Showing results by publisher "Mars Hill Audio" in All Categories

Throughout its history, the practice of psychotherapy has both reflected and shaped cultural assumptions about the nature of self and society. How does this "culture of therapy" interact with Christianity? In these thought-provoking interviews, Paul McHugh, John Steadman Rice, and Richard Noll talk about Christianity in relation to therapy, discussing the phenomena of False Memory Syndrome, codependence, New Age spirituality, and addiction.

The activity of eating transcends the physiological need for "fueling" and provides clues for understanding human nature, explains Leon Kass, physician, biologist, and professor of philosophy at the University of Chicago. In this program, Kass discusses his book, The Hungry Soul, in which he explores eating as a guide to morality and communal life. Then, Brother Peter Reinhart talks about the art of breadmaking as a metaphor for spiritual life.

In the face of rapid medical advances in our world, bioethics is a serious concern for many in our society - Christians and non-Christians alike. Here, Gilbert Meilaender, professor of theological ethics at Valparaiso University in Indiana, contends that it is imperative for Christians to think consciously about bioethical issues as Christians if they are not to risk losing their Christian identity.

Literary critic Alan Jacobs on the decadence of Anne Rice's vampire novels and the social themes in W.H. Auden's poetry. Whereas traditionally vampires are portrayed as blood-hungry fiends, Rice's books extol the power and freedom that these immortals enjoy. Jacobs explores the moral and literary consequences of this unabashed celebration of self-indulgence. Then, Jacobs dissects Auden's poetry and explains how the poet returned to the church after realizing that liberal humanism failed to provide answers to the problem of evil.

Technology has a powerful capacity to affect the way we perceive the world and how it works. The authors and scientists in these interviews share their thoughts on computer-assisted communications technologies and the increasing capability of scientific technology to affect the world for good or ill. They also discuss the influence of cyberspace, virtual reality, and intelligent design. The interviewees include Neil Postman, Jane Metcalfe, Howard Rheingold, Mark Slouka, Andrew Kimbrell, Doug Groothius, Dean Kenyon, Philip Johnson, and Michael Behe.

Today, people have an increased interest in spirituality, yet they also face widespread cynicism, relativism, and despair. This series of interviews explores the opportunities and liabilities that confront Christians as they seek to live wisely in this confusing time. Gene Deward Veith, Richard Keyes, Robert Wuthnow, and Richard Lints take on relativism, cynicism, and the notion of postmodernity in this thought-provoking exploration of spirituality.