Faith | Books | Culture
Todd Billings and Wyatt Graham discuss death and dying—the topic of Billings’ new book, “The End of the Christian Life.” To learn more, check out his six-part podcast on the topic of his recent book here.
Make sure to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and/or Apple Podcasts. Also, see the host page at Anchor and the Youtube page. And bookmark this page to see every episode. [Read more…] about Episode 18: Todd Billings on Death and Dying
Jordan Peterson has left the cultural space that he had inhabited for years. Suffering from a physical dependency to benzodiazepine and most recently coronavirus, he has understandably receded from the limelight.
Yet many have felt his absence—something difficult to achieve unless his presence had already made a deep impression on the souls of many. Evidence of this statement follows from a simple Google search for “Jordan Peterson” and the news articles that result from the query or from social media.
While some readers may have immediately made up their mind at this point about the article and Peterson himself since he represents (according to some) extreme-right views or some other unfavourable position, I would ask you to pause. I am not here to talk about Jordan Peterson nor to analyze his way of being in the world.
I want to talk about why so many people have listened to Jordan Peterson and why his absence has made an impression on so many. While Peterson undoubtedly knows how to speak to hearts, I do not think that alone explains why he affects so many people. The answer is more fundamental.
What he supplies, people feel that they need. [Read more…] about Why Do So Many People Listen to Jordan Peterson?
Note: I offer these reflections as thoughts-in-process. They represent my thinking-in-process and may in fact miss the mark. I ask readers to read this article accordingly.
While all of us hope in the resurrection and await in our heavenly inheritance, we have to admit a major gap in our knowledge. What happens immediately after we die? Heaven, as we understand it, lies deep in the future (Rev 21–22). The resurrection does too. So if our resurrection body and the new heavens and earth lie in the future, where do we go when we die and in what form will we exist? What assurance do we give those who die in the Lord now about their afterlife? [Read more…] about What Happens Immediately after We Die?
In the ancient world, tombs or catacombs lined ancient roadways (well, at least in Rome). Many people used the catacomb space for funerary feasts or the like. And so did Christians. They worshipped in catacombs, surrounded by the dead.
The (possible) symbolism of Christian worship in catacombs fascinates me. Here’s why. [Read more…] about When Jesus Cleansed The Tombs
Jordan Peterson has become wildly popular. His YouTube channel has nearly 40 million views. And he has recently gone on a successful book tour across the Western world with much fanfare.
So why is he so popular? David Brooks argues that prior generations and institutions have failed young men and Peterson is filling the gap. He writes, “Parents, universities and the elders of society have utterly failed to give many young men realistic and demanding practical wisdom on how to live. Peterson has filled the gap.”
And yet: if young men of the world have been failed by prior generations and institutions, would the same be true about young men in the church? While it’s impossible to give a definitive answer, the ever-growing contingent of young, Christian men who are following Peterson anecdotally suggests that the answer is, “Yes.”
In light of this, should Christians listen to Peterson? Is he filling the gap that families and churches have failed to fill (I am not claiming this but merely asking the question)? [Read more…] about Should Christians Listen to Jordan Peterson?
