Mar
13.
It has finally arrived, episode 25. It’s a bit of a different topic for me, not very philosophical, I guess a little theological, just some ideas that have been on my mind a bit lately about how we should approach the world and what it means to be a Christian in it.
Glenn Peoples
Episode 025: Stop being a Christian and start being a person! [ 42:35 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadSimilar Posts:
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Tags: podcast, Theology / Biblical Studies
Glenn,
I liked this episode, but then I like every episode. I was nodding my head a lot during the parts about music and scholarship (which made me look
dorkier than usual) because you were articulating my thoughts perfectly, and with a better accent.
When it came to the part about people, you seemed to cut it short. I listened to that part twice, and got that feeling both times. Too bad for me, this is something I really want to think about. Now, darn it, I’m going to have to do my own thinking.
Looking forward to the next episode, although I think it’s going to make my mind hurt. Or my brain. Or both.
MM
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Thanks Michelle. Yeah I think it does sound a little cut short. I was conscious of the episode starting to get long. Maybe I should have added just a little more.
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Good stuff as usual Doc!
That’s the first time, and likely the last, that I’ve ever heard a comparison of Skillet and Megadeth with the latter coming out on top.
I guess it just goes to show that you can’t judge quality by the label someone has slapped on it.
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Well done Glenn – very good.
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Oh, just curious, but why do you dislike “Answers in Genesis”? [I think their work is rubbish too, but don't tell that to my teachers.:P]
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Interesting talk, and good points! Schaeffer makes similar arguments about art in his book ‘Art and the Bible’.
Yes, I’m curious too. Why don’t you like AiG?
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yo Glenn
Ironically we have similar music taste, and opinions about what its worth listening too. I think you might quite like Poor Old Lu. But anyway..
I listen to music because its good, and I recognise the talents, and gifts of the muscians. I also recognise that these gifts and talents are given by God, even though they might not be used to glorify him..
Often I find the truth in these songs. One just has to listen to Ozzy Osborne’s nightmarish songs of torment by the devil to know its true
peace.
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I just wanted to thank you for your views and opinions regarding Christian scholarship. I have made science my career and have been attacked on both sides of the issue.
Many atheists cannot understand why I “buy into” Christianity, yet I have been called a heretic by some Christians when they learn that I am a theistic evolutionist.
I follow the idea that my job allows me to give glory to the almighty by discovering his creation and how it works. Yet I come under attack because some believe that science has an antagonistic relationship with religion. I find this attitude one of the most dangerous in the Church today. By continuing this false dichotomy, you risk turning many good Christians into skeptics.
Many skeptics that I have come across on the web have at one time been a part of a community that accepts Young Earth Creationism. They then get to college and are exposed to evidence that they feel cannot be ignored. Instead of abandoning young earth creationism, they abandon the Church because they feel lied to.
At the risk of prolonging my rant, I will stop here and just say thanks.
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Yep. This podcast hit the nail on the head.
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A family friend (an 8 year-old) is doing a project on Saturn for school. Since you brought Skillet back to mind, I thought she would get a kick out of the song: “Saturn has a ring around it.”
Poor Elise.
On the first chorus, she corrected the lyrics: “Saturn has SEVEN rings around it.”
After the second chorus and her failed attempt to get Skillet to be more accurate, she walked away in disgust.
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I was “googling” my book and came cross your blog. I tried to view this episode that the comments pertain to but I must be doing something wrong because it wouldn’t come up.
In my new book, Stop Being A Christian Wimp!, it’s all about the love of God and finally making the decision to trust that He means every promise He says about you.
I’m not trying to upset you by saying that I’m not sure your blog is about God’s love. It seems a bit fatalistic.
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Winsome, its a podcast episode. Glenn intermingles blog posts with podcast episodes. You need to download the mp3 file and listen to it on an audio player of some sort.
The gist of the episode is that many Christians tend to sequester themselves as a group into a Christian subculture instead of engaging with the world around them. Instead of engaging with what is good and true in the “secular” world so that we can be salt and light, we instead tend to make cheap imitations of art, scholarship, etc., and stamp the “Christian” name brand on it.
I guess I should let Glenn respond to your last comment, but I’m curious what it is you find “fatalistic” here?
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Winsome is right and wrong.
He’s right because my blog is not about the love of God. It was never meant to be.
He’s wrong in suggesting my blog advocates fatalism. It doesn’t.
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Hello Jared and Glenn!
As it turn out I’m a woman. But no harm done.
Jared: I do agree with you that we Christians sometimes tend to sequster ourselves. t is mostly done out of fear: of rejection, of being calld wierd of being seen as some Jesus freak. At this point in my life, I no longer care that I am called names and so I talk about Jesus as long as someone is interested.
Glenn: I know that you know the meaning of he word fatalistic. But humor me by allowing me to place the deinition here: 1. The doctrine that all events are predetermined by fate and are therefore unalterable.
So what’s the purpose of the gun on your page? (I’m a former U.S. Marine so I’m not against guns.) Your picture is dark and brooding. And you say that your blog is not about God’s love. So hip me to what I’m missing.
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Hi again Winsome – sorry about the “he”!
Do you meant he picture of me is dark and brooding? Click on “about me” for a less brooding one.
I don’t really understand why a gun would suggest “fatalism.” I actually chose the gun and the website name (Beretta) while I was designing the site – before there was even a blog at the site. THIS page used to be the first page people saw when visiting the site. I picked the slogan “shooting from the lip” because, as we say down under, I don’t like to muck around, I like to shoot straight to the main issue. Plus the gun looked cool.
The site and blog are not about God’s love because they are more general than that. They cover all kinds of issues in philosophy, theology, biblical studies, social issues, and pretty much enything else I find interesting at the time. Sometimes that might be the love of God. Sometimes it will be other things.
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Glenn, Maybe a better question then is “who is God to you?
I see that you are well-informed about biblical matters because of your many degrees; but I want to hear your personal testimony.
My other question is, “Who do you see God as?”
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Winsome, as a slave to my academic tendencies, I have to say that I’m a little bothered by questions about who or what God is “to me.” God is God, and I don’t think it’s right to try to form an in dividualised picture of God to me. That, in my view, is to form an idol. I prefer to change the wording tot he second question you gave. I think this is not really a different question, but it is the proper way to answer the first question: Who do I think God is? Who do I think God actually is in reality.
I think that God is what the Christian faith has been calling God for a long time now, and the list is a long one! God is the creator of everything other than God. God is the origin the locus, of moral virtue (that is, moral truths are descended from God), God is the one in whom we live and move and have our being, God makes it possible for us to know God (although that answer drifts away fromt he question and starts to talk about what God is like and what God does).
The answer could be made very long, so maybe I should ask you: Is there some type of answer you’re looking for?
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Glenn, I’m asking the same question Jesus asked Peter, “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ,the Son of the living God.” Matt 16:15&16. OK. So I didn’t ask you about Jesus, God the Son. I asked you about God, the Father. But would it have made a difference? Hhhhmmm….Let me think…. OK. I’m back.
God the Father asked me the following question (NO, not a audible voice): “Do you see Me as a God of Love or as a God of Justice?” Wow! My honest response was that I saw Him with the long white wig, waring a flowing robe, the gavel at the ready, sitting behind a very high bench. And as soon as I messed up-bam! He tagged me!
His reply to me was that’s where I’m getting tripped up.
Until He asked the question, I thought I was pretty cool with God and all He’s about.
How can I serve a God–but more importantly LOVE a God–that I so absolutely fear?
So I had to go Bible surfingto find out aboutthis God I thought I knew. And, man! I came cross verses I had never seen before clearly showing the love of God. In fat, He was not just Father, but He is plainly Daddy! What had I been ready all this time that I missed this? See Ephesians 1:4. This God says that He loved me and chose me to be with Him even before he made the world.
Say what? But there it was in black and white all this time–and a lot more like it–especially in the Old Testament. Who knew?
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Glenn,
I think it’s ironic that you have links to “Top 100 Christian blogs” and “NZ’s Top Christian Podcast” while decrying the concept of a Christian subculture. Good episode, though.
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OBP, I suppose I could link to “blogs that promote Christianity,” but I think you’d find that the lists would be more or less the same.
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Second time I’ve heard you speak. First, on “Unbelievable”, and second, this podcast “Stop…”.
You’re like a cool refreshing beer. Really wonderful. Thank you.
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I found the music section in this Podcast very interesting, though It didn’t really tell me anything new that I didn’t already know.
I have always disliked music that portrays Christianity as something that is just there to make you feel good, or encourage people to approach their faith with no real thought. Its usually just all “yay jesus loves me woohoo” rather than actually getting people to think about what they believe.
I myself am a massive fan of Christian metal, as my favorite band in this genre (More specifically, Metalcore) actually criticize the mentality that I stated in the above paragraph. As is in the lyrics of one of my favorite songs.. “But what wisdom is there within us to live based on the feelings of our hearts?”
Not only is the lyricist is only one semester away from a philosophy degree, but this band would also count as “good music” without the Christian label. In fact, I would say excellent, or maybe even the best there is, and yet they still know how to glorify God without being too ‘preachy’.
Great podcast Glen, I’ve been downloading a fair few recently
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Thanks for the podcast, first time I have listened. It was Christian so it must have also been “good”
Think I need to check out some Megadeth now. What was the piece at the very end?
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