The great scientist and philosopher, Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), understood humans as disposed royalty—royal by virtue of creation in God image, but ruined through the fall. However, there is hope in the ruins because of the achievements of Jesus Christ on our behalf. I have written extensively of Pascal’s apologetic elsewhere, but we focus on his critique of society, which is as profound and pertinent as any aspect of his wide-ranging and brilliant work. What follows is an excerpt from Douglas G...
Apr 29, 2024•20 min
A pastor cares for his or her flock through tender concern, prayer, teaching, and insight into his or her parishioners. But one may be pastoral without being called to be a pastor of a church. I know a young man who graduated from Denver Seminary who has never held a pastoral position, but who is more pastoral with friends, family, and strangers than most pastors I know. He recently befriended a lonely man dying from a neurological disease and continued to pastor him until his death. Matt is a p...
Apr 22, 2024•19 min
The Bible is God's anthropology rather than man's theology. — Abraham Joshua Heschel We humans often puzzle over our own humanity, scanning our heights and our depths, wondering about and worrying over the meaning of our good and our evil. No other animal reflects on its species like this. Here, and in so many other ways, we stand unique among living creatures. Why does such evil strike so hard and so erratically? And what explains our greatness in thought and action? Blaise Pascal writes: “What...
Apr 15, 2024•13 min
Jazz, at its best, inducts its own into aesthetic alliances, some long-lasting, others fleeting, but all meaningful. Musician and listener can find fellowship musically. Meaning is experienced when we find something of value, something worthwhile. When two or more agree on meaning—especially in music—the fellow-feeling may run deep and true. The late Pat Martino, jazz guitarist extraordinaire, along with a good friend helped this happen to me in the summer of 2012 in Chicago at The Jazz Showcase...
Apr 08, 2024•8 min
Jazz is a national treasure, but is no longer a common pastime. First, rock and then hip-hop eclipsed its popularity long ago. Historian Gerald Early claims that three things uniquely define America: the Constitution, baseball, and jazz. Yet the sale of jazz records accounts for only a small fraction of the music market. The last time I checked, it was 4%. Many of my students at Denver Seminary and at other institutions where I teach know very little about it, and are a bit puzzled if not flummo...
Apr 01, 2024•16 min
Easter commemorates and celebrates a historical event unlike any other: the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. But what is the significance of the resurrection? And how can we know it really happened? The four Gospels report that Jesus predicted his death, burial, and resurrection. He was born to die. All of his wondrous teachings, healings, exorcisms, and transforming relationships with all manner of people—from fishermen to tax collectors to prostitutes to revolutionaries—would be inc...
Mar 25, 2024•10 min
Any jazz aficionado knows the musical virtues of jazz, whether they are a musician, a jazz writer, or simply a committed jazz listener. In classical Western thought (that is, in the musings of cats like Aristotle and Plato) a virtue is a kind of excellence in performance that flows from a settled habit. One who plays the flute as it ought to be played—the proper tone, pitch, and timing—displays a virtue or sharp skill in that musical instrument. One may be virtuous with respect to any endeavor w...
Mar 18, 2024•17 min
I am a jazz aficionado as well as a philosophy professor. Being in front of a classroom teaching is my favorite place on earth, second to a good jazz club with hip friends. In the midst of a philosophy class, I may wax enthusiastic about the transcendent qualities of a John Coltrane saxophone solo or the preternatural swing of Buddy Rich’s timekeeping or the song-writing and band-leading genius of Duke Ellington. These comments are not merely idiosyncratic. They reflect something of a philosophi...
Mar 11, 2024•19 min
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. 4 You, dear children, are from God...
Mar 04, 2024•20 min
Those of you who've read my book, Walking Through Twilight , know that my dog Sonny is mentioned numerous times. He was a gift from God for my first wife Becky and myself, as we suffered together through her dementia and through her death in 2018. An old stanza from an old poem by Francis Alexander sets the tone for today's episode of Truth Tribe: All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all. Animals and humans were cre...
Feb 26, 2024•21 min
Few people have shaped the twentieth century’s understanding of Christianity more than its opponent, Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), and its advocate C. S. Lewis (1898-1964). Lewis, an adult convert from atheism, made his career as an Oxford don, but became well-known as a Christian apologist. Freud developed a revolutionary psychological theory (psychoanalysis), which established his career, started a movement, and ensured his titanic influence on Western thought. But he employed that theory against...
Feb 19, 2024•11 min
Too many educational innovations are, ironically, taking teachers out of their own classrooms. The age-old dynamic of a teacher instructing students in a dedicated setting (or often peripatetically, as did Jesus and Socrates) is subtly giving way to diverse “delivery systems,” such as entirely on-line courses, hybrid courses, and the glamorous and world of the MOOC (massive open-source online classes). The justifications for such innovations are many, but criticisms are needed as well. Education...
Feb 12, 2024•17 min
I found my church home in Evangelical Anglicanism in early 2007. My denomination is The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). It is not part of the Episcopalian denomination. But as I reflect on my church life, I am grateful to several churches for their faithfulness to God. My list is not inclusive of all the churches I have attended. Having been a Christ-follower for over forty-seven years, I will recount a few ways in which God has led and sanctified me for worship and service through his ...
Feb 05, 2024•19 min
God’s creatures ought to worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:23) through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so that the nations may be glad and sing for joy. This is because God rules the peoples with equity and guides the nations of the earth (Psalm 67:4). God wants to be known, and, thus, to be properly worshipped as our Creator and Redeemer. Worship is the paramount issue for human existence and no small matter to the one to whom worship is due. God’s absolute and incorruptible worth d...
Jan 29, 2024•32 min
I came to love liturgy late, but I am not going to leave it. This is because God has worked these patterns of ritual meaning deep into my system. Liturgy is simply too good not to share with the wider church. Let me explain. Culture structures life through patterns and repetitions. We typically stand when the national anthem is played. I shake hands with a bookstore salesman who I know. Mark and I both know what it means—some level of friendship and appreciation. When I teach, the students sit a...
Jan 22, 2024•15 min
Jesus exhorted us to love God with all our minds (Matthew 22:37-39). The project of explaining, commending, and defending the Christian worldview is not limited to experts. Rather, it is the call of every Christian as a Christian (1 Peter 3:15-16). Arguing that Christianity is objectively true, compellingly rational, and existentially engaging over the whole of life is essential to Christian witness. Our salt and light must not be hidden under a basket (Matthew 5:13-16). Every Christian is a wit...
Jan 15, 2024•16 min
Discouragement, the Demonic, and Victory in Christian Ministry (Acts 13:1-12) Over many years of teaching and writing, I have noted a pattern with many of my students and one that I have experienced in my own life of ministry: The possibilities for great achievements often bring discouragement and even spiritual opposition. The Christian must press on and press through in order to mature spiritually and to increase his or her ministry effectiveness. Six Principles for Ministry from Acts 13:1-12:...
Jan 08, 2024•17 min
In my many years of studying and defending Intelligent Design (ID), I have noticed at least nine common mistakes made by critics. These errors disallow a proper evaluation of ID theories as scientific explanations. Much of the ink spilled in opposition to ID can be erased by noting these fallacies. Most if not all of these mistakes are mentioned in Stephen Meyer’s stellar defense of ID, called Return of the God Hypothesis (Harper One, 2021). 1. Critics of ID claim that genuine science is intrins...
Jan 01, 2024•13 min
The beloved Christian writer and defender of Christianity, C. S. Lewis, wrote an essay called, “What Christmas Means to Me” in 1957, my birth year. I am stealing his title, but cannot claim his literary standing; nor is my essay much like his, Nevertheless, the musings of another old Christian philosopher about a Christian holiday we cannot avoid might prove worthwhile. They can even help civilize our public discourse, since religious positions can be rationally defended and discussed. It is par...
Dec 25, 2023•11 min
This podcast is excerpts from the chapter, “Exploring Virtual Community”, chapter eight, from Douglas Groothuis, The Soul in Cyberspace (Baker, 1997). I have added some commentary along the way. 1. The need for civility 2. Computers, love. and community 3. “On the Internet, nobody knows you are a dog.” 4. Cyberspace, Sensibilities, and Community On the philosophy of the Internet, see also Quentin Schulz, Habits of the High Tech Heart. On the philosophy of technology in general, see Neil Postman,...
Dec 18, 2023•23 min
It is not name-calling to say that the roots of CRT are found in Marxism. But the issue goes deeper. To some, the label “Marxism” or “Marxist” means little or nothing, since they are ignorant of the philosophy’s origins, teachings, and outcomes. This is true for many who did not live as adults through any part of the Cold War between the US and the USSR (1947–1991). This is the generation that knew not Joseph (Stalin).2 It is largely ignorant about Communism, the ideology that has controlled Chi...
Dec 11, 2023•22 min
This podcast is taken from Douglas Groothuis, Fire in the Streets (Salem, 2022). Even if we grant that the free-enterprise system has done a disservice to black people [which I do not], it does not follow that socialism would be any better for them—or for anyone else. Remember that a realistic view of politics is that of the constrained vision [of Thomas Sowell], which aligns with the Judeo-Christian account of our humanity, culture, and the state. Finding injustices in one system does not imply...
Dec 04, 2023•18 min
Spiritual formation, becoming more like Jesus Christ in thought and deed, requires a renewed mind (Romans 12:2) that avoids worldliness (1 John 2:15-17) and pursues godliness (Matthew 5:1-18). Our sanctification through the Holy Spirit requires an ongoing dependency on God wherein we grow in the knowledge of God, how his Kingdom operates (Matthew 6:33), ourselves (James 1:25), and our place in the church (1 Corinthians 12-14) and broader culture (1 Chronicles 12:32). To this end, here are some p...
Nov 27, 2023•23 min
Douglas Groothuis, Ph.D., is a Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary and the author of nineteen books, including Fire in the Streets (a critique of critical race theory or wokeness) and Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith . Find more from Dr. Groothuis at www.DouglasGroothuis.com . Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us ....
Nov 20, 2023•22 min
Soren Kierkegaard on the Self and God “The greatest hazard of all, losing one’s self, can occur very quietly in the world, as if it were nothing at all” - Soren Kierkegaard. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?—Jesus, Mark 8:36. The Human Condition: Who Are We? A. Philosophical problem : philosophical anthropology i. What is our nature? ii. What is our problem? iii. What is good for humans? B. Existential problem of being human under the sun i. How do we c...
Nov 13, 2023•20 min
This program is a synopsis of my most recent book, World Religion in Seven Sentences (InterVarsity Press, 2023). Get Dr. Groothuis' book here: https://www.ivpress.com/world-religions-in-seven-sentences "Most of us will never become scholars of the major world religions. But as society becomes more pluralistic and technology increases our awareness of and interconnection with countries all over the world, there has never been a time when it is more crucial for believers to understand the major re...
Nov 06, 2023•31 min
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (Proverbs 9:10) The concepts of fear and hate need some examination, given how absurdly abused they are in common culture. Supposedly, any idea based on fear is irrational and all hate is hateful. But appropriate fear and appropriate hate are necessary parts of a good life. Let me explain. 1. Appropriate Fear in a Dangerous World Fear what is fearful and nothing else 2. The Fear of the Lord See Prover...
Oct 30, 2023•14 min
Douglas Groothuis, Ph.D., is a Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary and the author of nineteen books, including Fire in the Streets (a critique of critical race theory or wokeness) and Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith . Find more from Dr. Groothuis at www.DouglasGroothuis.com . Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us ....
Oct 23, 2023•25 min
While the explosive and devastating riots of 2020 were sparked by the death of George Floyd, there was an ideological underpinning for much of the violence and verbiage of that summer of hate, carnage, ideological blindness, and outrage. It is called Critical Race Theory (or CRT), an ideology at odds with the truth of the Christian worldview on a number of counts. We will only address the theory of knowledge of CRT, which is called standpoint epistemology. As Francis Schaeffer wrote in He is The...
Oct 16, 2023•21 min
Douglas Groothuis, Ph.D., is Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary and the author of nineteen books, including Fire in the Streets (a critique of critical race theory or wokeness) and Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith . Find more from Dr. Groothuis at www.DouglasGroothuis.com . Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us ....
Oct 09, 2023•25 min
