The Dialog

Before we hit record, Nick asked me what I'm certain about. My honest answer: not a whole lot. Nick is the other way. There are things he's certain of in his bones, things he'd die for.

So which of us is right? My co-host Nick Surface and I go back and forth on certainty and faith, on who you can trust when people say you can't trust anybody, and on why we keep building a black and white world when life hands us gray.

What can you actually be certain of?
I'm certain about the search. I'm certain about the pursuit. And the truth always stands up to questioning. The truth can handle questions.

Is faith the same as certainty?
Nick puts it this way: certainty is something you get looking back, not looking forward. Looking forward, you have faith. Why would God put a desire for certainty in us and then put us in a world this uncertain? Because it shows our need for Him.

Should you trust experts?
"Question everything, listen to nobody" isn't critical thinking. Jesus said you'll know them by their fruit, so find people with fruit and listen to what they say.

When should you stop asking questions?
When my motive goes from learning to trying to make a point. Socrates knew that he didn't know anything and was always willing to question himself.

Scriptures
Exodus 9:12 · Romans 9:18-21 · Matthew 7:16 · Isaiah 11:2

Thinkers and people
Socrates · C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity · Seth Godin · Sir Edmund Hillary · Sir Roger Bannister

Chapters
0:00 Cold open and show intro
0:52 Greatness, balance and "good enough"
2:26 Comparison and self-talk
4:51 Living in tension: God's plan and free will (Romans 9)
6:27 Who decides what your life means?
7:30 "What am I certain about? Not a whole lot"
8:14 Should you trust experts?
11:12 Selfish people see selfishness everywhere
13:18 Life is nuance, not black and white
13:56 Theory vs. reality: engineers and bridges
15:57 Question everything? Even the moon landing?
17:12 Experts, parenting and the fruit (Matthew 7)
19:12 At some point you have to trust something
22:51 America was built on compromise
25:11 What's more painful than uncertainty?
26:46 Why would God give us a desire for certainty?
28:31 Certainty looking back, faith looking forward
29:24 Stay flexible, or die for it? (Isaiah 11)
30:22 The truth can handle questions
31:25 Principles: always right, always good, always true
33:33 Lift, thrust, drag and weight
35:53 Mercy for the people who made the call
38:49 Working hard to be willing to be wrong
39:58 Why do we expect authority to know best? (Seth Godin)
43:09 Learning the wrong lesson (Socrates, C.S. Lewis)
45:02 When should you stop asking questions?
49:21 Principles work for everybody. Applications don't.
53:10 Easy to understand, hard to apply

Previous: 1.16 / What's your standard for truth? Socrates vs. the sophists
Next: 1.18 / What does the Bible say about leadership?

New episodes most weeks.
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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.