634: The Happiness Paradox & Lessons from Life’s Last Room with Amy Low
Release Date: 09/11/2024
The Holy Post
With Phil on vacation, Kaitlyn and Esau join Skye to talk about the Supreme Court’s ruling that public schools must allow students to opt out of gender or sexuality content that may contradict the religious beliefs of their families. At the same time, more Americans say public schools should hire chaplains to offer spiritual guidance to students. With schools increasingly becoming the front line in the culture war, can public education survive? Then, Skye talks to Rachel Martin, the co-creator of NPR’s Wild Card podcast and former host of Morning Edition, about what she’s learned from...
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Nothing fires up the End Times industry faster than America dropping bombs in the Middle East. After President Trump decided to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities this weekend, YouTube was flooded with convoluted and contradictory videos on the biblical implications of the war. But if this really is a prelude to Christ’s return, as many online end timers claim, why are they stoking panic and fear? Shouldn’t Christians welcome this news? Skye talks to Senator Chris Coons about how his faith informs his politics, why he went to divinity school, and what the Democrats can do to close the...
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It was a wild weekend. Donald Trump presided over a military parade on his birthday while an estimated 5 million Americans protested around the country. Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn discuss the optics of both events and ask, with America’s divided politics and media silos, is protesting still effective? They also unpack a new article by Abby McCloskey in CT that argues evangelicalism’s focus on a private, personalized faith undermines learning, curiosity, and exercising the mind. Then, theologian and Holy Post Pundit, Michael Bird, is back. He offers an outsider’s perspective on Trump’s...
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Protests in Los Angeles against the Trump administration’s immigration policies have turned violent, but will the images of vandalism and attacks on police actually help the President? And Phil asks if there is any way to prevent necessary mass protests from becoming violent. One of the most respected Bible scholars of the last century has passed away. Old Testament professor Walter Bruggemann contrasted the world’s vision of scarcity with God’s kingdom of abundance, but Kaitlyn thinks his understanding of exile is over-applied today. Skye talks with his Holy Post Media colleague, Esau...
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In the past, debates over worship styles were often marked by generational differences; however, a new article suggests that this is changing. For Gen Z, worship preferences may be dividing along gender lines instead. For younger Christians, is CCM from Venus and liturgy from Mars? Drew Dyck joins Skye and Kaitlyn to discuss the evidence, the implications, and the solution for the worship gender divide. Then, Kaitlyn interviews Patrick Miller about his new book with co-author Keith Simon, “Joyful Outsiders.” He says there are six different ways we can respond to the loss of Christian...
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Phil, Kaitlyn, and Skye respond to questions from the listeners, including whether lay people should go to seminary, how important is attending a church after being hurt by one, and whether Christians should make violent video games. They also venture into theological topics like what pronouns are appropriate for God, what doctrines do we emphasize too much, and why they all think telling kids to “ask Jesus into your heart” is a bad idea. The crew also revisits the topic of Project 2025 and whether they regret their dismissive opinions about it from before the election. Also this...
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Why are more churches rediscovering and reciting the Nicene Creed? And what can the ancient articulation of Christian belief offer the church in these divided times? Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn discuss the 1700th anniversary of the creed and its place in the modern church. The Bible is critical to our faith, but have we been taught to worship the Bible rather than the God of the Bible? Dave Ripper, the author of “Experiencing Scripture as a Disciple of Jesus,” explains how Dallas Willard engaged the Bible and how it can become a source of transformation, not just information. Also this week:...
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We have a pope and he’s American! Cardinal Robert Prevost from Chicago is now Pope Leo XIV, and his connection to The Holy Post is closer than anyone imagined. Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn discuss reactions to the new Pope and the significance of his name. Katelyn Beaty is back to discuss the evolution of the Q Conference, led by Gabe and Rebekah Lyons. Why has an event that started almost 20 years ago with a positive vision of Christian cultural engagement for the common good now shifted to embrace the culture war? And what does it reveal about larger changes within American evangelicalism? Also...
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The White House is facing backlash for posting an AI image of Donald Trump as the Pope. Was it a careless joke or a calculated distraction? The most extensive study of its kind finds that the world’s largest Muslim country far outranks the United States in human flourishing, and also explains why secular elites are discovering a new respect for religion. But is there more than a practical purpose behind faith? Historian Beth Allison Barr is back to discuss her latest book, “Becoming the Pastor’s Wife.” She says expectations for ministry spouses aren’t rooted in Scripture but in a...
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A slate of new articles analyzes Pope Francis through America’s progressive-conservative polarization, but are they confusing political categories with theological ones? Surprising data show that Gen Z is returning to religion, and belief in an afterlife is on the rise, but what's the explanation? Are young people returning to the church to rebel against their secular parents? Former Ohio Governor John Kasich believes America is on the cusp of a spiritual revival, and his new book, “Heaven Help Us,” explores how religious institutions are leading the way. He talks to Skye about how God...
info_outlineToday’s show is all about perspective. First, Phil offers his perspective on the news stories fans send him on social media about Icelandic cucumbers and water buffalos, and how they compare to articles he actually likes about robotic mushrooms and avoiding gluteal amnesia. Then, a recent article explores our culture’s focus on products, practices, and apps designed to increase our happiness, and why focusing on happiness is a sure way to miss it. And Christine Emba’s latest article in The Atlantic looks at why government support and financial incentives have failed to reverse declining birthrates in many countries. She argues the decision to have children isn’t about money but meaning. Then Amy Low shares about her memoir “The Brave In-Between” and the perspective she’s gained by living with a terminal cancer diagnosis for five years. Plus, Skye and Mike Erre have different perspectives about holiday decorations.
Holy Post Plus:
Bonus Interview with Amy Low: https://www.patreon.com/posts/111819242/
0:00 - Intro
1:52 - Show Starts
2:52 - Theme Song
3:14 - Sponsor - Hiya Health - Go to https://www.hiyahealth.com/HOLYPOST to receive 50% off your first order
4:19 - Sponsor - Go to https://www.fromourplace.com and use code HOLYPOST to get 10% off site wide on beautiful cookware!
5:28 - Holiday Decor Disagreements
11:56 - Wounded Water Buffalo
15:11 - Tiktok Blamed for Cucumber Shortage
18:22 - Mushrooms Piloting Robot Hands
22:25 - Dead Butt Syndrome
28:09 - Does Tracking Happiness Make Us Miserable?
41:07 - Is the Decline of Birth Rates Really Economic?
58:45 - Sponsor - Faithful Counseling - This episode is sponsored by Faithful Counseling. Give online therapy a try at https://www.faithfulcounseling.com/HOLYPOST and get 10% off
59:52 - Sponsor - World Relief - Visit https://worldrelief.org/holypost/ to find out how to get two FREE e-learning courses and celebrate World Refugee Day with World Relief!
1:01:06 - Interview
1:06:01 - Why Did Amy Low Write The Brave In-Between?
1:10:10 - What Are the “Rooms” We Go Through in Life?
1:17:00 - The Honesty That Comes Out Near Death
1:23:10 - Where is the Meaning in Pain?
1:31:10 - End Credits
Links Mentioned in the News Segment:
Water Buffalo That Was on the Loose in Iowa Captured:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/water-buffalo-on-loose-injured-aggressive-iowa/
Viral TikTok Video Creates Cucumber Shortage in Iceland:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2024/09/06/viral-tiktok-video-creates-cucumber-shortage-in-iceland/
Robot controlled by a king oyster mushroom blends living organisms and machines:
https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/04/science/fungus-robot-mushroom-biohybrid/index.html
Sitting All Day Can Cause Dead Butt Syndrome:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/04/well/move/dead-butt-syndrome-gluteal-amnesia.html
Are We Happy Yet?:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/08/opinion/happiness-tracking-america.html
The Real Reason People Aren’t Having Kids:
https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2024/08/fertility-crisis/679319/
Other resources:
The Brave In-Between: Notes from the Last Room by Amy Low: https://a.co/d/5Hm69Ic
Holy Post website: https://www.holypost.com/
Holy Post Plus: www.holypost.com/plus
Holy Post Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/holypost
Holy Post Merch Store: https://www.holypost.com/shop
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