Thinking Christianly

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  Who Wants to Live a Lie? Epistemology 2 – Episode 53 15.09.2026 46dk

  In this episode, JP and Stan discuss the requirements and responsibilities of truth-seeking as rational beings created in God’s image.  In this podcast we discuss:  What does our knowledge of reality have to do with our ability to live a meaningful life? Why is seeking truth considered a virtue?  In what ways does Christianity uniquely elevate the role of reason? What is a “justified true belief” and how does that framework help us see beyond Scientism? How does understanding epistemology help us in evaluating the claims of Scripture? Resources mentioned during our conversation: Antony Flew and Roy Abraham Varghese, There Is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind Stan W. Wallace, “Four Reasons Why The World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind“ J.P. Moreland, Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul Series Episode 1: How Do You Know? Are You Sure? Epistemology – Episode 52
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  How Do You Know? Are You Sure? Epistemology – Episode 52 15.08.2026 50dk

  What does it really mean to say that we “know” something? In this episode, we begin a series on epistemology, the study of knowledge and reasonable belief. In this podcast we discuss:  What is knowledge (including knowledge about God)? Can we have it? If so, how? Can we be sure? What kinds of knowledge exist and how do we access them? What is the difference between certainty and defeasibility? Must we have certainty to have knowledge? What is the role of skepticism and how should Christians respond? Resources mentioned during our conversation: Roderick Chisholm, The Foundations of Knowing J.P. Moreland and Garrett DeWeese, Philosophy Made Slightly Less Difficult: A Beginner’s Guide to Life’s Big Questions, Chapter 2 J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig, Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview, Part II (Chapters 3 through 7)
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  What Ideas Are Shaping Our Culture? Answering Questions About Postmodernism, Panpsychism, and Enchantment – Episode 51 15.07.2026 45dk

  In our first-ever question-and-response episode, Stan and JP engage with listener questions about postmodernism, panpsychism, and enchantment. In this podcast we discuss:  How can adopting a broader, more holistic sacramental theology help us to understand the nature of reality? What is panpsychism, and why does the “Combination Problem” make it implausible? How is it incompatible with the Christian worldview? Can we understand our world as “enchanted” without slipping into panpsychism? Are we culturally post-Postmodern? Why is this moment in the history of ideas such a crucial one for Christians to offer a better answer? Resources mentioned during our conversation: Ask your question here: https://www.speakpipe.com/ThinkingChristianly Stan Wallace, Have We Lost Our Minds? Paul Gould, Cultural Apologetics: Renewing the Christian Voice, Conscience, and Imagination in a Disenchanted World Charles Taylor, A Secular Age  John W. Cooper, Body, Soul, and Life Everlasting: Biblical Anthropology and the Monism-Dualism Debate 
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  What Happened to Truth, Goodness, and Beauty? The Cultural Impact of Nominalism – Episode 50 15.05.2026 48dk

  In this episode, we discuss more ways the realism/nominalism debate is having a dramatic impact on all we think and do as we wrap up our series on this important topic. In these episodes, we discuss: Our culture’s confusion over what art is due to implicit nominalism How nominalism undercuts our knowledge of chemistry, biology, and ethics Ways in which nominalistic thinking seeps into our language and reinforces our confusion Nominalism as the seedbed for critical theory and other destructive cultural ideas The necessity of realism to understand our growth in Christ How nominalism cuts the heart out of Christian theology (and is assumed in Islamic theology) Final comments on the stakes of the realist/nominalist debate   Resources mentioned during our conversation: The first episode in this series: #45 – What Makes Things What They Are? The Realist/Nominalist Debate The second episode in the series: #46 – Good Reasons to Believe in Things We Can’t See: The Realism/Nominalism Debate The third episode in this series: #47: The Beliefs, Distinctions, and Cultural Impact of Nominalism: The Realism/Nominalism Debate, The fourth episode in this series: #48: God, Universals, and the Nature of Reality: The Realism/Nominalism Debate, Part 4 (with special guest Paul Gould, Ph.D) The fifth episode in this series: #49: Application of the Realism/Nominalism Debate, Part 5: The Hidden Battle Shaping Our Lives and Culture Madeline L’Engle, A Circle of Quiet – “Art is not a mirror, but an icon…” David Hull, The Metaphysics Of Evolution Hellen Pluckrose & James Lindsay, Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything about Race, Gender, and Identity―and Why This Harms Everybody Jon Kelly, The Ontology of the Soul and Pauline Renewal of the Mind: How Holistic Dualism Accounts for the Restructuring of the Soul and Human Flourishing. Dissertation, University of St. Andrews Recommended resources: P. Moreland and William Lane Craig, Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview
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  Does Your View of Reality Shape Your Life? The Hidden Battle Shaping Culture – Episode 49 15.04.2026 46dk

  In this and the next podcast, we turn our conversation to points of application, discussing some of the ways the Realism/Nominalism debate is having a dramatic impact on all we think and do. In these episodes we discuss: If beauty is really in the eye of the beholder Can there be justice for all if we are nominalists How these ideas shape the work of physicians and therapists The nominalistic assumption underlying Critical Theory Why people say “That’s true for you but not for me.” How we got to the point of believing there are more than two genders Nominalism and abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia If there is one correct interpretation of a passage of Scripture (or any other document, such as the Constitution)? How nominalism cuts the heart out of Christian theology (and is supposed in Islamic theology) What it means to discuss “family” without a realist understanding Some questions that help people understand the limits of their Nominalist views Resources mentioned during our conversation: The first episode in this series: #45 – What Makes Things What They Are? The Realist/Nominalist Debate, Part 1 The second episode in the series: #46 – Good Reasons to Believe in Things We Can’t See: The Realism/Nominalism Debate, Part 2 The third episode in this series: #47: The Beliefs, Distinctions, and Cultural Impact of Nominalism: The Realism/Nominalism Debate, Part 3 The fourth episode in this series: #48: God, Universals, and the Nature of Reality: The Realism/Nominalism Debate, Part 4 (with special guest Paul Gould, Ph.D) – Thinking Christianly J.P. Moreland, Finding Quiet: My Struggle of Overcoming Anxiety and the Practices that Brought Peace Thinking Christianly Podcast – #19: Finding Quiet When Experiencing Anxiety and Depression Pitirim Sorokin, The Crisis of Our Age (archive edition) Recommended resources: J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig, Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview
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  Does Reality Point Us to God? Exploring Universals and the Nature of Reality with Paul Gould- Episode 48 15.03.2026 56dk

  In this episode, we drill down further into how the Realist/Nominalist debate shapes our understanding of God with special guest and expert, Dr. Paul Gould. In this podcast, we discuss: What is “Divine Conceptualism” and how does it relate to Moderate Realism? What are some of the intellectual resources we gain when we hold Platonist ideas about abstract objects and traditional theist understandings about God’s nature? How does distinguishing the two types of creation help us understand God’s creative activity? Where do distinctions about Platonic and Aristotelian thought help us sort through what we can know about reality? How does “Divine Exemplarism” help us make sense of difficult passages in Scripture? How can we make sense of the concept of “Divine Simplicity” without falling into incoherence? What is the concept of “Divine Aseity” and what requirements does it actually place on our ideas about God’s nature? Resources mentioned during our conversation: The first episode in this series: #45 – What Makes Things What They Are? The Realist/Nominalist Debate, Part 1 The second episode in the series: #46 – Good Reasons to Believe in Things We Can’t See: The Realism/Nominalism Debate, Part 2 The third episode in this series: #47: The Beliefs, Distinctions, and Cultural Impact of Nominalism: The Realism/Nominalism Debate, Part 3 Recommended resources: To find out more about Paul Gould and his work, please visit his website – Paul Gould J. P. Moreland and William Lane Craig, Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview, chapter on Properties Garrett J. DeWeese and J. P. Moreland, Philosophy Made Slightly Less Difficult: A Beginner’s Guide to Life’s Big Questions, chapter on Properties J. P. Moreland, Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul
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  Is Reality Discovered or Created? Understanding The Impact of Nominalism – Episode 47 15.02.2026 44dk

  In this episode, we continue exploring realism and nominalism by taking a deeper look into Nominalist beliefs. In this podcast, we discuss: What does a person mean when they say they are a nominalist? How is nominalism a contributing factor to current cultural beliefs? What are the major distinctions within nominalism? How do moderate and extreme nominalists understand properties? What are the challenges inherent in these ideas? Why would a person be inclined to hold nominalist views? How do we engage in this discussion with fellow Christians? Resources mentioned during our conversation: Stan Wallace, “Three Reasons to Believe in Things You Can’t See,” (four-part series) The first episode in this series: #45 – What Makes Things What They Are? The Realist/Nominalist Debate, Part 1 The second episode in the series: #46 – Good Reasons to Believe in Things We Can’t See: The Realism/Nominalism Debate, Part 2 Recommended resources: P. Moreland and William Lane Craig, Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview, chapter on Properties Garrett J. DeWeese and J. P. Moreland, Philosophy Made Slightly Less Difficult: A Beginner’s Guide to Life’s Big Questions, chapter on Properties JP Moreland, Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul 
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  Can We Believe in Things We Can’t See? How Reason Reveals Reality – Episode 46 15.01.2026 43dk

  In this episode, we continue exploring the differences between Realism and Nominalism by discussing good reasons to hold a Realist perspective. In this podcast, we discuss: What good reasons do we have to believe in abstract objects that we cannot see? How is it that we are intuitively aware of things we cannot see? Why do we naturally group things together? Is this “seeing” the universal they all share? What are relations? Are they real? Can we see them? What were some of the ideas that early modern empiricists got right? What kinds of theological problems do we bump into when we reject realism? Resources mentioned during our conversation: Stan Wallace, “Three Reasons to Believe in Things You Can’t See,” (four-part series) The first episode in this series: #45 – What Makes Things What They Are? The Realist/Nominalist Debate Recommended resources: J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig, Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview, chapter on Properties Garrett J. DeWeese and J. P. Moreland, Philosophy Made Slightly Less Difficult: A Beginner’s Guide to Life’s Big Questions, chapter on Properties Scott Smith, The The Dangers of Nominalism, on The Kirkwood Center Podcast
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  What Makes Things What They Are? Understanding The Realist-Nominalist Debate – Episode 45 15.12.2025 45dk

  #45 – What Makes Things What They Are? The Realist/Nominalist Debate In this episode, we kick off a series discussing the most fundamental issue underlying all other questions: what makes things what they are? How does a proper understanding help us live well and flourish in our world? In this podcast, we discuss: Defining the two options: realism (universals exist) and nominalism (universals don’t exist) What is God’s relationship to universals? Is this a threat to His uniqueness? How does thinking well about this issue help us grow in the knowledge and love of God? Resources mentioned during our conversation: Stan Wallace, Have We Lost Our Minds? Pitirim Sorokin, The Crisis of Our Age (archive edition) Paul Gould, Beyond the Control of God? Six Views on The Problem of God and Abstract Objects Recommended resources: J. P. Moreland and William Lane Craig, Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview Garrett J. DeWeese and J. P. Moreland, Philosophy Made Slightly Less Difficult: A Beginner’s Guide to Life’s Big Questions Scott Smith, Dangers of Nominalism: An Interview
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  How Do We Love Others? – Episode 44 13.11.2025 45dk

  In this episode, we continue our series by discussing the final chapter of Stan’s new book, Have We Lost Our Minds?: Neuroscience, Neurotheology, the Soul, and Human Flourishing. In this podcast, we discuss:  How does understanding what people are help us in proclaiming the Good News? How can we avoid the two extremes of only caring for the body or only caring for the soul in missional contexts? What does it mean to have confidence or trust in a belief? How does faith relate to certainty? How does a commitment to holistic dualism help us avoid dehumanizing others? How can holistic dualism help us integrate our faith and our professions? Resources mentioned during our conversation: Find out more about Have We Lost Our Minds? Get the introduction to the book for free on the Global Scholars website. A printable group discussion guide to Stan’s book can be found here.
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  How Do We Love God With Our Whole Selves? – Episode 43 03.10.2025 45dk

  In this episode, we continue our series by discussing Chapter 9 of Stan’s new book, Have We Lost Our Minds?: Neuroscience, Neurotheology, the Soul, and Human Flourishing. In this episode, we discuss: What problems arise when we reduce spiritual formation to just the physical What problems arise when we reduce spiritual formation to just the immaterial How we should understand the unity of the body and soul as it relates to spiritual formation What it looks like to take a both/and approach to spiritual formation in our lives How this topic has impacted our churches How Dallas Willard’s model of growth in Christ differs from what neurotheologians offer God’s role and our role in spiritual formation Resources mentioned during our conversation: Find out more about Have We Lost Our Minds? Get the introduction to the book for free on the Global Scholars website. A printable group discussion guide to Stan’s book can be found here.  
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  Can Neuroscience Disprove the Soul? Responding to Objections About Mind and Brain – Episode 42 28.08.2025 40dk

  In this episode, we continue our series by engaging Chapters 7 and 8 of Stan’s new book, Have We Lost Our Minds?: Neuroscience, Neurotheology, the Soul, and Human Flourishing. In this episode, we discuss: What is the difference between valuing science and scientism?Was Dallas Willard a neurotheologian?Does neurotheology help people grow in Christlikeness?For the sake of simplicity, why not just understand persons as material beings?How can the body and soul interact if they are such different types of things?Wait, does this mean animals also have souls? Is that Biblical? Resources mentioned during our conversation:Find out more about Have We Lost Our Minds?Get the introduction to the book for free on the Global Scholars website.A printable group discussion guide to Stan’s book can be found here.Thinking Christianly Episode #32: Having Better Conversations by Avoiding Logical FallaciesThinking Christianly Episode #40: “The Unity of the Soul and Body”: Chapter 6 of Have We Lost Our Minds?
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  Are We Our Brains? A Neuroscientist’s Perspective on the Soul and Human Identity with Dr Sharon Dirckx- Episode 41 15.05.2025 43dk

  In this episode we continue our series discussing Stan’s recent book Have We Lost Our Minds?, exploring the book’s themes with neuroscientist and apologist Sharon Dirckx, Ph.D.In this episode, we discuss: In what ways do we talk about the brain doing what persons do?How did Sharon’s experience in brain imaging research help her conclude that we are more than just our brains?What is the role of honest and open dialogue in finding truth in this and all other important areas?How does acknowledging the first-person perspective as a way of knowing change the conversation about mind-brain relations?Are there studies in neuroscience that suggest a soul?What are the most compelling objections to holistic dualism from the neuroscientific perspective?How could thinking Christians respond to these objections?Resources mentioned during our conversation:Sharon Dirckx, Am I Just My Brain?Find out more about Dr. Sharon Dirckx’s work on her website and through the Oxford Centre for Christian ApologeticsFind out more about Have We Lost Our Minds? Get the introduction to the book for free on the Global Scholars website. A printable group discussion guide can be found here.Thinking Christianly Episode #21: A Case Study in Thinking Christianly and Making a Difference: Edmund HusserlThinking Christianly Episode #22: The Importance of Legacy: More Lessons from the Life of Edmund HusserlPremier Unbelievable?: Iain McGilchrist & Sharon Dirckx • Brain science, consciousness & GodMichael Egnor and Denyse O’Leary, The Immortal Mind: A Neurosurgeon’s Case for the Existence of the SoulAdditional Resources: Sharon Dirckx, "Christ Renews our Minds, not Our Brains", Christianity Today, August 18, 2025
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  Are the Soul and Body Separate? Understanding the Mind-Body Connection – Episode 40 15.04.2025 36dk

  In this episode, we continue our series by engaging Chapter 6 of Stan’s new book, Have We Lost Our Minds?: Neuroscience, Neurotheology, the Soul, and Human Flourishing. In this episode, we discuss: What is the nature of the relationship between the body and soul? Do ears hear? How can we understand the way souls and bodies interact? What are the key differences between the various kinds of dualism? What is traducianism, and how is it different from creationism? What are some of the implications of holistic dualism in how we understand health? How should we understand the context of the conversations about the relationship of the body and the soul? What can Christian thinkers do to engage this topic well? Why do theologically trained scholars tend to have a difficult time with substance dualism? Resources mentioned during our conversation: Find out more about Have We Lost Our Minds? Get the introduction to the book for free on the Global Scholars website. A printable group discussion guide can be found here. Thinking Christianly Episode #7: What is the Soul, and Why Should We Care? (Part 1) Thinking Christianly Episode #8: What is the Soul, and Why Should We Care? (Part 2) P. Moreland, Finding Quiet: My Struggle of Overcoming Anxiety and the Practices that Brought Peace Lesslie Newbigin, Foolishness to the Greeks: The Gospel in Western Culture
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  What Is the Soul? Understanding Who We Really Are – Episode 39 15.03.2025 40dk

  In this episode, we continue our series by engaging Chapter 5 of Stan’s new book, Have We Lost Our Minds?: Neuroscience, Neurotheology, the Soul, and Human Flourishing. We discuss: What is an “individuated human nature,” and why is each of these words important? Natures have capacities; the ability to manifest a capacity is a faculty. What kinds of faculties do humans have? What makes human consciousness unique? How can asking “What is it like?” questions help engage people in conversation about the soul? How do our human faculties interact? How do studies on near-death (or after-death!) experiences help us understand the nature of the soul? What does it mean to be a substance that has properties?   Resources and Citations: Find out more about Have We Lost Our Minds? Get the introduction to the book for free on the Global Scholars website. A printable group discussion guide can be found here. The Lausanne Movement’sThe Seoul Statement, Preamble to Section IV: “The Human Person: The Image of God Created and Restored” Thinking Christianly Episode #7: What is a Soul and Why Should We Care? (Part 1) Thinking Christianly Episode #8: What is a Soul and Why Should We Care? (Part 2) John Burke, Imagine Heaven: Near-Death Experiences, God's Promises, and the Exhilarating Future That Awaits You Gary Habermas & J.P. Moreland, Beyond Death: Exploring the Evidence for Immortality Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy
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  Are Humans More Than Just Physical Matter? Understanding the Soul and Human Nature – Episode 38 11.02.2025

  In this episode, we continue our series by engaging Chapter 4 of Stan’s new book, Have We Lost Our Minds?: Neuroscience, Neurotheology, the Soul, and Human Flourishing. We discuss: Why neurotheologians are mistaken about our true nature. Why it isn’t possible to reduce mental properties to physical events. How we should understand our unity through time. How the modal argument helps us understand identity. Why non-reductive physicalism or “emergence” is of no help to the physicalist position. What a “brute fact” is. What did Dallas Willard meant when he talked about the nature of the body. Thoughts on human flourishing and why it matters.   Resources and Citations: Find out more about Have We Lost Our Minds? Get the introduction to the book for free on the Global Scholars website. A printable group discussion guide can be found here. P. Moreland, “Substance Dualism and the Unity of Consciousness”: The Blackwell Companion to Substance Dualism Gary W. Moon, Becoming Dallas Willard: The Formation of a Philosopher, Teacher, and Christ Follower Thinking Christianly Episode #6: What is Human Flourishing and How Do We Achieve it?
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  Why Does the Soul Matter? Reflections on Have We Lost Our Minds? With J.P. Moreland – Episode 37 16.12.2024

  J.P. rejoins the podcast! In this episode, he shares good news about his health and reflects on why he was eager to write the Foreword to Have We Lost Our Minds?: Neuroscience, Neurotheology, the Soul, and Human Flourishing. We discuss: J.P.’s health journey over the last few months How Christians have contributed to the secularization of culture The importance of the conversation about what it means to be human Why the arguments in Stan’s book have personal meaning for J.P. The importance of responsible scholarship, especially as Christians The crucial difference between acknowledging a “soul” and acknowledging a “substantial soul”   Resources and Citations: Find out more about Have We Lost Our Minds? Get the introduction to the book for free on the Global Scholars website. A printable group discussion guide can be found here. Brandon Rickabaugh and J.P. Moreland, The Substance of Consciousness: A Comprehensive Defense of Contemporary Substance Dualism. Stan Wallace, “Continuing the Conversation: Clarifying the Central Ideas of Have We Lost Our Minds?” The Lausanne Movement’sThe Seoul Statement, Preamble to Section IV: “The Human Person: The Image of God Created and Restored”
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  Are Thoughts Just Brain Activity? Understanding the Mind, Brain, and Soul – Episode 36 15.11.2024 27dk

  In this episode, we continue our series by engaging Chapter 3 of Stan’s new book, Have We Lost Our Minds? Neuroscience, Neurotheology, the Soul, and Human Flourishing. In this episode, we discuss: What do neurotheologians get wrong about identity? How can understanding identity help us understand neural events and mental events? What properties belong to the mind that do not belong to the brain? What are the key differences between reductive and non-reductive physicalism? Does the physicalist anthropology make a difference in how we view human persons?    Resources and Citations: Find out more about Have We Lost Our Minds? Get the introduction to the book for free on the Global Scholars website. A printable group discussion guide can be found here.
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  Does the Bible Teach That We Have a Soul? Understanding the Biblical View of Humanity – Episode 35 21.10.2024 17dk

  In this episode, we continue our series by engaging Chapter 2 of Stan’s new book, Have We Lost Our Minds?: Neuroscience, Neurotheology, the Soul, and Human Flourishing. In this episode, we discuss: What are the key passages related to the topic of Biblical anthropology? What is the difference between an ontological unity and a functional unity of body and soul? What witness does church history give to this topic? Where did “neurotheology” go wrong in explaining the nature of the human person? What is our soul doing when it is no longer united with the body? Resources and Citations: John W. Cooper, Body, Soul, and Life Everlasting: Biblical Anthropology and the Monism-Dualism Debate John Burke, Imagine Heaven: Near-Death Experiences, God's Promises, and the Exhilarating Future That Awaits You Find out more about Have We Lost Our Minds? Get the introduction to the book for free on the Global Scholars website. A printable group discussion guide can be found here.
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  Are We Just Our Brains? What Neuroscience Reveals About the Soul – Episode 34 16.09.2024 22dk

  In this episode, we continue our series by engaging Chapter 1 of Stan’s new book, Have We Lost Our Minds?: Neuroscience, Neurotheology, the Soul, and Human Flourishing. In this episode, we discuss: Why is it critical that Christians acknowledge well-done science? What are some implications of the assertion that the brain is fundamentally what we are? The difference between Dallas Willard’s “VIM” model and Jim Wilder’s version. Tips for listeners who want to be more aware of places where they have absorbed Physicalist assumptions. What can we know about what we are? Where does that information come from?   Resources and Citations: Find out more about Have We Lost Our Minds? Get the introduction to the book for free on the Global Scholars website. A printable group discussion guide can be found here.