New Persuasive Words
"The revival in religion will be a rhetorical problem - new persuasive words for defaced or degraded ones." - Thornton Wilder
Episodes
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Episode 60: A Church Of Thrones?
May 11th, 2016 | 35 mins 4 secs
In this episode we talk about Game of Thrones. Enough said?
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Episode 59: What’s Scarier Than Us Talking About Science?
May 2nd, 2016 | 25 mins 22 secs
The answer to the question that serves as the title to this podcast is…Bill Nye, “the science guy”, talking philosophy. He answers a question from a fan on YouTube about whether to study philosophy in college. And what an answer it is!
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Episode 58: Solid Gold Jesus: Jesus, By The Velvet Underground
April 20th, 2016 | 26 mins 56 secs
We begin the official Top Ten list of the greatest songs about Jesus with a discussion of “Jesus”, by The Velvet Underground.
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Episode 57: Fighting Fair
April 17th, 2016 | 35 mins 36 secs
In this episode we talk about conflict. It’s inevitable in life. The question isn’t whether or not we’ll find ourselves involved in conflict in public and private life. It’s what we will do in the midst of it.
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Episode 56: Bare Necessities
April 8th, 2016 | 30 mins 29 secs
In this podcast, inspired by Dan Carlin, we reflect on the essential commitments and values that we wouldn’t (or at least shouldn’t) compromise. What are they? How are they formed? When is it OK to change them and why?
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Episode 55: The Death Of Moral Relativism?
April 6th, 2016 | 32 mins 32 secs
In this episode we discuss an article by Jonathan Merrit that appeared in The Atlantic announcing the death of moral relativism and the rise of the new shame based moralism. Show Notes: You can find Jonathan Merritt’s article here.
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Episode 51: Guilt
March 16th, 2016 | 34 mins 32 secs
In this episode of the show we discuss about guilt. We talk about how it feels and what to do with it when it’s weighing you down.
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Episode 49: Loss
March 6th, 2016 | 38 mins 5 secs
The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of those depths. -Elisabeth Kubler-Ross In this episode we deal with loss.
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Episode 48: This American Religious Life: Greg Strawbridge
March 3rd, 2016 | 44 mins 30 secs
We’re going to do a non-scientific profile of different religious communities and personolaties and how they shape the American religious landscape. We’re not sociologists, but that’s never stopped us before. This is the first edition of the series,
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Episode 46: Trump Vs. Francis
February 20th, 2016 | 37 mins 51 secs
Pope Francis alluded to the fact that Donald Trump might not be a Christian in a recent press conference on his flight back from Mexico. Is he wrong or right? Is it even his place to make these kind of judgments.
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Episode 39: The Faces of Jesus
January 12th, 2016 | 32 mins 25 secs
This [pop culture] Jesus may be our champion and friend, but he is no one’s mediator. The news he brings may be pleasant, or it may be harsh, but it is not urgent or particularly new—not for those who are perishing. In sum,
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Episode 36: Is The God Of Muhammad The Father Of Jesus Christ?
January 1st, 2016 | 28 mins 44 secs
There’s been some recent controversy at Wheaton College involving a professor who was put on administrative leave for statements she made about the relationship of Christianity and Islam. In response to the controversy Miroslav Volf wrote an op-ed piec...
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Episode 35: Is This A Wonderful Life?
December 22nd, 2015 | 32 mins 7 secs
won·der·ful adjective 1. inspiring delight, pleasure, or admiration; extremely good; marvelous. Is this a wonderful life? It’s the question behind one the great Christmas films of all time. It’s also a question people find themselves asking in a worl...
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Episode 34: There’s Something About Mary
December 15th, 2015 | 38 mins 45 secs
There is a reason Mary is everywhere. I’ve seen her image all over the world, in cafés in Istanbul, on students’ backpacks in Scotland, in a market stall in Jakarta, but I don’t think her image is everywhere because she is a reminder to be obedient,
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Episode 33: Mirror Mirror On The Wall…A Demographic Reflection Of American Values
December 11th, 2015 | 33 mins 50 secs
Donald Trump made headlines yet again with a proposed plan to ban all Islamic entry to the United States. Almost every candidate and public political figure rushed to condemn Trump’s proposal. But a recent comprehensive study of American values and att...
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Episode 32: The Official Guide To Surviving Political Arguments With Family and Friends During The Holidays
December 8th, 2015 | 32 mins 1 sec
We're living in one of the most divided times in our country's history since the period that preceded the Civil War. It seems that more and more we have less and less in common as a country. We're divided into red states and blue states and increasingl...