AUTHENTIC with Shawn Boonstra

True freedom or lawful obedience? In the human mind, these concepts are at war, just as modern Christian thought severs our lives today from the Old Testament era: the age of the law (many claim). Join Shawn Boonstra as he unearths the truth—it has ALWAYS been an age of grace—and the ensuing question: if we’ve never had to buy our salvation, what’s the point of God’s law?

Standing as mortals at the foot of Mount Olympus, what would we see as we gazed up at the gods? How would it compare with the view of God at Mount Sinai? Join Shawn Boonstra this week for a study in divine character. In the world of our ancestors and their gods, Yahweh was shockingly unique—and much of it has to do with the Law He gave at Sinai.

The Thanksgiving holiday gives us an incredible opportunity to practice real gratitude AND quit living with brutal anxiety. Watch this episode to find out why Shawn Boonstra thinks Thanksgiving is the most important holiday of the year.

Public schools required to display the Ten Commandments? Such a rule sounds surprising, but recently lawmakers made it real in Louisiana. (Update: And in Texas, as of the airing of this encore show.) If you’ve kept up with the news, you know there's an active lawsuit challenging it. Shawn Boonstra dives into the controversy, exploring not only the line between church and state but also God’s reaso...

Enacting someone’s last will and testament is a sacred duty. Still, inspired by a “gut feeling,” some like to redefine the deceased’s last wishes…often erupting familial wars. Is it possible that YOU, right now, are responsible for executing Someone’s will? Shawn Boonstra suggests you could be, and your fellow executors are quarreling over what this will and (New) Testament means.

As a dark wave of fatalism and existentialist despair rolled over from Europe in the nineteenth century, one brilliant American thinker dared to stem the tide. What if we are MORE than machines? he asked. What if our choices actually matter? Join us as we explore the impact of psychologist-philosopher William James and his quest to make meaning out of the vibrant life of the mind.

Imagine for a minute that you’re an ambassador of Earth to an alien civilization. You’re asked, “What’s this RELIGION thing all about? Why do you all believe something’s WRONG with your world?” Be honest: would you have answers? In this episode of Authentic, Shawn Boonstra pursues a coherent definition for religion, shining a light on why humanity’s always trying to improve…and why our efforts ten...

"You can't tell me what to do!" From crib to nursing home, we all bristle like porcupines at claims of authority. Something in us HATES being commanded. Is it any surprise the Most High God gets massive pushback? But what if, Shawn Boonstra asks, this target is a painted one? Scripture reveals Someone wholly unlike the tyrant of our imagination...

Thinking outside the box isn't just for artists and engineers. We can all benefit from challenging assumptions that hold us back. But what happens when "radical = good" becomes an assumption itself? Shawn Boonstra ponders the consequences for a society obsessed with erasing all the lines, boundaries, and principles that built us.

It takes a skeptic to prove reality. Shawn Boonstra revisits an old "friend," René Descartes, and his groundbreaking decision to doubt everything and how he concluded, "I think, therefore I am." The way Descartes starkly split mind from matter, though, should trigger our own skeptical instincts.

What causes YOU to lose your cool? The roots of our anger are deep and varied, but Shawn Boonstra suggests it's usually less about cosmic justice and more about personal injury. So, how to name and tame this dragon of rage? A centuries-old Christian practice may be the key.

Wrath. It's known as one of the seven deadly sins—and yet Scripture is filled with descriptions of God getting wrathful. So what IS the problem with anger? Shawn Boonstra explores this dynamite emotion and how our personal experiences with anger can cloud our view of heaven's righteous outrage.

Some today say that for centuries Christians believed in a flat earth. So what does the evidence say? Join Shawn as he looks into the fascinating history of the connection between the flat-earth theory and the Christian church. The story may be just a tad different from what you’ve learned to believe.

Join Shawn Boonstra for the story of one remarkable redemption at the hands of one VERY unlikely redeemer. All hope and holiness seemed lost when God's people and Temple fell to Babylon. But God had a wild card to play, a king to inspire, and some precious vessels to protect...

Whether you identify as a total Gemini, take a passing interest in the Chinese zodiac, or regard all horoscopes as ripe for mockery, you can't deny their massive popularity. This week Shawn Boonstra dissects the appeal of astrological signs. Are we seeking a cosmic destiny? Guidance? Order? Whatever it is, we can't help but look up.

Tick. Tock. The clock of life is running out. The shadow of the Reaper’s scythe darkens every minute and every year. Sure feels like we’re all sitting on death row... But what if there was a way to escape that tyrannical clock? What if you could make every moment count—could make sure even the most ordinary life REALLY meant something in the grand scheme of things? This week on Authentic, Shawn Bo...

Many today struggle to understand their true significance and where they fit into this world. Out of this struggle has flowed untold sadness and tragedy. In this week's episode of Authentic, Shawn Boonstra explores how our understanding of our cosmic origins affects the value we place on ourselves and our role in the universe.

This week we're discussing the disturbing legacy of a different Reich in the 20th century. The sexual liberation movement promised to cast off the chains of oppressive morality—to let "free love" reign and hearts fully flourish. In the radical new thinking of figures like Wilhelm Reich, self-control and boundaries were now dangerous repression. But has the new paradigm truly delivered us from evil...

Have you ever been stopped in your tracks by something so incredibly beautiful, it leaves you with a twinge of sadness? Shawn Boonstra explores this perplexing paradox of how experiencing beauty can produce joy and sadness, all at the same time.

Translating ancient Hebrew and Greek scriptures is hard enough WITHOUT the monarchy and Church coming for your head! Shawn Boonstra relates the astonishing journey of the English Bible, from radical idea to royal-approved release.

Say you've got a set of well-established Scriptures. How exactly do you come along and add a whole NEW set to it? In this week's encore episode, Shawn Boonstra investigates the origins of the New Testament. Did its authors think they were writing Scripture? And what role do councils play in determining whether texts were inspired?

In a pain-choked world, we see the face of evil everywhere. And there's plenty of blame to fling around, which we do. Constantly. But maybe it's time, Shawn Boonstra says, for a good long look at the face in the mirror—half in light, half in shadow.

The book of Genesis is widely perceived as myth—on the same shelf as Gilgamesh and Zeus. So let's line them up side by side, shall we? Shawn Boonstra weighs the differences and charts strikingly separate worlds of meaning.

You slip on a ring, and SNAP! You're invisible. What will you do with this power? This week, Shawn Boonstra turns to an old fable of Plato's to confront who we are in the dark, when no one is looking. But while it's easy to sin in secret, the ancient wisdom of Proverbs reminds us: there's a real cost even in this life...and a REAL path to your authentic self.

Crucifixion on its own is horrific enough...but if you believe Jesus' death on the cross was the punishment for our sins, it's even WORSE. Some object and say the cross was about pure love—nothing to do with judgment or wrath. Shawn Boonstra investigates the feelings and reasoning at play, and why the biblical framing of Christ's death still holds such power to both disturb and astound us.