The Uncensored Unprofessor

The warnings are emphatic and constant: we are smoking the planet. If we don't adjust course the ocean's icebergs will disappear, and along with them the polar bears. But what does the science say? What did a public lawsuit in the UK conclude? Along the way I also reflect on the Great Reversal I am witnessing among the Leftists, more reflections on Ukraine, and I even cover the Talking Heads' song, "Once in a Lifetime." Come think and laugh with me.

I'll admit it, I have biases that inform how I assess the topic of Climate Change. In fact, I have 2 constant biases. What are they? Also, prompted by a friend, I offer still more information about carbon dioxide. Along the way I also address how helpful catalytic converters really are, gun violence in Chicago, some miracles occurring in Central Oregon, and the question of suffering and meaning. Come think and laugh with me!

The scientists behind the Paris accord use data (a span since the Industrial Revolution) that is too brief to be helpful. Much longer data is required to get a sense of earth's fluctuating climate. So why did the Paris accord, alongside American politicians, use shorter data? What percentage of the earth's history has been ice age? Is CO2 dangerous or beneficial for plant life? Is it—I know it sounds crazy—but is it possible the carbon dioxide we pump into the atmosphere is beneficial for life on earth? What is going on?

When I was in high school a few teachers warned us of a looming ice age. Then for a couple decades we heard dire warnings of global warming. Today? It's a matter of climate change. Along the way what changed to cause the shift in terminology? And, as we think of it, on what does climate change science rest, computer models? I also reflect on the implications of the recent SCOTUS ruling about abortion. Come think and laugh with me!

Climate change, obviously, is tied to scientific method. But just what is scientific method? How is it different from technological advance? What kinds of things get in the way of increasingly better scientific knowledge? Why, for a show about theology, am I even taking a look at climate change? I also share a fun story from when I was in the 5th grade in Oregon's Willamette valley.

How should we understand water baptism and the Lord's supper? The answers—and the infighting—are myriad, depending upon the Church, denomination, pastor, or theologian. And me? I love theology! But the Paleo-Hebrew worldview moves the question of those two Christian rituals' purpose back to a root historical level. Jesus' own baptism thus becomes the model, the archetype for our own. I also reflect on actor Matthew McConaughey's recent presentation at the Whitehouse.

Over the years until I finished high school there had been one mass school shooting in America. Since 1999 there have been fourteen. So what has changed? What does the Bible say about our agency, human rights, governmental power, and human nature? Which has caused more misery in human history, nature or governments? What about pacifism? What about "turn the other cheek"? Why are political leaders wanting to outlaw guns? Let's employ wisdom to think through this volatile issue.

For 2000 years the Western church has emphasized the incarnation as a necessary step for our atonement, and I'm grateful for that emphasis. For 1900 years the Eastern church has emphasized the incarnation for its ontology, and I'm grateful for that, too. The ancient paleo-Hebrew worldview has something to say as well about the purpose of God's having incarnated the second person of the Trinity, and it is a beautiful purpose! I also reflect on the mass murder in Uvalde and the growing cultural-moral divide.

Jesus' coming, contrary to so much bumper-stickery blather out there, was anything but peaceful. He came to do battle. Significantly, that battle was against "e"lohim who rule the nations. Jesus rejoiced as the 70 he sent out in his name drove out demons. And he enjoins our service in the Marine Corps of the Spirit to continue that battle. But for me? I get exhausted by the spirituality of warfare. So what do I do?

Christians say, "we want to do it the way the New Testament shows us to do it." Or more earnestly, "we want to do it the way Jesus said to govern." So just what do history and the New Testament show us? I work through three standard churchly models—episcopal, presbyterian, and congregational—to think with nuance about Christian governance. Also, what about the Big Quit? What's going on? How did a corporate culture play into my own decision?

Jesus, "you nailed that one, Peter! And on this rock I will build my Church." There is a long-standing Roman Catholic interpretation of that as well as an established Protestant interpretation of that seminal verse. In light of the Paleo-Hebrew worldview is it possible that Jesus' assertion meant something still different? Let's think through this together. I also reflect on the recent SCOTUS leak concerning Roe v. Wade.

Jesus, freshly baptized in the Spirit of God, was driven out into enemy territory: unholy Bashan. In a state of hungry privation he battled the Nachash who offered Jesus something that would've belonged to him as God's messiah: the nations. Jesus won those battles by quoting the Bible; we all know that. But what part of the Bible did he quote and why? I also discuss why I refer to the devil as ha Satan, using the article "the." Let's think with nuance on these matters.

From an anthropological angle all religions have their contact points: totems, idols, altars, temples, and meeting places. I work through a significant Old Testament example and then show how (audaciously) Jesus declared himself to be the new (and eternal) meeting place with God. Applying that background I work through the logic of rejecting things just because they have been abused. Let's reason from a Christ-centered, biblically informed worldview.

What happens when we don't flatten the biblical portrayal into a metaphor? What if the Bible is as particular and vivid as it comes to us? What does reducing it to a metaphor say about us? What does leaving it as a vivid-mind-blowing story imply about God? We explore still more detail about the angel of the Lord and what Jesus has to say about him centuries later. I also reflect on guns and Ukraine.

My series thus far has focused on corrupted members of God's divine council. In this episode we begin to unearth ancient portrayals and information about another divine being: the angel of the Lord. Was he just a guardian angel? Did he ever go on the war-offensive? Is he just the general of the angels? Or something more? If so, how? I also reflect on economic inflation and product-packaging shrinkflation. Come laugh and think with me!

Beginning with the ziggurat of Babel—the first Empire state building— in Genesis 11 the Bible shows us repeatedly that different spiritual entities (1 Enoch called them archons) rule(d) over different geographic areas. God abandoned those areas, those nations, to the little "g" gods when he established the nations at Babel. Jesus Christ took captive those "g"ods and brings reconciliation to the nations. So how can we discern the presence and influence of these beings?

Inside and outside of Christian faith, many ask, "why did God command the Hebrews to utterly destroy the nations?" "Doesn't that indiscriminate slaughter make God an evil being?" Fair questions, indeed. We work through the context for that kherem/destruction and how the land came into play for the ancients in this episode. I also reveal the most unreported story in all of American Evangelicalism. Come laugh and think with me!

The common Christian expectation is that final judgment awaits the end of history. That's not bad, but the Bible sees judgment at work now in life. Even corrupted "sons of God", immoral angels, have already been judged and taken somewhere. This episode explores what 1 Enoch, Jesus, Peter, and Jude all say about the matter. I also offer reflections on the movie "Idiocracy" and the war in Ukraine. Come laugh and think with me!

With great detail the Jewish apocryphal book 1 Enoch delineates Genesis 6. What is apocrypha? How did Enoch inform the worldview of Second Temple Judaism? (What is Second Temple Judaism?) What kinds of specific sins does 1 Enoch describe sinful Sons of God committing? When giants die where does their spirit go? What does Enoch say a dead giant's spirit does? Come explore with me this significant historical era, one that greatly informs the New Testament.

Paleo (most ancient) cultures were aware of the existence of giants. Most of those cultures viewed them as great warriors, heroes, and transmitters of divine oracles. The Bible, in clear contrast, views them as abominations, corruptions, and transmitters of evil. This stems, at least, from the Bible's sensitivity to the spiritual world. This episode establishes important backgrounds for still later (newer) biblical teachings. I also share my thoughts on the war in Ukraine.

"There was a serpent in the garden of Eden." What does that mean? First? I erase some glosses that get overlaid onto the text. Then, we work through both some historical-cultural and textual framing of the story of the serpent. What would ancient readers immediately have recognized about that creature, that story? How does the notion of divine oracles play into the story? Come laugh and think with me.

Mirroring his purpose to have agents on earth who represent his character and goals, God has a council in heaven. This episode explores Jesus' prayer (the Lord's prayer) on daily spiritual warfare and how that ties into the Hebrew bible's portrayal of the structure of the heavenlies. I also reflect on my six-year-old granddaughter's recent Jiu Jitsu competition. Come laugh and think with me!

At the invitation of a friend I've been attending a liturgical church. What has me drawn there? What elements do I particularly love? How biblical are the services? At the show's start I also reflect on a double-crime that is ravaging society. Why would a Church, of all institutions, be motivated to do criminal things?

Why can humans see and perceive more efficiently, accurately, and beautifully than computers? Jordan Peterson wondered, then answered, that. I press his thoughts into a Christian worldview to brainstorm about both God's incarnation and how believers, indwelt by God Spirit, experience something that even angels do not. I also further unpack diakrino (discernment) in and for a 21st century context. Why do so many leading Evangelical pastors have radar that is spinning off the dial?

We take it for granted, but the dynamic of vision is a miracle. Better still, vision is a grand analogy for doing life, perceiving life. So when we see do we only see the raw data in front of us OR do we see through the constructs that make us who we are? I believe, following Jordan Peterson, there is a third category; a much richer theological vista that results either in sublime wonder or freakish terror. I also muse about those who are protecting the establishment-narrative today. Why do they get so defensive? Why is pulling down that narrative-idol important?

Discussions of evil and suffering usually focus on the horror and quantity of suffering. But life is, across the planet, about more than horror and anguish. Too often we neglect the wonders God daily rains upon us, we ignore the magic of life's fabric. In this episode I put evil into life's larger framework. We also explore the intentional policies of the current whitehouse. We're told poor ol' Joe can't catch a break. But is that really what's going on?

During my four years of high school I worked for a gas station-car wash. Across those years I learned to recognize the shapes, designs, and colors of every car manufacturer. Seeing only a tail-light I could tell you the brand. Life itself is comprised of patterns and shapes such that when we see even one element of a form we know what the larger pattern is. What does that mean for reading today's devolving culture?

The human race suffers far more from moral evil than from the evils rained upon us by nature. So just why doesn't God stop murderers or mass-murderers? If God knew Joseph Stalin was going to murder 60 million people why didn't He end his life long before Stalin's heinous crimes? Why do I believe—at long last—that we are living in the middle of a conspiracy? And, is God's remnant called to stand up to rampant evil or lovingly be passive?

If God is all-powerful and loving why is there so much evil in the world? Why doesn't God stop avalanches, floods, and forest fires? Following theologian John Feinberg, I propose all manner of logical questions and the likely consequences of God's miraculous interventions in nature. Also? This episode has a review of the new Matrix Resurrections movie.

None of us approaches evil, pain, or suffering in neutral. We all do that through our pre-existing biases, pre-loaded perspectives. Across the Church what are four of the major positions on suffering? What is important to remember in showing mercy to those who are suffering? I also have a contemporary reflection related to the movie 300. Join me and let's think carefully!

The apostle Paul has lengthy passages about his suffering. He counted it a privilege to suffer for Jesus. What were the historical reasons he rehearsed all his pain? What were his theological reasons? What does all that mean for our own suffering? Do we suffer in a way that helps to complete the redemption of Christ? I also explore the resurgence of the WWJD Christian-cultural slogan. Just what would Jesus do in light of the pandemic? Come to laugh, worship, and think with me here at Christmas time.

Jesus prophesied that we would suffer for his name but added that his Spirit would accompany us. Our suffering, then, can have a pregnant kairos-moment quality to it. And that dynamic—a charismatic quality amid suffering for Christ—led to the rise of the doctrine of saints in history. How so? What's that mean? What is a confessor? I also think aloud critically about the obliteration of freewill in American society.

Anchored in reality, the Bible is not shy about our suffering or lamenting our suffering. Jesus knew that, too. But he changed things when he told us that there is a cost to be paid for following him: the cross. What does that mean exactly? What did it mean in his day? What did Jesus do with regard to our suffering? Together let's press suffering through a Christ-centered sieve. (I also talk about the spiritual war we now find ourselves in.)

Ya know me? I hate glib Christian expressions. But still, it is good and wise to give God our pain, to learn from our pain, to practice a holy fear of God in the midst of our pain. So I share some heartfelt pastoral concerns about suffering. I also describe eating daily oatmeal with my grandson and share a story about Squirrel Tom, one of my golf friends. Come laugh and think with me about things the Church is terrified to address.

Jesus was asked twice about the suffering of others. Did he attribute that to karma? To God's punishment? To people's sin? Actually, Jesus responded in a way that affirmed the theology in Job: there is non-order (if even disorder) present in God's creation. Let's unpack what that means. I also explore the matrix of Progressive political policies. Come laugh and think with me!

Why do we suffer? Is God punishing us? Did we deserve it? Does the book of Job teach us the law of karma? In this show I look at Job in its historic context to see what it is teaching us about suffering, life, and God himself. Why does God teach Job about the monsters Behemoth and Leviathan? I also discuss why my show is subversive in Christ. Come laugh and think with me!

Why do we suffer? Did we bring it on ourselves or is God punishing us? Job's story shines an intense light on those questions. Here's another, why do we serve God? For the bennies or because He is God? And then, how should we think about Satan in light of his appearance in the book of Job? I also share personally about why I serve God. Come think with me!

How did America's Founders' biblical understanding of human nature play into the way they framed the Constitution? How do the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence work together? If he showed up today what would James Madison be most proud of, and most disappointed about, regarding what has happened to what they founded? Is Covid being handled well according to the Constitution? Professor Darren Guerra helps us think through these knotty questions.

In this conversation with Political Science professor Darren Guerra I ask, were the Founders Christian? Or better, how were they? What were they doing with their faith that is so lacking in the contemporary Church? What is presentism and how does it shape people's assessment of history? What were the Founders' core commitments about being human? What did they borrow from Greek philosophy to build society? Why do core principles matter so much? And, why oh why did they value the Old Testament so much?

Memes this episode counters: "American Christians are too patriotic!"; "America was not really founded in a Christian worldview"; "America was started as an evil nation"; and, "American Christianity is too darned American!" In a quest for historical nuance, I critically work through the Declaration of Independence to discern the worldview of the Founders.

For 20 years I've been studying progressive ideology from a philosophical angle. Eric Hoffer wrote a book 70 years ago that peeled my eyeballs back about the psychology and sociology of mass movements. What ingredients fuel a mass movement? Why do mass movements become a holy cause? Why is there such credulity among those who join mass movements? I also ask more critical questions about the vaccine mandates.

How do governmental vaccine mandates mirror an episode of the Twilight Zone I saw as a kid? How are officials going around the Constitution to censor freedom? What does "enlightened despotism" mean? The Bible teaches God is sovereign. Given evil's existence, how is that possible? Is God a puppet-master kind of king? What does belief in God's utter control do to social engagement?

I'm concerned that millions of church folk are not, in fact, Christians. How do I assess that? By what criterion? I also unpack mercy and grace as critical components of a Christian worldview; grand examples and daily examples. Along the way I tell a couple stories about having worked at a Burger King as a young man. Come think and laugh with me.

Stemming from God's character—perfect love permeated with pure holiness—Christians celebrate justice. Pertinent for today, we have to ask how that compares with a Postmodern sense of justice. So for example, if society is undergoing a "new rising consciousness" how should Christians process justice? I also reflect on Joe Biden's recent vaccine mandate speech and strategize about how to dialogue with a Postmodernist.

Long before Jesus walked on to the historical stage the ancient Hebrews celebrated life. They were themselves surrounded by cultures that promoted death. Building on that, Jesus upped the ante by emphasizing life eternal. What are the implications of all that for life today? For being a disciple? For babies? What do I think about the new Texas pro-life law?

The Christian worldview is dynamic because it is literate, shaped by eternity, and in touch with transcendence. How are those grounded? How do they play out? What does that mean across life? How, in their respective ways, do each of those three help to make life more meaningful and beautiful? I also discuss what has been the cause of my disorienting dreams.

I refer to it all the time: a Christian worldview. But what is it? What essential elements go into such a worldview? How does that worldview compare to common philosophic and religious worldviews? Or, how does it compare to a postmodern worldview? I explore how the Bible presents reality, the infection, and the topic of agency. Come laugh with me!

Michelangelo's painting of creation on the ceiling of the Sistine chapel is genius not only for its artistic composition but its psychological insight. I take Michelangelo's insights and combine those with Nero playing his fiddle while Rome is burning. Oh, and I tell an exciting tale of victory in a recent league golf match. Come laugh and think with me!

A recent Jordan Peterson podcast has had me processing. He discussed having a multi-variant approach to truth claims. In our pluralizing and relativizing culture the more paths to a truth claim there are the more that claim is substantiated. What does that mean, inside and out, for a Christian worldview? For Christian mission? What does that personally mean for me?

Despite the ostrich-mode taken by so many, America is in an unprecedented moment. Why is this different? What is the ingredient fueling this burn? How is it affecting me, personally? How is knowledge—and the PoMo anger about objectivity—at work in our cynical era? Instead of objectivity, what does society need? Come laugh and think with me!