The Belfast Podcast

Goodness is treated very differently by George RR Martin than it is by Tolkien. This dichotomy is most apparent in the characters of Ned Stark and Aragorn. In this episode, Daniel will explore how that characteristic is destructive for one and life-giving for another. Follow us on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-belfast-podcast/id1472441982   Follow us on Spotify: https:/...

Two of the most prominent fantasy series have very different views of cosmology and spiritual power. Why is that? What is it about what the authors believe that gives rise to these different ways of looking at the world? Follow us on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-belfast-podcast/id1472441982 Follow us on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1s3aaP3pUkQKBVXbsP8Y34?si=c...

George R.R. Martin has said that, as much as he respects Tolkien for basically creating the modern Epic Fantasy Genre, he has intentionally done things that go against his way of storytelling. Why? Because they do not fit his philosophy. With help from Inspiring Philosophy's video "The Philosophy of Tolkien," Daniel wants to go on, using Martin's own words, to further describe the distance between...

At the start of a new series, Daniel will be exploring the work of two prolific Fantasy writers: 1. JRR Tolkien. 2. George RR Martin. Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings have had a distinct cultural impact, but they also offer a window into the worldviews of the men who wrote them. This is what Daniel wants to explore. On the surface, GOT and LOTR may look quite similar, but that's due to an...

As more details are coming out regarding Greta Gerwig's adaptation of Narnia for Netflix, it continues to look like a very different story from the one Lewis told. Here, Daniel outlines more reasons to be nervous about this modern take on a classic children's tale. Follow us on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-belfast-podcast/id1472441982 Follow us on Spotify: https://open...

As a fan of Lewis, and especially in understanding the story of fairy tales, it is hard to say how important something like Narnia can be. In this episode, Daniel explores 5 reasons he sees as possible for Gerwig to fail in her adaptation of Narnia. Follow us on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-belfast-podcast/id1472441982 Follow us on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/sho...

In the second episode, reacting to the Peterson/Jenkins conversation, Daniel honed in on how the show depicts Jesus. Jenkins gives his philosophy of art and filmmaking and how he is attempting to "take Jesus down from the stained glass." Daniel argues that Dallas is actually updating the stained glass we have put Jesus on. Watch the full conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI9X0fFEE8I Fo...

Some Christians call "The Chosen" the best show about Jesus. Others claim it is heretical and needs to be avoided. But many of these conversations miss the kind of art "The Chosen" is aiming at being. In this two-part series, Daniel will explore whether the show is propaganda and whether we can call it something approaching neo-iconography. We will do this through the lens of Jordan Peterson's con...

It may seem crazy to compare fairy tales, which we know are old and made up, to something so true as the Bible, but that depends on what you mean by true. In Pageau's talk "Fairy Tales as the Music of the Spheres," he attempts to show us how there are patterns here that tell us something not just true, but about how the world actually works. Daniel uses this setting to explore how this way of thin...

If you've ever thought, "Jordan Peterson just doesn't get it" when it comes to Christ and mythology, this is for you. Follow us on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-belfast-podcast/id1472441982 Follow us on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1s3aaP3pUkQKBVXbsP8Y34?si=ca588a6165424c61 Instagram: @thebelfastpodcast Email: belfastpodcast@gmail.com The Belfast Podcast exist...

With some help from mythologist Martin Shaw, Daniel explores how mythology can tell the truth. It is easy to think that the truth is just what can be realized by our five senses, but what if this is just a symptom of our modern hallucination rather than a perception of reality? Follow us on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-belfast-podcast/id1472441982 Follow us on Spotify:...

In episode 2 of Daniel's conversation with Jocelyn, they discuss how art changes our perception of the world and what can get in the way of our ability to have a great imagination. Find Jocelyn's art here: https://www.jocelynmathewes.com Follow us on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-belfast-podcast/id1472441982 Follow us on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1s3aaP3pUk...

In part 1 of the conversation with Jocelyn Matthews, Daniel and her discuss the implications of AI for Christians and, more importantly, artists. Find Jocelyn's art here: https://www.jocelynmathewes.com 0:00-6:13- What have you been reading? 6:13-18:20- What is underneath AI? 18:20-What does AI mean for Christians and Artists? Follow us on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-...

Daniel continues his dive into the cultural context of Genesis, trying to understand the way that words and culture affect the transmission of meaning, with help from Tim Mackie and John Walton in an interview they did a few years ago. Listen to the Bible Project with Walton Here: https://bibleproject.com/podcast/genesis-1-2-origins-or-identity/ Follow us on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple....

As Daniel starts his set of videos on Genesis, he picks up where we have left off, going over, more in-depth, things we have talked about before-the cultural context of Genesis. With help from Tim Mackie and John Walton in an interview, they did a few years ago. Listen to the Bible Project with Walton Here: https://bibleproject.com/podcast/genesis-1-2-origins-or-identity/ Follow us on Apple Podcas...

In this long-form discussion, Daniel and I walk through ways of seeing and ways of being, our mission for this podcast. Follow us on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-belfast-podcast/id1472441982 Follow us on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1s3aaP3pUkQKBVXbsP8Y34?si=ca588a6165424c61 Instagram: @thebelfastpodcast Email: belfastpodcast@gmail.com The Belfast Podcast exi...

0:00:00-0:001:20-Intro 00:1:20-00:7:00-Daniel’s #5 (A Community of Prayerful Love) 00:7:00-00:12:20- Luke’s #5 (Jesus is Smart) 00:12:20-00:23:11-Luke’s #4 and Daneil’s #3 (Our God Bathed World) 00:23:11-00:33:39-Luke’s #3 (Dealing With Your Life) 00:33:39-00:45:50-Daniel and Luke’s #2 (Gospels of Sin Management) 00:45:50-01:00:12-Daniel and Luke’s #1 (Becoming the Kind of Person) Follow us on App...

As we finish chapter 10 of The Divine Conspiracy, Daniel and Luke take on the second gospel of sin management, that of eliminating social evils. What does it mean to have this view of the gospel, and how does it affect what we think the end times will be like? With the help of Willard, Pageau, and Peterson, we attempt to answer this question. Follow us on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com...

In Luke's final episode in the Genesis Series, he attempts to address more basic questions about what the Biblical text is doing on earth in Genesis. What kind of text is it? How does it operate? And how are we meant to take that? Mackie Lecture: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6LJ75lxHWUvZfeHb3gXvZx?si=d851c4d9ff9b43ac Walton Lecture 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR82a-iueWw&t=664s Walt...

What is it about prayer that many find so difficult? What about spiritual disciples make them feel as though they are always at arm's length? How does our view of salvation affect how we engage with spiritual practices? Join Daniel and me as we go through the end of chapter 9 of The Divine Conspiracy, along with Shia Labeouf, to help answer some of these questions. Follow us on Apple Podcasts: htt...

Watch part 1 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ewxgvw2Ykc&t=4s Watch the whole series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1L8u1Y97Ncyw59_c6xoj_jZpVsTwccZo In part 2, I continue my investigation with "The BEMA Podcast" on the structure of the creation story in Genesis. We find the center of the poem and explore more of what C.S. Lewis has to say on the subject in "The Screwtape Letter...

As I continue telling my journey through understanding Genesis, I have reached the climax. This bit will be 2 episodes. In number 1, I will discuss the relationship between the Eastern and Western ways of using words and numbers through the BEMA Podcast. I tie this in with C.S. Lewis's opening in "Mere Christianity." Part 2 is Coming Soon! BEMA Intro Lesson: https://www.bemadiscipleship.com/0 Gene...

Many of us experience the desire for change, but it often doesn't stick. Why is that? What is it about our desires that are at once so rapturious and so fleeting? As we look at chapter 9 of "The Divine Conspiracy," we will see how the physical transformation of Penn Gillette, Dallas Willard, and Jesus all say the same thing about desire and change. Penn Gillette Interview: https://www.youtube.com/...

About 6 months ago, Kat Von D went onto Allie Beth Stuckey's podcast. They talked about her conversion, and Kat shared stories of the backlash she has experienced due to her appearance. She also sheds light on why she doesn't like modern worship music. These clips help us dive into Willard's words from "The Divine Conspiracy" regarding our out-of-order values in personal transformation. Kat on 'Re...

The transformation in Shia Labeouf's life lately has been astounding. We dissect his interview with Jon Bernthal to help us see how he actually came to deal with his real life in order to transform spiritually. It was the death of his ego that gave him the place for a rebirth into something greater. Join us as we listen to his amazing story and tie it to content from "The Divine Conspiracy" chapte...