Meaning in the Middle

To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! LINKS:Barney and Betty HillMothmanMysterious Universe PodcastBlurry Creatures PodcastAncient Aliens 

To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

As always, we hope this is a meaningful exercise for you as well so we encourage you to participate with us. To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

The unexamined life is not worth living”, Socrates tells us. This rings true both for the Big Concepts we've tackled on this podcast so far, and the invitation to know ourselves as we seek out meaning with those we love. In many ways, the pursuit of wisdom is as much about our inner world as it is about the outer world of ideas and beliefs. Many have dubbed Suzanne Stabile “The Enneagram Godmother”. She's been a student of this ancient system for over 30 years, which has made her an accomplished author and much sought-after speaker. Suzanne's unique story-based teaching style radiates a desire to help people learn who they are so they can get out of their own way and love others better. In this episode, we invite Suzanne to share her wisdom about what comes on the other side of the theory itself. You can find Suzanne's work and connect with what she's doing at https://suzannestabile.com/ To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

In this episode, Ryan and Landon give an overview of the nine personality types found in the Enneagram and share some personal reflections each of them possesses from taking seriously the wealth of knowledge found herein. Whether you have been inundated with memes for years, or you are still suspicious this thing might be demonic, there is something for everyone to discover here. To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

John has had a massive impact on the language and concepts that we use on this show and we still can't quite believe that he was willing to chat with us. This is a conversation that we will not soon forget. We hope you get as much insight from it as we did. Click HERE to watch the Youtube video of this episode.Where to follow John:www.johnvervaeke.com John's Youtube Channel where you can find his popular Awakening from the Meaning Crisis series, Voices with Vervaeke, and his new series After Socrates. To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

We can talk about philosophy and religion forever (and we just might) but we also need to engage in other ways that aren't so exclusively intellectual. Lectio Divina is an ancient practice of reading a text in a meditative posture, allowing your intuition to guide you rather than approaching the text analytically. The result can be really impactful and meaningful and can reveal surprising insights. In this episode, Ryan brings a lovely poem from the Irish writer John O'Donohue. We hope some of you will try it along with us. To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

There is an old trope in theology that, “familiarity breeds unfamiliarity, and unfamiliarity breeds contempt”. For many of us who grew up Christian, the Bible has been presented in such sanitary ways that we miss the deep wisdom it contains in its patterns for us today. But perhaps there is still a way of entering into the scriptural world that orients to eternal truths, regardless of where we're at in our belief system (or lack thereof).In today's episode, Landon leads us through a sacred reading of Philippians 4. After a time of contemplation, we share what this passage is speaking to each of us about gratitude, discipline, and attention. To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

Our first conversation with someone outside our little bubble is a real gem. Brian McLaren has been immersed in themes of spiritual migration for several decades now, as a pastor and author and activist. We had a chance to ask Brian to reflect on his journey thus far - what he has learned about what truly matters, what might come next for faith, and why we might or might not choose to stay Christian. We highly recommend you check out Brian's new book Do I Stay Christian To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

We're exploring a powerful understanding of sacredness and discussing one way we're going to engage with it together called Lectio Divina. This is a long episode but the topics are important and lay the groundwork for much of this season so we wanted to take our time with it. We hope you enjoy this chat and we look forward to you participating with us in this. To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

WE'RE BACKKKKK! Season 2 is here and we're bringing you amazing guests, video episodes, and an exploration of sacred texts! We're looking forward to everything we'll explore together and we're honored that you're here. CHEERS!To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

We covered A LOT of ground in Season 1!We've both learned a lot and we're looking back on what impacted us the most along the way. Thank you again to everyone who's joined us on this journey and your messages and feedback mean the world to us! To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

 Traditional wisdom would tell you there are two things you should never talk about at the dinner table - religion and politics. In our modern era, however, it seems it's all anyone can talk about, especially as we become increasingly divided by our ideologies.Politics isn't a dirty word, but it's a complex one. It's the space where our convictions and ethics meet in the public square to find a way we can co-exist in a pluralistic society. In this episode, we discuss an historical approach to politics, how we got to where we are today and some ways we can each examine our own lenses and assumptions to forge the necessary common ground to help society move forward.To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

Perhaps the Bible is more about interacting with "the sacred" in pursuit of wisdom than a source of ethical or spiritual knowledge. We're continuing the chat from the last episode and exploring ways to approach the Bible that might avoid some of the pitfalls discussed in Part 1. To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

The Bible is a messy, beautiful, violent, depressing, and hopeful book. It covers the full spectrum of the human experience and the journey of the Jewish people as they wrestle with understanding God. We chat about how the Bible was assembled, the myriad of ways that it's misused, as well as why it's valuable, and why it cannot be easily dismissed. To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

THE GODS have been a fixture of human culture for as long as we can remember and the modern era is no exception. We may no longer believe that Zeus sits atop Mount Olympus or that the rain god looks after our crops, but there are systems and forces that still fulfill the role of the gods in our communities, our politics, and our culture at large. We hope you enjoy this exploration of how we can reframe the idea of "the gods" in such a way that we actually gain insights about how the world of human society really works.  To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

Something unexpected happened after we recorded each of our episodes on ethics. Rather than highlight major differences and contradictions in our approaches, we actually began to see that we could potentially join them together into a broader and more complete understanding of ethical truth. Landon's framework takes us from the bottom, at conscious experience, and builds up the logical structure into a vision of reasoned universal boundaries and respect. Where ethical action is grounded in pragmatic reasoning about human nature and our shared needs and desires. Ryan's framework starts at the top and establishes Jesus as the north star that we model our ethical pursuit after. A vision of virtue ethics that fuels positive moral action from identity and meaning to empower us to reach our full ethical potential. These are two parts of the same whole, and it's when they come together that we begin to see a truly broad and robust expression of the ethical journey.   To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

Ryan explains that in an era marked by moral fragmentation, we have lost the common narrative that informed us of who we are. Legalism and behavior modification have led to a moral crisis regardless of religious affiliation. What if there is a way to go back and reclaim a posture that seeks to place our ethics in a narrative that speaks of our origin and our destination in God?This narrative ethic places a greater emphasis on developing virtue as a way to discern what to do in any given moment, rather than following a set of rules or obligations. In the Christian faith, it's referred to as embodying the Kingdom of God, becoming like God in how we think, feel, and act. To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

After Landon left Christianity, he repeatedly encountered the claim that without god he no longer had a way to ground "objective" moral truth (ethical truth that applies to everyone regardless of individual opinion or preference) and was only left with moral relativism in which claims about morality must appeal to individual preference. His attempt to answer these claims has resulted in a fascination with moral philosophy and a very intentional exploration of how we can reason our way to universal moral truth. This episode is a snapshot of where he is in that journey. We would LOVE to hear your feedback!To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

Whether you believe in Jesus or not, you can't deny his story has had a radical effect on human society over the past 2000 years. While the debates about what actually happened or did not happen matter, we're are choosing to meditate on what Jesus' story means for us, particularly in our understanding of self-sacrificial love and transcendence.Useful references from the discussion: Jordan Peterson -  is a Canadian clinical psychologist, YouTube personality, author, and professor emeritus of psychologyJohn Vervaeke - is a professor of cognitive science at the University of Toronto, who has published a series on Youtube, called "Awakening from the Meaning Crisis"Carl Jung - was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Search his work on archetypesPaul Johannes Tillich - was a German-American Christian existentialist philosopher and Lutheran Protestant theologian who is widely regarded as one of the most influential theologians of the twentieth century To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

We love discussing big topics in our normal episodes, but we REALLY LOVE hearing from you and being able to answer questions that the podcast is prompting! Thank you to everyone who submitted questions this time and please keep them coming! To join the discussion (and to ask some questions of your own), visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

Deconstruction has become a buzzword in many Christian circles. In recent years, we've seen the decline in church attendance punctuated by public announcements from prominent Christian leaders and artists explaining that they have gone through this thing called "deconstruction" and no longer consider themselves to be a part of the faith. Spoiler Alert: there's NUANCE to be explored! We chat about the healthy and unhealthy forms of deconstruction and what the implications might be for the future of the Evangelical church.  To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

Is there a way to engage with religion, to benefit from its value and sacredness, even if we don't consider ourselves religiously ideological? Is modern religion up to the task of responding to our ever-changing world or do we need something new? This is one of our favorite conversations so far and we're really excited to share it with you! Useful references from the discussion: John Vervaeke - is a professor of cognitive science at the University of Toronto, who has published a series on Youtube, called "Awakening from the Meaning Crisis"Paul Johannes Tillich - was a German-American Christian existentialist philosopher and Lutheran Protestant theologian who is widely regarded as one of the most influential theologians of the twentieth centurySlavoj Žižek - is a Slovenian philosopher, a researcher at the Department of Philosophy of the University of Ljubljana Faculty of Arts and international director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities of the University of London.Robert Webber - Ancient Future FaithRichard Rohr -  is an American Franciscan priest and writer on spiritualityPhyllis Tickle  - was an American author and lecturer whose work focuses on spirituality and religion issues. To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers!  

In this episode, Ryan offers Landon three approaches to the word that have helped him frame the discussion, from philosopher Kierkegaard's palate-cleansing “virtue of the absurd”, to theologian Tillich's “centered act of personality," and finally biblical scholar Matthew Bates' “allegiance”.Useful references from the discussion: Søren Kierkegaard - was a Danish theologian, philosopher, poet, social critic, and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopherPaul Johannes Tillich - was a German-American Christian existentialist philosopher and Lutheran Protestant theologian who is widely regarded as one of the most influential theologians of the twentieth centuryMatthew Bates - is Associate Professor of Theology at Quincy University. His main teaching area is the Bible and early Christian literature.To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

In this episode, we're discussing the principles and techniques that we've found helpful for reaching "the middle" and generating productive conversations. We hope that these points will be helpful in guiding your own conversations to meaningful places. Good luck! CuriosityHumilityNuanceSelf-AwarenessDignityTo join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

In this episode, we dive into the weeds and try to understand exactly what we each mean when we say something is TRUE. Are we saying something is factual objectively or that it's meaningful and aligns with our human nature?How important is that distinction anyway? This can be a tricky topic in religion and philosophy to navigate and we've found it very valuable to try and be as clear as possible about how we each think about TRUTH and what criteria we consider when determining whether or not something is TRUE. Useful references from the discussion: Jordan Peterson -  is a Canadian clinical psychologist, YouTube personality, author, and professor emeritus of psychologyJohn Vervaeke - is a professor of cognitive science at the University of Toronto, who has published a series on Youtube, called "Awakening from the Meaning Crisis"Søren Kierkegaard - was a Danish theologian, philosopher, poet, social critic, and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopherAlexander Schmemann - For the Life of the WorldJacques Lacan - a French psychoanalyst and psychiatrist who has been called "the most controversial psycho-analyst since Freud"Carl Jung - was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Search his work on archetypes Julian of Norwich Teresa of Avila To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod and in the Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

What is GOD? In episode 3 we're tackling this question, and good news, we totally solve it once and for all. Ryan starts us off with the idea of God as the "ground of all being" and we discuss trying to connect that framing to a sentient God that intervenes in human affairs. Useful references from the discussion: Jordan Peterson -  is a Canadian clinical psychologist, YouTube personality, author, and professor emeritus of psychologyJohn Vervaeke - is a professor of cognitive science at the University of Toronto, who has published a series on Youtube, called "Awakening from the Meaning Crisis"Søren Kierkegaard - was a Danish theologian, philosopher, poet, social critic, and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopherPaul Johannes Tillich - was a German-American Christian existentialist philosopher and Lutheran Protestant theologian who is widely regarded as one of the most influential theologians of the twentieth centuryRene Descartes - was a French philosopher, mathematician, scientist and lay Catholic who invented analytic geometry To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod or in our Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

In this episode, Ryan talks about being from Northern Ireland, growing up in the church as a pastor's kid, and unexpectedly finding his way to becoming a pastor himself. The guys explore his journey in and out of various church traditions and discuss important differences between Landon's background in American Evangelicalism and Ryan's background in the Anglican Church. To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod or in our Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers! 

Below is a link to the essay Landon published when he announced that he was no longer a Christian: https://medium.com/@landonpontius/why-im-not-a-christian-anymore-842c35d342aeTo join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod or in our Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers.  

Welcome to our new podcast! In this episode, we sit down to discuss why we're here and what we hope this podcast will mean for you along the way. We really believe in the power of honest and open dialogue and we're honored to have you along for the ride. To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod or in our Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.Cheers.