Not A Victim

Today I join my dad over coffee to discuss The Four Temperaments, Maslow‘s Hierarchy of Needs, and what ‘Good' actually means in hopes that we might better understand who we are, why we can't seem to change, and what it is that we should be aiming at. “The meaning of life is to alleviate unnecessary suffering.” -Jordan Peterson More on the temperaments: https://www.goodcatholic.com/a-catholic-guide-to-the-four-temperaments/

Read the piece: https://zachrudolph.substack.com/p/the-cannibalistic-modern-dating-machine?r=rep67&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=direct Read Mary's piece: https://unherd.com/2021/11/the-sexual-revolution-killed-feminism/

Today my new friend Peter Keller joins me for a wide ranging discussion on everything from our current YouTube obsessions, missionaries and capitalism, Legalism and art, and all things faith. Whatever you're dealing with today, I hope this keeps you company. CHECK OUT PETER'S WRITING:  https://kellerpeter.substack.com P.s. @davidbates yes I know ‘Pints with Jack' uses ‘after hours' please don't sue me.

Join the community! https://zachrudolph.substack.com/p/rise-of-the-machines Email me: notavictimpodcast@gmail.com For months I've pondered this question: What is it about the way we live today that creates the necessity for many to ask questions as basic as, “am I really male?” What unnoticed patterns contribute to our dislocation? And where do we go from here? Today on Not A Victim.

Read the piece: https://zachrudolph.substack.com/p/rene-girard-and-wokeness

Today we look at the interplay between Sanity, Surrender, & Sleep. “The madman is not the man who has lost his reason. The madman is the man who has lost everything except his reason.” -G.K. Chesterton Read the article: https://newpolity.com/blog/the-politics-of-insomnia Check out what's new on my substack: https://zachrudolph.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=substack_profile

The future: https://zachrudolph.substack.com

Read the article: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/evangelicalpulpit/2021/11/modern-worship/ Have feedback? Notavictimpodcast@gmail.com

Today I chat with David Bates. David hosts the C.S. Lewis podcast “Pints With Jack” We get into his personal story, How Lewis has changed both of us, and just generally have a great conversation on all things faith. Join us! Check out his podcast! https://open.spotify.com/show/66miEEuk7tFMDk72a2LIcL?si=H227X2jcQUOxvQaXFncmAw

Steven Furtick is getting pwned after his silly comment the other day. I'm no theology expert so I thought we'd look at his comment from a different angle… forget moral, does a self centered religion even do the one thing it promises? (Namely, Make you happy)?

Is there a connection between constant distraction and overall dissatisfaction? I believe there is. So I decided to try something. If you're interested in joining me, go to settings > accessibility > Display and Text Size > Color Filters

Here's a quick overview of what I've been working on! Excited to be back with you all soon!

What happens when a society no longer values standards? Modernity believes killing ideals will increase the value of the ordinary. The truth however, is that; without Perfect there is no Decent. “Every ideal is a judge.” -Jordan Peterson Dive deeper: Little Places & The Recovery of Civilization by Eva Brann https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2021/06/little-places-recovery-civilization-timeless-eva-brann-90.html The Fading of Forgiveness by Tim Keller https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2021/06/little-places-recovery-civilization-timeless-eva-brann-90.html

How is happiness found? One view is, happiness is having no problems. To be met with no obstacles and live with no attachments... To do what you want, when you want. The other view is that; happiness is having good problems. To face real challenges, to live with real stakes, to have a Everest worth climbing. We don't change unless we have to. Without challenge there is no growth. There is only the tiny, self obsessed, empty world inside our snow globe. Today on Not A Victim. Read Rod's piece: “Lotus Eaters & The Experience Machine” https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/lotus-eaters-robert-nozick-experience-machine/

Check out the article: https://zachrudolph.substack.com/p/jordan-peterson-stranger-things-and

I'm sick of playing defense. I'm sick of lamenting. It's time to stop reacting and state our case Before it's too late.

Under every vice is a need. Under every moment of self sabotage is a longing. The longer we pretend it isn't there, the longer we draw out the pain. Today on Not A Victim, how do we get past the beliefs that hold up the walls of our isolation so we might begin to see with new eyes? “I know too much I think I know my way around, Too smart to feel a heart break now Too old let my safeguards down. Where'd the wonder go? Trading magic for a measured hope, Traded dreaming for a worn out home Tired of being in control. In the cosmic light, In the by and by I wanna see your heart Through my younger eyes. I wanna hear your voice In the rain and wind I wanna know it's safe to be A child again.” -NEEDTOBREATHE Find a counselor https://www.christiancounselordirectory.com

Today we explore the stupidity of “Happy Nihilism” then dive into an excerpt from “The Weight of Glory” by C.S. Lewis “That is happiness; to be dissolved into something complete.” -Willa Cather Check out my articles! https://zachrudolph.substack.com/p/the-necessity-and-impotence-of-fame?justPublished=true Sources: https://www.google.com/amp/s/paulvanderklay.me/2015/02/18/the-specific-pleasure-of-the-inferior/amp/ https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/08/26/willa-cather-my-antonia-happiness/

Trying something new… https://zachrudolph.substack.com/p/megachurch?r=rep67&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=copy

What props up our anxiety? What lies are going undetected? Do we quietly believe that we are responsible for everyone and everything? Today we get into moral OCD, shame, and the way out. “I have never had clarity; what I have always had is opportunities to trust.” -Mother Teresa More on Moral OCD: https://www.accounseling.org/religious-and-moral-scrupulosity-in-christians/?unapproved=3880&moderation-hash=93ccf48003b939806176bf2f4f7d3f59#comment-3880

Today I'm joined by Catholic apologist Jimmy Akin for a wide ranging discussion on; The future of Christianity, Christian art, Ghosts, Psychic abilities and much more! Check out his podcast! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jimmy-akins-mysterious-world/id1423288932

In a world without God, all that's left to do is “amuse ourselves to death”. In his novels, Walker Percy described the boredom and anxiety of a society who; having left its beliefs in higher things, wanders from pleasure to pleasure looking for fulfillment. Today on Not A Victim, we look at the state of the modern mind and how God can still save us from ourselves. This may seem silly but, if you don't know how to feel wonder anymore and don't know where to start, one thing I've enjoyed is this podcast. it displays many of the earth's oddities and anomalies… one memorable episode discussed a hole in a desert which has been burning for 50 years straight… I believe it's a tool to help us recapture the wonder of what it means to be alive: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-atlas-obscura-podcast/id1555769970

After all our talking, all our singing, what happens to the world when; deep down religious people are just as panicked and filled with the fears of the day as the society around us? What does that say about what we truly believe? If your faith doesn't protect you from the fear of life, what good is it? Fear is a punishment. Is the death of body the alter at which everything truly bows? Do we even believe in the existence of spirit anymore? Is safety our one true God? “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18 “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” 2 Cor 3:17 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” Matthew 5:13

After last week's episode I asked people this question: how did your life go differently than you thought growing up and where have you found joy in unexpected places? These are their stories. Thanks to everyone who shared their story! I hope they bless you!

Email your story to: notavictimpodcast@gmail.com Deadline is Thursday August 12th

498188 For most of us, life doesn't turn out like we pictured. Even those who become their childhood idols often find that it feels different than they thought it would. As a result we often live in daydreams of denial because we don't want to admit; that deep down, we gave up on ourselves. But this is not the end. Today on Not A Victim, what to do when dreams fall.

Do you ever find yourself using stress as a motivator? Today we dive into a piece by Psychology Today on the interplay between Stress, Anger, & Adrenaline and what can be done about it. Email me: notavictimpodcast@gmail.com https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/anxiety-another-name-pain/201912/the-connection-between-anxiety-anger-and-adrenaline%3famp Lastly, Thanks to my dad for inspiring the topic of this episode

There are two moral systems. One says morality is a fog of culturally dependent norms created by a humanity which is alone in the universe. The other teaches that morality is like a mosaic. Every situation is made up 100's of prior decisions each of which determines the correctness of how we see the world. That morality is a process of discovery, not fabrication. One offers us truth. the other, power. And the throne is always up for grabs.

“Women talk face to face, Men talk shoulder to shoulder.” This is a recent conversation between my dad and I about the epidemic of male loneliness, the importance of integrity, and how to find meaning in it all. I hope it blesses you!

Modernity is Fractured. Our beliefs are fractured, our minds are fractured, & our daily lives leave us feeling disconnected. As the social fabric disintegrates, we pull inward, where (we think) it's safe. But this separation has its own cost. Rather than experiencing life as one part of a bigger plan, We become trapped as the gods of the tiny world inside our mental snow globes. But there is more. There is a life beyond the self, a beauty beyond us, a truth outside of us. There is more. Today on #NotAVictim we read an excerpt from ‘The Master and His Emissary' by Iain McGilchrist on the inward eyes of the modern mind, then we dive into the antidote as characterized in “Manalive” by G.K. Chesterton Sources: http://harvardichthus.org/2005/04/g-k-chesterton-and-the-joy-of-living/ https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v17/n21/iain-mcgilchrist/it-s-not-so-much-thinking-out-what-to-do-it-s-the-doing-of-it-that-sticks-me

Why do we feel so numb? Is there a connection between the pace of modern life and our feeling of numbness? What false conception of humanity holds it up? Should we not be happier than those that came before us, given our many conveniences? Why do we feel so distant? Today on Not A Victim. “The more machines begin to act like men, the more men begin to act like machines.” -Jentezen Franklin For a deeper look into this topic check out this book by John Eldredge: https://www.amazon.com/Get-Your-Life-Back-Practices/dp/1400208661 Send me your feedback! Notavictimpodcast@gmail.com

Temptation plays on our weakness. It tells us we're nothing. It tangles us in webs of lies and traps us in cycles of self destruction. But what's it's antidote? Beyond just saying no, how do we dig down to the roots of where it's grown and rip it out of our lives? What needs have we ignored that make it's pull so strong? What dreams did we let die? What honor have we traded for a slow death of comfort? Today on Not A Victim. “Truth be told, most of us are faking our way through life. We pick only those battles we are sure to win, only those adventures we are sure to handle, only those beauties we are sure to rescue.” -John Eldredge Wanna start a podcast? Let's do it! Notavictimpodcast@gmail.com Not even sure where to start? Personality tests are by no means the last word but they can help narrow the field. Jordan Peterson once said something along the lines of “having too many choices is akin to being tormented by all of them.” I've certainly experienced this. https://www.16personalities.com Whatever you do, Don't just sit around and wait to die.

What if you got everything you wanted? Are you sure it'd be the way you picture it? What if you were given every convenience, every luxury, every impulse. Would it be heaven? Really? Or would it be something else? With a society as rich, lazy, and depressed as ours we must ask, Is meaning found where we're looking? Today on Not A Victim.

Do you ever feel like there's always commentary running in the back of your head and no matter what you can't turn it off? So much of my life has been ruined by an inability to experience things. Scripture says “Today I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” We may think this choice to be obvious, but it's the hardest choice we make. Today on Not A Victim, The Great Refusal.

Someone once said “You can judge the depth of a spirituality by the beauty of the art it produces.” What does this say about the depth of modern Christianity? Have we quietly given into the materialist belief that matter is all there is? If our ability to imagine all of life within a Christian framework dies, our ability to defend it will die with it. Today we dive into the strange death of imagination and how it might be reawakened. “Let me write the songs of a nation and I don't care who writes it's laws.” -Andrew Fletcher Dive deeper: https://youtu.be/yYWvUoN4yt8 https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2019/07/imaginative-conservatives-auguste-meyrat.html

How should Christians treat other religions? What about people who are born into other traditions? What happens to them? If we’re not saved by works why do they ultimately matter? What is the nature of hell? Some people take things at face value. Some need every piece to fit. For better or worse, I find myself in the latter. With C.S. Lewis and Catholic Philosopher Peter Kreeft as our guide, today we attempt to answer the questions that kept me up at night.

Today we get into a short piece by Psychology Today on the relationship between control and anxiety... I hope it blesses you. For more on this topic: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/not-a-victim/id1084106485?i=1000497239758

A growing number of people say they have no religious affiliation. There has been much abuse, corruption, & neglect in the name of the church. But is it still worth it? Today on Not A Victim.

A recent article by CNBC proclaimed: “51% of young Americans say they feel down, depressed or hopeless.” The modern world is a world of nomads. A generation drifting from experience to experience never finding home. But does it have to be this way? Today on #NotAVictimPodcast Books which have brought me peace: https://www.amazon.com/12-Rules-Life-Antidote-Chaos/dp/0345816021/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=12+rules+for+life+jordan+peterson&qid=1620922382&sprefix=12+rules&sr=8-3 https://www.amazon.com/Mere-Christianity-C-S-Lewis/dp/0060652926/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=mere+christianity+by+c.s.+lewis+paperback&qid=1620922410&sprefix=mere+chr&sr=8-1 https://www.amazon.com/Get-Your-Life-Back-Practices/dp/1400208661/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=get+your+life+back+john+eldredge&qid=1620922432&sprefix=get+your+life+ba&sr=8-3

Do you ever feel trapped in your head? Do you find that part of you is bent on self destruction? Today on #NotAVictimPodcast we get into the 4 false beliefs that keep us stuck. Sources: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-philosophers-diaries/202006/the-dark-side-perfectionism?collection=1160778 https://paulsohn.org/the-search-for-significance-seeing-your-true-worth-through-gods-eyes/

Are cops really hunting down blacks for sport? Is gender whatever we decide? Is “social justice” really just? Today’s world is constantly asking us to believe things we know to be false. As we enter a post-Christian society, we’re once again begin experimenting with the age old question, “Can we be make man in our own image?” As Alexandr Solzhenitsyn stated before being exiled from his homeland of Russia: The only way out is a personal Non-participation in lies. Sources: https://www.solzhenitsyncenter.org/live-not-by-lies https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wsj.com/amp/articles/the-myth-of-systemic-police-racism-11591119883 https://newdiscourses.com/2020/07/complex-relationship-between-marxism-wokeness/

Is morality natural? Is it practiced? Today we get into the three aspects of Christian morality and how it overlaps with evolutionary or “emergent” morality. Sources: https://youtu.be/BVrLqpt0APo https://www.amazon.com/Mere-Christianity-C-S-Lewis/dp/0060652926/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=mere+christianity&qid=1619180818&sprefix=mere+christ&sr=8-1

Is cynicism inevitable? does the pain of life lead no other place? Or is there something beyond it? Is there something beyond the narrow vantage point the pain of life gives us? Today on Not A Victim, we explore what’s after cynicism. “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” -Albert Einstein Sources: https://www.ccel.org/ccel/chesterton/orthodoxy.vii.html https://www.reliefjournal.com/blogposting/2014/09/17/ethics-elfland https://www.britannica.com/topic/disenchantment-sociology

In my opinion, People today show depression too much respect. They act like it can’t be understood and it can’t be beat. I disagree. Today we look into 3 things that cause depression and what we might do to leave it behind. For a deeper look at this topic check out Johann Hari’s excellent book “Lost Connections.” https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Connections-Uncovering-Depression-Unexpected/dp/1632868318/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=lost+connections+book+by+johann+hari&qid=1617889874&sprefix=lost+conne&sr=8-3 If you feel like everyone you talk to is fake and need a place where people are real, Celebrate Recovery is a place to call home. You can check your local meetings here: https://locator.crgroups.info

This week my wife joins me to discuss a few thoughts on how to meet your spouse and what to do while you wait! As a teenager I found a book which interviewed 1,000 young women and just told what they wanted in a guy. I read it 4 times and got three friends to read it. I wouldn’t be married without this book. If you want better luck in the dating world, Consume at any cost. For Young Men Only https://www.amazon.com/Young-Men-Only-Guide-Gender/dp/160142020X For Young Women Only https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1590526503/ref=dbs_a_w_dp_1590526503

The U.S. marriage rate recently hit an all time low. Today’s culture is seeing less reasons to make the ultimate commitment. Today we dive into the beliefs and presumptions that underlie a culture of loneliness. Sources: Christians and the future of marriage by Albert Mohler: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-in-public-albertmohler-com/id390278978?i=1000512375344 U.S. marriage rate hits historic low: https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/articles/2020-04-29/us-marriage-rate-drops-to-record-low The Triumph of the Modern Self by Albert Mohler: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-in-public-albertmohler-com/id390278978?i=1000501969020 The rider & the elephant by Jonathan Haidt: https://www.creativehuddle.co.uk/post/the-elephant-and-the-rider

Perhaps no issue divides Christianity as deeply today as Homosexuality and the Bible. Both sides make good points but no progress is ever made. Today on #NotAVictimPodcast we explore how both arguments are laced with self protection and cowardice; in the hopes that, through courage we might find the truer, kinder heart within the most important book ever written. Sources: Why I Don’t Call Myself Gay | Daniel Mattson Interview https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/not-a-victim/id1084106485?i=1000430700441 The neural correlates of in-group and self-face perception https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3759853/#__sec2title

From removing Dr Seuss for being “too offensive”, to an ever increasing depression among the young. How did we get here? Today we explore how fragility creates tyranny.

“Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.” -C.S. Lewis Ever feel stuck in a mental rut? Where you feel split; as if, part of you wants to heal but some other part wants to keep you there? Today on #NotAVictimPodcast we discuss a few strategies to unravel compulsive thinking. “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” -Duet. 30:19 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” -2 Timothy 1:7 For more on this topic check out our episode “When Sanity Leaves”: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/not-a-victim/id1084106485?i=1000497239758

Growing up I often felt as though my life was redundant. Modern life can make it feel as if there are no lands left to discover; and no dragons left to slay. Our safety has made us weak; and our weakness, empty. Today on #NotAVictimPodcast we discuss the interplay of chaos and order and how both can be used to help us to live more fully.

The modern man is an indoor cat. With no mice to catch and no claws to Hunt, he curls up in a ball of video games and pornography to escape the daydreams of a long lost nobility, a long abdicated purpose. Where men in the past pretended to be stronger than they were, men today pretend they have no interest in being strong if being strong is “toxic”. “if you think tough men are dangerous, wait until you see what weak men are capable of“ -Jordan Peterson TELL ME YOUR STORY: notavictimpodcast@gmail.com Resources: Jordan Peterson: Advice for young men https://youtu.be/JABOuLALtl0  Wild at heart: Discovering the secret of a man’s soul https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Heart-Revised-Updated-Discovering/dp/1400200393/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=wild+at+heart&qid=1613655174&sr=8-1 Video games and the (male) meaning of life: https://quillette.com/2018/12/14/video-games-and-the-male-meaning-of-life/ The art of manliness podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-art-of-manliness/id332516054 If you’re not married and you’d like to be, this book helped me more than any single other piece of knowledge. It surveys 1000 young women and explains what they value most in a man. For Young Men Only by Shaunti Feldhahn: https://www.amazon.com/Young-Men-Only-Guide-Gender/dp/160142020X/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=for+young+men+only+by+shaunti+feldhahn&qid=1613655832&sprefix=for+young+men+only+&sr=8-3