Chances are you know someone who has deconstructed their faith or is in that process. Maybe that person is you. Wherever you are in your faith journey, you’ll appreciate this interview with Ian Harber, who has experienced deconstruction of faith first hand.
Ian shares his own story, including what led to his crisis of faith and how he managed to rebuild belief in God’s goodness after his lowest moment.
He also discusses his “brutally honest, defiantly hopeful” book: Walking Through Deconstruction: How to Be a Companion in a Crisis of Faith. It tackles common misconceptions about deconstruction, provides tips for supporting loved ones through a spiritual crisis, and offers hope and advice for reconstructing a healthy faith.
Newly confirmed HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claims that America is in a “spiritual crisis.” Is this true? In this 20-minute episode, Liberty examines religious trends and sociological research to evaluate the truth of RFK’s claim and shares her opinion on why it matters.
Safe. That definition may change from person to person, but there’s no denying that today’s generation seeks to feel and promote physical and emotional safety. Our world is anything but safe. How do we cope with this?
Dr. Tanita Maddox is a Gen Z expert and veteran Young Life leader. In this conversation, she shares why this is an important question, how we can align our definition of safety to God’s, and how we can access peace even when it feels like the world is going up in flames. She also offers loving encouragement that every Gen Zer needs to hear.
We know DNA is complex, but recent discoveries are revealing new layers of complexity within DNA—and creating problems for evolutionists. Dr. Jeffrey Tomkins, a research scientist for the Institution for Creation Research who specializes in genetics research, explains these discoveries in the final episode of our series, “Know About Science and Faith.” Listen to find out what epigenetics, Meiosis, DNA codes and even Darwin’s Finches can tell us about Intelligent Design.
It’s the “age of the unprecedented!” That’s historian Richard Lim’s take. Back for Part 2, the host of “This American President” explains what factors truly make this presidential election so unique. He also offers insight on the importance of knowing our nation’s history, and why it’s so rare to find political leaders who are willing to do the right thing anymore. But Richard still has hope that America can produce leaders of integrity—if some things change. Find out what those things are in this quick, topical episode.
Tired of ‘Unprecedented?’
“We truly live in the age of the unprecedented,” Richard told Know Why, adding that there is so much unprecedented about our current politics that it’s “absurd.” However, we can still glean insight from looking at our nation’s history. Unfortunately, few Americans are well-versed in American history.
“History is to a country the way memory is to an individual,” Richard said. “Why would you experience things and learn lessons but then forget them? What’s the point of that?”
Hope
Richard believes studying the past can also give us hope for the future, because even though events and circumstances change, human nature stays the same across time. And in the past, there are examples of leaders emerging to do the right thing, even when it wasn’t popular—and sometimes even when it was costly. He gives examples of past presidents who made the right decision when it was tough.
He acknowledges that many Americans may feel frustration at our political leaders today, whom many deem corrupt. “Why did we have leaders that did [the right thing] back then and not have that now?” he said.
“The answer is because there was this belief that everybody was accountable to God. Whether you were a Christian or not, that was the basic belief in the country. And we don’t have that anymore. If you want better leaders, you need that moral check on every American citizen, because then it will lead to leaders doing good things.”
You can read more about one of America’s good leaders in Richard’s forthcoming book, Refusing a Crown. Learn more at his website below.
Returning Know Why guest Dr. Brad East joins the podcast to discuss his new book, Letters to a Future Saint: Foundations of Faith for the Spiritually Hungry, a resource for young adults, college students, and parents of young adults. Dr. East argues that young adults are hungry for a faith “worth staking your life on.” He also says many seek straight, clear answers on matters of importance. If you’re a college student seeking to strengthen or better understand your faith in this season, don’t miss this installment of our Back to School series!
A Needed Resource
As a professor at Abilene Christian University, Dr. East spends plenty of time with young adults. Despite the many issues facing young adults, he says that one thing about the generation sticks out to him: “The thing that I experience the most with this population is a deep and utterly sincere hunger for what is worth staking your life on.”
But even among young adults who attend a Christian university and were raised in a Christian home, many do not actually know what it means to be a Christian. Dr. East says his forthcoming book, Letters to a Future Saint, is for them.
Why the Gap?
Why the gap in understanding? Dr. East thinks there are a few reasons. One is churches’ underestimation of how deep young adults really want to go with their faith. He says many churches have adopted a “concert and a Ted Talk model.”
“A concert, no matter how good, and a Ted Talk, no matter how good, are just not enough,” he told Know Why. “They’re not going to do the job we need to catechize and raise up committed, adult Christians.”
But he also identifies technology as a reason young Christians are unfamiliar with their own faith. The rapid advances in technology, the impacts of which are still being studies, have led to a young population that is less literate than previous generations.
Give it to me Straight
Dr. East said he gets lots of questions about a variety of issues from his students. But a common theme underscores the questions: “Would you please give me clear and succinct answer? Because no-one seems to be able or willing to do that for me?”
His book, Letters to a Future Saint, sets out to provide those answers, and equip others to give them as well.
Know About Creating: Interview With Nick Sungenis (Part 2)
In the last episode of our Know About Creating series, Liberty and Nick wrap up their conversation on music, philosophy, and life. Nick dives deeper into the philosophy of music, explaining how music can help us understand the nuance of life and sharpen our ability to reason through our actions. He also discusses the fascinating science behind the effect of music on living beings, and offers encouragement for people who want to pursue music as a career, or pick up an instrument for the first time!
Essentially Musical
Nick says that musicality is part of humans’ nature. “We are essentially predisposed and so ripe for becoming more musical because we have a fundamental level of musicality,” he told Know Why.
The more we play and understand music, the more we can understand about life, added. That’s because students of music learn that there is a right or wrong time to play certain notes, and that depending on the instrument, playing the correct note accurately requires a lot of nuance.
It’s the same with life. “There’s sometimes a lot of nuance to life and actions,” Nick said. “Reason will guide us to make the right selection, whatever it is.”
More Resources
Follow Nick on Instagram to stay up-to-date about his forthcoming book, Living the Harmonious Life.
Grab some coffee and jump into this fun conversation with Jonathan and Chelsea Boes. Chelsea is the editor of WORLDKids Magazine, a culture writer at WORLD Magazine and a columnist at the Asheville Citizen Times. Jonathan is a writer, podcaster, and video creator and the multi-media editor for God’s WORLD News. Chelsea and Jonathan talk about why humans are drawn to stories, how faith informs their creativity, and why the creative process doesn’t have to be rushed. Come back next week for Part 2—a deep dive into Christians’ relationship with literature.
Why Stories Are Significant
Jonathan and Chelsea both believe there is significance in the human drive to tell stories. For Chelsea, it flows from a place of loving people and wanting to capture life. For Jonathan, the inclusion of so many stories in the Bible—as opposed to merely practical information—reveals that stories are important to God.
“God chose to give us stories.”
Jonathan boes
“As Christians there can sometimes be a sense that we just want to get to the ‘meat,'” he told Know Why. “Sometimes the story can even seem like an impediment to that. But I think there’s something really important in the fact that so much of the Bible is presented in story.”
Embracing the Process
As an extrovert, Chelsea understands how the desire to “be seen” can conflict with the often lonely work of writing and the impatience of not knowing what the outcome of that work will be. But she believes that no time spent writing is wasted—even if some stories never see the light of day. Time spent working on your art is like time spent exercising a muscle.
Making appointments with yourself to write daily can help you grow, and also removes the pressure to create something quickly, she told Know Why.
Listen next week for Part 2 of Know Why’s interview with Chelsea and Jonathan!
Writer and director Mitch Hudson joins the Know Why Podcast to talk about The Promised Land—a brand new comedy series based on the Bible. Unlike any faith-based entertainment you’ve seen before, The Promised Land tells the story of Moses in the style of shows like The Office and Parks & Recreation. In this episode, Mitch, who’s also an assistant director on the hit seriesThe Chosen, discusses how renewing his faith renewed his creativity, and shares how adapting biblical stories for TV has inspired a deeper understanding of God, people, and life. He also shares advice for young adults interested in pursuing a career in film. Don’t sleep on this episode!
Creating Honestly
While raised in a Christian home, Mitch told Know Why it wasn’t until adulthood that he decided to make faith a serious part of his life. After rededicating his life to God, Mitch said creative ideas started flowing. While he used to hesitate to tell faith-based stories, Mitch now believes it makes sense for him to create faith-based art because it’s “honest.”
“Creativity generally comes from a very honest place,” he told Know Why. “The fullness of my personality needs to express itself creatively, and that is not full unless it’s also including my faith.”
Telling Bible Stories on TV
Working on faith-based TV shows like The Chosen and now The Promised Land has helped Mitch gain a new understanding of many stories and people in the Bible, often motivating him to explore Scripture for himself even more, he told Know Why.
“It reminds you that the Bible is full of stories about people,” he said. “And God continues to use people. As we see these stories, it’s like, alright, if he used all these characters and they made all these mistakes, I bet he can also use us too.”
Is Exodus Funny?
The Promised Land is based on the story of Moses and the events of the biblical book of Exodus. Mitch said when writing episodes for The Promised Land, he found humor in details, such as character’s reactions, or imagining how they might feel about a situation.
“The Bible is full of stories about people.”
Mitch Hudson
“A lot of the stories that are in the Bible aren’t funny,” he told Know Why. “I’m not trying to make serious stories funny. When we get to serious stories in the Bible, we’re going to treat them seriously in the story of Moses. But there are some of the details … that when I dig into them a little bit deeper and think them through, that’s where I find some of the humor.”
Advice
Mitch recommends film school for anyone interested in a career in the film industry—if possible. “A lot of the connections I have that I made in film school with other students helped me stay in the loop on other projects that were happening,” he said.
But if film school isn’t an option, Mitch suggests finding ways to get on a film set to get any experience possible. Most states have a film office, he said. You can contact that office to find information about working or interning on sets. “There’s no bad learning, especially when you don’t have connections right at the beginning,” he said. He also advised taking any job on set, no matter what role you want to work in the future, because the experience will help you build community.
Ross Boone (artist name Raw Spoon) is back! In Part 2 of his interview with Know Why Podcast, Ross shares his formula for finding your mission in life. He also talks with Liberty about the power of stories, even dark ones (both true and fictional), to reveal the heart of God and point people to the light. Listen till the end to hear Ross turn the tables and interview Liberty for a few moments about her life’s story and mission.
Find Your Mission
In Part 2, Liberty notes that Ross has used seemingly divergent skill sets (mechanical engineering and artwork) to create his Creature Habits App. Ross believes people can find their mission in life by identifying their skills and passions and using painful parts of their life story to help others. For a more detailed description of Ross’s formula, listen to the first few minutes of the episode or click on the “Find Your Mission” link below.
“If we want to speak to the deepest parts of our humanity, we’re going to have to go to the deepest parts of our pain.”
Ross Boone
The Power of Story
True stories have the power to impact us deeply—but so do fictional stories. Ross believes Christians should be honest about the condition of the world in our storytelling. “Christian art doesn’t have to be rated G,” he told Know Why. “If we want to speak to the deepest parts of our humanity, we’re going to have to go to the deepest parts of our pain.” Is there a line for Christian artists and consumers when it comes to content that is “safe” or “clean?” Listen for Ross’s thoughts on navigating this issue.
Liberty’s Story
At the end of the episode, Ross asks Liberty questions to help identify her mission, leading Liberty to share part of her personal journey with faith and doubt.
