Dealing with Disappointment with Peter Anderson

Why are the two Synoptic genealogies of Jesus—in Matthew 1 and Luke 3—so wildly contradictory? Although this objection has been raised by Richard Dawkins and other critics of Christianity, many Christian resources on the topic are terrible. A vague answer like “one is the royal line” is not good enough to satisfy a sincere seeker, as it does not explain why Joseph appears to have two different fathers, two different paternal grandfathers, and so on. In this video, Ian Huyett and Carmen Schober review the possible answers to the contradiction and argue for one particular answer. Read Ian's full essay on the subject here: https://www.staseos.net/post/on-matthew-and-luke-s-contradictory-genealogies

Carmen loves Mike Winger and watches his videos. He posted a short video speculating about why authoritarian governments target Christians since Christians are called to "be submissive" and "obey the government," and Carmen made a comment on the vid that got a lot of attention. You can watch Mike's video here: (Mike's words, you can watch the video here: https://www.instagram.com/p/C5Ozp-MKcLl/) Carmen's comment: "Christians are a threat to authoritarian governments because Christ commands his followers to pursue goodness and justice and those governments work to undermine both of those things. Sadly, most governments expand and become authoritarian over time, so Christians almost always find themselves in the difficult position of having to make significant relational/political sacrifices in the short-term or be persecuted in the long-term." In a longer video (dropping tonight!) Carmen and Ian discuss why authoritarian governments hate Christianity, as well as why Romans 13 needs to be better understood by modern Christians. Never miss an update by subscribing to https://www.staseos.net

It is common for new Christians, or newly serious Christians, who want to deepen their relationship with scripture to set out to “read the whole Bible cover-to-cover.” This practice, while well-intentioned, can lead to one of two problems. First, many Christians make it through the exciting, narrative story of Genesis and Exodus before losing interest somewhere in the legal sections of the Pentateuch. This is unsurprising. As a lawyer familiar with legal treatises and codes, Ian can tell you that even the best jurist usually does not intend his treatise to be a pleasant cover-to-cover reading experience even for other lawyers, let alone the lay reader. A legal treatise is designed to be consulted, not read like a novel. Because all legal treatises are boring to read, Christians at first riveted by the generational drama of Jacob, Joseph, and Moses usually founder in discouragement when they collide with Mosaic dietary and agricultural laws. Sadly, this prevents many Christians from ever truly discovering biblical narratives that are as compelling and rich as Genesis-Exodus—including Judges and the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles. Secondly, some Christians who do succeed in making it through the Bible cover-to-cover do not seem to profit much by the experience. I’m reminded here of the Christian musician Shannon Low, who—as I recall the story, at least—publicly repudiated his faith after a skeptic directed him to read the story of Elisha killing 42 young boys in 2 Kings 2. Low recalled that he was shocked to read the story despite having previously “read the whole Bible.” “How did I miss this?,” he asked himself. I’d wager that Low was a “cover-to-cover” Bible reader. The fundamental problem is that some Christians—informed by a naïve oversimplification of sola scriptura—implicitly assume that the various books of the Bible were directly ordered by God into a coherent structure, that all components of the Bible are intended to be understood by the ordinary person with no external assistance, and that the Bible as a whole is meant to be read in a sequential narrative form. These assumptions have no basis in the Bible itself and little basis in church history. They instead seem to reflect the creeping, unconscious influence of Islam’s theology of the Quran. Unlike Christians, Muslims have historically held that their central text was dictated verbatim by an angel and existed as a coherent, single text from eternity past. In contrast, Christians since before the time of Jerome have understood the Bible as a library of individual books, in different genres, created in a variety of ways and in different historical circumstances. The precise scope of the canon has always been considered an appropriate subject for inspired councilor deliberation and/or scholarly debate. Read the full article here.

Carmen Schober and Ian Huyett discuss How Reason Can Lead to God by Philosopher Joshua Rasmussen. Book Summary: Do you value reason, science, and independent thinking? Are you skeptical of beliefs that people maintain merely "on faith," yet you remain interested in the big questions of life? Do you hope there could be a greater purpose to the universe, if only that were realistic? If so, then philosopher Joshua Rasmussen can encourage you in your journey. Beginning with his own story of losing faith and the belief in any ultimate purpose in life, he then builds a bridge to a series of universal truths about ultimate reality. Using only the instruments of reason and common experience, Rasmussen constructs a pathway—step by step, brick by brick—that he argues can lead to meaning and, ultimately, a vision of God. Purchase the book here: https://amzn.to/3Hc32MB Read our full review at https://www.staseos.net/ Follow Staseos on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Staseos/

Carmen and Ian discuss Andrew Huberman's recent interview about his belief in God on the Cameron Hanes Show, as well as the growing trend towards theism among western intellectuals in Ian's latest essay, Deus Ex Machina. You can also watch the discussion on the Staseos YouTube Channel. Please subscribe and like our videos. Follow Staseos on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and sign up to receive our email newsletter If you enjoy Staseos, please leave us a review or consider making a donation so more people can find our work. Thank you for tuning in!

At the zenith of the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, a totalitarian party remembered as the “Jacobins” forged a powerful centralized state, launched the Reign of Terror, implemented a “Cult of Reason” as the official state religion, publicly beheaded and drowned countless Christians as part of a national program of “dechristianization,” and committed the first modern genocide—targeting the intransigent Catholic population of the Vendee. Despite its anti-Christian character, the Enlightenment has been so influential that present-day Christians themselves often operate within an unconscious framework of Enlightenment assumptions. Carmen and Ian discuss a few examples.

Staseos Founders Ian Huyett and Carmen Schober discuss Carmen's latest book, Pretty Little Pieces. Carmen shares what inspired her to become a writer, how Christianity intersects with romance in her novels, and why young Christian professionals should be active and uncompromising about sharing their faith rather than passive and people-pleasing.  Carmen's books are available everywhere, but we recommend purchasing them from Baker Book House, an independent Christian bookstore. Use the code SCHOBER50 at check out to get them both for $20 plus free shipping. After She Falls: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/277355 Pretty Little Pieces: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/405423

Carmen chats with Dr. Levi Russell, a Kansas-based economist, about the reasons behind our record inflation and rising gas prices. Russell explains how these issues could be addressed but likely won't be due to political reasons, but he also offers Americans some hope for the future. 

Lawyer Ian Huyett discusses the legal realities regarding Roe vs. Wade and how the controversial Texas Heartbeat Law utilized an unexpected loophole. He also explains what we should expect to happen next. If you enjoy No Apologies, please leave us a review.

Peter (a Christian therapist) joins Carmen for another candid chat. This time, they discuss how Christians can honestly and effectively face disappointments on a personal and national scale. Peter offers a much more nuanced approach than the usual suggestion to simply "be more positive," so we think you'll find this conversation interesting and helpful!