The Dialog

When Paul stood up in Athens, he didn't open with a Bible verse. He quoted their own poets back to them (Acts 17:28). So is there truth outside the Bible, and if there is, where does it point?

My co-host Nick Surface and I start with an old line: all truth is God's truth, even when it's found in pagan literature. That isn't syncretism, the idea that everything is true. It's the conviction that whatever is actually true reflects what's true in the word of God.

Can a Christian learn from Plato?
Yes. Plato taught that we carry a form of justice we've never actually seen, which is why injustice makes us angry. Plotinus talked about the One, and Augustine was one of the first to bridge philosophy and theology. The true parts of anything point to a greater truth.

Why did Paul quote pagan poets?
Because he knew them. In Athens he told them God put each person in their time and place so they would seek Him, though He is not far from any one of us (Acts 17:26-28).

Why doesn't anything satisfy?
We have physical appetites, soul appetites and a spiritual hunger most people never get to. We think more fun, more followers or more money will do it, and we wake up hungry again the next day.

What is the living water Jesus promised?
He offered it to the woman at the well (John 4). At the Feast of Tabernacles He said rivers of living water would flow from anyone who believes, and John tells us He meant the Spirit (John 7:37-39).

Why does every search for "the way" end at Jesus?
Buddhism talks about a path. Tao means the way. The Old Testament speaks of דֶּרֶךְ יְהוָה (derek Yahweh), the way of the Lord. The first Christians called themselves followers of the Way, because Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).

Scriptures
Colossians 2:8 · Acts 17:26-28 · Acts 19:9 · 2 Peter 1:16 · John 4 · John 7:37-39 · Isaiah 30:21 · John 14:6 · John 14:16

Words and thinkers
Plato: the forms and the cave
Plotinus: the One
Augustine: bridging philosophy and theology
Aratus and Epimenides: the poets Paul quoted
παράκλητος (paráklētos): the Helper, Jesus' word for the Holy Spirit
John Bevere, The Holy Spirit: An Introduction

Chapters
0:00 Cold open and show intro
0:51 All truth is God's truth
1:25 Plato's forms and the form of the Good
2:33 Plotinus, Augustine and the bridge to theology
3:25 Is this syncretism? (Colossians 2:8)
4:20 Why people stop at Jesus
5:58 Paul in Athens: God is not far from us (Acts 17)
7:14 The hall of Tyrannus and the Greek poets
8:34 The book Nick read three times
10:22 Value what you'll still value later
11:03 How did the Gospels survive?
13:25 The martyrs had nothing to gain
14:27 Body, soul and spirit: three appetites
16:15 Hungry or thirsty? Mistaking the soul for the spirit
17:07 The woman at the well (John 4)
19:12 Rivers of living water (John 7)
21:34 What worship actually meant
22:58 Why every philosophy ends unfinished
23:39 The way in Buddhism, Taoism and the Old Testament
24:43 "I am the way, the truth, and the life"
25:28 The Holy Spirit, the Helper
26:47 Where to start: the book of John
27:49 A simple prayer

The 31-day reading plan I mention: https://dokeo.jkc.is/p/31-days-to-know-god

Previous: 1.4 / Is poverty a mindset? What Jesus told John the Baptist
Next: 1.6 / Are your relationships transactional or transformational?

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Go to my website / https://jkc.is

What is The Dialog?

Ancient philosophers used the dialog to find answers to life’s greatest questions. The Dialog is a search for truth in modern life through the lens of ancient philosophy, history, and theology. This podcast will challenge your assumptions, change your thinking and show you how to master modern living.