Help My Unbelief - Why Believe in the First Place? (On Second Thought)

Why Believe in the First Place? (On Second Thought)

10/24/19 • 25 min

Last week, Basil and Nicole concluded that how we understand what faith is affects how we lose faith. On second thought, why even believe in the first place? In this episode we return to points made last week and re-examine them from a new perspective. Questions raised include: is Christianity a religion, worldview, or none of the above? What is a calling? And more... Listeners are invited to share with us what they think a "calling" is. What do you think a calling or vocation is? What do you feel called to in this life? Record a brief answer and send it to Basil and Nicole at [email protected] and we might feature it in an future episode! Resources mentioned in the episode: Definition of calling: "a strong inner impulse toward a particular course of action especially when accompanied by conviction of divine influence." (Merriam Webster Dictionary) Definition of vocation: "a summons or strong inclination to a particular state or course of action."(Merriam Webster Dictionary) Two Greek words that sound similar but have different spellings and meanings: Κλήση (klisi, n.) = call (ex. see Romans 11:29) Κλίση (klisi, n.) = inclination

Previous Episode

Losing Faith: Evangelical Style

This summer, two prominent Evangelical figures, Joshua Harris and Marty Sampson, announced that they had lost (or were losing) their faith. Their statements, and the way they describe faith, raise an important question: do Evangelicals lose their faith in a way that is unique from folks of other Christian backgrounds? We address this question by exploring four concepts: Salvation, Conversion, Faith, and Mystery. Plus, a listener, Jamey William Bennett, shares a struggle about the problem of suffering. "We can all agree we don't want to follow a small God, a limited God, a finite God. But the reality, then, is that there are going to be times when God is way bigger than our faith and sometimes our faith has to die. At a certain point in our life, we have to come to the point where we can say that 'I don't have faith to contain that.'" —Nicole "What is the biggest gift that doubt gives us? It helps answer a question a lot of us should ask ourselves: are we following what we believe because it expresses truth, or are we following Christ just so we can get a reward out of it?" —Basil Resources relevant to this episode: Joshua Harris's announcement on July 26 A transcript of Marty Sampson's announcement Brews, Beards, and Shipwrecks podcast Royal Ruckus rap by Jamey William Bennett Pprosopolatria" (προσωπολατρία): Greek term for worship of the person, personality cult Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh, doubt and questioning series (transcript) Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh, doubt and questioning series (video)

Next Episode

Talking to Heaven: Nicole Revisits a Crisis of Faith

When Nicole was 16, she read a book that rattled her faith: Talking to Heaven: A Medium's Message of Life after Death. For years, she has lived in fear of this book. In this episode, she re-reads the book to see if it will cause a new crisis of faith. Resources relevent to the episode: What are Toll Houses? Radiolab Podcast Episode “You Are The Judge” Elder Cleopa of Romania: How Satan Deceives People (The Patristic Heritage Book 1)