throw too much money at them for that. But when it comes to substance, depth, texture, and contradiction, the thinking filmgoer will be left wanting.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Cole Burgett about his online-exclusive article, “Spider-Man: No Way Home and the Emotional Cheapening of the Modern Blockbuster.“ https://www.equip.org/article/spider-man-no-way-home-and-the-emotional-cheapening-of-the-modern-blockbuster/

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author
Episode 269 The Matrix Resurrections: Self-Awareness and Romance in the Digital Age

The Matrix Resurrections: Self-Awareness and Romance in the Digital Age
Episode 263: Free Will, the Power of Choice, and Skin in Eternals

Episode 261 Dune and the Future of the Science Fiction Epic

Dune and the Future of the Science Fiction Epic

Episode 259: All the Time in the World: No Time to Die and the End of an Era

All the Time in the World: No Time to Die and the End of an Era

Episode 251 Growing Up and Letting Go in CODA

Growing Up and Letting Go in CODA

Episode 242: Friendship and Fatherhood in Pixar’s Luca

Friendship and Fatherhood in Pixar’s Luca

Episode 239: No Us Without Him: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Zack Snyder’s Justice League

No Us Without Him: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Episode 234: Star Wars Happy and Glorious in The High Republic

Happy and Glorious in The High Republic: A Review of The High Republic Era beginning with Star Wars: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule

Episode 227 Catharsis and the Power of Release in WandaVison

Catharsis and the Power of Release in Wandavison

Episode 222 Deconstructionism and the Gospel of Hope in Logan

Deconstructionism and the Gospel of Hope in Logan

Episode 218: Wonder Woman 1984: The Truth Is Enough.

Wonder Woman 1984: The Truth Is Enough.

Episode 214 Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old Fashioned Hero For Our Cynical Times

Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old- Fashioned Hero for Our Cynical Time

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

For us to have a robust free will, there must be an amount of divine hiddenness, or what John Hick called “epistemic distance.” Divine hiddenness is the teaching that for humans to act out of free will, God’s existence (or presence) can’t be too obvious. Not surprisingly, this is a doctrine that many Christians misunderstand and over which skeptics howl. Many Christians ask, and even sometimes complain, that God should make His presence more apparent. Skeptics complain that if God really loved us (in other words, if God were really a good God), He would make His existence unmistakable.

But the Lord absolutely doesn’t want to do that. Why? Because the Lord doesn’t want us to feign loyalty. As Clay Jones wrote in his book, Why Does God Allow Evil?, God could have designed the universe so that when we looked up, even if we were indoors, we would always see a Giant Flaming Sword, and if anyone rebelled against God, that Giant Flaming Sword would immediately cut him in half! Omnipotence could easily do such a thing. But how many people would be Christian in such a world? All of them! Everyone would, at the very least, feign loyalty. But how many true worshippers would you get in such a world? You don’t get true worshippers in that world. Worship, like love, must be uncoerced.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Clay Jones about his article in the 44:4 issue, entitled, “Four Types of Divine Hiddenness of God”.

For a special limited preview of this print article please click here! https://www.equip.org/article/four-types-of-divine-hiddenness-of-god-special-limited-preview/
To read the article in it’s entirety please subscribe to the print subscription and get it as your first issue now. (December 2021-March 2022) please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and podcasts featuring this author:

Postmodern Realities Episode 247: Is It True That There Are Good Non-Christians?

Is It true That There Are Good Non-Christians?

Postmodern Realities Episode 233 You Probably Aren’t Saved If…(This Is about Sex)

You Probably Aren’t Saved If…(This Is about Sex)

Postmodern Realities Episode 202 Symbolic Immortality Projects Can’t Save You

Symbolic Immortality Projects Can’t Save You

Postmodern Realities Episode 183 Immortal: How the Fear of Death Drives Us and What We Can Do About It

Immortal—Epicurus, Sam Harris, and Bart Ehrman Are Wrong: Death Is Something

Postmodern Realities Episode 176 Our Fallen World

Hank Unplugged: Why God Permits Evil with Clay Jones

Postmodern Realities: Episode 114 Why Did God Let that Child Die?

Why Did God Let That Child Die?

Postmodern Realities: Episode 068: Something Made: The Role of Form in Apologetics

Something Made : The Role of Form in Apologetics

Postmodern Realities: Episode 030: Evangelizing the Cultural Christian

Evangelizing the Cultural Christian

Killing the Canaanites: A Response to the New Atheism’s “Divine Genocide” Claims



Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

In 1999, the world was in a different place. Y2K loomed, personal computerized technology was still coming into its own, and September 11 was just another day. And into this world the Wachowskis came running and gunning with their runaway Academy Award-winning hit, The Matrix, changing the landscape of what brainy, science-fiction, action-adventure movies could be, seemingly overnight. Now, more than two decades later, that original film still holds up as one of cinema’s most innovative and breathtakingly imaginative achievements. Now Neo and Trinity and the Matrix are back in this new film The Matrix Resurrections. One of the highlights of Resurrections is its overt self-awareness. In the age of Marvel and the quippy, breezy, ironic, self-referential blockbuster Resurrections takes the self-awareness to a whole new level, and then kicks it up a few more notches to make a point. In other words, all the pop philosophy that rattled the cage in the original has been exchanged for irony and self-aware storytelling — which itself is ironic considering the age of the blockbuster in which we currently live. Whether or not Resurrections scratches your mind-bending sci-fi itch, there is a certain brazen boldness to making a modern sequel in a way that calls attention to (and critiques) how modern sequels are made using the same techniques modern filmmakers use in the making of said sequels. But it would be a grave mistake to characterize Resurrections singularly as a “meta” movie. The film does interact with the current cultural climate in the way the original film interacted with the culture surrounding emerging technologies. Beyond the critique of modern blockbusters, Resurrections takes the messianic overtones the previous trilogy employed and brings Neo’s character arc more closely in line with the Christ narrative of Scripture. Make no mistake, Resurrections is a sequel, not a reboot — the story continues with Neo’s resurrection. This is in an in-depth conversation with JOURNAL author Cole Burgett about the new film The Matrix Resurrections.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Cole Burgett about his online-exclusive article, “The Matrix Resurrections: Self-Awareness and Romance in the Digital Age.” **Editor’s Note: This article and podcast contains spoilers for The Matrix Resurrections. https://www.equip.org/article/the-matrix-resurrections-self-awareness-and-romance-in-the-digital-age/

Starting in February 2021, all online-exclusive articles, have had a early access window for Journal subscribers only before being made public. Given the time sensitive nature and global importance of this subject, our editorial board decided to make this available to the public as soon as possible. Also consider this a free preview of the quality and in-depth research that goes into our online-exclusives. To learn more about subscribing and gaining early access to future online-exclusive articles, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here and subscribing by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/ and https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts:

Our previous article on the original Matrix Trilogy.

The Matrix: Unloaded Revelations

Other articles and podcasts with Cole Burgett:

Episode 263: Free Will, the Power of Choice, and Skin in Eternals

Episode 261 Dune and the Future of the Science Fiction Epic

Dune and the Future of the Science Fiction Epic

Episode 259: All the Time in the World: No Time to Die and the End of an Era

All the Time in the World: No Time to Die and the End of an Era

Episode 251 Growing Up and Letting Go in CODA

Growing Up and Letting Go in CODA

Episode 242: Friendship and Fatherhood in Pixar’s Luca

Friendship and Fatherhood in Pixar’s Luca

Episode 239: No Us Without Him: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Zack Snyder’s Justice League

No Us Without Him: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Episode 234: Star Wars Happy and Glorious in The High Republic

Happy and Glorious in The High Republic: A Review of The High Republic Era beginning with Star Wars: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule

Episode 227 Catharsis and the Power of Release in WandaVison

Catharsis and the Power of Release in Wandavison

Episode 222 Deconstructionism and the Gospel of Hope in Logan

Deconstructionism and the Gospel of Hope in Logan

Episode 218: Wonder Woman 1984: The Truth Is Enough.

Wonder Woman 1984: The Truth Is Enough.

Episode 214 Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old Fashioned Hero For Our Cynical Times

Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old- Fashioned Hero for Our Cynical Time

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Should Christians make New Year’s resolutions? And if so, what kind? Are there any guiding biblical principles that might inform and shape such a task?

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Anne Kennedy about her article in the 44:4 issue of the Journal, entitled, “I’ll Start My Diet Tomorrow: A Christian Makes a New Year’s Resolution.” For a special limited preview of this print article please click here! https://www.equip.org/article/ill-start-my-diet-tomorrow-a-christian-makes-a-new-years-resolution-special-limited-preview/ Check back here and at our article archive page. To read the article in it’s entirety please subscribe to the print subscription please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and podcasts featuring this author

Hank Unplugged:

Gaslighting, BLM, Cancel Culture and More with Anne Kennedy

Postmodern Realities and Articles:

Episode 264: The Windswept Plains of the Heart: A Review of Wholehearted Faith and What is God Like

The Windswept Plains of the Heart: A Review of Wholehearted Faith and What is God Like

Episode 258: African Traditional Religion

African Traditional Religion, Black Lives Matter, and Prosperity Gospel

Episode 255 For Our Lamps Are Going Out: Gaslighting in the Age of Social Media

For Our Lamps are Going Out: Gaslighting in the Age of Social Media

Episode 252 Meditation Upon the Death of a Pet

Meditation Upon the Death of a Pet

Episode 245: Glimpsing the Grave: A Critical Review of The Book of Longings

Glimpsing the Grave: A Critical Review of The Book of Longings: A Novel by Sue Monk Kidd

Episode 240: Be Free! The Making of Biblical Womanhood A Summary Critique review of The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr

Be Free! The Making of Biblical Womanhood A summary critique review of The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr

Episode 224 You Only Die Once: Why It’s Okay Not to Live in the Present

You Only Die Once: Why It’s Okay Not to Live in the Present

Episode 216 Why Do I Call Myself Good? A Look at Virtue Signaling

Why Do I Call Myself Good? A Look at Virtue Signaling

Episode 211: There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

Episode 209 She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

Episode 204: The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

Episode 198 Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Episode 193 Catching UP with Rachel Hollis, Glennon Doyle & Jen Hatmaker

Episode 191 Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Episode 181 But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

Episode 178 Worshipping Together

Episode 160-Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Episode 151 Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Episode 147 Book Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage and An Evaluation of 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

A Helper Like Me: A Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage by David and Constantino Khalaf

Losing Faith: A Look at the 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

Episode 140 The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

The Unhindered Leadership of Jen Hatmaker

The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

Episode 136 Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

For more than four decades, organizations like Exodus International, Courage, and Homosexuals Anonymous have provided counsel and support to people who realized they were attracted to the same sex, considered homosexuality a sin, and wanted help dealing with their desires. These groups and the people they served made up what’s often called the “Ex-Gay Movement,” a phenomenon which has always gotten its share of supporters and critics.

Its critics have tended to be pro-gay, some producing books and documentaries hoping to persuade others that their accusations against the ex-gay movement validated their gay-affirming position.

But Greg Johnson’s book Still Time To Care (Zondervan) is a unique addition to these criticisms, because unlike others, he writes from the position of a traditionalist who views homosexual behavior as sin. His objections to the movement he decries are not, therefore, over its theological stance, but the way it practiced and promoted that stance.


This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Joe Dallas about his online-exclusive article, “Is it Time To Change Ministry to LGBTQ People? Book Review Still Time to Care by Greg Johnson (Zondervan, 2021)”. https://www.equip.org/article/is-it-time-to-change-ministry-to-lgbtq-people-book-review-still-time-to-care-by-greg-johnson-zondervan-2021/

Starting in February 2021, all online-exclusive articles, have had a early access window for Journal subscribers only before being made public. Given the time sensitive nature and global importance of this subject, our editorial board decided to make this available to the public as soon as possible. Also consider this a free preview of the quality and in-depth research that goes into our online-exclusives. To learn more about subscribing and gaining early access to future online-exclusive articles, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here and subscribing by clicking here.

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author
Episode 101 Homosexuality and Modern Ministry: Part One

Part one of this two-part series: Homosexuality and Modern Ministry: Examining Old Approaches and Assessing New Ones Part One: A History of Missions and Missteps

Episode 103 Homosexuality and Modern Ministry: Part Two

Part Two: Identity, Terminology, and the Revoice Conference

Whoever Said You Can “Pray the Gay Away”? A Film Review of Netflix’s Pray Away

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Nearly thirty years after his death, Isaac Asimov’s acclaimed Foundation series—long deemed unfilmable—has been adapted for the screen. Co-created by David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman for Apple TV+, season one of Foundation recently concluded with its tenth episode, and seven more seasons have been proposed (season two is already confirmed). The production itself is an impressive feat; Asimov’s mythology is remarkably expansive, encompassing an entire galaxy over the course of a millennium and including a host of characters and locations. Another challenge for the writers is that while Asimov was a brilliant science fiction world-builder, his plotlines—though at times riveting—do not achieve the humane depth required for inspiring significant admiration, empathy, or repulsion towards any of the characters. Ultimately, what Goyer, Friedman, and their team have produced is not a faithful adaptation of the source material; the broad strokes of the story remain, but it has essentially been reinvented with engaging human complexities, intriguing subplots and backstories, and diversification of the characters. Throughout the premiere season of this thorough revamping (dare I say, enhancement?) of the Foundation saga, several interesting philosophical themes are explored. These include intergenerational justice (specifically, our moral obligation to people of the very distant future), the existence and nature of the soul, and our longing for a grand narrative that gives life significance and makes sense of the human condition. Like all good science fiction, Foundation goes far deeper than exciting, futuristic story settings and flashy starship battles; it offers thoughtful viewers plenty of big ideas to ponder. The few discussed here—intergenerational justice, the nature of the soul, the human need for a grand narrative of existence, and the power of myth—fit beautifully within the worldview of Christian theism, but they’re deeply problematic for a materialist paradigm.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Melissa Cain Travis about her spoiler filled online-exclusive article, “Religious Robots and Other Curiosities: Exploring Philosophical Themes in Apple TV’s Foundation Series.”https://www.equip.org/article/religious-robots-and-other-curiosities-exploring-philosophical-themes-in-apple-tvs-foundation-series/

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 238: Scientific Materialist Manifesto: The Pursuit of Meaning in a Godless Universe

Scientific Materialist Manifesto: The Pursuit of Meaning in a Godless Universe

Episode 138-Using NBC’s The Good Place in Conversational Apologetics

Using NBC’s The Good Place in Conversational Apologetics

Episode 132: The Artistic Pro-Life Theme in Netflix’s I Am Mother

The Artistic Pro-Life Theme in Netflix’s I Am Mother

Episode 095 Virtue, Human Nature, and the Quest for Happiness

Virtue, Human Nature and the Quest for Happiness

Episode 062: How the Structure and Comprehensibility of the Universe Reveal a Mindful Maker

A Grand Cosmic Resonance: How the Structure and Comprehensibility of the Universe Reveal a Mindful Maker

Episode 002: Motherhood and the Life of the Mind

Motherhood and the Life of the Mind

Squid Game (Netflix, 2021–) is a Netflix mega hit, as Kevin Schut writes “within the first month of its release, Netflix subscribers had logged more than one billion hours watching Squid Game and it quickly became the number one series Netflix had ever released.” It’s “another entry in the gory, dystopian genre of forced human death games, like Guns Akimbo (2019), The Hunger Games (2012), The Running Man (1987), The Most Dangerous Game (2020–), all the way back to the ancient Roman arenas, at least.” It’s content is “full of graphically depicted violence and is occasionally sexually explicit.” Should Christians engage and watch this type of content as a way to engage the good and bad of popular culture with friends and family for the sake of Christian witness and the gospel?

Find out in this spoiler-filled Postmodern Realities episode where Journal author Kevin Schut discusses his online-exclusive article, “Searching for God’s Grace in Squid Game’s Bloody Violence”. https://www.equip.org/article/searching-for-gods-grace-in-squid-games-bloody-violence/

Starting in February 2021, all online-exclusive articles, have had a early access window for Journal subscribers only before being made public. Given the time sensitive nature and global importance of this subject, our editorial board decided to make this available to the public as soon as possible. Also consider this a free preview of the quality and in-depth research that goes into our online-exclusives. To learn more about subscribing and gaining early access to future online-exclusive articles, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here and subscribing by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 128 Summer Vacation, Kids, and Video Games: Better Alternatives to Fortnite

Summer Vacation, Kids, and Video Games: Better Alternatives to Fortnite

Episode 077: Video Gaming, Kids & Addiction

Episode 022: Can God Fit in This Machine? Video Games and Christians

Can God Fit in This Machine? Video Games and Christians

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

“In any case,” writes Rachel Held Evans in the middle of her posthumously published work, Wholehearted Faith, “I wonder sometimes whether we’re playing at death and calling it life.” In characteristic and prescient candor, at the time of her death, Held Evans was in the act of asking the peculiar and essential questions that strike to the heart of what it means to be a creature created by God. She was circling around the most elemental issues of Christianity, of death and life, of love and truth. In her last words, we find a legacy of doubt, the grief of a person who was putting her finger on the central point without yet acknowledging the Verity Himself—Jesus—standing before her. Along with the beautifully illustrated children’s book, What Is God Like, Wholehearted Faith gives us a picture of what sort of god Held Evans was sketching out—not the God of the Bible, not of Jesus who makes that God known to us in the fullness of his astonishing and glorious mercy, but the god of ourselves.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Anne Kennedy about her online-exclusive article, “The Windswept Plains of the Heart: A Review of Wholehearted Faith and What is God Like.”https://www.equip.org/article/the-windswept-plains-of-the-heart-a-review-of-wholehearted-faith-and-what-is-god-like/

Starting in February 2021, all online-exclusive articles, have had a early access window for Journal subscribers only before being made public. Given the time sensitive nature and global importance of this subject, our editorial board decided to make this available to the public as soon as possible. Also consider this a free preview of the quality and in-depth research that goes into our online-exclusives. To learn more about subscribing and gaining early access to future online-exclusive articles, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here and subscribing by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and podcasts featuring this author:

Hank Unplugged:

Gaslighting, BLM, Cancel Culture and More with Anne Kennedy

Postmodern Realities and Articles:

Episode 258: African Traditional Religion

African Traditional Religion, Black Lives Matter, and Prosperity Gospel

Episode 255 For Our Lamps Are Going Out: Gaslighting in the Age of Social Media

For Our Lamps are Going Out: Gaslighting in the Age of Social Media

Episode 252 Meditation Upon the Death of a Pet

Meditation Upon the Death of a Pet

Episode 245: Glimpsing the Grave: A Critical Review of The Book of Longings

Glimpsing the Grave: A Critical Review of The Book of Longings: A Novel by Sue Monk Kidd

Episode 240: Be Free! The Making of Biblical Womanhood A Summary Critique review of The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr

Be Free! The Making of Biblical Womanhood A summary critique review of The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr

Episode 224 You Only Die Once: Why It’s Okay Not to Live in the Present

You Only Die Once: Why It’s Okay Not to Live in the Present

Episode 216 Why Do I Call Myself Good? A Look at Virtue Signaling

Why Do I Call Myself Good? A Look at Virtue Signaling

Episode 211: There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

Episode 209 She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

Episode 204: The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

Episode 198 Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Episode 193 Catching UP with Rachel Hollis, Glennon Doyle & Jen Hatmaker

Episode 191 Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Episode 181 But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

Episode 178 Worshipping Together

Episode 160-Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Episode 151 Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Episode 147 Book Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage and An Evaluation of 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

A Helper Like Me: A Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage by David and Constantino Khalaf

Losing Faith: A Look at the 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

Episode 140 The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

The Unhindered Leadership of Jen Hatmaker

The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

Episode 136 Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

The back half of 2021 ushered in a new wave of subversive blockbusters in the aftermath of COVID-19. No Time to Die made a series of unprecedented choices with the character of James Bond, while Dune began a quiet, methodical deconstruction of the science fiction epic. Now, along comes Eternals to stand apart from the Marvel Studios catalog as the most interesting and solemn film of Marvel’s cinematic universe. Watching this film—and, apparently, the critics agree—feels a lot like watching Man of Steel (2013), Zack Snyder’s infamous subversion of the Superman mythos. If that nebulous Rotten Tomatoes score is to be trusted, it seems critics are split right down the middle regarding whether Eternals is worth your time.

One thing is abundantly clear when it comes to Eternals: everything you think you know about how Marvel movies operate, just like everything you think you know about Superman before watching Man of Steel, should be checked at the door, and failure to do so will likely result in disappointment. And if you think it unwise to draw parallels between these two films from these wildly different and rival comic book companies, consider the fact that Chloé Zhao, director of Eternals, cited Snyder’s film as a direct inspiration for her approach to the character of Ikaris (Richard Madden), by far the most nuanced and intriguing tragic superhero Marvel has ever put to screen. How interesting that Snyder’s powerful and seditious take on the most iconic superhero of them all proves, in hindsight, to be weirdly prescient in anticipating the future of the genre.

Episode 263 of the Postmodern Realities podcast is a spoiler-filled conversation with Journal author Cole Burgett.

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 261 Dune and the Future of the Science Fiction Epic

Dune and the Future of the Science Fiction Epic

Episode 259: All the Time in the World: No Time to Die and the End of an Era

All the Time in the World: No Time to Die and the End of an Era

Episode 251 Growing Up and Letting Go in CODA

Growing Up and Letting Go in CODA

Episode 242: Friendship and Fatherhood in Pixar’s Luca

Friendship and Fatherhood in Pixar’s Luca

Episode 239: No Us Without Him: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Zack Snyder’s Justice League

No Us Without Him: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Episode 234: Star Wars Happy and Glorious in The High Republic

Happy and Glorious in The High Republic: A Review of The High Republic Era beginning with Star Wars: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule

Episode 227 Catharsis and the Power of Release in WandaVison

Catharsis and the Power of Release in Wandavison

Episode 222 Deconstructionism and the Gospel of Hope in Logan

Deconstructionism and the Gospel of Hope in Logan

Episode 218: Wonder Woman 1984: The Truth Is Enough.

Wonder Woman 1984: The Truth Is Enough.

Episode 214 Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old Fashioned Hero For Our Cynical Times

Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old- Fashioned Hero for Our Cynical Time

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

God calls individuals into His family in Christ and privileges them to share the good news. When seeking to help people whose lives have been emotionally fractured, followers of Christ must tenderly handle the reality that families existing in a fallen world can break. God’s family is composed of imperfect people, but there will be a day when His people together emerge “holy and blameless” (Eph. 1:4; Col. 1:22; 1 John 3:2).1 These truths not only strengthen a believer’s compassion but can serve as an evangelistic structure for presenting the gospel.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Chara Donahue about her article in the current (October 2021) issue of the Journal, entitled, “Sharing the Gospel with People from Broken Homes.”https://www.equip.org/article/sharing-the-gospel-with-people-from-broken-homes/

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

For science fiction readers, the very mention of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel Dune evokes a flurry of emotions. Some love it, some hate it. Some consider it the best science fiction novel ever written, others consider it the genre’s antithesis. Regardless, no history of science fiction worth its salt can go without at least mentioning the book, and the indelible influence it’s had on numerous genre classics that followed it, from Star Wars (1977) to Pitch Black (2000).

Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 film adaptation of Herbert’s novel plants its flag firmly in the ground of the epic science fiction genre. This is not the operatic adventure of Star Wars, though Luke Skywalker and Paul Atreides slot neatly into the same mythological archetype. Villeneuve’s Dune is much closer to Ronald D. Moore’s brilliant reimagining of the television series Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009) in terms of tone and accessibility. The result is an adaptation that sacrifices Herbert’s nuance and intricacies to remain faithful to the original novel in terms of size and scope and—most importantly—to the character arc of main character Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), a messiah like figure who is the heir of the House Atreides, an aristocratic family that rules the ocean planet Caladan. The House of Atreides is sent by the Emperor to replace the House of Harkonnen and rule the desert planet Arrakis (Dune) where its people are subjugated and its valuable resource of the life-extending spice is mined.

The ideas Herbert plays with throughout the Dune series are obviously provocative. Villeneuve was keenly aware of the kind of controversy Dune would spark. In the months before the film was released, he made his intentions clear when pressed about the story’s “white savior” overtones. Herbert was not interested in merely critiquing the “white” savior motif. He was interested in critiquing the notion of a savior, period. There are books upon books to be written from a Christian perspective interacting with the ideas central to Dune. How should a Christian respond to Frank Herbert’s criticisms of savior narratives? We should approach Dune unsentimentally and with clear-eyed sanguinity. Christianity is most definitely a messianic religion, but in the two thousand years since Christ, his followers have made more than their fair share of mistakes—Herbert was right in this regard. When the savior’s work is taken up by mortals, things go awry. Dune looks less like a critique of the New Testament’s Jesus and more like an Old Testament messianic expectation. We witness Paul Atreides’s rise and fall much in the same way we read about Samson’s, or David’s. Herbert would likely contend that we should get comfortable here, enlighten ourselves, and accept that savior narratives point to the flaws of saviors themselves.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a spoiler-filled conversation with Journal author Cole Burgett about his online-exclusive, Dune and the Future of the Science Fiction Epic.https://www.equip.org/article/dune-and-the-future-of-the-science-fiction-epic/

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 259: All the Time in the World: No Time to Die and the End of an Era

All the Time in the World: No Time to Die and the End of an Era

Episode 251 Growing Up and Letting Go in CODA

Growing Up and Letting Go in CODA

Episode 242: Friendship and Fatherhood in Pixar’s Luca

Friendship and Fatherhood in Pixar’s Luca

Episode 239: No Us Without Him: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Zack Snyder’s Justice League

No Us Without Him: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Episode 234: Star Wars Happy and Glorious in The High Republic

Happy and Glorious in The High Republic: A Review of The High Republic Era beginning with Star Wars: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule

Episode 227 Catharsis and the Power of Release in WandaVison

Catharsis and the Power of Release in Wandavison

Episode 222 Deconstructionism and the Gospel of Hope in Logan

Deconstructionism and the Gospel of Hope in Logan

Episode 218: Wonder Woman 1984: The Truth Is Enough.

Wonder Woman 1984: The Truth Is Enough.

Episode 214 Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old Fashioned Hero For Our Cynical Times

Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old- Fashioned Hero for Our Cynical Time


Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content

The classical Christian consensus that only men should be set apart in Holy Orders to preach and celebrate the sacraments has been the target of withering critique at least since the sexual revolution that began in the 1960s. Many Christian communions have succumbed to the pressure to ordain women and to give them authority over congregations, dioceses, and denominations, accepting new and revised interpretations of biblical passages that for centuries undergirded the traditional practice. Alongside this development and wholly entwined with it stands the broad rejection of gender differentiated marriage roles. The once ubiquitous notion within the church that a husband should lead his wife and family and that a wife should help him in this task and even submit to his leadership is met with increasing disdain. Among the many casualties resulting from this departure has been the elimination or, at the very least, the de-centering of one of the grand “types” or portraits revealed in the Bible that once imbued both marriage and the pastoral vocation with transcendent importance and beauty. When God made the first man from the dust of the earth, forming from his body the first woman and then joining the two together as one, He was doing more than creating a companionable pair for the propagation of the species. He was painting the portrait of Christ and His church, His own Son and the people who would become both His body and His bride. That theme, running from Genesis to Revelation, was to be embodied in every marriage and reflected in the ministry of every pastor.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Matthew Kennedy on his article in the 44:3 issue of the Journal entitled, “Christ and His Bride: Why Your Pastor’s Gender Matters.” https://www.equip.org/article/christ-and-his-bride-why-your-pastors-gender-matters/

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 235: Does the Bible Dictate Clothing Style by Gender? Cross Dressing and the Gender Binary

Does the Bible Dictate Clothing Style by Gender? Cross Dressing and the Gender Binary

Episode 212 Why Do The Parents of Gay Children Change Their Theological Minds?

“Why Do The Parents of Gay Children Change Their Theological Minds?”

Episode 156 The Prayers Rose Like Incense: Anglican Worship and the Normative Principle

The Prayers Rose Like Incense: Anglican Worship and the Normative Principle

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

No Time to Die is the final outing for actor Danial Craig’s run as 007. Looking back on Daniel Craig’s tenure, it’s hard to imagine a time in which he did not don the tuxedo. Though he has not appeared in the most films (that distinction goes to the late Roger Moore, who appeared in seven), he is nevertheless the actor who has held the role the longest, with fifteen years having passed since his debut in 2006 and his fifth (and final) film in 2021. So thorough has been his reinvention of the character that Craig’s time as Bond is and will continue to be looked upon as an asterisk in the history of the sixty-year-old film series, a unique thing emerging from a cultural milieu that has witnessed twin towers fall, whistles blow, and women become ascendant.

Director Cary Joji Fukunaga’s No Time to Die (2021) marks the definitive end of Craig’s time as Bond—and what an ending it is. The circle closes, every dangling plot thread is tied off. By the time a weary, heart-broken Bond stands bloodied and dying in the cold light of day, staring death full in the face and embracing it, all of the villains who sought to harm him, his friends, his country, and the world are gone. “There’s no one left to hurt us anymore,” says Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux)—and she’s right. In the end, Bond emerges victorious but at a great cost.

The key to understanding the way No Time to Die chooses to tell its story lies in these mythological underpinnings. In the Greek myth, Heracles’s story ends when he is tricked into wearing the poisonous tunic of Nessus, and he chooses to incinerate himself rather than live alone and only in pain.

No Time to Die, at long last, recaptures to some degree this unique vision of writer Ian Fleming. Bond’s hedonism in the novels is frequently treated as his defense against this uniquely Christian notion of “acedia,” which medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas defined as trisitia de bono spirituali, “sadness in the face of spiritual good.” Ian Fleming’s work can be described as Christ-haunted. Bond, like Fleming, was a man haunted by goodness. In his final moments in No Time to Die, Bond finally surrenders himself to it.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Cole Burgett about his online-exclusive article, “All the Time in the World: No Time to Die and the End of an Era” **Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for the 2021 James Bond film No Time to Die.** https://www.equip.org/article/all-the-time-in-the-world-no-time-to-die-and-the-end-of-an-era/

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 251 Growing Up and Letting Go in CODA

Growing Up and Letting Go in CODA

Episode 242: Friendship and Fatherhood in Pixar’s Luca

Friendship and Fatherhood in Pixar’s Luca

Episode 239: No Us Without Him: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Zack Snyder’s Justice League

No Us Without Him: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Episode 234: Star Wars Happy and Glorious in The High Republic

Happy and Glorious in The High Republic: A Review of The High Republic Era beginning with Star Wars: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule

Episode 227 Catharsis and the Power of Release in WandaVison

Catharsis and the Power of Release in Wandavison

Episode 222 Deconstructionism and the Gospel of Hope in Logan

Deconstructionism and the Gospel of Hope in Logan

Episode 218: Wonder Woman 1984: The Truth Is Enough.

Wonder Woman 1984: The Truth Is Enough.

Episode 214 Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old Fashioned Hero For Our Cynical Times

Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old- Fashioned Hero for Our Cynical Time


Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

African Traditional Religion (ATR) encompasses all indigenous African philosophies, worldviews, and religious practices south of the Sahara Desert. Though by no means a fixed religious system, sub-Saharan African cultures by and large share many similar views of God, the ancestors and spirits, honor and shame, magic and witchcraft, and rites of passage. While God is not considered to be near, or “close by,” he is nevertheless part of a hierarchical yet holistic spiritual world, mediated to humanity by ancestors and spirits. Moreover, spiritual power is bound to the material and physical realm. The separation between the visible and invisible is very thin, in some cases non-existent. The unseen world of ancestors, spirits, and magic orders the day-to-day experience of the African Traditionalist.

Although one should not presumptuously generalize about the rites and customs of each place and people, it is useful to draw out the contours of the beliefs commonly shared by African societies. This is so for at least two reasons. The first is the proliferation of America’s chief export to Africa — the prosperity gospel. The individualistic message of personal wealth accumulation from the hands of God by means of a false definition of faith has taken much of the world, but particularly Africa by storm. The second is the adoption of atomized, “a la cart” rites and beliefs from ATR by younger Americans. For example, the adoption of the Nigerian Ifá religion by Patrisse Cullors of Black Lives Matter (BLM) has a uniquely American flavor. It is useful for Christians encountering certain Ifá or other ATR rites and invocations at, say, a BLM rally, or in reading about them on social media, to investigate their origins as part of understanding how they are exploited in an American context. In this way, Christians might respectfully preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to their neighbors and friends.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Anne Kennedy about her article in the current (Oct 2021) issue of the Journal entitled, “African Traditional Religion, Black Lives Matter, and Prosperity Gospel.”https://www.equip.org/article/african-traditional-religion-black-lives-matter-and-prosperity-gospel/

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 255 For Our Lamps Are Going Out: Gaslighting in the Age of Social Media

For Our Lamps are Going Out: Gaslighting in the Age of Social Media

Episode 252 Meditation Upon the Death of a Pet

Meditation Upon the Death of a Pet

Episode 245: Glimpsing the Grave: A Critical Review of The Book of Longings

Glimpsing the Grave: A Critical Review of The Book of Longings: A Novel by Sue Monk Kidd

Episode 240: Be Free! The Making of Biblical Womanhood A Summary Critique review of The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr

Be Free! The Making of Biblical Womanhood A summary critique review of The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr

Episode 224 You Only Die Once: Why It’s Okay Not to Live in the Present

You Only Die Once: Why It’s Okay Not to Live in the Present

Episode 216 Why Do I Call Myself Good? A Look at Virtue Signaling

Why Do I Call Myself Good? A Look at Virtue Signaling

Episode 211: There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

Episode 209 She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

Episode 204: The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

Episode 198 Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Episode 193 Catching UP with Rachel Hollis, Glennon Doyle & Jen Hatmaker

Episode 191 Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Episode 181 But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

Episode 178 Worshipping Together

Episode 160-Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Episode 151 Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Episode 147 Book Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage and An Evaluation of 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

A Helper Like Me: A Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage by David and Constantino Khalaf

Losing Faith: A Look at the 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

Episode 140 The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

The Unhindered Leadership of Jen Hatmaker

The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

Episode 136 Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

There are few things more heartbreaking than watching a beloved son or daughter raised in the Christian community wander or walk away from the faith their parents faithfully demonstrated in the home as that child grew up. Wayward literally means “turned away from,” and this outward-facing posture can wreak havoc on family relationships. Parents of wayward children often struggle with feelings of helplessness, guilt, fear, worry, anger, and depression. Wayward children often feel misunderstood and isolated as they battle for independence and autonomy. The unique and tender nature of these parent/child dynamics creates challenges that are distinct from other evangelistic endeavors. So how might Christian parents (and grandparents) best witness to a wayward child?
This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Nicole Howe about her article from the 44:2 issue of the Journal entitled, “Witnessing to a Wayward Child.“https://www.equip.org/article/witnessing-to-a-wayward-child/

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 208: The Medieval Christians and Evangelism

“Medieval Christians and Evangelism”

Episode 182 Lament. Grief. Hope.

Episode 161 What Do You Mean by God? Pullman’s “Straw-Man God” in His Dark Materials

What Do You Mean by God? Pullman’s “Straw-Man God” in His Dark Materials

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Unanswered prayer does not always lead to bitterness and cynicism, but once in a while it does. How will we respond when we pray for protection, and our mom dies instead? How will we respond when we cry out for years for the seemingly good gifts we believe the Father would give us — return of a wayward child, freedom from deeply rooted sin patterns, relief from chronic pain — and yet, with the Psalmist, we seemingly hear no answer (Ps. 22:2)?

Some, after weeks or months or years of such disappointment, sadly or angrily turn their backs on God. Others resign themselves to a safe and stagnant faith. They mumble a blessing over meals and slap an “All things work together for good…” (Rom. 8:28)1 on the unendurable pain of prayers left unanswered.

And yet, many persist in prayer, in faith, in hope, in love, despite the unceasing suffering of unanswered prayer. Not only do they endure thorns in the flesh that will last a lifetime and grief that will end only when Jesus returns, they mature spiritually. They are transformed into people of strengthened faith, confident hope, and extravagant love. If unanswered prayer can lead to greater spiritual maturity, how might such transformation take place? It begins with a sound understanding of the richness of prayer.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage about her article in the current 44:3 issue of the Journal entitled, “How Unanswered Prayer Grows Faith, Hope, and Love.” https://www.equip.org/article/how-unanswered-prayer-grows-faith-hope-and-love/

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Of the legion of ways that we, since the dawn of time, have devised to deceive ourselves and others, the insidious cruelty at the heart of the phenomenon called gaslighting is one of the most fascinating and destructive. Derived from the play Gas Light (1938), the expression is visceral, referring to the deliberate attempt by the villain to drive the heroine insane. Gaslighting is a useful umbrella trope for understanding many different kinds of damaging online behavior. Gatekeeping, tone policing, outright lying, and the demand to “do better” all constrain members of online communities through fear rather than love. Whether in private groups or in public threads, hapless and naïve Christians fall prey to intentional and unintentional gaslighting and often turn to gaslighting themselves when they fail to make themselves understood. The whining, crazed rage of the heroine in the 1940 film Gaslight, adapted from the play, well reflects the tenor and feelings of many people when they encounter the toxicity of social media.

They know something is wrong, they feel themselves going mad, but they are powerless to tell the truth, or even to trust their own perceptions.

Only by a renewed embrace of the objectivity of Scripture married to a biblical definition of love can Christians return to the sober reasoning of honest discourse. Where ideology clouds the perception of truth, Christians can measure everything by the light of Christ in the Scriptures. They need have no changeable orthodoxy, nor grasping appeals to gatekeeping, tone policing, or gaslighting. Rather, they might recapture the lost virtues of debate and a life-giving search for truth.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Anne Kennedy about her article in the 43:2 issue of the Christian Research Journal, “For Our Lamps Are Going Out: Gaslighting in the Age of Social Media ”. https://www.equip.org/article/for-our-lamps-are-going-out-gaslighting-in-the-age-of-social-media/
Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click herehttps://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 252 Meditation Upon the Death of a Pet

Meditation Upon the Death of a Pet

Episode 245: Glimpsing the Grave: A Critical Review of The Book of Longings

Glimpsing the Grave: A Critical Review of The Book of Longings: A Novel by Sue Monk Kidd

Episode 240: Be Free! The Making of Biblical Womanhood A Summary Critique review of The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr

Be Free! The Making of Biblical Womanhood A summary critique review of The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr

Episode 224 You Only Die Once: Why It’s Okay Not to Live in the Present

You Only Die Once: Why It’s Okay Not to Live in the Present

Episode 216 Why Do I Call Myself Good? A Look at Virtue Signaling

Why Do I Call Myself Good? A Look at Virtue Signaling

Episode 211: There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

Episode 209 She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

Episode 204: The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

Episode 198 Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Episode 193 Catching UP with Rachel Hollis, Glennon Doyle & Jen Hatmaker

Episode 191 Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Episode 181 But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

Episode 178 Worshipping Together

Episode 160-Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Episode 151 Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Episode 147 Book Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage and An Evaluation of 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

A Helper Like Me: A Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage by David and Constantino Khalaf

Losing Faith: A Look at the 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

Episode 140 The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

The Unhindered Leadership of Jen Hatmaker

The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

Episode 136 Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Perhaps life’s greatest challenge is coping with suffering — or how to suffer well. All religions address this, but not in the same way. Christianity uniquely gives meaning to suffering because of the redemptive suffering of its founder, Jesus Christ. Grace and Grit is a film by Sebastian Siegel (who wrote the script) about the suffering of a real-life young couple, writer Ken Wilber (played by Stuart Townsend), and his wife, Treya Wilber (Mena Suvari), who is diagnosed with cancer shortly after their wedding. The film is, among other things, a study of how one’s deepest convictions influence one’s approach to suffering. Since his first book, The Spectrum of Consciousness (Quest Books, 1977), Wilber has defended the worldview that all is one (nondualism or monism) and all is divine (pantheism). He has developed an account of consciousness in which the highest state of consciousness is the realization of oneness with an impersonal god. While Wilber wants to integrate truths from all religions and philosophies and puts his theories into an evolutionary scenario, he is essentially a Zen Buddhist. Does Wilbur’s worldview ultimately provide both truth and hope in the midst of suffering and death? Longtime Journal author and Christian philosopher Douglas Groothuis, author of Walking Through Twilight: A Wife’s Illness—A Philosopher’s Lament, talks about Wilbur’s personal story and worldview. https://www.equip.org/product/walking-through-twilight-a-wifes-illness-a-philosophers-lament/

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Doug Groothuis about his online-exclusive article, “Grit Without Grace: Love and Tragedy According to Nondualism: A Review of the film Grace and Grit.“ https://www.equip.org/article/grit-without-grace-love-and-tragedy-according-to-nondualism-a-review-of-the-film-grace-and-grit/

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

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Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Christian Apologetics in a Nutshell

Episode 226: A Heretic’s Christ, a False Salvation: A Review of The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope for, and Believe Richard Rohr

A Heretic’s Christ, a False Salvation: A Review of The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope for, and Believe Richard Rohr

Episode 220 God and Our Ignorance

God and Our Ignorance

Episode 194 Autobiography as Apologetic

Autobiography as Apologetic

Episode 157: The Reincarnation of Reincarnation

The Reincarnation of Reincarnation

Episode 122 Shamelessly Wrong

Shamelessly Wrong: Book Review of Shameless: A Sexual Reformation Nadia Bolz-Weber

Episode 004: Agile Apologetics

Developing an Agile Apologetic

And many more, Dr. Groothuis has written articles for us for over 30 years.

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In 2019, Hulu announced that it would be adapting Trenton Lee Stewart’s 2007 novel The Mysterious Benedict Society as a streaming series. In some ways, this makes perfect sense. The book has been extremely popular, spawning three sequels, a prequel, and a puzzle book. For many children, tweens, and teens, it strikes a chord with its portrayal of gifted children who become heroes after emerging from backgrounds where their gifts had earned them only rejection, scorn, or exploitation. But as with other similar adaptations, the question naturally arises: would the filmed version be faithful, in plot and theme, to the source material?

What exactly is it that makes The Mysterious Benedict Society so distinctive? It’s not necessarily the plot, though that is diverting enough, to be sure. The true distinctiveness of the books comes in the details. As the plot of each volume progresses, the characters (child and adult alike) become more than the sums of their eccentricities, growing and learning from one another.

Any fan of the books is thus faced with conundrum when approaching their streaming incarnation: is it even possible faithfully to adapt novels in which the danger of screen technology is such a key theme? Interestingly, this is where the show is at its strongest. But the final product for the small screen oozes into a sentimentality that is literally tedious.

DisneyPlus’s Mysterious Benedict Society does recognize the ways in which our contemporary marriage to technology can compromise our pursuit of truth and goodness. But unlike its source material, it cannot seem to find the discipline to resist those root desires. Too often, its characters (especially its adult heroes) are shaped by their emotions, rather than ordering their desires around right pursuits. Engaging as the show is in its best moments, it lacks the countercultural force of its predecessor.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Geoffrey Reiter about about his online-exclusive, “Does The Mysterious Benedict Society have the Right Stuff? ”. https://www.equip.org/article/does-the-mysterious-benedict-society-have-the-right-stuff/ ***Note: The article and podcast discuss plot points which may be considered spoilers.****

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

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Almost all the exotic pets of my childhood in Africa were rescues, caught out of the bags of hunters and the clutches of small children who just wanted a more interesting dinner than maize porridge. I was the only one who mourned them. And, in the case of Ash, though all my family loved him, I am the one who still can’t look at his grave in our back garden. And I am not alone. Join any peculiar dog breed group on Facebook and you will find countless prayer requests—long shot, hopeless pleas for God, to whom the poster has probably never prayed before, to spare a dog. Members of these groups pray, to whomever they imagine, because they understand the peculiar agony of the loss of a helpless and innocent creature who they were sure couldn’t die—and yet did.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Anne Kennedy about about his online-exclusive, “Meditation Upon the Death of a Pet”. https://www.equip.org/article/meditation-upon-the-death-of-a-pet/

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

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Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Episode 245: Glimpsing the Grave: A Critical Review of The Book of Longings

Glimpsing the Grave: A Critical Review of The Book of Longings: A Novel by Sue Monk Kidd

Episode 240: Be Free! The Making of Biblical Womanhood A Summary Critique review of The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr

Be Free! The Making of Biblical Womanhood A summary critique review of The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr

Episode 224 You Only Die Once: Why It’s Okay Not to Live in the Present

You Only Die Once: Why It’s Okay Not to Live in the Present

Episode 216 Why Do I Call Myself Good? A Look at Virtue Signaling

Why Do I Call Myself Good? A Look at Virtue Signaling

Episode 211: There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

Episode 209 She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

Episode 204: The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

Episode 198 Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Episode 193 Catching UP with Rachel Hollis, Glennon Doyle & Jen Hatmaker

Episode 191 Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Episode 181 But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

Episode 178 Worshipping Together

Episode 160-Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Episode 151 Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Episode 147 Book Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage and An Evaluation of 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

A Helper Like Me: A Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage by David and Constantino Khalaf

Losing Faith: A Look at the 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

Episode 140 The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

The Unhindered Leadership of Jen Hatmaker

The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

Episode 136 Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

The film CODA (2021) is a coming-of-age story about a hearing girl and her deaf family. While the arc of the story has the stereotypical beats of a teenage coming-of-age drama, it also explores the dynamics of growing up and letting go. Many Christians might resonate with the main protagonist Ruby’s parents that she must do “her part,” as a loving daughter to forsake pursuing her college dreams and remain home to be the interpreter for deaf parents and brother who need to run their fishing business. At the end of the day, somebody in her family is going to have to sacrifice something. That’s the drama of the film CODA, and that’s the drama of the Christian life as well.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Cole Burgett about about his online-exclusive, “Growing Up and Letting Go in CODA“. **Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for CODA.**https://www.equip.org/article/growing-up-and-letting-go-in-coda/

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

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Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:



Episode 242: Friendship and Fatherhood in Pixar’s Luca

Friendship and Fatherhood in Pixar’s Luca

Episode 239: No Us Without Him: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Zack Snyder’s Justice League

No Us Without Him: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Episode 234: Star Wars Happy and Glorious in The High Republic

Happy and Glorious in The High Republic: A Review of The High Republic Era beginning with Star Wars: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule

Episode 227 Catharsis and the Power of Release in WandaVison

Catharsis and the Power of Release in Wandavison

Episode 222 Deconstructionism and the Gospel of Hope in Logan

Deconstructionism and the Gospel of Hope in Logan

Episode 218: Wonder Woman 1984: The Truth Is Enough.

Wonder Woman 1984: The Truth Is Enough.

Episode 214 Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old Fashioned Hero For Our Cynical Times

Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old- Fashioned Hero for Our Cynical Time


Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Any amateur who has taken up a brush knows how hard it is to create a beautiful painting without training. Yet the natural world seems to produce beauty without any struggle at all. This common-sense observation provides a natural movement from wonder at the creation to awe of the creator. Making aesthetically good artwork requires skill and intention, so who should we credit with the ‘artistry’ of the natural world? The rosy wash of the setting sun on a cloud-filled sky with mountains beneath looks to our eyes like the masterpiece of an expert painter. Yet we know that the natural world possesses no mind toward its own design. Should we not then look to a designer? This podcast episode is a milestone celebration of 250 episodes in the past five years with our very first guest from episode one. It is a conversation about recovering the argument for the existence of God from beauty.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Phil Tallon about his article in a forthcoming issue of the Christian Research Journal, “Recovering the Argument for God from Beauty”.

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Sherlock Holmes

Episode 243: The Fall of Sherlock: Investigating the Victorian Detective in a Modern Age

The Fall of Sherlock: Investigating the Victorian Detective in a Modern Age

Revenge Movies:

Episode 225: Wild Justice: Why Do We Love Revenge Movies?

Wild Justice: Why Do We Love Revenge Movies?

The Mandalorian

Episode 217: Thinking About Religion in The Mandalorian

This is the Way…Or is It?: Thinking About Religion in The Mandalorian

Tenet

Episode 205: Time May Change Me, But I Can’t Change Time: Reversing Time to Understand Christopher Nolan’s Tenet

Time May Change Me, But I Can’t Change Time: Reversing Time to Understand Christopher Nolan’s Tenet

A Hidden Life

Episode 155 The Marathon of Martyrdom: A Review of A Hidden Life

The Marathon of Martyrdom: A Review of A Hidden Life

Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker

Episode 154: The Dead Won’t Stop Talking: A Review of The Rise of Skywalker

The Dead Won’t Stop Talking: A Review of The Rise of Skywalker

Fred Rogers and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood:

Episode 150: The Eternal Importance of Being Awkwardly Earnest: A Review of “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”

The Eternal Importance of Being Awkwardly Earnest: A Review of “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”

Steven Spielberg Movies:

Episode 139 Clear Skies, Hurt Hearts, Can’t Lose: Why Spielberg’s Aliens Help Make us More Human

Clear Skies, Hurt Hearts, Can’t Lose: Why Spielberg’s Aliens Help Make us More Human

Tolkien

Episode 123 Tolkien’s First Fellowship

Tolkien’s First Fellowship A film review of Tolkien

Alfred Hitchcock films:

Episode 100: A. Hitchcock Films

The Coen Brother’s Films:

Episode 050: O Father, Where Art Thou? The Coen Brothers and the Riddle of Existence

“O Father, Where Are Thou? The Coen Brothers and the Riddle of Existence

The Films of Quentin Tarantino:

Episode 001: The Films of Quentin Tarantino

“Reservoir Gods: Quentin Tarantino’s Premodern Theology

Related:

Episode 173 Jesus Wake Up!

Episode 200 Wisdom for College Zoomers

Wisdom for College Zoomers

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

In the New York Times (NYT) opinion piece, “Miscarriages Are Awful, and Abortion Politics Make Them Worse,” abortion rights advocates Amanda Allen and Cari Siestra make the case that politically motivated abortion laws deny women facing miscarriages the best possible care.1 Both authors share tragic personal experiences with miscarriage and how their dread of walking through abortion opponents protesting Planned Parenthood clinics led them to forgo surgical options. Both authors contend the ideal option was forbidden for reasons that have nothing to do with medical care. The drug mifepristone is commonly referred to as RU-486, and in cooperation with misoprostol, it is the exact same drug combination currently used to facilitate abortion in most early pregnancies in the United States. The authors contend these policies place women facing a tragedy in the crosshairs of a battle unrelated to their circumstances. Rather than equipping women with the most effective means to expel the lifeless contents of their uterus, these women are sent home with only misoprostol. The result is a higher risk process of expulsion that will be more painful, last longer, and carry a greater risk of needing further medical attention. If anyone deserves the best care possible, it is women and families facing miscarriage. They deserve better than to have their suffering increased due to intrusive laws. This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Jay Watts unpack their arguments through a biblical pro-life lens and about his online-exclusive article, “Do Abortion Politics Hurt Women Enduring Miscarriage?” https://www.equip.org/article/do-abortion-politics-hurt-women-enduring-miscarriage/

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 230: Is it Ethical for Pro-Life Christians to Receive Covid-19 Vaccines?

Is it Ethical for Pro-Life Christians to Receive Covid-19 Vaccines?

Episode 190 Assessing the Confession of Norma McCorvey in AKA Jane Roe

Assessing the Confession of Norma McCorvey in AKA Jane Roe

Episode 163 Merely Human: The Problem of Recognizing Chimpanzees as Persons

Merely Human: The Problem of Recognizing Chimpanzees as Persons

Episode 134 Are Laws Restricting Abortion Forced Organ Donation? A Review of Beyond Roe

Are Laws Restricting Abortion Forced Organ Donation? A Review of Beyond Roe

Episode 117-Unplanned: An Imperfect but Brave Film

Unplanned: An Imperfect but Brave Film

Episode 042: When Freedom of Expression and Emotions Collide on Campus

When Freedom of Expression and Emotions Collide on Campus

Episode 032: On Chimeras and What It Means to Be Human

On Chimeras and What It Means to Be Human

Episode 013: Death with Dignity and the Imago Dei

Death with Dignity and the Imago Dei

Episode 007: Rape and Sexual Violence on the College Campus

Rape and Sexual Violence on Campus

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

In the human heart burns a yearning to be free — to live by our own discretion, to choose what we think good, and to stand responsible for the lives we have lived. This same yearning, though, goes easily awry: the legitimate human desire for agency swelling into a desire for absolute autonomy. But the desire for absolute autonomy, even from divine authority, leads to frustration with the limits of being, turning us against the moral (and even the physical) structures of the world; for structures are, by nature, limited and limiting. We may even turn against the structure of our own person. Such a turning begets acedia — a vice marked by spiritual malaise or boredom. Acedia is sadness at the divine proclamation that being is good. Paradise Lost, by John Milton (1608–1674), an epic poem foundational to the British literary canon, explores the relationship between the demand for absolute autonomy and acedia, a vice which cripples the characters’ lives by depriving them of the sense that a divine goodness sustains their being. In the existential abyss that this loss opens, some descend into a stale, paralyzing depression. Others — the angelic beings especially — take upon themselves the burden of relentless achievement as they labor to justify lives that now have none but themselves to speak on their behalf. In place of the divine pronouncement that their being is good, they substitute their own efforts to make it good. Understanding that only a renewed sense of the goodness of God could overcome the acedia to which Adam and Eve are vulnerable, Milton recalls, at this moment, the promise of a savior.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Stephen Mitchell about his article in the current issue of the Christian Research Journal, “Myself Am Hell: Rebellion and Gratitude in Milton’s Paradise Lost”. https://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/what-scientific-materialism-fails-to-explain/
Available as your first issue (Summer 2021) when you subscribe, click here to find out more. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Episode 201 Albert Camus and the Fight for Life

The Sting of Death: Albert Camus and the Fight for Life

Episode 189 Second-Rate Musician: Vocation and Performance in T. S. Eliot’s The Confidential Clerk

“Second-Rate Musician: Vocation and Performance in T. S. Eliot’s The Confidential Clerk “.

Episode 135-Questing for Divine Love-Cormac McCarthy’s The Road

Questing for Divine Love-Cormac McCarthy’s The Road

Episode 111 Humanity Crucified: Hemingway and the Human Condition

Humanity Crucified: Hemingway and the Human Condition

Episode 092 Literary Apologetics: Flannery O’Connor

Flannery O’Connor and the Problem of Freedom

Episode 045: Alexander Solzhenitsyn Confronts the Grand Inquisitor

Alexander Solzhenitsyn Confronts the Grand Inquisitor

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Many Christians believe that there are good non-Christians. After all, if you actually know some good non-Christians, then there must be good non-Christians, right? Now, it is true there are many apparently good non-Christians, but we must not confuse outward goodness with inward goodness. For Jesus, evil is always, first and foremost, a matter of the heart. Still, Christians wonder: Is it possible for a person to be a good person outside of a relationship with Christ? This is not to say that Christians don’t sin. They do, often, and sometimes grievously. Of course, Christians sin! I do. But true Christians — those who have been born again, those who have been filled with the Holy Spirit — are changed from within. They become “obedient from the heart” and “slaves of righteousness” (Rom. 6:17–18). In other words, the Christian’s inner person wants to do God’s will even if sometimes they choose not to.

This episode is a discussion about human “goodness” apart from Christ with contributing Christian Research Journal writer Clay Jones and his Viewpoint article, “Is It True That There Are Good Non-Christians?” in the print edition Volume 44 No. 2. https://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/what-scientific-materialism-fails-to-explain/
Available as your first issue (July 2021) when you subscribe, click here to find out more. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Original Sin: Its Importance & Fairness

Episode 183 Immortal: How the Fear of Death Drives Us and What We Can Do About It

Episode 202 Symbolic Immortality Projects Can’t Save You

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Harrison Dulin writes, “The second season of the anime television series Dr. Stone wrapped up in March, and as someone entrenched in the worlds of science and anime, I loved watching a show that brings the two together (especially after watching Cells at Work). Dr. Stone has all the traditional components of a good anime combined with insights into the natural world, which makes it a delight for both anime fans and science lovers. But as a scientist, I was presented with a question after watching a scene from the show: Is science worth dying for?”

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Harrison Dulin about his article in the current issue of the Christian Research Journal, “Martyr of Science? A Reflection on the Anime Dr. Stone”. https://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/what-scientific-materialism-fails-to-explain/ Available as your first issue (July 2021) when you subscribe, click here to find out more. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other related articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts

Episode 104 Unpacking Anime’s Thematic and Spiritual Depth

Unpacking Anime’s Thematic and Spiritual Depth

The Place of Cultural Awareness in Apologetics

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

In The Book of Longings Sue Kidd Monk paints a monochromatic spiritual landscape, tediously rehearsing the contours of feminine longing. As the story unfolds, her characters near perfectly portray the values, the assumptions, the hopes, and the expectations of now. If a stranger to this place and time were to require a primer of the ideal person, I would hand her this book. Let’s look together at that cultural icon….

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Anne Kennedy about her online-exclusive article, “Glimpsing the Grave: A Critical Review of The Book of Longings: A Novel by Sue Monk Kidd”. **Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for The Book of Longings: A Novel** https://www.equip.org/article/glimpsing-the-grave-a-critical-review-of-the-book-of-longings-a-novel-by-sue-monk-kidd/

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/
When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author
Episode 240: Be Free! The Making of Biblical Womanhood A Summary Critique review of The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr

Be Free! The Making of Biblical Womanhood A summary critique review of The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr

Episode 224 You Only Die Once: Why It’s Okay Not to Live in the Present

You Only Die Once: Why It’s Okay Not to Live in the Present

Episode 216 Why Do I Call Myself Good? A Look at Virtue Signaling

Why Do I Call Myself Good? A Look at Virtue Signaling

Episode 211: There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

Episode 209 She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

Episode 204: The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

Episode 198 Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Episode 193 Catching UP with Rachel Hollis, Glennon Doyle & Jen Hatmaker

Episode 191 Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Episode 181 But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

Episode 178 Worshipping Together

Episode 160-Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Episode 151 Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Episode 147 Book Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage and An Evaluation of 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

A Helper Like Me: A Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage by David and Constantino Khalaf

Losing Faith: A Look at the 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

Episode 140 The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

The Unhindered Leadership of Jen Hatmaker

The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

Episode 136 Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a new religious movement founded by Li Hongzhi in China in 1992. Based on a mix of Buddhist and New Age principles, it began as a form of qigong, a worldview that aims to strengthen a person’s vital energies through bodily movement. Adherents of Falun Gong believe their teachings and practices are the sole means of attaining Consummation — a state in which humans apprehend the real meaning of the universe and become Gods or Buddha. The primary moral tenets of the worldview are truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. Falun Gong is not without its social and political controversies, particularly in its very public disagreements with the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party. Falun Gong was labeled an “evil sect” and banned in China in 1999. Practitioners claim that they have suffered tremendous persecution at the hands of the Chinese government, including imprisonment, torture, and non-consensual organ harvesting. But there has been a shift of Falun Gong followers from China to North America since the early 2000s. Westerners are being swayed by the Falun Gong and may not even realize it. Whether it’s through the popular conservative newspaper, the Epoch Times, or their touring dance troupe, Shen Yun, the Falun Gong have become a widespread presence on social media and in theaters worldwide. Recently, they have become more political and have promoted conspiracy theories on their various media platforms. Christians should work toward two primary tasks when it comes to Falun Gong: first, they should be aware of the new religious movement so they can respond with gentleness and respect and not fall prey to their beliefs; and second, Christians should have compassion for Falun Gong practitioners because they have been and continue to be victimized in China.


This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Lindsey Medenwaldt about her article in the current issue of the Christian Research Journal, “Falun Gong: How the West Was Won”. https://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/what-scientific-materialism-fails-to-explain/ Available as your first issue (July 2021) when you subscribe, click here to find out more. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 168: Best Selling Author and Astrologer Chani Nicholas Brings New Age Teaching to the Social Media Generation

Episode 166 Controversial Guru Teal Swan Brings New Age Teachings to the Social Media Generation

Controversial Guru Teal Swan and Astrologer Chani Nicholas Bring New Age Teachings to the Social Media Generation​

Episode 219: Humanity’s Ascension: Assessing the History Channel’s New Age, Time Travel Guru David Wilcock

“Humanity’s Ascension: Assessing the History Channel’s New Age, Time Travel Guru David Wilcock.”

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

There’s a shift in the characterization of modern adaptations of Sherlock Holmes that goes beyond the intensification and acceleration of contemporary storytelling. Conan Doyle’s Holmes is, despite his flaws, still admirable. Holmes is a flawed hero. Modern portrayals of Sherlock seem to lean into his flaws so strongly that there is almost nothing to admire except his brilliance. Why have our modern adaptations of Holmes become so critical? It may be, that as the most adapted literary hero in TV and film, modern storytellers have to offer a fresh spin, and the most natural spin is the rotation of water in the drain. In this regard, the darker takes on Holmes’s character have as much to do with belatedness as belittling. Something about Holmes’s quirks suggest that he’s circling self-destruction. In this sense, the later adaptations are merely picking up on features already embedded in Conan Doyle’s originals.

This is a conversation with JOURNAL contributing writer Phil Tallon about his article “The Fall of Sherlock: Investigating the Victorian Detective in a Modern Age” https://www.equip.org/article/the-fall-of-sherlock-investigating-the-victorian-detective-in-a-modern-age/

***Note: The article and podcast discusses plot points of various Sherlock Holmes stories in book, television and movie formats which may be considered spoilers.***

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Revenge Movies:

Episode 225: Wild Justice: Why Do We Love Revenge Movies?

Wild Justice: Why Do We Love Revenge Movies?

The Mandalorian

Episode 217: Thinking About Religion in The Mandalorian

This is the Way…Or is It?: Thinking About Religion in The Mandalorian

Tenet

Episode 205: Time May Change Me, But I Can’t Change Time: Reversing Time to Understand Christopher Nolan’s Tenet

Time May Change Me, But I Can’t Change Time: Reversing Time to Understand Christopher Nolan’s Tenet

A Hidden Life

Episode 155 The Marathon of Martyrdom: A Review of A Hidden Life

The Marathon of Martyrdom: A Review of A Hidden Life

Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker

Episode 154: The Dead Won’t Stop Talking: A Review of The Rise of Skywalker

The Dead Won’t Stop Talking: A Review of The Rise of Skywalker

Fred Rogers and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood:

Episode 150: The Eternal Importance of Being Awkwardly Earnest: A Review of “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”

The Eternal Importance of Being Awkwardly Earnest: A Review of “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”

Steven Spielberg Movies:

Episode 139 Clear Skies, Hurt Hearts, Can’t Lose: Why Spielberg’s Aliens Help Make us More Human

Clear Skies, Hurt Hearts, Can’t Lose: Why Spielberg’s Aliens Help Make us More Human

Tolkien

Episode 123 Tolkien’s First Fellowship

Tolkien’s First Fellowship A film review of Tolkien

Alfred Hitchcock films:

Episode 100: A. Hitchcock Films

The Coen Brother’s Films:

Episode 050: O Father, Where Art Thou? The Coen Brothers and the Riddle of Existence

“O Father, Where Are Thou? The Coen Brothers and the Riddle of Existence

The Films of Quentin Tarantino:

Episode 001: The Films of Quentin Tarantino

“Reservoir Gods: Quentin Tarantino’s Premodern Theology

Related:

Episode 173 Jesus Wake Up!

Episode 200 Wisdom for College Zoomers

Wisdom for College Zoomers

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Luca is a fun, eccentric film that exudes personality and leaves room for some rumination regarding friendship and fatherhood. The notion of platonic friendships is one you don’t hear too much about. That is to say, a close, intimate relationship, much like a true friendship, but one that is not sexually charged or defined by physical intimacy. Current cultural trends seem diametrically opposed to these kinds of relationships, reading subtextual emotions and attractions into both same- and other-sex relationships. Famed twentieth-century Christian writer C. S. Lewis contended that what made Friendship (with a capital “F”) so profound was the fact that it was the most unnecessary kind of relationship needed to function in society. It was not required for survival, nor to reproduce as a species. It is unique in that it is chosen. The other type of relationship that forms a crucial part of the film’s story is the relationship between fathers and their children. As Christians, we should not turn a blind eye toward the responsibilities of the father. Luca is yet another thoughtful, earnest look at the joys of childhood and the pains of growing up.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Cole Burgett about his online-exclusive, “Friendship and Fatherhood in Pixar’s Luca.” https://www.equip.org/article/friendship-and-fatherhood-in-pixars-luca/

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast. https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring discussions around Pixar movies:

Episode 228 Has Pixar Lost Its Soul ? Assessing an Animated Journey to the Afterlife and Back

Has Pixar Lost Its Soul ? Assessing an Animated Journey to the Afterlife and Back

Episode 014: Finding Dory and Pixar Animation Studios

Finding Dory: A Fish Tale about Perseverance and Overcoming Fear

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring Cole Burgett:

Episode 239: No Us Without Him: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Zack Snyder’s Justice League

No Us Without Him: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Episode 234: Star Wars Happy and Glorious in The High Republic

Happy and Glorious in The High Republic: A Review of The High Republic Era beginning with Star Wars: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule

Episode 227 Catharsis and the Power of Release in WandaVison

Catharsis and the Power of Release in Wandavison

Episode 222 Deconstructionism and the Gospel of Hope in Logan

Deconstructionism and the Gospel of Hope in Logan

Episode 218: Wonder Woman 1984: The Truth Is Enough.

Wonder Woman 1984: The Truth Is Enough.

Episode 214 Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old Fashioned Hero For Our Cynical Times

Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old- Fashioned Hero for Our Cynical Time

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

The best sports stories are the ones that are not really about the sport itself at all. The sporting, or coaching, or athleticism should play a supporting role to whatever else is happening in the story — so much so that the particular sport could be swapped out for practically any other related discipline, and the heart of the story would remain the same. This is the case with the Apple TV+ sitcom series Ted Lasso. On one level, it is a heartwarming comedy about Premier League Football, but on another level, it is a celebration of the life and work of a coach who embodies true kindness, love, joy, and patience amidst many storms—both serious and humorous. Ted Lasso celebrates elements of the fruit of the Spirit which is surprising for a TV-MA original streaming sports comedy that aired in the year 2020. But in a time when—in the eyes of so many—winning has become the ultimate morality, and the struggle to gain and maintain power has turned otherwise objective standards of goodness into subjective opinion, we all need more of what Ted Lasso is dishing out.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author K. B. Hoyle about her article, ““Wayward Ted”: Celebrating the Fruit of the Spirit in Ted Lasso” in the 44:1 issue of the Christian Research Journal. https://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/the-genius-of-job-contents/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

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Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

“Go, be free!” concludes Beth Allison Barr in her recently released, best-selling book, The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women became Gospel Truth. In the intersection of her life in the classroom and the strictures placed on her by her local church, her beliefs about women radically shifted. Eventually, after a difficult conversation with the theologically unbending complementarian elders at her Southern Baptist Church, Barr and her husband, the youth-pastor, were asked to leave. “This book is my story,” she writes, “a white woman whose experiences as a pastor’s wife and scholar have led me to reject evangelical teachings about male headship and female submission. I am fighting against patriarchy for women.” Part medieval history, part personal narrative, and part examination of the condition of women in complementarian circles, Dr. Barr (a history professor at Baylor University) applies a feminist hermeneutic to Scripture and history, purporting to discover a malign patriarchal inclination, if not an actual conspiracy by complementarians to write women out of the Bible, out of the church, and back into their homes to their highest calling by God as wives and mothers. This a conversation with Journal contributing writer Anne Kenney about our in-depth critical review of The Making of Biblical Womanhood. https://www.equip.org/article/be-free-the-making-of-biblical-womanhood-a-summary-critique-review-of-the-making-of-biblical-womanhood-how-the-subjugation-of-women-became-gospel-truth-by-beth-allison-barr/

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 224 You Only Die Once: Why It’s Okay Not to Live in the Present

You Only Die Once: Why It’s Okay Not to Live in the Present

Episode 216 Why Do I Call Myself Good? A Look at Virtue Signaling

Why Do I Call Myself Good? A Look at Virtue Signaling

Episode 211: There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

Episode 209 She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

Episode 204: The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

Episode 198 Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Episode 193 Catching UP with Rachel Hollis, Glennon Doyle & Jen Hatmaker

Episode 191 Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Episode 181 But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

Episode 178 Worshipping Together

Episode 160-Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Episode 151 Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Episode 147 Book Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage and An Evaluation of 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

A Helper Like Me: A Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage by David and Constantino Khalaf

Losing Faith: A Look at the 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

Episode 140 The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

The Unhindered Leadership of Jen Hatmaker

The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

Episode 136 Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Zack Snyder’s approach to the DC material is to skin the heroes as modern mythological figures. And he does so by using blatantly obvious parallels. Superman? That’s Jesus. He literally dies sacrificially, he literally resurrects. Batman? That’s Hades. He’s grim and glum and sulks around in an underworld called Gotham. His is a Divisive approach but he has something to say. Because Zack Snyder’s Justice League pays off on all that deconstructionism. It actually takes all the little broken pieces of classic characters and rearranges them to build them anew.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Cole Burgett about the modern superhero myths and how they can point seekers to the truth of the gospel and his online-exclusive article, “No Us Without Him: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Zack Snyder’s Justice League“. **Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for Zack Snyder’s Justice League.**https://www.equip.org/article/no-us-without-him-the-life-death-and-resurrection-of-zack-snyders-justice-league/

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here.https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Episode 234: Star Wars Happy and Glorious in The High Republic

Happy and Glorious in The High Republic: A Review of The High Republic Era beginning with Star Wars: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule

Episode 227 Catharsis and the Power of Release in WandaVison

Catharsis and the Power of Release in Wandavison

Episode 222 Deconstructionism and the Gospel of Hope in Logan

Deconstructionism and the Gospel of Hope in Logan

Episode 218: Wonder Woman 1984: The Truth Is Enough.

Wonder Woman 1984: The Truth Is Enough.

Episode 214 Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old Fashioned Hero For Our Cynical Times

Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old- Fashioned Hero for Our Cynical Time

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Since Albert Einstein rose to international fame during the first half of the 20th century, the natural sciences have only risen in prestige and cultural influence and the scientific community is now widely regarded as the ultimate authority on truth about the world. Some of its members have produced bestsellers that popularize cutting-edge scientific thought. The issue, though, is that they often step well beyond the domain of their respective specialties to make pronouncements on questions traditionally reserved for theology and philosophy, such as the existence of God, morality, free will, and life’s ultimate purpose. In an effort to champion a philosophical naturalist perspective, they imply that advancements in the natural sciences have somehow undermined the case for God and other theological doctrines, such as the existence of the human soul. According to these writers, science is well on its way to providing a comprehensive explanation of all of reality: how the universe began, how everything developed, and the eventual dissolution of it all. Thus, to be a scientifically literate person, this modern narrative suggests, is to be a materialist — to believe that the only objective reality consists of matter and energy behaving according to the laws of physics and chemistry. This podcast is a conversation with Dr. Melissa Cain Travis about how the Christian apologist counters this world view.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Melissa Cain Travis about her article, “Scientific Materialist Manifesto: The Pursuit of Meaning in a Godless Universe” https://www.equip.org/article/scientific-materialist-manifesto-the-pursuit-of-meaning-in-a-godless-universe/
from the 42:2 issue of the Christian Research Journal. https://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/out-of-the-ashes-at-ground-zero/

This print article is being released early as part of our early access feature. It will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 062: How the Structure and Comprehensibility of the Universe Reveal a Mindful Maker

A Grand Cosmic Resonance: How the Structure and Comprehensibility of the Universe Reveal a Mindful Maker

Episode 138-Using NBC’s The Good Place in Conversational Apologetics

Using NBC’s The Good Place in Conversational Apologetics

Episode 132: The Artistic Pro-Life Theme in Netflix’s I Am Mother

The Artistic Pro-Life Theme in Netflix’s I Am Mother

Episode 095 Virtue, Human Nature, and the Quest for Happiness

Virtue, Human Nature and the Quest for Happiness

Episode 002: Motherhood and the Life of the Mind

Motherhood and the Life of the Mind

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Most of the time in conversations with skeptics, they want to pit faith against fact and throw it to the vicious onslaught of reason to be torn apart and devoured by the likes of science, truth, evidence, and reality. Faith against fact — these words not only find their way into book titles and chapter headings, but they also serve as common rebuttals to Christian beliefs in ordinary conversations with skeptics. No atheistic litany would be complete without some expression of woe over Christianity’s blatant offenses to reason. Religious skeptics typically fail to define and distinguish properly between belief and truth, both of which are essential elements of knowledge. This episode offers some reflections on how Christians can respond to the faith–reason (faith–fact) dichotomy.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Jonah Haddad about his effective evangelism article, “Faith, Fact, and Reason: Ingredients for Knowledge” in the current issue of the Christian Research Journal.
You can subscribe and receive this as your first issue (Spring 2021) by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/the-genius-of-job-contents/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other articles featuring this author:

Evaluating Extremism: Are Extreme Beliefs Always Dangerous?

Reanimating Apologetics with the Undead

Allah, The Trinity, and Divine Love

Other related articles:

Jerry’s Game-a book review of Faith vs. Fact: Why Science and Religion Are Incompatible by Jerry A. Coyne

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Debates with Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs) often prove frustrating, an endless ping-pong of futile talk, especially when the topic is the Holy Trinity. While essential Christian doctrine asserts that God subsists in three eternally distinct persons — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit — JWs craft their New World Translation (NWT) to mask the New Testament’s otherwise clear teaching that Christ is true deity equal to the Father. JWs deny the deity of the Christ and subordinate Him to the Father (e.g., Christ is the Father’s first creation).

It is not uncommon that believers leave conversations with JWs perplexed, given that JWs are often trained in challenging biblical support for the Trinity. The process often involves believers presenting JWs with a biblical passage that supports the doctrine of the Trinity, which is then followed by the JWs presenting a biblical passage that appears to question the doctrine of the Trinity. This process may be repeated over and over until one or both persons end the conversation in frustration after experiencing hitting a ’brick wall’ with no hope of making any impact. However, there is another way to present the deity of Christ to JWs, one that bypasses the typical method of interaction, and instead confronts them with a number of powerful examples of how the NWT applies a specific rule inconsistently to “restore” God’s divine name in the New Testament. The purpose of this article is to provide believers with a practical two-step approach to showing JWs how the NWT is a highly unreliable translation of biblical texts.

According to the WBTS, the divine name should be “restored” in the New Testament when a verse contains “either direct quotations from or indirect references to scriptures that use the Tetragrammaton [the four Hebrew letters signifying the divine name YHWH] in the original Hebrew text of the Old Testament.” For the sake of discussion with a JW, we accept the practice of “restoring” the divine name in the NT, but in doing so, we clarify that one must carefully apply this “restoration” rule consistently. The two-step approach is to show sets of NT verses with corresponding OT quotations — one in which the NWT applies the “restoration” rule and one in which it breaks it. The reason for this is simple — the WBTS’s theology does not allow for the rule to be applied consistently. If it were to be applied consistently, the deity of Christ would become clear. Your task is to show the inconsistency of the NWT’s application of the “restoration” rule to the JWs, as well as the implications that this has for the interpretation of the verses.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Ziggi Ivan Santini about his online-exclusive article, Restoring” the Divine Name in the New World Translation? A Strategy for Dialoging with Jehovah’s Witnesses https://www.equip.org/article/restoring-the-divine-name-in-the-new-world-translation-a-strategy-for-dialoging-with-jehovahs-witnesses/
Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. Coming soon! Check back here and at our article archive page.

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When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Related articles:

A Holy Spirit Encounter with a Jehovah’s Witness

Jehovah’s Witnesses and John 1:1: New Evidence Advances the Discussion

Discussing Deity with Jehovah’s Witnesses

And many more on various Jehovah’s Witnesses topics we published over the years. Please click here for more information.

In Deuteronomy 22:5, perhaps the key text regarding clothing, God tells us that, “a woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God.” Some Christians hold to the conviction that pants are garments for men. If a woman wears pants, therefore, she violates God’s law by wearing men’s clothing. She has sinned. It is important to note, however, that the text, though written in a specific time and from within a particular cultural context, does not specify which garments belong to a man and which garments belong to a woman. The command is principal in nature and transcendent in scope, not culture-bound and specific. That is, there is a universal good to which the command appeals that is not bound to the historical community and context of the people of Israel during the Exodus. However, God does not want men setting out to dress as women or women as men. Any attempt to purposefully blur the binary distinction between male and female does violence to the Gospel, the image of God, and God’s created order. This explains why Deuteronomy 22:5 cannot be more specific than it is. The male/female binary distinction is essential to our humanity and is thus foundational to every civilization, culture, and nation but the expressions of this binary will differ from people to people, place to place, and time to time. What might be seen as masculine attire in one time and place might be considered feminine in another. This is an in-depth conversation with JOURNAL author Mathew M. Kennedy about what the Bible teaches about cross-dressing and the gender binary.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Matthew M. Kennedy about his online exclusive article, “Does the Bible Dictate Clothing Style by Gender? Cross Dressing and the Gender Binary”. https://www.equip.org/article/does-the-bible-dictate-clothing-style-by-gender-cross-dressing-and-the-gender-binary/

Starting in February 2021, all online-exclusive articles, have had a early access window for Journal subscribers only before being made public. Given the prevalence of the subject matter in the daily news and our lives , our editorial board decided to make this available to the public as soon as possible. Also consider this a free preview of the quality and in-depth research that goes into our online-exclusives. To learn more about subscribing and gaining early access to future online-exclusive articles, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here and subscribing by clicking here.

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Perhaps the most interesting storytelling initiative undertaken by Disney since its acquisition of the Star Wars franchise comes in the form of The High Republic, a multi-platform publishing enterprise begun in January of 2021. Set 200 years before Lucas’s The Phantom Menace, this interconnected series of books, comic books, and future television series, looks to chart a course for the future of Star Wars by taking audiences into uncharted territory—the golden age of the Jedi. The Jedis’ connection to the Force, the pseudo-magical energy that flows through every living being in the Star Wars universe, is more pronounced here as well. The Jedi are far more open to different approaches and methods of using the Force than in the prequel films. It would be safe to say that the High Republic era is meant to channel the kind of chivalric adventures of yore; only, instead of knights-errant, the heroes are Jedi. Everything is happy and glorious in the High Republic—and the Jedi have the most progressive ideologies of the day. Why should Christians care about and interact with one of the most popular mythic series of our modern time? Christian author C.S. Lewis once wrote, “The value of the myth is that it takes all the things we know and restores to them the rich significance which has been hidden by ‘the veil of familiarity.’ The child enjoys his cold meat, otherwise dull to him, by pretending it is buffalo, just killed with his own bow and arrow. And the child is wise. The real meat comes back to him more savory for having been dipped in a story…by putting bread, gold, horse, apple, or the very roads into a myth, we do not retreat from reality: we rediscover it.” The story of Christianity is the great, true story.

This episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Cole Burgett about the Star Wars universe and how the Christian can use other myth tales to point to the truth of the gospel and his online-exclusive article, “Happy and Glorious in The High Republic: A Review of The High Republic Era beginning with Star Wars: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule https://www.equip.org/article/happy-and-glorious-in-the-high-republic-a-review-of-the-high-republic-era-beginning-with-star-wars-light-of-the-jedi-by-charles-soule/

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring Star Wars.

Episode 154: The Dead Won’t Stop Talking: A Review of The Rise of Skywalker

The Dead Won’t Stop Talking: A Review of The Rise of Skywalker

Episode 054: The Last Jedi: A Star Wars Movie for the Era of “the Nones”

The Last Jedi: A Star Wars Movie for the Era of “the Nones”

Episode 027: “Evaluating the Star Wars Worldview”

May the Force Bewitch You: Evaluating the Star Wars Worldview

Christian Wisdom of the Jedi Masters

Family, Faith and Father

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Some people proclaim that they are Christians, that “my faith is very important to me,” and talk openly about Jesus, but they say these things while they are living in overt, unrepentant sexual sin. Hopefully, that’s not you. But if it is, then you probably aren’t saved, and, unless you repent, you will be lost forever. The idea that someone is probably not saved if they are living in overt, unrepentant sexual sin — is one that will baffle and/or upset many people. But the Bible is clear about this. Consider Ephesians 5:3, 5–6: “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints….For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” But I’ve Prayed “the Sinner’s Prayer”! Some will protest that they believe in Jesus and that they have prayed the sinner’s prayer, so that means they are saved. No, it does not. Without repentance, those are what Paul called, “empty words.” The sinner’s prayer never saved anyone, and faith that doesn’t result in a change of behavior isn’t a saving faith.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Clay Jones about his 44:1 Viewpoint article, “You Probably Aren’t Saved If…(This Is about Sex)” which you receive as your first issue for new subscribers (Spring 2021). https://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/the-genius-of-job-contents/
To subscribe to the Journal, please click here.https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click herehttps://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and podcasts featuring this author

Postmodern Realities: Episode 030: Evangelizing the Cultural Christian

Evangelizing the Cultural Christian

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

“Yeah, but who created God?” The question can feel like an attempted gotcha moment in apologetic encounters, even to seasoned apologists. In a culture increasingly conditioned to “win” arguments with soundbite retorts, Christian apologists must not react dismissively to this common question.
This episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author R. Keith Loftin about how to seriously answer the question, “Who Made God?”, from his 41:5 article which was just released online.
https://www.equip.org/article/but-who-made-god/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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An irrepressible note of joy rings throughout the literary corpus of the magnificent English writer G. K. Chesterton. It is surprising, then, that Job, the book that plunges headlong into the problem of unjust suffering, was Chesterton’s favorite book of the Bible. He found “the riddles of God…more comforting than the solutions of man.”

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Rebekah Valerius about her 44:1 article, “G. K. Chesterton on the Book of Job“, https://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/the-genius-of-job-contents/ which you receive as your first issue for new subscribers (April 2021). To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 210: Bespoke Religiosity and the Rise of the Nones: a review of Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World by Tara Isabella Burton

Bespoke Religiosity and the Rise of the Nones: a review of Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World by Tara Isabella Burton

Episode 073: Hell and Kids

Is It Abusive to Teach Children about Hell

Journey to the Bottom of the Glass: A Review of The Works of His Hands: A Scientist’s Journey from Atheism to Faith by Sy Garte

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To date, nearly 2.9 million people have died worldwide in the Covid-19 pandemic. The global economy struggled while nations enacted stay-at-home orders, and our politics fractured under the weight of heated disagreements. Illness, travel restrictions, and protective hospital protocols separated loved ones in the time we needed each other the most. Reports of depression and suicide dramatically increased among the younger members of the population, and no one’s life remained untouched. This collective loss drove a massive effort by the United States government to create a program called Operation Warp Speed for the speedy development and manufacturing of vaccines for COVID-19. Within a year, Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson all developed vaccines capable of providing protection from the most severe symptoms of Covid-19, welcome news for members of communities disproportionately impacted including the elderly, those living with underlying medical conditions, and certain minority communities. As the promise of vaccines generated new hope, a concern arose. All four approved vaccines used human fetal cells acquired through induced abortion somewhere in the development process.

Can we trust the vaccines are safe given the rush to produce them? Are these vaccines safe? Did the production of the four Covid-19 vaccines include human fetal cells derived from elective abortions? Does taking the vaccine cooperate with evil? Does taking COVID vaccines appropriation rather than cooperation, enjoying the benefits from an act of moral evil while being negatively transformed through the omission of protests? This is a deep dive conversation about bioethics issues and the COIVD vaccine with writer Jay Watts.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Jay Watts about his online-exclusive viewpoint article, “Is it Ethical for Pro-Life Christians to Receive Covid-19 Vaccines?”. https://www.equip.org/article/is-it-ethical-for-pro-life-christians-to-receive-covid-19-vaccines/

Starting in February 2021, all online-exclusive articles, have had a early access window for Journal subscribers only before being made public. Given the time sensitive nature and global importance of this subject, our editorial board decided to make this available to the public as soon as possible. Also consider this a free preview of the quality and in depth research that goes into our online-exclusives. To learn more about subscribing and gaining early access to future online-exclusive articles, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here and subscribing by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/ and https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

Viewpoint articles address relevant contemporary issues in discernment and apologetics from a particular perspective that is usually not shared by all Christians, with the intended result that Christians’ thinking on that issue will be stimulated and enhanced (whether or not people end up agreeing with the author’s opinion).

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and podcasts related to Covid-19:

Postmodern Realities: Episode 174 Loving Your Neighbor

Postmodern Realities: Episode 167 Faithful Living Through the Coronavirus

Faithful Living Through the Coronavirus

Postmodern Realities: Episode 172 Covid-19 Do Pro-life Principles Require A Sustained Shut Down of the Economy? Who Decides?

Covid-19 Do Pro-life Principles Require A Sustained Shut Down of the Economy? Who Decides?

Postmodern Realities:Episode 187 Five Ways to Disciple Your Family During the Pandemic

Five Ways to Disciple Your Family During the Quarantine



Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Midlife is a season of challenge and change―professionally, relationally, physically, and spiritually. On our better days, we experience a sense of growing clarity and satisfaction about who we are in midlife. We might even come to terms with our limitations and vulnerabilities, letting go of some dreams and creating new ones. But many days, we are overwhelmed and exhausted by the intense transitions of this season, leaving us feeling off-balance and insecure. And these challenges reverberate through our marriages, making us wonder how we're going to survive. In marriages for decades, spouses can attach moral energy to our way of moving through life which often leads to judgment, pride, and conflict. Marital disappointments can often be traced back to the expectations we brought into our covenant. However, these relational disappointments we have with our spouse are opportunities for us to give thanks to God, become more engaged in our marriage, repent, and draw closer to Christ. Ultimately, these responses should soften our hearts and increase our capacity to love our spouse.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Dorothy Littell Greco about her article, “Marriage in Mid-Life: How Disappointment Helps Us Become More Christlike.” in the 44:1 issue of Christian Research Journal. https://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/the-genius-of-job-contents/

Subscribe today (Spring 2021) and receive this as your first issue. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Pixar’s twenty-third film, Soul (Disney+), offers glimpses into the afterlife and the nature of the soul, not as an academic presentation on metaphysics or theology, but to tell a story about life. Nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Animated Feature Film, there’s no doubt that Soul is a fun, compelling film, beautifully scored and animated, and voiced by excellent talent (such as Jamie Foxx as Joe and Tina Fey as 22). Christian readers are sure to have had a few red flags raised, theologically speaking, leading to several questions. Joe is almost dead, but he can return to his body? The afterlife made a mistake? Souls exist before they are born? Humans can visit celestial realms via meditation? Does God exist or do anything in this fictional world? Parents may be especially alarmed, unsure of how to assess Soul, or not sure if their children should even be allowed to view it. In the end, Soul is about life and the wonderful possibilities and experiences it holds for each of us. There is more to life than achieving our dreams. And biblically Christians are to live our lives, glorifying God in what we do. Soul is not crafted to teach us the minutiae of eschatology, including what happens when we die. Instead, it focuses on the value of life and making the most of the time we have. Ultimately, Soul is a life-affirming story, celebrating the promise that life holds. For the Christian, made in God’s image, we have the potential for what we paradoxically may term ordinary greatness. Our lives may seem ordinary, but we are destined for royalty as children of God. Yes, this life can be heartbreaking and difficult, but it also holds so much more that is good and true and holy.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Robert Velarde about his online-exclusive article, “Has Pixar Lost Its Soul? :Assessing an Animated Journey to the Afterlife and Back”. https://www.equip.org/article/has-pixar-lost-its-soul-assessing-an-animated-journey-to-the-afterlife-and-back/

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 207 BoJack Horseman: Loneliness in a Godless Universe

BoJack Horseman: Loneliness in a Godless Universe

Episode 185 Star Trek: Picard and Transhumanism — Where No One Has Gone Before

Star Trek: Picard and Transhumanism — Where No One Has Gone Before

Episode 179 Rick and Morty: Scientism, Self-Centeredness, and the Search for Meaning

Rick and Morty: Scientism, Self-Centeredness, and the Search for Meaning

Episode 110 Ancient Aliens

Did Ancient Extraterrestrials Visit Earth?

Episode 027: “Evaluating the Star Wars Worldview”

May the Force Bewitch You: Evaluating the Star Wars Worldview

Christian Wisdom of the Jedi Masters

Episode 014: Finding Dory and Pixar Animation Studios

Finding Dory: A Fish Tale about Perseverance and Overcoming Fear

The Wisdom of Pixar

The Gospel According to Lost

Man of Steel Meets Son of God

The Clockwork Despair of “The Watchmen”

Breaking Bad’s Addicting Defense of Moral Realism

Television as the New Literature: Understanding and Evaluating the Medium

Jodi Picoult’s Novel Ideas

Prometheus: Finding God in Outer Space

More Than a Wager: Blaise Pascal and the Defense of the Faith

Celebrity Death and the Meaning of Life

Preparing for the Apocalypse: A Look at the Rise of Doomsday Preppers

Deepak Chopra’s Cosmic Enlightenment: Eastern Ideas in a Western Culture

Brave New Gadgetry: Technological Discernment and the Family

Reincarnation: Lifetimes for Enlightenment?

Guru Knows Best?

Personal Power or Harmful Hedonism?

One Savior, Many Paths?

Good Philosophy Must Exist

Ghosts for the Atheist

Immanuel Kant

The Secret Revealed

Alternative Medicine, Apologetics, and the Church

Glimpses of the Devil: A Psychiatrist’s Personal Accounts of Possession, Exorcism, and Redemption

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

WandaVision is a weird television series (Disney Plus). Even by modern television standards, where hardly any project can get a greenlight from a studio unless it is “high concept” or experimental, WandaVision seems like the kind of series that would look mighty dubious even on paper. The story here could easily have been told in the usual straightforward manner—and, in some ways, this might have been the wiser decision to make—yet the show’s creators have chosen to spin their yarn in a unique way. Viewers who don’t mind taking a trip through television history and manage to slog through the first three episodes may find themselves invested in the compelling mystery that drives the series. Eventually, viewers who stick it out until the end will have witnessed a profound character study on the effects of grief and the power of catharsis.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Cole Burgett about his online-exclusive article, “Catharsis and the Power of Release in WandaVison.” **Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for WandaVision** https://www.equip.org/article/catharsis-and-the-power-of-release-in-wandavison/

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 222 Deconstructionism and the Gospel of Hope in Logan

Deconstructionism and the Gospel of Hope in Logan

Episode 218: Wonder Woman 1984: The Truth Is Enough.

Wonder Woman 1984: The Truth Is Enough.

Episode 214 Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old Fashioned Hero For Our Cynical Times

Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old- Fashioned Hero for Our Cynical Time

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Richard Rohr is a prolific author and popular speaker. His biography states that he “is a globally recognized ecumenical teacher bearing witness to the universal awakening within Christian mysticism and the Perennial Tradition.” In 1987, Rohr founded the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and has been a strong force in the contemplative prayer movement. Oprah has interviewed him twice. Richard Rohr is a heretic in the robes of a Franciscan priest. To be more specific, he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a false teacher, and a deceiver (see Matthew 7:15–19; Acts 20:29–31). Basing his teaching primarily on eastern mysticism rather than biblical Christianity, Rohr counsels us to find our “true self” instead of knowing a Savior distinct from the self, and his teaching on contemplative prayer emphasizes letting go of thoughts instead of focusing them on Christ. He also helped introduce the pagan-based and psychologically unsupported practice of the enneagram to Roman Catholics and Protestants. Yet some of his forty-five books have been bestsellers, and his influence runs deep.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Douglas Groothuis about his online-exclusive article, “A Heretic’s Christ, a False Salvation: A Review of The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope for, and Believe by Richard Rohr.” https://www.equip.org/article/a-heretics-christ-a-false-salvation-a-review-of-the-universal-christ-how-a-forgotten-reality-can-change-everything-we-see-hope-for-and-believe-richard-rohr/

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here.
We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 220 God and Our Ignorance

God and Our Ignorance

Episode 194 Autobiography as Apologetic

Autobiography as Apologetic

Episode 157: The Reincarnation of Reincarnation

The Reincarnation of Reincarnation

Episode 122 Shamelessly Wrong

Shamelessly Wrong: Book Review of Shameless: A Sexual Reformation Nadia Bolz-Weber

Episode 004: Agile Apologetics

Developing an Agile Apologetic

Channeling: Revelations Of Deception

Learning From an Apostle: Christianity in the Marketplace of Ideas (Acts 17:16-34)

Why Buddhism is Not True: Review of Why Buddhism Is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment

Jean-Paul Satre And The Resurgence Of Existentialism

Francis Schaeffer: Pastor, Evangelist, Apologist, Prophet

The Christian Apologist’s Moral Compass

Steve Jobs, Jesus, and the Problem of Evil

And many more, Dr. Groothuis has written articles for us for over 30 years.

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Many Christians may not admit it but they probably have entertained the dark fantasy of avenging a loved one in a roaring rampage of revenge. Did the hit movie Taken, with its perfectly delivered and iconic dialogue, create this fantasy? Or did it merely tap into an unspoken desire? Does Liam Neeson’s deep-voiced threat sound cool because we all have a deep-down desire for vigilante justice? Rarely do these movies wrestle with questions of ethics. Francis Bacon calls revenge “wild justice.” These films create a scenario where the hero’s quest feels just. The wrongs they revenge are so potent that we desire justice, and we want it to be ‘wild.’ It is worth thinking about the degree to which our pleasure in seeing the victim carry out vengeance is a departure from a biblical view of justice.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Philip Tallon about his online-exclusive article, “Wild Justice: Why Do We Love Revenge Movies?”https://www.equip.org/article/wild-justice-why-do-we-love-revenge-movies/

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. Coming soon! Check back here and at our article archive page. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

The Mandalorian

Episode 217: Thinking About Religion in The Mandalorian

This is the Way…Or is It?: Thinking About Religion in The Mandalorian

Tenet

Episode 205: Time May Change Me, But I Can’t Change Time: Reversing Time to Understand Christopher Nolan’s Tenet

Time May Change Me, But I Can’t Change Time: Reversing Time to Understand Christopher Nolan’s Tenet

A Hidden Life

Episode 155 The Marathon of Martyrdom: A Review of A Hidden Life

The Marathon of Martyrdom: A Review of A Hidden Life

Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker

Episode 154: The Dead Won’t Stop Talking: A Review of The Rise of Skywalker

The Dead Won’t Stop Talking: A Review of The Rise of Skywalker

Fred Rogers and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood:

Episode 150: The Eternal Importance of Being Awkwardly Earnest: A Review of “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”

The Eternal Importance of Being Awkwardly Earnest: A Review of “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”

Steven Spielberg Movies:

Episode 139 Clear Skies, Hurt Hearts, Can’t Lose: Why Spielberg’s Aliens Help Make us More Human

Clear Skies, Hurt Hearts, Can’t Lose: Why Spielberg’s Aliens Help Make us More Human

Tolkien

Episode 123 Tolkien’s First Fellowship

Tolkien’s First Fellowship A film review of Tolkien

Alfred Hitchcock films:

Episode 100: A. Hitchcock Films

The Coen Brother’s Films:

Episode 050: O Father, Where Art Thou? The Coen Brothers and the Riddle of Existence

“O Father, Where Are Thou? The Coen Brothers and the Riddle of Existence

The Films of Quentin Tarantino:

Episode 001: The Films of Quentin Tarantino

“Reservoir Gods: Quentin Tarantino’s Premodern Theology

Related:

Episode 173 Jesus Wake Up!

Episode 200 Wisdom for College Zoomers

Wisdom for College Zoomers





Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

The term YOLO was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 20162 but appears as early as 2011 when Drake, the Canadian singer and hip-hop artist, used it in a famous, excessively profane song.4 A fresh iteration of the ironically timeless “Carpe Diem,” YOLO is as plastic as that term, molding itself to any single person’s perception of the good life. How I employ it reveals my heart priorities, the things I most value, and the dimly apprehended reality that what I believe about tomorrow will necessarily shape how I live today. The deeper and more alarming truth, however, is not that you only live once. You actually live twice, the second time forever. It’s the death that happens once—and how you spend it is the critical factor for how you live not only for evermore, but for now.


This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Anne Kennedy about her online-exclusive article, “You Only Die Once: Why It’s Okay Not to Live in the Present”.

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. Coming soon! Check back here and at our article archive page.

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 216 Why Do I Call Myself Good? A Look at Virtue Signaling

Why Do I Call Myself Good? A Look at Virtue Signaling

Episode 211: There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

Episode 209 She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

Episode 204: The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

Episode 198 Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Episode 193 Catching UP with Rachel Hollis, Glennon Doyle & Jen Hatmaker

Episode 191 Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Episode 181 But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

Episode 178 Worshipping Together

Episode 160-Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Episode 151 Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Episode 147 Book Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage and An Evaluation of 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

A Helper Like Me: A Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage by David and Constantino Khalaf

Losing Faith: A Look at the 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

Episode 140 The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

The Unhindered Leadership of Jen Hatmaker

The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

Episode 136 Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

C. S. Lewis once wrote in this book Miracles that “the Central Miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation….Every other miracle prepares for this, or exhibits this, or results from this.” Important as the mysteries of the death and resurrection of Christ are, without the supreme mystery of the Incarnation, the crucifixion and resurrection would not have their saving power. The very Person of Christ is the gospel. Such is the core message of one of the greatest Fathers in all of church history: Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 296–298 to 2 May 373).

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Bradley Nassif about his article from the Volume 42, number 1 (2019) issue, “Athanasius A C.S. Lewis of the Early Church”. https://www.equip.org/article/athanasius-a-c-s-lewis-of-the-early-church/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/
Other articles and podcasts featuring this author:

Hank Unplugged: A Call from Christ: May We Be as One, with Dr. Bradley Nassif

How Was Orthodoxy Established in the Ecumenical Councils

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Few actors have become so intrinsically tied to a character they’ve played like Hugh Jackman and his portrayal of James Howlett, better known as Logan, the Wolverine. A central figure in 20th Century Fox’s long-running X-Men film series, Logan is a mutant with an accelerated healing ability and a bad temper who sprouts bony, claw-like protrusions from his hands when it comes time for some down and dirty knuckle-dusting. His mutant abilities ensure that he’s been around for a lot longer than most people, as well as put him on the military’s radar as they seek to hone him into a finely tuned killing machine through a secret project dubbed “Weapon X.” When he has a fictional metal known as “adamantium” grafted onto his bones, he becomes nigh-on indestructible—until age finally catches up to him. As his body begins to break down after nearly two centuries of trauma, Logan trudges on toward the finish line, finally ready to be done with this life in which everything and everyone he loves passes on while he remains. Logan is a film that masterfully deconstructs the superhero film genre, unmaking and profoundly humanizing its central hero. By embracing the mythic dimensions of tragic heroes, Logan subverts audience expectations at every corner to tell a seemingly new story through the rediscovery of classic mythological tropes.

It was the great conviction of author C. S. Lewis that, even as adults, the world is best seen through the eyes of a child with stories. Those stories have the potential to “baptize” the imagination, priming one to receive in faith the mythic dimensions of the biblical story, and therefore the gospel. This is a conversation about the Marvel character the Wolverine and the film Logan which can be used by the cultural apologist as a springboard to talk about the truth of Christianity.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Cole Burgett about his article, “Deconstructionism and the Gospel of Hope in Logan.” **Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for Logan.** https://www.equip.org/article/deconstructionism-and-the-gospel-of-hope-in-logan/

Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here.

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/

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Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 218: Wonder Woman 1984: The Truth Is Enough.

Wonder Woman 1984: The Truth Is Enough.

Episode 214 Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old Fashioned Hero For Our Cynical Times

Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old- Fashioned Hero for Our Cynical Time

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

When struggling with the loss of a loved one, it is sometimes more helpful to turn to poetry than to philosophy for answers and for consolation. Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the greatest and most representative poet of the British Victorian Age, struggled mightily with the problem of pain in an epic poem that he wrote as a way of dealing with his grief over the sudden death of his closest friend, Arthur Hallam. But his poem, In Memoriam, does more than wrestle with the loss of a friend; it wrestles with the societal loss of a traditional Christian worldview. Twenty years before Darwin’s Origin of Species, Tennyson wrestled with the theory of evolution and all that that theory implies about the nature of God, man, and the universe. Although Tennyson, unaware of the modern cosmological, paleontological, and bio-chemical challenges to Darwinism, leans toward theistic evolution, and although he comes dangerously close to endorsing a fully subjectivized faith, his raw, honest grappling with pain and suffering and his yearning for a transcendent God make him a worthy co-wrestler for the modern Christian.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Louis Markos about his online-exclusive article, “Tennyson on Theodicy: How a Victorian Poet Can Help Modern Christians Deal with the Problem of Pain.” https://www.equip.org/article/tennyson-on-theodicy-how-a-victorian-poet-can-help-modern-christians-deal-with-the-problem-of-pain/
Please note this article will be fully accessible by the public in the future, to get early access to read it now, please see our FAQ section on Early Access to Online-Exclusive Articles by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/ Coming soon! Check back here and at our article archive page.

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Postmodern Realities Episode 171 Why Christians Should Read the Pagan Classics

Why Christians Should Read the Pagan Classics

Hank Unplugged: How to Explain Hell with Louis Markos

How Dante’s Inferno Can Help Explain Hell to Modern Seekers

Hank Unplugged: Atheism on Trial with Dr. Louis Markos

C. S. Lewis on Hell

The Legacy of G.K. Chesterton and Dorothy Sayers

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Contrary to popular thinking, Christianity is a “knowledge tradition” and calls people to knowledge of God, themselves, and the gospel. This also means, paradoxically, that we ought to know what it is that we cannot possibly know and how we should orient ourselves to our not-knowing under God.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Douglas Groothuis about his article in the 43:3 Issue of the Journal entitled “God and Our Ignorance”. https://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/if-your-child-were-gay-would-you-change-your-view-on-homosexuality/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Episode 194 Autobiography as Apologetic

Autobiography as Apologetic

Episode 157: The Reincarnation of Reincarnation

The Reincarnation of Reincarnation

Episode 122 Shamelessly Wrong

Shamelessly Wrong: Book Review of Shameless: A Sexual Reformation Nadia Bolz-Weber

Episode 004: Agile Apologetics

Developing an Agile Apologetic

Channeling: Revelations Of Deception

Learning From an Apostle: Christianity in the Marketplace of Ideas (Acts 17:16-34)

Why Buddhism is Not True: Review of Why Buddhism Is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment

Jean-Paul Satre And The Resurgence Of Existentialism

Francis Schaeffer: Pastor, Evangelist, Apologist, Prophet

The Christian Apologist’s Moral Compass

Steve Jobs, Jesus, and the Problem of Evil

And many more, Dr. Groothuis has written articles for us for over 30 years.

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content

New Age spiritual leader, New York Times bestselling author, and ancient alien expert on the History channel, David Wilcock subscribes to many conspiracies, from time travel to benevolent extraterrestrials on earth. Wilcock also believes he’s the reincarnation of Edgar Cayce and that he’s serving humankind by preparing us for a mass evolutionary event. How should Christians respond to his teaching?

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Lindsey Medenwaldt about her article in the 43:3 issue of the Journal entitled, “Humanity’s Ascension: Assessing the History Channel’s New Age, Time Travel Guru David Wilcock.” https://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/if-your-child-were-gay-would-you-change-your-view-on-homosexuality/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 168: Best Selling Author and Astrologer Chani Nicholas Brings New Age Teaching to the Social Media Generation

Episode 166 Controversial Guru Teal Swan Brings New Age Teachings to the Social Media Generation

Controversial Guru Teal Swan and Astrologer Chani Nicholas Bring New Age Teachings to the Social Media Generation​

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Wonder Woman 1984 is a film about longing. A major temptation when adapting comic book material is to sacrifice characters and emotionally resonant narratives for action sequences driven primarily by special effects and computer-generated images. While WW84 is not short on action, and the special effects are top-notch, the movie does not turn upon these sequences. Instead, the narrative is carried primarily by four very capable actors who turn in strong performances in a film that is fundamentally about longing and the great patience that defines suffering.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Cole Burgett about their article, “The Truth is Enough: A Review of Wonder Woman 1984“. Note: this review contains spoilers for Wonder Women (2017) and Wonder Women: 1984 (2020). https://www.equip.org/article/wonder-woman-1984-the-truth-is-enough/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 214 Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old Fashioned Hero For Our Cynical Times

Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old- Fashioned Hero for Our Cynical Time

Other related podcasts and articles:

Episode 041: The Gracious Heroism of Wonder Woman

The Gracious Heroism of Wonder Woman



Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Woven through the political struggles of Star Wars are religious and personal conflicts. It’s possible that Star Wars is the most religiously interested of all major Hollywood franchises. While religion is almost completely absent in mainstream Hollywood cinema–except as an occasional bogeyman or mythological background–Star Wars is centered on the abstract and impersonal “Force” as a source of supernatural power and as a moral axis. The heroes’ journeys develop as they embrace and expand their connection to the force. “The Mandalorian” takes up Star Wars’ interest in religion, though with much the same postmodern wrestling that we see play out the trilogies. While the original trilogy presents the Jedi religion in a straightforward and positive light, the following films have complicated the faith in a way that fits with our questioning times.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Philip Tallon about his online-exclusive article, “This is the Way…Or is It?: Thinking About Religion in The Mandalorian“. https://www.equip.org/article/this-is-the-way-or-is-it-thinking-about-religion-in-the-mandalorian/Note this review contains spoilers for Season 1 and 2.

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 205: Time May Change Me, But I Can’t Change Time: Reversing Time to Understand Christopher Nolan’s Tenet

Time May Change Me, But I Can’t Change Time: Reversing Time to Understand Christopher Nolan’s Tenet

Episode 173 Jesus Wake Up!

Episode 200 Wisdom for College Zoomers

Wisdom for College Zoomers

A Hidden Life

Episode 155 The Marathon of Martyrdom: A Review of A Hidden Life

The Marathon of Martyrdom: A Review of A Hidden Life

Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker

Episode 154: The Dead Won’t Stop Talking: A Review of The Rise of Skywalker

The Dead Won’t Stop Talking: A Review of The Rise of Skywalker

Fred Rogers and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood:

Episode 150: The Eternal Importance of Being Awkwardly Earnest: A Review of “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”

The Eternal Importance of Being Awkwardly Earnest: A Review of “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”

Steven Spielberg Movies:

Episode 139 Clear Skies, Hurt Hearts, Can’t Lose: Why Spielberg’s Aliens Help Make us More Human

Clear Skies, Hurt Hearts, Can’t Lose: Why Spielberg’s Aliens Help Make us More Human

Tolkien Review:

Episode 123 Tolkien’s First Fellowship

Tolkien’s First Fellowship A film review of Tolkien

Alfred Hitchcock films:

Episode 100: A. Hitchcock Films

The Coen Brother’s Films:

Episode 050: O Father, Where Art Thou? The Coen Brothers and the Riddle of Existence

“O Father, Where Are Thou? The Coen Brothers and the Riddle of Existence

The Films of Quentin Tarantino:

Episode 001: The Films of Quentin Tarantino

“Reservoir Gods: Quentin Tarantino’s Premodern Theology





Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “No one is good except God alone.

Social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt, in his book The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion works through the secular psychological research that propels each person towards the defense of personal goodness. In a series of interviews with people from differently stratified class, gender, and ethnic categories, Haidt and his assistants discovered that the internalized moral compass that guides human behavior first and foremost works to justify the behavior of the individual. Both intuitive “feeling” moral judgments, and the rationalizing efforts of the mind together work overtime to preserve the virtue of the individual. But something has changed in the last couple of years. To demonstrate that change, it is necessary to stress the reality that virtue is a crucial ingredient in an ordered society, but more than that, seeing that virtue is of the essence. Signaling virtue, or goodness, is the very core of human community. The good must be sorted out from the bad. The bad must conceal their vice. This deep-rooted common grace keeps most of us trudging along in basically a good direction, trying to, in the same moment, advance our own interests and win the approval of others. This episode is a conversation about the need for both Christians and non-Christians alike to point out our virtue to others.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Anne Kennedy about her online-exclusive article, “Why Do I Call Myself Good? A Look at Virtue Signaling.” https://www.equip.org/article/why-do-i-call-myself-good-a-look-at-virtue-signaling/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our free online-exclusive articles, such as this review, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support keeping our resources free is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3 or $5, which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here.

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Episode 211: There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

Episode 209 She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

Episode 204: The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

Episode 198 Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Episode 193 Catching UP with Rachel Hollis, Glennon Doyle & Jen Hatmaker

Episode 191 Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Episode 181 But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

Episode 178 Worshipping Together

Episode 160-Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Episode 151 Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Episode 147 Book Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage and An Evaluation of 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

A Helper Like Me: A Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage by David and Constantino Khalaf

Losing Faith: A Look at the 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

Episode 140 The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

The Unhindered Leadership of Jen Hatmaker

The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

Episode 136 Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Generation Z,” or Gen Z, the generation born after 1995 has grown up as digital natives. What can we do to reach this younger generation, which is more likely to be spiritually and biblically illiterate than any previous, and to shepherd the faith of Gen Z within the church? While it is tempting to use generational research to develop highly contextual approaches to evangelism that meet young people exactly where they are, such attempts often function as poor imitations of the very fads our culture is selling. This is how we end up with the “youth group as pop concert” or “Christian film as evangelism tract” phenomena. At best, this approach grabs the attention of young people for the short term (though it often fails even to accomplish this); at worst, it offers cheap entertainment in place of the deep roots needed for faith to survive in a post-Christian culture. In our witness to Gen Z, we must take the long view, recognizing that witnessing is more often planting seeds of faith than harvesting the fruit.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Kyle Keating about his article “Making the Christian Story Plausible and Desirable to Generation Z” in the forthcoming 43:3 issue of the Christian Research Journal.

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our free online-exclusive articles, such as this review, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Episode 188 OK, Boomer: Time to Declare a Truce in the Generational Wars

OK, Boomer: Time to Declare a Truce in the Generational Wars
Episode 133 The Disorientation of Deconversion

Am I Just Not Chosen? The Disorientation of Deconversion

Episode 074: Authentic Community in the Age of Social Media

Cream or Sugar: Fostering Authentic Community in the Expanding Age of Social Media

Related
Episode 210: Bespoke Religiosity and the Rise of the Nones: a review of Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World by Tara Isabella Burton

Bespoke Religiosity and the Rise of the Nones: a review of Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World by Tara Isabella Burton

Episode 186 Gen Z. Live For the Ray not the Line

Episode 88: Training Teens in Apologetics

Special Episode: A Practical Guide to Culture: Helping the Next Generation Navigate Today’s World

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Christopher Pike is the original captain of the famed starship Enterprise, played first by Jeffrey Hunter in an unaired 1965 pilot (“The Cage”) and now by Anson Mount in the forthcoming CBS All Access series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Mount’s portrayal first won over audiences and critics alike in the second season of Star Trek: Discovery (2017), which reimagined Pike as a grounded and unflappable leader, a singular and remarkably old-fashioned hero for our cynical and suspicious times. Pike understands that humanity is flawed but does not give in to despair. He does not condescend, and there is not a trace of sexism in him; he shows nothing but gratitude to the three women who rescue him early in the season and continues to treat them with respect and appreciation. Pike understands that these values of bravery and respect, while sometimes seen as traditionally masculine, are actually universal virtues, just as Christ’s model isn’t just a model for Christian men but a model for all Christians, whether Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female (Gal. 3:28). This is a conversation is a discussion about an unlikely hero in the Star Trek Discovery television series.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Cole Burgett about his Postmodern Realities article, “Star Trek’s Christopher Pike: An Old Fashioned Hero For Our Cynical Times” which is in the upcoming 43:3 issue of the Christian Research Journal.

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our free online-exclusive articles, such as this review, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Related articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts

Episode 185 Star Trek: Picard and Transhumanism — Where No One Has Gone Before

Star Trek: Picard and Transhumanism — Where No One Has Gone Before

Episode 054: The Last Jedi: A Star Wars Movie for the Era of “the Nones”

The Last Jedi: A Star Wars Movie for the Era of “the Nones”

Episode 027: “Evaluating the Star Wars Worldview”

May the Force Bewitch You: Evaluating the Star Wars Worldview

Episode 017: Suicide Squad, Deadpool, and the Rise of the Comic Book Antihero

Suicide Squad, Deadpool, and the Rise of the Comic Book Antihero

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The recent Netflix documentary, “The Social Dilemma,” brings together a handful of past Silicon Valley executives to begin to question and consider how our social media practices — and even the algorithms and business models — actually detract from human freedom, connection, health, and social stability. The question for Christians is not only how has social media changed the landscape of civility and discussion, but also how it is forming us either Godward or selfward. Deeper than that, is how technology exposes the human heart.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Ashley Hales about her online-exclusive viewpoint film review , “The Social Dilemma and What it Means for Christians”. https://www.equip.org/article/the-social-dilemma-and-what-it-means-for-christians/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our free online-exclusive articles, such as this review, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Episode 206: How Do We Evangelize Affluent Suburbs?

How Do We Evangelize Affluent Suburbs?

Other related articles:

Who’s Afraid of HAL? Why Computers Will Not Become Conscious and Take over the World

Understanding Social Media

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Matthew Kennedy writes in his article, “It is difficult to find a professing Christian leader who has relinquished the classical Christian position on sexuality on purely exegetical grounds. The most popular voices in the less academic evangelical realm who claim to have changed their minds–Matthew Vines, Justin Lee, and Jen Hatmaker–are either gay or are very close to someone who is. The readiness with which these high-profile Christians abandon their former convictions in light of personal experiences suggests that they had, perhaps unknowingly, already adopted a worldview that undermines the classical Christian understanding of human nature and the relationship between God’s law and the human heart. During the sexuality conflict in the Episcopal Church, a common question, thought to be a piercing one by progressives, was: what if one of your children turns out to be gay? I was confused the first time someone asked me that. The revelation that a child of mine might have sinful sexual predispositions would be about as shocking to me as the discovery that my children sometimes tell lies. But when my child lies, I do not change my mind about lying. Likewise, one of my children may one day “come out” but that would not change my mind about human sexuality. For the Christian, the purpose of life is to be conformed to Christ who is the Truth.”

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Matt Kennedy about his cover article, in the forthcoming 43:3 issue of the Journal entitled, “Why Do The Parents of Gay Children Change Their Theological Minds?” If your already a current subscriber, this will be on it’s way to you once it’s printed, if not, please subscribe here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our free online-exclusive articles, such as this review, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other related articles:

When Someone You Love Says, “I’m Gay”

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The burnout rates of medical professionals in 2020 have turned our attention to the fact that those who care for others must also care for themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally if they wish to continue being effective. Although it is agreed that self-care is important, our cultural understanding of how we view and care for “self” has changed over time. Contemporary American culture assumes that self-care isn’t just a good thing but a human right that is worth pursuing no matter the time or cost involved. In pursuing the embodiment of our idealized selves, we are told to “just do you.” This modern notion of self-care contrasts sharply with the ideal of conforming into Christ’s image, which includes belief in objective truth, self-sacrifice, reliance on God, and putting others’ needs before our own. In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve embraced “self-hood” when they chose to care for themselves rather than accept God’s provision. The remedy for a commitment to “self” that ultimately separates the “self” from God forever is to let it go — to die to self — and walk in the way of the cross. This isn’t just any death; therefore, the life offered is no ordinary life. The way of the cross is to embrace and surrender to the death of Jesus, which was an efficacious death that destroyed the very power of death. In terms of wellness, this is the only true holistic cure for the emotional, social, intellectual, physical, and, most importantly, eternal needs of the person.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Anne Kennedy about her article in the 43:2 issue of the Journal, entitled, “There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19.” https://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/out-of-the-ashes-at-ground-zero/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our free online-exclusive articles, such as this review, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support keeping our resources free is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3 or $5, which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 209 She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

Episode 204: The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

Episode 198 Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Episode 193 Catching UP with Rachel Hollis, Glennon Doyle & Jen Hatmaker

Episode 191 Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Episode 181 But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

Episode 178 Worshipping Together

Episode 160-Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Episode 151 Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Episode 147 Book Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage and An Evaluation of 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

A Helper Like Me: A Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage by David and Constantino Khalaf

Losing Faith: A Look at the 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

Episode 140 The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

The Unhindered Leadership of Jen Hatmaker

The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

Episode 136 Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Today, almost twenty-five percent of American adults self-identify as religiously unaffiliated, roughly the same numbers of Evangelicals and Catholics, respectively, making them one of the fastest-growing demographics, especially amongst the young. If asked why, bestselling author and Atheist Sam Harris might respond, “Because science!” However, there is always a story behind the statistics, a narrative buried in the numbers. Sociologists have long sought the face of this group of people who check the box “none” on surveys for religiosity (called Nones)—who they are and what they believe. What is the story behind the Nones? In her book Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World, author Tara Isabella Burton explores the spiritual fluidity of the nones. Burton reveals that far from being embarrassed by religion, the Nones are extraordinarily spiritual. They “may not be traditionally religious,” she writes, “but they are not exactly secular, either.”

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Rebekah Valerius about her online-exclusive, “Bespoke Religiosity and the Rise of the Nones: a review of Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World by Tara Isabella Burton”. https://www.equip.org/article/bespoke-religiosity-and-the-rise-of-the-nones-a-review-of-strange-rites-new-religions-for-a-godless-world-by-tara-isabella-burton/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our free online-exclusive articles, such as this review, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support keeping our resources free is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3 or $5, which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here. https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Episode 073: Hell and Kids

Is It Abusive to Teach Children about Hell

Journey to the Bottom of the Glass: A Review of The Works of His Hands: A Scientist’s Journey from Atheism to Faith by Sy Garte

Also related by Bob Perry

That “Nones” May Not Perish

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During the Spring of 2020, right as the global pandemic hit, author, speaker, and women’s lifestyle guru Rachel Hollis launched a 90-day challenge to become an overall better and more functional person. Through March, April, and May, Hollis posted peppy, adorable photos of her and her husband Dave, chatted about writing a book in the middle of the chaos of COVID, and pivoted her brand at lightning speed. However, it was also during this time that Hollis told her husband she was leaving him only a day before launching her 90-day challenge. Only one year ago, she and her husband Dave were charging a $1000 registration fee for their marriage conferences. In her new book Hollis tries to make sense of her divorce for her readers including encouraging “faking it” in a marriage for the sake of the kids. This podcast is a conversation about Hollis’s new book and if her advice for challenges in marriage is biblical. She has millions of followers including many Christian women who look to her for advice for how to live their lives, but is Hollis’s advice based on Scripture?

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Anne Kennedy about her online-exclusive article, “She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis”. https://www.equip.org/article/she-who-has-eyes-let-her-see-a-look-at-didnt-see-that-coming-by-rachel-hollis/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our free online-exclusive articles, such as this review, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support keeping our resources free is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3 or $5, which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here. https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 204: The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

Episode 198 Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Episode 193 Catching UP with Rachel Hollis, Glennon Doyle & Jen Hatmaker

Episode 191 Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Episode 181 But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

Episode 178 Worshipping Together

Episode 160-Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Episode 151 Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Episode 147 Book Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage and An Evaluation of 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

A Helper Like Me: A Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage by David and Constantino Khalaf

Losing Faith: A Look at the 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

Episode 140 The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

The Unhindered Leadership of Jen Hatmaker

The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

Episode 136 Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis



Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

The word evangelism can cause many images to form in the Christian mind. Some people may think of committed missionaries who travel to the ends of the earth. Others may think of Paul, Peter, Stephen, and other martyrs of the early church who lost their lives for the sake of the gospel. Still, others might imagine a man in a suit on a street corner with a bullhorn and a gospel tract. Probably few of us think of ourselves. However, all of us who bear the name of Christ are called to evangelize and spread the good news of the gospel to those around us.

Though sometimes overlooked, the medieval Christians in early Anglo-Saxon England heeded this call remarkably well. In St. Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People, we are given a detailed historical account of the numerous ways in which the Anglo-Saxons were able to influence surrounding pagan cultures. Their persistent passion for evangelism and their use of reason and imagination, as well as natural talent and supernatural power, together constitute an excellent apologetic example for Christians today.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Nicole Howe about her article, “Medieval Christians and Evangelism” in the current 43:2 issue of the Journal. (Oct 2020). https://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/out-of-the-ashes-at-ground-zero/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our free online-exclusive articles, such as this review, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support keeping our resources free is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3 or $5, which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here. https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 182 Lament. Grief. Hope.

Episode 161 What Do You Mean by God? Pullman’s “Straw-Man God” in His Dark Materials

What Do You Mean by God? Pullman’s “Straw-Man God” in His Dark Materials

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

The six-season animated Netflix show BoJack Horseman has been nominated for three Emmy awards, including twice for Outstanding Animated Program. The show is largely about the titular antihero, BoJack Horseman (voiced by Will Arnett) who is an anthropomorphic horse and has-been television sitcom star from the 1980s and ‘90s who now lives a directionless life, wallowing in biting sarcasm and ongoing substance abuse problems. Although BoJack Horseman is intended for mature audiences and does include language and sexual crudity, its efforts to grapple with deep questions of life, albeit with often comic elements, provides rich grounds for discussion and analysis, especially from the perspectives of philosophy and theology. How can the Christian apologists use the themes in this hugely popular show as a springboard to discuss the truths of Christianity with those who watch it?

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Robert Velarde about his online-exclusive article, ” BoJack Horseman: Loneliness in a Godless Universe”. https://www.equip.org/article/bojack-horseman-loneliness-in-a-godless-universe/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our free online-exclusive articles, such as this review, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Episode 185 Star Trek: Picard and Transhumanism — Where No One Has Gone Before

Star Trek: Picard and Transhumanism — Where No One Has Gone Before

Episode 179 Rick and Morty: Scientism, Self-Centeredness, and the Search for Meaning

Rick and Morty: Scientism, Self-Centeredness, and the Search for Meaning

Episode 110 Ancient Aliens

Did Ancient Extraterrestrials Visit Earth?

Episode 027: “Evaluating the Star Wars Worldview”

May the Force Bewitch You: Evaluating the Star Wars Worldview

Christian Wisdom of the Jedi Masters

Episode 014: Finding Dory and Pixar Animation Studios

Finding Dory: A Fish Tale about Perseverance and Overcoming Fear

The Wisdom of Pixar

The Gospel According to Lost

Man of Steel Meets Son of God

The Clockwork Despair of “The Watchmen”

Breaking Bad’s Addicting Defense of Moral Realism

Television as the New Literature: Understanding and Evaluating the Medium

Jodi Picoult’s Novel Ideas

Prometheus: Finding God in Outer Space

More Than a Wager: Blaise Pascal and the Defense of the Faith

Celebrity Death and the Meaning of Life

Preparing for the Apocalypse: A Look at the Rise of Doomsday Preppers

Deepak Chopra’s Cosmic Enlightenment: Eastern Ideas in a Western Culture



Brave New Gadgetry: Technological Discernment and the Family

Reincarnation: Lifetimes for Enlightenment?

Guru Knows Best?

Personal Power or Harmful Hedonism?

One Savior, Many Paths?

Good Philosophy Must Exist

Ghosts for the Atheist

Immanuel Kant

The Secret Revealed

Alternative Medicine, Apologetics, and the Church

Glimpses of the Devil: A Psychiatrist’s Personal Accounts of Possession, Exorcism, and Redemption

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Suburban life–including tract homes, strip malls, commuter culture–shapes our desires. More than half of Americans live in the suburbs. But for many Christians, however: “The suburbs are ignored (‘Your place doesn’t matter, we’re all going to heaven anyway’), denigrated and demeaned (‘You’re selfish if you live in a suburb; you only care about your own safety and advancement’), or seen as a cop-out from a faithful Christian life (‘If you really loved God, you’d move to Africa or work in an impoverished area’). In everything from books to Hollywood jokes, the suburbs aren’t supposed to be good for our souls. Suburbs reflect our good, God-given desire for a place to call home. So, what does it look like to live a full Christian life in the suburbs and share the gospel with those who live there?

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Ashley Hales about her article, “How Do We Evangelize Affluent Suburbs?” in 43:2 issue of the Christian Research Journal.

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our free online-exclusive articles, such as this review, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Film director Christopher Nolan’s unwritten thoughts are like sculptures and aim less at recreating life as much as creating Escher-like puzzle boxes that are utterly unlike almost anything we experience in reality. Nolan is the consummate trickster, aiming to use the full power of cinema to beguile audiences with the cleverness of his construction projects. His newest film Tenet, now in some theaters nationwide, is perhaps the knottiest of his puzzle boxes.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Philip Tallon about his online-exclusive article, “Time May Change Me, But I Can’t Change Time: Reversing Time to Understand Christopher Nolan’s Tenet.” https://www.equip.org/article/time-may-change-me-but-i-cant-change-time-reversing-time-to-understand-christopher-nolans-tenet/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our free online-exclusive articles, such as this review, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support keeping our resources free is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3 or $5, which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here. https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Episode 173 Jesus Wake Up!

Episode 200 Wisdom for College Zoomers

Wisdom for College Zoomers

A Hidden Life

Episode 155 The Marathon of Martyrdom: A Review of A Hidden Life

The Marathon of Martyrdom: A Review of A Hidden Life

Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker

Episode 154: The Dead Won’t Stop Talking: A Review of The Rise of Skywalker

The Dead Won’t Stop Talking: A Review of The Rise of Skywalker

Fred Rogers and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood:

Episode 150: The Eternal Importance of Being Awkwardly Earnest: A Review of “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”

The Eternal Importance of Being Awkwardly Earnest: A Review of “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”

Steven Spielberg Movies:

Episode 139 Clear Skies, Hurt Hearts, Can’t Lose: Why Spielberg’s Aliens Help Make us More Human

Clear Skies, Hurt Hearts, Can’t Lose: Why Spielberg’s Aliens Help Make us More Human

Tolkien Review:

Episode 123 Tolkien’s First Fellowship

Tolkien’s First Fellowship A film review of Tolkien

Alfred Hitchcock films:

Episode 100: A. Hitchcock Films

The Coen Brother’s Films:

Episode 050: O Father, Where Art Thou? The Coen Brothers and the Riddle of Existence

“O Father, Where Are Thou? The Coen Brothers and the Riddle of Existence

The Films of Quentin Tarantino:

Episode 001: The Films of Quentin Tarantino

“Reservoir Gods: Quentin Tarantino’s Premodern Theology





Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

The Enneagram, a personality system configured around a circle of nine types, promises to help the spiritual seeker break free from sin, peel back layers of dysfunctional ways of thinking, and find inside him or herself the essential, God-given gem. The nine numbers are grouped by three—those of the head, those of the heart, and those of the gut. Each number is associated with a particular sin and takes on the characteristics of the numbers on either side, the wings. New Age spiritualist Claudio Naranjo, joined the Enneagram to modern-day psychological practice, and from there, through Priest Richard Rohr, who borrows from Jungian conceptions of spirituality, it made its way into the Roman Catholic church in the 1980s. The Enneagram is now sweeping through mainstream Evangelicalism so Christians might be curious about both its origins and its view of the human person. Claiming it arose in the ancient Christian past, Richard Rohr, Ian Cron, and others have, unwittingly, adopted a gnostic view of the person, one which requires special self-knowledge. The New Age Roots and the misuses of Scripture—particularly in regards to the theological definition of sin—should give those seeking personal transformation through use of the Enneagram pause.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Anne Kennedy about her online-exclusive article, “The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram”. https://www.equip.org/article/the-road-back-to-where-a-look-at-self-discovery-using-the-enneagram/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our free online-exclusive articles, such as this review, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support keeping our resources free is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3 or $5, which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here.https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 198 Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Episode 193 Catching UP with Rachel Hollis, Glennon Doyle & Jen Hatmaker

Episode 191 Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Episode 181 But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

Episode 178 Worshipping Together

Episode 160-Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Episode 151 Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Episode 147 Book Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage and An Evaluation of 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

A Helper Like Me: A Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage by David and Constantino Khalaf

Losing Faith: A Look at the 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

Episode 140 The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

The Unhindered Leadership of Jen Hatmaker

The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

Episode 136 Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis



Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

While thoughtful Christians should have many places where they disagree with the Black Lives Matter organization; the simple statement “black lives matter” should be non-controversial for Christians for it is theologically certain. God’s Word tells us that “black lives matter” when it reveals to us that all human beings are made in the image/likeness of God (see Gen 1:26-27, 9:6, Jas 3:9). While it is good for our culture to wrestle with the question “are black lives really being valued when it comes to the use of deadly force by police against black citizens,” a far greater danger against black lives is going unnoticed and often unprotested by the black community—the danger posed to black lives via abortion. The most dangerous place to be black in America is not in a car pulled over by a police officer; nor is it in the “hood” of some major American city. The most dangerous place to be black in America is inside a mother’s womb. Until black lives matter in the womb, they don’t truly matter in America.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Aaron Turner about his online-exclusive article, “Black Lives Matter Inside The Womb And Out”. https://www.equip.org/article/black-lives-matter-inside-the-womb-and-out/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our free online-exclusive articles, such as this review, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 175 Yeezy Comes to Jesus: Considering Kayne West’s Profession and Promotion of the Christian Faith

Yeezy Comes to Jesus: Considering Kayne West’s Profession and Promotion of the Christian Faith

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker writes that “the idea of death, the fear of it haunts the human animal like nothing else; it is the mainspring of human activity — activity designed largely to avoid the fatality of death, to overcome it by denying in some way that it is the final destiny for man” Becker also says, “All culture, all man’s creative life-ways are in some basic part of them a fabricated protest against natural reality, a denial of the truth of the human condition, and an attempt to forget the pathetic creature that man is”. Today many philosophers, psychologists, anthropologists and sociologists agree that humans are desperately afraid of dying. Having children, writing a book, creating a work of art, building a skyscraper, or inventing a cure for cancer or COVID-19 can all serve as symbolic immortality projects. Will these efforts leave humans a legacy for generations?

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author about his article, “Symbolic Immortality Projects Can’t Save You” which is in the new issue of the Christian Research Journal (September 2020) https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/ and is based on the book Immortal which is our equipping resource this month. https://www.equip.org/product/cri-resource-cri2009wa/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here.

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our free online-exclusive articles, such as this review, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support keeping our resources free is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3 or $5, which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here. https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and podcasts featuring this author

Hank Unplugged: Why God Permits Evil with Clay Jones

Episode 176 Our Fallen World

Postmodern Realities: Episode 114 Why Did God Let that Child Die?

Why Did God Let That Child Die?

Postmodern Realities: Episode 068: Something Made: The Role of Form in Apologetics

Something Made : The Role of Form in Apologetics

Postmodern Realities: Episode 030: Evangelizing the Cultural Christian

Evangelizing the Cultural Christian

Killing the Canaanites: A Response to the New Atheism’s “Divine Genocide” Claims

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

“Why,” Camus asks, “should a human go on living if life has no meaning?” He concludes that life can be lived—even loved—despite the emptiness from which it arises and to which it returns. Such meaninglessness as Camus describes arises from his lack of religious faith. What he does accept are those things of which he feels sure: “This heart within me I can feel, and I judge that it exists. This world I can touch, and I likewise judge that it exists. There ends all my knowledge, and the rest is construction.”

Unable to penetrate beyond these two certainties, he asks what a human being should make of this existence. The answer makes Albert Camus compelling for everyone, Christians included: “I know that in order to keep alive, the absurd cannot be settled. It escapes suicide to the extent that it is simultaneously awareness and rejection of death.” By acknowledging that death destroys meaning while resisting its power to make him despair, Camus takes up the fight for life.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Stephen Mitchell about 37:6 (2014) article, “The Sting of Death: Albert Camus and the Fight for Life”. https://www.equip.org/article/sting-death-albert-camus-fight-life/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our free online-exclusive articles, such as this review, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Episode 189 Second-Rate Musician: Vocation and Performance in T. S. Eliot’s The Confidential Clerk

Second-Rate Musician:Vocation and Performance in T. S. Eliot’s The Confidential Clerk

Episode 135-Questing for Divine Love-Cormac McCarthy’s The Road

Questing for Divine Love-Cormac McCarthy’s The Road

Episode 111 Humanity Crucified: Hemingway and the Human Condition

Humanity Crucified: Hemingway and the Human Condition

Episode 092 Literary Apologetics: Flannery O’Connor

Episode 045: Alexander Solzhenitsyn Confronts the Grand Inquisitor

Alexander Solzhenitsyn Confronts the Grand Inquisitor

Rejoicing over Owls: Thoreau and the Gift of Being

The Sting of Death: Albert Camus and the Fight for Life

Reading My Favorite Atheists: Ivan, Raskolnikov, and Kirilov

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Maturity in human beings is a kind of flourishing, becoming what you were made to be: socially, spiritually, and intellectually. The late theologian J. I. Packer wrote in his book A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life, “Maturity is a compound of wisdom, goodwill, resilience, and creativity.” What does that mean for Christian college students in 2020 as they face online studies and other challenges during the COVID-19 global pandemic?


This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Philip Tallon on his online-exclusive article, “Wisdom for College Zoomers”. Coming Soon! Please check back here and our article archives page.

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our free online-exclusive articles, such as this review, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support keeping our resources free is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3 or $5, which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here.https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Episode 173 Jesus Wake Up!

A Hidden Life

Episode 155 The Marathon of Martyrdom: A Review of A Hidden Life

The Marathon of Martyrdom: A Review of A Hidden Life

Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker

Episode 154: The Dead Won’t Stop Talking: A Review of The Rise of Skywalker

The Dead Won’t Stop Talking: A Review of The Rise of Skywalker

Fred Rogers and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood:

Episode 150: The Eternal Importance of Being Awkwardly Earnest: A Review of “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”

The Eternal Importance of Being Awkwardly Earnest: A Review of “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”

Steven Spielberg Movies:

Episode 139 Clear Skies, Hurt Hearts, Can’t Lose: Why Spielberg’s Aliens Help Make us More Human

Clear Skies, Hurt Hearts, Can’t Lose: Why Spielberg’s Aliens Help Make us More Human

Tolkien Review:

Episode 123 Tolkien’s First Fellowship

Tolkien’s First Fellowship A film review of Tolkien

Alfred Hitchcock films:

Episode 100: A. Hitchcock Films

The Coen Brother’s Films:

Episode 050: O Father, Where Art Thou? The Coen Brothers and the Riddle of Existence

“O Father, Where Are Thou? The Coen Brothers and the Riddle of Existence

The Films of Quentin Tarantino:

Episode 001: The Films of Quentin Tarantino

“Reservoir Gods: Quentin Tarantino’s Premodern Theology



Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

What is the meaning of the term pro-life? How should Christians define this term? This is a point/counterpoint discussion. Michael W. Austin defends his viewpoint from his article “The Meaning of the Term Pro-Life. A Point/Counterpoint Conversation: Pro-Life for All Human Life” (available by clicking here https://www.equip.org/article/the-meaning-of-the-term-pro-life-a-point-counterpoint-conversation-pro-life-for-all-human-life/) and Seth Gruber defends his viewpoint from his article “The Meaning of the Term Pro-Life. A Point/Counterpoint Conversation: You’re Not Really Pro-Life Unless…You Oppose Abortion. That’s It!” (available by clicking here.https://www.equip.org/article/the-meaning-of-the-term-pro-life-a-point-counterpoint-conversation-youre-not-really-pro-life-unlessyou-oppose-abortion-thats-it/)

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our free online-exclusive articles, such as this review, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Other articles related to this topic:

The 2012 Elections: Five Questions for Pro-Life Advocates

The Politics of Abortion: Should Christians Vote Straight Ticket?



Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

It is almost impossible to spend any time on social media, to read any legacy media source, or opinion piece, or have a conversation with someone in real life and not come around to the question of cancelling. To be successfully cancelled, then, is to lose not only the right to participate in public discourse using social media, but to lose income, reputation, and in some cases real life friendships and community. Cancelling is an ancient and very human activity—the act of publicly shaming and then shunning someone so that others will be warned and adjust their own behavior accordingly. Cancel Culture is a mightier force, however, in that it marries the tried and true practice of shunning to the unprecedented power of Social Media. This is a conversation about cancel culture and if Christians should participate in it.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Anne Kennedy about her online-exclusive “Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?”. https://www.equip.org/article/cancel-culture-and-the-gospel-where-can-you-go-when-the-whole-world-is-against-you/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our free online-exclusive articles, such as this review, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support keeping our resources free is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3 or $5, which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here. https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:

Episode 193 Catching UP with Rachel Hollis, Glennon Doyle & Jen Hatmaker

Episode 191 Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Episode 181 But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

Episode 178 Worshipping Together

Episode 160-Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Episode 151 Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Episode 147 Book Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage and An Evaluation of 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

A Helper Like Me: A Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage by David and Constantino Khalaf

Losing Faith: A Look at the 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

Episode 140 The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

The Unhindered Leadership of Jen Hatmaker

The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

Episode 136 Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

To give a Christian apologetic response to school shootings, it is important to address the problem of evil. How is it possible that a perfectly good God who is in control over all things would allow such heinous acts of violence carried out against innocent children? Of first importance is the philosophical answer to this question. However, ministering to those affected by gun violence, we are also called to a ministry of patient listening and faithful presence. We simply should not try to present fully formed analytical answers to those who are lamenting the loss of a child. What we can do is be present in the day-to-day wrestling, listening to them in their distress, and pointing them to how Jesus has already-but-not-yet accomplished the end of suffering.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Lisa Cooper about her article in the 42:2 issue, “Was God at Sandy Hook Elementary that Day?” https://www.equip.org/article/was-god-at-sandy-hook-elementary-that-day/



We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our free online-exclusive articles, such as this review, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support keeping our resources free is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3 or $5, which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here.https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and podcasts featuring this topic:

Postmodern Realities Episode 127 Addressing the Emotional Problem of Evil

Addressing the Emotional Problem of Evil: Why Christians Hope

Postmodern Realities Episode 114 Why Did God Let that Child Die?

Why Did God Let That Child Die?

Hank Unplugged: Why God Permits Evil with Clay Jones

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In the thirteenth century, Thomas Aquinas revitalized Christian theology by applying principles of Greek philosophy to the explanation and defense of the Christian faith. Thomism, or the philosophical application of Aquinas’s thought, has a privileged place in the Roman Catholic Church and has been embraced by a growing number of Evangelical and Protestant Thomists. Among non-Christians, Aquinas is usually encountered in first-year philosophy textbooks via excerpts of his five ways of proving the existence of God from his Summa Theologica. In addition, many atheists seeking to refute these proofs, often get wrong what Aquinas was teaching. This conversation is a discussion of each of Aquinas’s five proofs and how to answer the atheist interpretation of them.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Trent Horn about his article from the 41:2 “Thomas Aquinas’s Five Proofs for God Revisited”. https://www.equip.org/article/thomas-aquinass-five-proofs-for-god-revisited/

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Words have meaning, but culture can impact word meaning and connotation. In an increasingly post-truth and relativistic society, words can mean anything we feel like they should mean, with seemingly no consequence and virtual acceptance of whatever meaning we choose.

Today, caution is needed concerning how hijacking a word’s definition can marginalize others, especially faith communities, recognizing that we, as Christians, play a significant role in how words are used and perceived. Christians should evaluate post-truth terms and compare them with what those words meant in a Judeo-Christian-influenced semantic universe; use discernment; accurately discuss distortions, faithfully working toward an authentic biblical mission; use opportunities to advance biblical influence; and pray that God gives us wisdom about the true meaning and value of the Logos.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with D.K. Matthews, author of the cover article of the Volume 43, No. 1 issue of the Christian Research Journal, “Seduced? The Crisis of Word and the Fragmentation of Civilization.” https://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/the-word-crisis-that-threatens-to-undo-western-civilization/

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When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our free online-exclusive articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

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Hank Unplugged podcast featuring this author:

Hank Unplugged: The Word Crisis that Threatens to Undo Western Civilization with D.K. Matthews

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

Long-time Christian Research Journal author Dr. Douglas Groothuis writes, “I am getting older, and I lament the recent loss of so many Christian leaders who have shaped my thinking. I also am disturbed by so many recent deconversions of well-known Christians. So, I need to write about what I have not written much. Autobiography can be an apologetic for what matters most—the Christian message and way of being. My narrative relates my conversion and intellectual development.” Join us for this conversation about Doug’s spiritual journey and accompanying article.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Doug Groothuis about his online-exclusive article, “Autobiography as Apologetic”. https://www.equip.org/article/autobiography-as-apologetic/

We’d also like to invite you to subscribe to the Journal. To subscribe to the Journal, please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/

When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our free online-exclusive articles, such as this review, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.

Another way you can support keeping our resources free is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3 or $5, which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here. https://www.equip.org/product/pmr-jnl-tip/

Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 157: The Reincarnation of Reincarnation

The Reincarnation of Reincarnation

Episode 122 Shamelessly Wrong

Shamelessly Wrong: Book Review of Shameless: A Sexual Reformation Nadia Bolz-Weber

Episode 004: Agile Apologetics

Developing an Agile Apologetic

Channeling: Revelations Of Deception

Learning From an Apostle: Christianity in the Marketplace of Ideas (Acts 17:16-34)

Why Buddhism is Not True: Review of Why Buddhism Is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment

Jean-Paul Satre And The Resurgence Of Existentialism

Francis Schaeffer: Pastor, Evangelist, Apologist, Prophet

The Christian Apologist’s Moral Compass

Steve Jobs, Jesus, and the Problem of Evil

And many more, Dr. Groothuis has written articles for us for over 30 years.

Don’t miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.