Truth Tribe with Douglas Groothuis

It is not name-calling to say that the roots of CRT are found in Marxism. But the issue goes deeper. To some, the label “Marxism” or “Marxist” means little or nothing, since they are ignorant of the philosophy’s origins, teachings, and outcomes. This is true for many who did not live as adults through any part of the Cold War between the US and the USSR (1947–1991). This is the generation that knew not Joseph (Stalin).2 It is largely ignorant about Communism, the ideology that has controlled China and North Korea since 1949, Cuba since 1961, Laos since 1975, and Vietnam since 1976.3 This means 1.5 billion people are currently enslaved by Marxism. [Groothuis, Douglas R.. Fire in the Streets: How You Can Confidently Respond to Incendiary Cultural Topics (p. 3). Salem Books. Kindle Edition.] Marx’s debauched life and love of rebellion, inspired by demonic themes. See Paul Kengor, The Devil and Karl Marx (Tan Books, 2020). Basic Marxist Ideas Marx’s atheism, which undermines all value and his own philosophy. Marx rejected all religion as oppressive. On his rejection of religion, see Douglas Groothuis, Christian Apologetics, 2nd (InterVarsity-Academic, 2022), pages 378-382. History as class-struggle. The call for revolution, not reform, of society. The vision of a future utopia fueled Marx’s false philosophy.   For more on Marxism, see Thomas Sowell, Marxism: Philosophy and Economics (William Morrow, 1985) and Fred Schwarz, You Can Trust the Communists to be Communists (Prentice-Hall, 1960). Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This podcast is taken from Douglas Groothuis, Fire in the Streets (Salem, 2022). Even if we grant that the free-enterprise system has done a disservice to black people [which I do not], it does not follow that socialism would be any better for them—or for anyone else. Remember that a realistic view of politics is that of the constrained vision [of Thomas Sowell], which aligns with the Judeo-Christian account of our humanity, culture, and the state. Finding injustices in one system does not imply that these injustices will be eliminated or lessened by another system. Other injustices may replace and exceed the previous injustices. This is true for socialism. [Groothuis, Douglas R. Fire in the Streets: How You Can Confidently Respond to Incendiary Cultural Topics (p. 121). Salem Books. Kindle Edition.] Those benefiting from slavery or oppressed by it are long dead and so cannot be involved in any reparations. Reparations as demanded today are not supported by the Bible. It is difficult and often impossible to identify blacks today as descendants of slaves. Many in the US are not. Massive wealth transfers are not likely to be helpful for blacks overall or for society as a whole, as was seen in The War on Poverty in the 1960s and 1970s. On this see, Charles Murray, Losing Ground. Who, among blacks, would receive reparations? What of wealthy blacks, such as Oprah Winfrey and others? If so, this makes no sense. Conclusion If the free market were torched for the sake of ending or lessening racism and replaced by socialism, racism would not go away or even decrease. Rather, Americans of all colors would lose treasured freedoms and opportunities. Forcing “equity” economically through the state would spark strife and discontent. Whatever legacy remains of slavery, Jim Crow, or redlining is best treated by the possibilities and opportunities afforded through free enterprise, rather than by insisting on compensatory will-o’-the-wisps notions, such as affirmative action, minimum wage laws, tax increases on “the rich,” reparations, and other political dead ends. If any social system should be committed to the flames on the basis of evidence, principle, and history, it is socialism in all of its forms. Groothuis, Douglas R. Fire in the Streets: How You Can Confidently Respond to Incendiary Cultural Topics (p. 127). Salem Books. Kindle Edition. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Spiritual formation, becoming more like Jesus Christ in thought and deed, requires a renewed mind (Romans 12:2) that avoids worldliness (1 John 2:15-17) and pursues godliness (Matthew 5:1-18). Our sanctification through the Holy Spirit requires an ongoing dependency on God wherein we grow in the knowledge of God, how his Kingdom operates (Matthew 6:33), ourselves (James 1:25), and our place in the church (1 Corinthians 12-14) and broader culture (1 Chronicles 12:32). To this end, here are some principles and recommendations in how to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Remain faithful in the reading and studying of the Bible (Psalm 119; 2 Timothy 3:14-17). Consider using one or more study Bibles. Discern your calling as a Christian if you have not done so. See Os Guinness, The Call and John Piper, Don’t Waste Your Life. Be involved in a Bible-believing church. Develop your skills as a writer and speaker. See Elements of Style by Stunk and White and Stand like Lincoln, Speak like Churchill by James Humes. Read thoughtful Christian classics by writers such as Augustine and Pascal, as well as modern writers such as C. S. Lewis, G. K. Chesterton, John Stott, J. I. Packer, Francis Schaeffer, James Sire, and Os Guinness. Read periodicals such as Christianity Today, First Things, Modern Age, and The Christian Research Journal. Be aware of non-Christian culture through The New York Times, The New Yorker, Harpers, Atlantic Monthly, and other magazines. Carefully and prayerfully consider your use of electronic communications media. See Douglas Groothuis, The Soul in Cyberspace and Quentin Schultz, Habits of the High Tech Heart as well as Neil Postman, Technopoly and Amusing Ourselves to Death and William Powers, Hamlet’s Blackberry. Listen to thoughtful radio programs and podcasts, such as Denis Prager, those on The Daily Wire as well as the Christian interviews done by Ken Myers on Mars Hill Audio. Take periodic times for silence and reflection (Ecclesiastes 3:7). Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Douglas Groothuis, Ph.D., is a Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary and the author of nineteen books, including Fire in the Streets (a critique of critical race theory or wokeness) and Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith. Find more from Dr. Groothuis at www.DouglasGroothuis.com. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Soren Kierkegaard on the Self and God  “The greatest hazard of all, losing one’s self, can occur very quietly in the world, as if it were nothing at all” - Soren Kierkegaard. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?—Jesus, Mark 8:36. The Human Condition: Who Are We? A. Philosophical problem: philosophical anthropology i. What is our nature? ii. What is our problem? iii. What is good for humans? B. Existential problem of being human under the sun i. How do we cope with our nature? ii. How do we address our problem? iii. How do we embrace the good and shun the bad? C. The Theme in Philosophy in Seven Sentences All of our philosophical sentences invoke or provoke the self, but from different angles. Protagoras brings it all back to the self, which is the measure of all things. I measured Protagoras wrong. Socrates exhorts the self to examine itself for truth for as long as it takes. For that, he should be commended and emulated. For Aristotle, our nature as human selves is to seek knowledge. He was right. Descartes finds certainty in his indubitable awareness that he is thinking and thus an existing being who has the concept of an infinite God in his mind. We could find worse places to start our investigations. Pascal exhorts us to consider reasons of the heart, that aspect of self that knows directly and intuitively. Groothuis, Douglas. Philosophy in Seven Sentences: A Small Introduction to a Vast Topic (p. 124). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.   Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This program is a synopsis of my most recent book, World Religion in Seven Sentences (InterVarsity Press, 2023). Get Dr. Groothuis' book here: https://www.ivpress.com/world-religions-in-seven-sentences  "Most of us will never become scholars of the major world religions. But as society becomes more pluralistic and technology increases our awareness of and interconnection with countries all over the world, there has never been a time when it is more crucial for believers to understand the major religious worldviews. Enter Douglas Groothuis's marvelous book World Religions in Seven Sentences. Groothuis has earned the reputation of being a first-rate scholar who deals fairly and accurately with views he critiques. And World Religions in Seven Sentences may be his best example yet. This work is unique in that it accurately presents the major religious worldviews; provides fair, hard-hitting criticisms of them; and accomplishes all this in a brief, easy-to-read way. In my view, this is now the first book to read for anyone who wants to get at the heart of important religions and compare them with Christianity. I love this book!" — J. P. Moreland, distinguished professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, and author of A Simple Guide to Miracles. The seven sentences are: God is dead. (Atheism) I am Who I am. (Judaism) You are that. (Hinduism). Life is suffering. (Buddhism). The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao. (Daoism). Before Abraham Was, I am. (Christianity) There is one God, and Mohammad is his prophet. (Islam). Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,    and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (Proverbs 9:10) The concepts of fear and hate need some examination, given how absurdly abused they are in common culture. Supposedly, any idea based on fear is irrational and all hate is hateful. But appropriate fear and appropriate hate are necessary parts of a good life. Let me explain. 1. Appropriate Fear in a Dangerous World Fear what is fearful and nothing else 2. The Fear of the Lord See Proverbs 1:7; 2:5; 5:12; 9:10; 15:33; Psalm 111:10   Now all has been heard;    here is the conclusion of the matter:Fear God and keep his commandments,    for this is the duty of all mankind.  For God will bring every deed into judgment,    including every hidden thing,    whether it is good or evil (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Jesus on fear: Luke 12:4-7 Escaping the fear of God’s judgment through faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:16-18) 3. The Fear of the Lord and Holy Hatred Hate what is evil in the fear of God Proverbs 8:13; Revelation 2:16; Luke 14:26-27; Matthew 10:16-21   Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Douglas Groothuis, Ph.D., is a Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary and the author of nineteen books, including Fire in the Streets (a critique of critical race theory or wokeness) and Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith. Find more from Dr. Groothuis at www.DouglasGroothuis.com. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

While the explosive and devastating riots of 2020 were sparked by the death of George Floyd, there was an ideological underpinning for much of the violence and verbiage of that summer of hate, carnage, ideological blindness, and outrage. It is called Critical Race Theory (or CRT), an ideology at odds with the truth of the Christian worldview on a number of counts. We will only address the theory of knowledge of CRT, which is called standpoint epistemology. As Francis Schaeffer wrote in He is There and He is Not Silent, “Unless our epistemology is right, everything is going to be wrong.” CRT epistemology is wrong.For more on Critical Race Theory, see Douglas Groothuis' Fire in the Streets (Salem, 2022). Douglas Groothuis, Ph.D., is a Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary and the author of nineteen books, including Fire in the Streets (a critique of critical race theory or wokeness) and Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith. Find more from Dr. Groothuis at www.DouglasGroothuis.com. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Douglas Groothuis, Ph.D., is Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary and the author of nineteen books, including Fire in the Streets (a critique of critical race theory or wokeness) and Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith. Find more from Dr. Groothuis at www.DouglasGroothuis.com. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.