Open to Truth

Doubting Your Faith? - Metaphors for Deconstruction

If it hasn't happened already, it is likely you will have a season of doubt in your spiritual walk.  Doubt regarding even the key claims of your faith.  New evidence, perspectives, and experiences can lead to really tough questions concerning your worldview.  

Some have described what happens next as deconstruction.  The "house" we build of our worldview needs to be rearranged in some ways to accommodate new inputs.  We talk about important moments in our personal lives of facing tough questions, how to handle doubt, and try to give language through metaphor to the experience of rearranging, of deconstruction, and of reconstruction.

Stay Curious!

Mailbag #2 - Imagination, Not Knowing, Demons, and More!

Fans have written into the show, and we respond to their questions.  Your question could be featured on an episode -  so, be sure to write in! Either way, we respond to 100% of emails.  We'd love to hear from you and interact.  You can reach us mailbag@opentotruth.com.

 

Stay Curious!

Bitcoin: Is it Money and Is it Good? feat. Andrew Bailey and Bradley Rettler

Have you seen all the hubbub about Bitcoin and wondered what it's all about, but at this point you are too afraid to ask?  Join the club! It is a complex topic to get a handle on precisely because it touches on a number of disciplines such as philosophy, politics, economics, computer science, and others.

Luckily we aren't on our own to figure this out.  Our guests are here to help guide our exploration of this topic and what it means practically in our lives.  Andrew Bailey is associate professor at Yale-NUS college and Bradley Rettler is assistant professor of philosophy at University of Wyoming.  They have formed, with their colleague Craig Warmke, a research collective called "Resistance Money" where they aim to understand and evaluate the cryptocurrency phenomenon and Bitcoin more specifically.

We discuss what Bitcoin is, how it works, whether it is money and how it compares to other forms of money like the US Dollar and gold, and also whether Bitcoin is good - good for you and good for the world.  There's so much to learn here and we hope this conversation can serve as a helpful primer in your efforts to understand Bitcoin. 

Be sure to visit resistance.money to check out Andrew and Brad's work on these topics.

Stay Curious!

3 Ways to Use the Bible

How you should use the Bible will depend on what your goals are. Do you want to grow spiritually? Become acquainted with an extremely important document in the history of Western Civilization? Are you wanting to experience God through its messages? Do you want to know spiritual truths?

We should think carefully about this, since the goal you are using it for should inform how you use it. In this episode, we talk about the Bible as Literature, the Bible as Scripture, and the Bible as a Formation Tool. What are the implications for ideas like "authority" and "inspiration"?

Stay Curious!

The Bible is Not a Book

There are big implications for thinking that the Bible is one book.  The reality is that the Bible is actually many "books", a whole library of books in one volume, where "books" is used generously to mean stories, poems, songs, parables, history, law, prophecies, letters, and more.  In this episode, we discuss the notion of genre and how it applies to the Bible-library and consider several particular genres, their main texture, and the implications for interpretation in light of genre.

 

Stay Curious!

Which Bible is Best?

Have you ever been in a church service where someone reads a passage from a version that sounds really different from a version you are familiar with?  How can that be - why is the language used so different across translations?  Sometimes there are significant departures in meaning and even theology!

In this episode, we explain what leads translator-interpreters to make the choices that they do.  Which version of the Bible you should use depends on what your goals are - and we examine the best versions for the various goals.

Stay Curious!

The Secret to the Good Life - What's the Deal with Stoicism?

You may have seen "Stoicism" trending on various social media platforms in recent years.  The revitalization of this ancient philosophical perspective on the good life has taken on interesting manifestations, some amounting to mere slogans and Instagram quote-accounts, to fusions with New-Age and eastern mysticism.  

What makes Stoic thought have rebirths is that it claims something that resonates with many people across cultures - that true happiness/contentment/joy can only be found within.  Even though the strategies and practices differ on how to "achieve" this joy, the underlying principle has some merit.  We talk all about this in this episode and contrast it with other prominent views.  Is Stoicism really the best path to the good life?

Join the Conversation and Stay Curious!

Understanding Transgenderism

Few topics have garnered more attention in the past decade than Transgenderism.  Of course, it is not just a topic - it's about people.  Real people going through extremely challenging circumstances and also real people trying to understand these folk's experiences the best that they can.

Please extend some grace toward us as we navigate these ideas - the popular terms used in the discussion come with quite a bit of baggage, and some people use them in different, even contradictory, ways.  As it happens, we think this is the main reason there is so much consternation from the various perspectives.  We try to explore the nuances of these terms while upholding a commitment to understanding the truth of the matter and affirming our love for all people, no matter what.  

As always, please join the conversation and stay curious.

The Most Good You Should Do - Cabin Reflections

2021 has us thinking about the good we can do to make a better future.  For ourselves, our family, our community, and our nation.  But have you had the experience of being overwhelmed by the various causes to which you could give your time and resources? What should we do? What will lead to the most good?  If you are a person of faith, how does this question relate to your theology?

Clint and Tony articulate some of the philosophical and practical challenges to thinking clearly on this broad topic in ethics.  We invite you to Join the Conversation and Stay Curious!

Humans vs. Nature - A Review of "Alone"

How difficult is it for human beings to survive in the wild? What are the costs and benefits of modern society and even regular human interaction? The hit History Channel show, Alone, is a gameshow where 10 contestants are dropped off alone in the wilderness, with 10 items, and film their own experience in the hopes of being the last person standing, outlasting others who have voluntarily or involuntarily, due to illness or other things, drop out.  In this episode, we continue our theme of reviewing and seeing what we can learn from cultural phenomena.  There are fascinating philosophical and ethical considerations brought to the fore by this show.  Join the Conversation!