Filter: Biblical Clarity in a Confusing World

One of the biblical themes that we read about God’s people is that we are sojourners. This means that we are resident aliens. We reside somewhere that we do not ultimately belong. In other words, where we live now is not our true home. As sojourners in this world, there are many ways that we can experience the otherness and difficulty of not belonging to it. The Christian Worldview helps us to und...

They say that those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. What about those who misunderstand or distort the past? It’s not only important that we know history but that we get history right. As Christians, history is another segment of life that we can approach and understand from the biblical worldview to gain a proper view. I’m glad to welcome on the show Vern Poythress to discuss his newe...

Being a Christian means more than adopting a set of beliefs. To be a Christian is to be in a relationship with Jesus Christ and to be transformed by the Holy Spirit through that relationship. We call this discipleship. It should be the core part of every believer’s identity. Sadly, we often have murky definitions or misguided ideas about what exactly discipleship means. That’s why I’m glad to welc...

Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia rank as many peoples’ favorite epic tales. These fantasy classics have stirred the imaginations and inspired good action in millions of people around the world. As such powerful stories, they are evident examples of how stories play a role in our virtue formation. I’m glad to welcome Louis Markos back to the show to help us to understand the virtue-fo...

You've probably noticed the rising prices in the cost of living this year. Everyone is feeling the squeeze on pocketbooks as everyday essentials are becoming more and more expensive due to inflation. I'll be the first to admit a lack of knowledge in economics and the factors that drive inflation. That's why I'm glad to welcome Tho Bishop to the show today. Tho and I discussed a lot in this convers...

We are faced with dozens of decisions in everyday life. On top of the mundane, daily decisions, we have large questions to answer and choices to make. These moments of decision-making can be some of the most challenging, yet rewarding times of our lives. My guest on today's show seeks to help you to think better about decision-making, what it means to seek God in our decision-making, and how to wo...

ENTER TO WIN A FREE RIGHT SIDE UP JOURNAL: https://form.jotform.com/221034277284049   The challenges to the Christian faith must be answered in every age. Moreover, the specific problems and objections to Christianity are always changing with each new generation. In 1 Peter 3:15, the apostle admonished us to be prepared to give everyone an answer for the hope that is in us. So, the church needs to...

Scholar George Yancey is no stranger to this podcast and I am excited to feature him on the show again. We recently got to do a live Q&A at my church when George came to speak on Beyond Racial Division. I got to receive questions submitted from our congregation to ask him as well as share some of my own questions. We ended up covering a lot related to racial alienation, collaborative conversat...

In the previous episode, I shared part one of a conference talk that I recently gave at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. I attempt to address what is beneath our culture’s sickness and argue that the loss of a sense of purpose is a primary contributor. When we lose an objective basis for truth and purpose, then our world becomes meaningless and valueless.    This episode will continue...

We live in a time of deep irony. On the one hand, we enjoy the healthiest, most affluent, and most secure society that has ever existed. On the other hand, in spite of these blessings, we have some of the highest rates of depression, anxiety, and unhappiness than at any other time. How do we account for our misery in spite of our decadence? While we might point to many factors, I argue that one of...

Here on Filter we regularly cover topics related to apologetics, philosophy, theology, history, and literature. However, there’s one aspect of life that’s particularly important to me which we’ve never covered—fitness. That’s why I’m excited to welcome today’s guest Jake Lockert. We talked about fitness can play an important role not only in your physical health but also in your spiritual health a...

When you’re looking for favorite writers online it can often be difficult to find ones that are really worth following. There are many voices that are simplistic, boring, or too reactionary in their thinking. One of my favorite writers to follow the past few years has been Bethel McGrew, who previously wrote under the pen name Esther O’Reilly. I’m excited to have her on today’s episode to talk abo...

Over the last few weeks, the world watched as tensions increased between Russia and Ukraine. These tensions released into an all-out invasion by Russia that has brought about violence and terror in Ukraine. Leaders in the West are debating how to respond, and the media is bringing us rapid updates with varying degrees of veracity. It’s easy to get caught up in this whirlwind of reporting, politics...

The national conversation on racial relations is more divided than at any time in the previous few decades. The central question is what approach should we use to handle racial incidents, divisions, and disparities. In the midst of reactionary positions, my guest on today’s show argues an approach that is founded in the Christian worldview, wisdom, as well as sociological research. His name is Geo...

C. S. Lewis was one of the most profound and influential Christian thinkers in the 20th Century. Both his fiction and non-fiction books continue to be bestsellers, and believers across the West still frequently credit him as one of their favorites. However, what made C. S. Lewis C. S. Lewis ? What people and books shaped the mind of this legendary intellectual? My guest on today’s show argues that...

We live in an age of deconstruction when the traditional ideas about truth, morality, and other foundational concepts are being rapidly abandoned. The deconstructionist project has no limits.  Furthermore, it has no final solution for what will be built in the place of what was torn down. Therefore, people are inevitably driven to a life of emptiness and cynicism since they have no solid grounding...

The question of miracles is a topic that evokes responses no matter where you bring it up. Among our broader culture, you might receive a sneer or a look of suspicion. Even in the church, some people will get excited and others will be cautiously hesitant when you bring up the miraculous and the potential to experience miracles. I’m excited to bring the esteemed philosopher J. P. Moreland back on...

In the previous episode, I shared the first half of my recent talk at the Defend Conference at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. If you haven’t heard that yet, then you might want to go back and catch up. In this episode, I continue from explaining the biblical virtue of courage to helping you learn how to grow in courage. We’ll consider the appropriate source of courage and learn some pra...

Christians in the West are living in what has been frequently called a “post-Christian society.” As the influence of Christianity continues to wane, Christian communities find that they are increasingly marginalized for holding to their biblical beliefs. We feel disoriented in an alien culture and are sometimes addressed with opposition from the world. These trends have no sign of slowing down. Th...

The success and survival of our American republic are never a guarantee. Our country is filled with tension over competing ideas, social movements, political divisions, and a crumbling trust in our institutions. My guest on today’s show argues that we need to take a look at the nature of democratic government in America and why the Founders designed it in such a way. He argues that they were funda...

All of human life is accompanied by pain and difficulty. Christians are frequently caught off guard by the suffering they experience. They are unprepared either due to bad assumptions about the gospel’s promises or by poor discipleship. Since everyone will face hardship in some form, it’s important that believers understand what the Bible has to say about suffering in the Christian life. My guest...

There is a sad reality in our culture. We see high-profile leaders fall into scandal and moral failures all too often. Unfortunately, this kind of news is not exclusive to the world outside of the church. Pastors and other Christian leaders are frequently in the headlines as the new subject in an ongoing thread of compromised integrities and broken ministries. My guest on today’s show has written...

There’s a crisis in the West today—a crisis of happiness. Both sociological research and statistics such as the rise in the so-called “deaths of despair,” paint a picture of a society that is wrestling with a lack of satisfaction in spite of its decadence. This dilemma and its solution has been debated by scholars, psychologists, pundits and philosophers. My guest on today’s show says that the dil...

Win a free copy of Os Guinness's The Magna Carta of Humanity , Douglas Groothuis's Christian Apologetics , and several other books from Filter guests! Total prize package over $225 value. Enter below now through Nov. 22, 2021.   ENTER OUR BOOK GIVEAWAY HERE: https://www.aaronshamp.com/contest   Everyone knows what it’s like to be in a place where you struggle to see how things will play out well....

Win a free copy of Justin Whitmel Earley's Habits of the Household and several other books from Filter guests! Total prize package over $225 value. Enter below.   ENTER OUR BOOK GIVEAWAY HERE: https://www.aaronshamp.com/contest   Most of us struggle to keep up with the hustle and bustle of life, especially those who have kids. If you’re the parent of small children like me, you know how often it f...