Is the modern world really secular, or just differently enchanted? In this episode of It's a Theological World After All, Joshua Farris explains why the cultural fascination with events like Burning Man reveals a deep, ongoing human hunger for transcendence, ritual, beauty, and meaning.

We discuss how every attempt to construct meaning apart from God actually highlights our innate design as image-bearers made for communion with Him. As part of the "Why Souls" series, we explore the ultimate question that sits underneath every cultural debate regarding AI, consciousness, and ethics: What is a human being? If we want to navigate the future, we must recover a richer, more compelling Christian vision of the human person.

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IN THIS EPISODE:

The Search for Transcendence: Why humans have not stopped longing for meaning, belonging, and experiences that lift us beyond the ordinary.

Differently Enchanted: How the modern world has not become disenchanted, but has simply redirected its spirituality.

Created for Communion: Why our restlessness points back to the reality that men and women are created in the image of God.

The Core Question: Why understanding what it means to be human must come before we can answer questions about artificial intelligence, identity, and politics.

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Intro: Why this conversation was never merely about Burning Man

0:25 A differently enchanted world and the hunger for meaning

0:40 Created in the image of God and our search for home

0:55 The ultimate question: What is a human being?

1:10 Upcoming topics: AI, neuroscience, and the return of spirituality

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Why Souls series by Joshua Farris

Take the Next Step in Your EducationIf this conversation has sparked a desire to go deeper into the intersection of theology, science, and the soul, I want to invite you to explore our advanced programs. Equip yourself to engage the modern world with intellectual rigour and spiritual depth. Explore Our Degree Programs Here: https://degrees.soulscienceministries.com/

#BurningMan #Transcendence #Theology #JoshuaFarris #ChristianWorldview #Anthropology #TheSoul

If materialism has successfully explained the universe, why is everyone suddenly searching for the soul again? In this episode of It's a Theological World After All, Joshua Farris explores the unprecedented, renewed cultural obsession with consciousness. From Silicon Valley tech elites pouring billions into consciousness research to the cultural rise of the occult, psychedelic experimentation, and near-death experiences, society is desperately trying to rediscover the unseen realm.

We discuss why the materialistic, secular worldview has failed to answer our deepest questions and how the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence is forcing humanity to ask an ancient question: What actually makes us human? At the root of every major cultural debate today, from abortion and gender to transhumanism and AI, is a battle over anthropology. If we want to navigate the future and reclaim human dignity, we must reclaim the Christian doctrine of the human soul.

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IN THIS EPISODE:

The Failure of Materialism: Why the idea that humans are merely biological machines is crumbling, leaving a "thin world" devoid of mystery.

The AI Identity Crisis: How artificial intelligence is forcing society to reconsider what truly sets humans apart from machines.

Follow the Money: Why tech leaders, billionaires, and Silicon Valley are heavily funding fringe consciousness research.

The Return of the Occult: How the loss of transcendence has fueled an explosion of interest in astrology, near-death experiences, and neopaganism.

Anthropology is Everything: Why debates about AI, euthanasia, and gender are ultimately arguments about human nature.

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Intro: Why are billionaires obsessed with consciousness?

4:21 The story we've been told by secular materialism

8:02 Follow the money: funding consciousness and AI

9:28 The rise of near-death experiences and psychedelic research

13:20 How AI is forcing us to ask: What makes us human?

21:33 The "hard problem" of consciousness in philosophy

25:09 Silicon Valley's fascination with the occult and neopaganism

32:15 The ancient questions of the soul and meaning

38:57 Christianity's greatest gift: the image of God

41:28 Why every cultural debate is an argument about anthropology

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Why Souls by Joshua Farris

Encountering Mystery by Dale Allison

Charles Taylor on "buffered selves"

Take the Next Step in Your Education

If this conversation has sparked a desire to go deeper into the intersection of theology, science, and the soul, I want to invite you to explore our advanced programs. Equip yourself to engage the modern world with intellectual rigour and spiritual depth. Explore Our Degree Programs Here: https://degrees.soulscienceministries.com/

#Consciousness #ArtificialIntelligence #Theology #JoshuaFarris #ChristianWorldview #Anthropology #Transhumanism

While Christians spend a great deal of time talking about Jesus and the Holy Spirit, the doctrine of God the Father often remains in the background. What happens when the Father becomes little more than a name in our creeds? In this episode of It's a Theological World After All, host Joshua Farris sits down with pastor and theologian Ryan Rippee to explore this deeply neglected doctrine.

We discuss why the Father has been overlooked in modern theology, how our culture's crisis of fatherhood connects to theological forgetfulness, and what it truly means to receive our identity from Him rather than inventing it ourselves. From the alluring but empty promises of transhumanism to the beauty of experiencing the church as a true family, this conversation reveals why recovering the doctrine of God the Father is vital for the church today. If you want a richer understanding of the Trinity, human identity, and the heart of God, this conversation is for you.

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IN THIS EPISODE:

The Neglected Doctrine: Why historical controversies focused on the Son and Spirit, leaving the Father assumed but largely unexamined.

More Than a Metaphor: Why reducing "Father" to just a human metaphor risks dangerous Trinitarian errors.

The Identity Crisis: How modern culture elevates self created identity to an idol, and how finding our identity as children of God solves this crisis.

Fatherhood and the Church: Healing the cultural crisis of fatherlessness by reflecting God's fatherhood within the community of the church.

Transhumanism and Technology: How the pursuit of autonomous, self created communities through technology is the ultimate rejection of transcendence.

Isaiah 9:6 Explained: Unpacking why the Messiah is called "Everlasting Father" and what it means for the Davidic covenant.

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Intro: The forgotten doctrine of God the Father

2:11 Introducing Ryan Rippee and his upcoming work

4:12 Why is God the Father neglected in modern theology?

8:50 Why Jesus constantly directs our attention to the Father

14:39 Is "Father" just a metaphor?

19:23 Human identity and receiving life from the Father

25:12 The modern idol of self created identity

31:24 Fatherless culture and theological forgetfulness

42:48 The church as a family with refrigerator rights

49:29 Consumerism in the church vs. genuine community

55:33 Transhumanism, technology, and artificial communities

1:13:37 How rejecting the Father distorts freedom and authority

1:20:25 The loss of transcendence and cultural orphanhood

1:26:42 Why is Jesus called "Everlasting Father" in Isaiah 9:6?

1:31:30 One vital thing to remember about God the Father

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Upcoming books on God the Father by Ryan Rippee (Baker Books and T&T Clark)

Two Ways to Live presentation by Matthias Media

God, Human, Animal, Machine by Meghan O'Gieblyn

Take the Next Step in Your EducationIf this conversation has sparked a desire to go deeper into the intersection of theology, science, and the soul, I want to invite you to explore our advanced programs. Equip yourself to engage the modern world with intellectual rigour and spiritual depth. Explore Our Degree Programs Here: https://degrees.soulscienceministries.com/

#GodTheFather #Trinity #Theology #ChristianIdentity #Transhumanism #Apologetics #ChurchCommunity