Upstream
304 episodes - English - Latest episode: 11 days ago -There are no ordinary things. We can meet God in the most surprising places…if we only know how to look. Go Upstream, discover a world charged with the grandeur of God—and learn to live in that bigger world.
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Episodes
The Grand Miracle: Athanasius, Lewis, and the Meaning of the Incarnation - A Reflection on the Interview with Glenn Sunshine
December 09, 2021 21:49 - 7 minutes - 17.6 MBThe lead-up to Christmas was the first time I ever experienced “sehnsucht”—the inconsolable longing not satisfied by anything in this world. I remember the music (especially the minor key stuff), the lights on the tree, the cooling weather (a welcome reprieve in Florida) and the smell of mom’s candles combining to charge the air in our home with expectation. Like good Baptists, we didn’t consciously celebrate Advent, but by Dickens, we kept it in our hearts. Even at that young age, I under...
How is Advent Different from Christmas? | Glenn Sunshine
December 07, 2021 13:01 - 1 hour - 144 MBShane discusses Christmas and Advent with historian Glenn Sunshine. The two draw a historic line between Christmas and Advent, sharing the theological and historical roots of both markings on the church calendar. They explore the faith-formation that occurs in practicing the rhythms and disciplines that traditionally accompany the season of Advent.
In Defense of WWJD - A Reflection on the Conversation with Thomas Price
December 04, 2021 14:00 - 6 minutes - 15 MBAt this point, the “What Would Jesus Do?” slogan seems more at home in a history museum than on a bracelet. This relic of 1990s evangelicalism caught on about the time I was finishing elementary school, and I dutifully joined in the trend and wore the letters in several colors, often to AWANA, until they all fell apart or were lost. For many who went on to become interested in theology, the WWJD saying became the butt of jokes along with that Christian t-shirt that parodied the Abercrom...
On the Incarnation - Part 1 of 3 | Dr. Thomas Price
November 30, 2021 15:37 - 1 hour - 142 MBShane Morris visits with Dr. Thomas Price about Athanasius' On The Incarnation. The pair discuss the significance of Jesus being man and how Advent is an important time for the Christian, and not only to celebrate the birth of Christ. Sign-up for more resources at www.breakpoint.org/advent.
Manhood and the Metaverse - Samuel James
November 23, 2021 13:52 - 54 minutes - 126 MBShane welcomes writer and editor Samuel James to help us understand how social media is transforming into a kind of alternate reality, and how disembodied, digital existence—especially when it involves sex, war, and meaningless work—is uniquely destructive to men.
Stories Are the Medium of Meaning - A Reflection On the Conversation with Heidi White
November 19, 2021 18:27 - 7 minutes - 16.2 MBWhy do little kids love stories so much? What is it in them that wants a story before bedtime? Why do they listen so intently and question you about every detail? Why is it that whenever you overhear two or three little children on the playground, they’re almost undoubtedly in character as warriors, or princesses, or police officers, or cowboys, or magical beings? Why do they so naturally, with no help from adults, step into the roles of characters in their own spontaneous stories? Well, i...
Sparking Kids’ Imaginations with Stories - Heidi White
November 16, 2021 13:04 - 53 minutes - 123 MBClassical Christian educator and CIRCE Institute contributor Heidi White joins Shane at the Anselm Society’s “Imagination Redeemed” conference to explain why reading the great stories to your children can awaken them to moral truth. ** In Show References ** The Anselm Society: www.anselmsociety.org Circe Institute: https://www.circeinstitute.org
Haiti Doesn’t Belong to Satan - A Reflection on the Conversation with Jean-Lubin Beaucejour & Darrow Miller
November 12, 2021 15:40 - 8 minutes - 18.7 MBForeign affairs are a new beat for the Upstream podcast, and one with a complicated relationship to worldview. The idea that ideas can affect the fortunes of nations isn’t a new one, but it is a tricky one to trace out. As I talked with Pastor Jean-Lubin Beaucejour and Darrow Miller about the plight of Haiti, I was reminded of two equal but opposite errors we all need to guard against when we start asking why this nation—and others—seem stuck in perpetual failure. The first mistake is to a...
Understanding the Crisis in Haiti - Jean-Lubin Beaucejour & Darrow Miller
November 09, 2021 10:41 - 1 hour - 147 MBShane visits with Pastor and director of Bethesda Evangelical Mission in Haiti, Lubin Beaucejour in the first of two part special on Haiti. Pastor Lubin gives a "boots on the ground" perspective of the crisis and Haiti and helps us understand the cultural underpinnings. In the second half of the show, Shane visits with Darrow Miller, co-founder of Disciple Nations Alliance. Darrow has written extensively on poverty, worldview, and culture. He helps identify why Haiti is in the position it ...
Theoretical People - A Reflection the Conversation with Tara Sander Lee
November 05, 2021 20:54 - 8 minutes - 18.4 MBNo political movement has taken refuge behind as many excuses as the “pro-choice” movement. Early advocates of legal abortion dismissed unborn babies as “clumps of cells,” and “fish-like”—non-entities without moral value. When the Supreme Court handed down its ruling in Roe v. Wade in 1973, the majority based their justification for legal abortion on a so-called “right to privacy,” together with a now-defunct understanding of fetal viability. Since then, pro-abortion activists and lawmaker...
The Most Reluctant Convert - Upstream Special with Max McLean
November 03, 2021 13:52 - 49 minutes - 68.2 MBMax McLean is bringing Lewis to life for a generation of theatre goers. His Fellowship for the Performing Arts has toured the country bringing C.S. Lewis from the page to the stage. During Covid, McLean pivoted their in-person presentations to transform one of their most popular presentations to a feature film. The Most Reluctant Convert chronicles the faith journey of C.S. Lewis. Drawing from the canon of Lewis, McLean presents how Lewis realized the need for God in the world, realized h...
Is a 15-Week Baby Human? - Dr. Tara Sander Lee
November 02, 2021 13:36 - 51 minutes - 118 MBShane welcomes Dr. Tara Sander Lee, Director of Life Sciences at the Charlotte Lozier Institute. Dr. Lee describes what a second-trimester unborn baby is like, and why the Supreme Court’s decision to review a Mississippi law that banned abortion beyond this point could change American history.
On Being Fully Human - A Reflection on the Conversation with Dr. Michael Ward
October 28, 2021 22:20 - 8 minutes - 19.7 MBI’ve had the same exchange with perhaps half a dozen fellow Christians over the years. It goes like this: I’m talking about the numerous benefits of regular exercise, especially outdoors. I point out, following writers like John Piper, that taking care of our bodies is an essential part of spiritual, not just physical, health. We are embodied spirits, and the street between our moral state and our mental state runs two ways. On hearing this, the other Christian will cock his or her head to o...
After Humanity: Understanding Lewis's The Abolition of Man - Dr. Michael Ward
October 26, 2021 12:46 - 47 minutes - 108 MBThe Abolition of Man is likely C.S. Lewis's most challenging work. It is dense and rich with analysis and direction. Thankfully, Dr. Michael Ward has written a companion to guide readers through Lewis's piece thought-by-thought. Shane interviews Dr. Ward today, exploring Ward's After Humanity and explaining a few of the finer points of The Abolition of Man. To receive a copy of Ward's After Humanity and Lewis's The Abolition of Man, visit breakpoint.org/wardstudy and make a donation to t...
What Do They Teach in These Schools? - A Reflection on the Conversation with Dr. Joe Rigney
October 21, 2021 20:40 - 6 minutes - 15.5 MBAs far as I can tell, the original quote came from an episode of “That 70s Show.” A character whose name I don’t know because I never watched it says, “Well, I’ve decided to major in philosophy.” Another character responds, “Well that’s good, because they just opened that big philosophy factory in Green Bay.” We laugh because we immediately get the joke: a philosophy degree is economically useless and doesn’t help students produce anything of practical value. The line suggests that philoso...
The Abolition of Education and a Call for Something More - Joe Rigney
October 19, 2021 11:47 - 1 hour - 142 MBShane visits with Joe Rigney, President and Associate Professor of Theology and Literature at Bethlehem College & Seminary. Dr. Rigney has written numerous books on Lewis, including Live Like a Narnian: Christian Discipleship in Lewis's Chronicles and Lewis on the Christians Life: Becoming Truly Human in the Presence of God. Shane finds a deeper understanding of the impetus behind the educational thrust in Lewis's writing of The Abolition of Man. This interview is part of a three-part ...
Evil and Abolition: A Reflection on the Conversation with Andrew Lazo
October 14, 2021 23:00 - 8 minutes - 19.5 MBWhy did C. S. Lewis describe bad teaching methods—out of a grammar text, no less—as “the abolition of man?” Wasn’t he being a tad dramatic? Not if you understand Lewis’ biblically-and-theologically-informed view of what it means to be human, and how evil dehumanizes us. Let me explain. Scripture speaks of the penalty for sins in various ways. Sometimes, it describes it as “outer darkness” where there is “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Other times it pictures a pit of burning sulfur, or a ...
That Hideous Strength: How ‘The Abolition of Man’ Invaded All of C. S. Lewis’ Work
October 12, 2021 15:16 - 1 hour - 155 MBShane welcomes C. S. Lewis guru Andrew Lazo to explore the countless themes from “The Abolition of Man” that Lewis scatters through Narnia, the Space Trilogy, and numerous other books. To receive The Abolition of Man, by C.S. Lewis, and After Humanity, by Michael Ward, as well as a video series explaining each chapter in Abolition of Man and access to a live Q&A session with Michael Ward, visit www.breakpoint.org/wardstudy
The Trans Craze Undefines Humanity - A Reflection on the Conversation with Dr. James Cantor
October 07, 2021 19:03 - 7 minutes - 16.5 MBWhen I welcomed Dr. James Cantor to the program, we talked a great deal about science—about what it can tell us of gender dysphoria in minors, and what it can’t tell us. We discussed the wisdom of performing medical or surgical alterations on children, and whether science supports such radical interventions as a means of restoring mental health. About this, we agreed: Medical science simply does not, at present, support the claim that gender transition is a necessary or effective treatment...
The Trans Craze Is Scientific Malpractice - Dr. James Cantor
October 05, 2021 11:53 - 1 hour - 92.4 MBShane welcomes clinical psychologist James Cantor, expert witness in a key lawsuit by Alliance Defending Freedom, to explain how gender activism distorts science and hurts patients, especially children.
The Abolition of Woman
October 04, 2021 17:18 - 8 minutes - 19.2 MBWhat is feminism, and what does it say about women? Well, that’s a tricky question, because there seem to be as many definitions of feminism as there are people who call themselves feminists. For some it is simply the belief that men and women are of equal value and should have equal rights. But more often I find that cultural artefacts described as “feminist” portray women not so much as equal to men, but equivalent to men. The difference may sound trivial, but the results of equivalence-...
Embodied Sainthood: Gender and Dragon-Slaying
September 28, 2021 04:30 - 56 minutes - 129 MBPoet and critic Jane Scharl joins Shane at the Anselm Society’s “Imagination Redeemed” conference to explain how our gendered bodies equip us for sainthood and help us slay dragons.
The Clean Air of Freedom - A Reflection on the Conversation with Josh Glaser and Daniel Weiss
September 25, 2021 12:30 - 6 minutes - 15 MBIn their new book, “Treading Boldly Through a Pornographic World,” Josh Glaser and Daniel Weiss tell the stories of parents who suddenly noticed changes in the behavior of their teenage sons. These young men were inexplicably losing interest in hobbies, relationships, sports, and other activities that once excited and motivated them. They became reclusive, dismissive—shadows of their former selves. In such cases, the parents soon discovered what was going on: their sons had stumbled acros...
Conquering Porn with Trust | A Conversation with Daniel Weiss and Joshua Glaser
September 21, 2021 11:16 - 59 minutes - 135 MBDaniel Weiss and Joshua Glaser join Shane to talk about their book, “Treading Boldly Through a Pornographic World,” in which they argue that a strong relationship between parents and teens is the secret to navigating a culture of sexual lies.
Say No to the ‘Laugh React’ - A Reflection on the Conversation with Kyle Mann from The Babylon Bee
September 18, 2021 15:01 - 6 minutes - 9.2 MBFacebook is, well, Facebook. There’s a certain element of absurdity to it and that’s just part of the package. Logging in to this establishment and expecting the best of the human mind is like walking into a Burger King and expecting filet mignon on fine china. Nothing wrong with Burger King if that’s what you’re after. But there’s a definite ripe diaper tucked in the ball pit of this free-for-all discursive play area. I’m talking about the “laugh react”—one of six other animated emojis user...
The Sweet Sting of Satire - An Interview with the Babylon Bee's Kyle Mann
September 14, 2021 10:53 - 30 minutes - 42.6 MBThe Babylon Bee: It’s a go-to source for us beleaguered believers who need a chuckle. Or two or three. Shane Morris welcomes the Bee’s Editor-in-Chief, Kyle Mann, as they discuss the role satire can play in telling the truth to a culture that no longer believes in truth. What are the Bee’s boundaries? At what point can satire go too far? And how do you write satire in an age where truth really stranger than fiction?
Our Bioethical Blind Spots - A Reflection on the Conversation with Brick Lantz and Bert Jones of the Christian Medical and Dental Association
September 13, 2021 14:46 - 8 minutes - 12.2 MBWriting in the New York Times this week, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary professor Karen Swallow Prior calls abortion “a failure for every woman and her unborn child—a failure of love, justice, and mercy.” She goes on to praise Texas’ controversial new heartbeat law as a call back to these ideals and a reminder of biological and ontological realities that American courts and legislatures have too long obscured. Prior’s piece may have seemed bold to readers of the New York Times, ...
Bridging the Church’s Bioethics Gap
September 07, 2021 18:38 - 53 minutes - 73.8 MBBrick Lantz and Bert Jones of the Christian Medical and Dental Association join Shane to introduce a powerful new group study curriculum designed to reintroduce Christians to bioethics, from beginning of life to end of life and everything in between.
Who?, Not What? - A Reflection on the Conversation with Nathan Rittenhouse
September 03, 2021 16:45 - 7 minutes - 9.93 MB“What am I gonna be when I grow up?” asks a song I listened to a lot in my middle school years. “And how am I gonna make my mark on history? What are they gonna write about me when I’m gone? These are the questions that shape the way I think about what matters.” Maybe you know the song. The chorus is a prayer that God would teach us the “power of a moment.” And it’s a good way to phrase the question I explored this week on the podcast with Nathan Rittenhouse. Nathan is just a few years o...
You (Probably) Won’t Change the World in Your Twenties: Nathan Rittenhouse on Pacing Yourself for the Marathon of Life
August 31, 2021 12:39 - 59 minutes - 136 MBNathan Rittenhouse joins Shane to explain why, as his grandfather put it, “no one takes you seriously until you’re thirty,” and why for Christians who want to impact the culture for Christ, that’s very good news.
The Hands that Hold Us Back - A Reflection on the Conversation with Matthew Sleeth
August 28, 2021 14:05 - 7 minutes - 17.9 MBThere’s a photo that circulated a few years ago on social media that really made an impression on me. A man perches beyond the railing of a bridge in London, plainly ready the jump. But a crowd of strangers has gathered, wrapping their arms around him through the bars of the bridge and even tying his legs and torso with ropes to keep him from leaping to his death. The man has turned around, away from the fatal drop and toward his rescuers. He is not fighting them. He seems to be weeping. Acc...
How to Be a Force for Life in a Culture of Suicide - Matthew Sleeth - Episode 59
August 24, 2021 11:26 - 57 minutes - 132 MBMedical doctor Matthew Sleeth shares stories from the emergency room where he treated patients who tried to commit suicide. Shane asks Sleeth why the pandemic of suicide is so overlooked, and how Christians can step in the gap and be a force of life in a culture of suicide.
Be Afraid of Yourself - A Reflection on the Conversation with Sean Clifford
August 20, 2021 19:37 - 10 minutes - 13.7 MBI’m going to do something a little different. I just talked with Sean Clifford, CEO of Canopy, which the Gospel Coalition called the world’s most advanced pornography filter. It was a frank discussion about the nature and impact of modern porn and how technology can fight for families, not just against them, and it’s relevant for everyone. We need that, because porn is a pressing problem for everyone. But I know nothing from experience about the hurt and struggles that porn inflicts on women...
Fighting Pornography with Artificial Intelligence - Sean Clifford - Episode 58
August 17, 2021 11:00 - 41 minutes - 57.5 MBSean Clifford joins Shane to talk about how sexual content online has changed, and how a next-generation Internet filter can protect families. Website: www.canopy.us Upstream discount code: safer
The Origin of Life and ‘The Whole Show’ - A Reflection on the Conversation with Dr. James Tour
August 12, 2021 22:18 - 7 minutes - 10.3 MBEvolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins famously defined biology as “the study of complicated things that give the appearance of having been designed for a purpose.” He has also remarked that Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution made it possible for the first time to “be an intellectually fulfilled atheist.” It’s important to understand what he means by both statements. For many centuries, the “design argument” was a pillar of Christians’ apologetic for the existence of God. Looking at the ...
Why Science Cannot Explain the Origin of Life with Dr. James Tour - Episode 57
August 10, 2021 12:19 - 35 minutes - 48.9 MBWhere and how did life begin? Can naturalistic evolution account for it? Synthetic organic chemist and Rice University professor Dr. James Tour explains that the typical naturalistic explanation for the origin of life–that there was some primordial soup, lightning flashes, then molecules came together and formed a cell, which evolved into more complicated life–is “fallacious” and “a bunch of nonsense.” As Dr. Tour tells Shane Morris on Upstream, “If any scientists” claim to know the proc...
Compromise Isn’t a Church Growth Strategy - A Reflection on the Conversation with Mark Tooley
August 05, 2021 21:07 - 7 minutes - 10.3 MBIn my discussion with Mark Tooley of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, we explored the serious flaws in a recent survey that purported to show a “rebound” in Mainline Protestant denominations. The main problem? Well, this survey’s methods made it impossible to distinguish between those who have joined Mainline churches and those who have merely stopped using the terms “evangelical” and “born again” to describe themselves, but remain in conservative churches. This survey, in other word...
Does Liberalism Kill Churches?: Mark Tooley on the ‘Rebound’ of Mainline Protestantism - Episode 56
August 03, 2021 04:00 - 47 minutes - 64.8 MBA recent Public Religion Research Institute survey claims to show that liberal Mainline denominations are rebounding from decades of membership decline. Shane welcomes Institute on Religion and Democracy president, Mark Tooley, to explain why the survey is flawed and why abandoning the fundamentals of Christian doctrine and ethics is a kiss of death for any denomination.
Healing Heroes: A Reflection on my Conversation with Jennie McLaurin
July 30, 2021 03:29 - 7 minutes - 17.1 MBWhat’s the worse injury you’ve ever suffered? I’ve been pretty lucky. No major broken bones, concussions, or life-threatening loss of blood. But I have had some pretty nasty burns. This happened back when I was seven years old. A friend and I had just been camping in my parents’ backyard. We’d built a fire and roasted marshmallows, and the flames had died down into a nondescript pile of ashes. My friend left the next day, and I was out wandering through the yard chasing grasshoppers. That ...
Healing Wounds, Repairing Relationships: Jennie McLaurin on what the body can teach us about interpersonal brokenness
July 27, 2021 11:53 - 59 minutes - 81.2 MBPediatrician and public health expert Jennie McLaurin joins Shane to discuss “Designed to Heal,” a book that explores the human body’s near-miraculous ability to recover from injuries, and how this applies to wounded cultures, communities, and individual hearts.
God is a Fan of Beauty - A Reflection on the Interview with Brian Brown
July 23, 2021 23:36 - 7 minutes - 10.2 MBWelcome to Upstream. I’m Shane Morris, and I want to reflect further on this week’s conversation. We all remember the global shock and dismay on April 15, 2019 when one of the world’s most famous churches caught fire. Millions looked on helplessly as a large portion of Notre Dame cathedral, that architectural icon of Catholicism, focal point in literature, and symbol of France—went up in flames. While Paris took stock of the damage, we aired a BreakPoint commentary explaining why even many...
Reunifying the Church and the Arts: Brian Brown on Why Beauty Matters
July 20, 2021 06:53 - 1 hour - 146 MBColson Center Director of Programs and Anselm Society founder, Brian Brown, joins Shane to explore the central importance of beauty and imagination in the home, the church, and in our communities. Brian argues that the arts aren’t optional for Christians, since they move our hearts to worship and reveal things about God and His intent for creation that mere words cannot. But beauty, he says, is accessible to all.
Playboy or Hallmark? - A Reflection on the Interview with Andrew Lazo
July 15, 2021 15:55 - 8 minutes - 11.8 MBPerhaps you’ve noticed, as I have, the popular recasting of marriage as primarily a very close friendship. Young couples (frequently when posting photos of each other on social media) will say, “I married my best friend.” They intend this as a very high compliment to their spouse. Those who say it typically mean that their marriage is a continuation of a companionate relationship that already existed, and which transcended sexual attraction. Going to the altar with their “best friend” mea...
C. S. Lewis’ Best Book, or His Worst? - Andrew Lazo - Episode 53
July 13, 2021 08:50 - 53 minutes - 73.9 MBAndrew Lazo tries to convince Shane that ‘Till We Have Faces’ is a misunderstood masterpiece that embodies the Oxford professor’s fully-mature thought on the nature of love.”
The Stories Are True: Why Artistic Portrayals of Moral Truths Are Vital - A Reflection on the Interview With Andrew Peterson
July 10, 2021 13:46 - 7 minutes - 9.69 MBWelcome to Upstream. I’m Shane Morris, and I want to reflect further on this week’s conversation. When I spoke with Andrew Peterson as part of our Wilberforce Weekend online, we tried to answer the question of what it looks like to serve God with our creative talents. Why has Christ equipped his body with so many members who write, compose, paint, draw, sculpt, sing, act, play, direct, and design? Why is the urge and ability to create so liberally scattered among the people of God? And...
Art, Imagination & Faith with Andrew Peterson - Episode 52
July 06, 2021 04:12 - 42 minutes - 97.6 MBShane visits with Andrew Peterson in a special Wilberforce Weekend discussion on art, imagination, and faith.
Thank God For Mothers - A Reflection on the Interview With Dale Stenberg and the Pilgrim Faith Podcast
July 02, 2021 22:14 - 5 minutes - 8.2 MBIn my chat with Dale Stenberg on the Pilgrim Faith podcast, he asked me to define the family, and how male and female are integral to its design. I said a few things about how men and women uniquely contribute to the functioning and calling of the family, but I want to go into more detail right now about the especially sacred calling of mothers. During the height of the pandemic, our gym closed. That meant more than me having to try chin-ups on tree branches (which I don’t recommend). T...
Imagining the Family Afresh: Shane Goes Back to Basics on Pilgrim Faith
June 29, 2021 21:22 - 58 minutes - 133 MBShane joins Dale Stenberg on the Davenant Institute’s “Pilgrim Faith” podcast to define the family, unpack its created purpose and structure, and explore how recovering God’s design can transform our culture.
God's 'Yes' and Long Flights - A Reflection on the Interview With Seraphim Hamilton
June 26, 2021 20:42 - 7 minutes - 11 MBSome of my most revealing discussions happen on airplanes, during long flights. They usually begin when the person imprisoned in the seat beside me asks what I do for a living. When I reply that I work for a Christian worldview ministry, I can see the wheels turning. Occasionally, they’ll reply, “Awesome! I’m a Christian, too, and this is where I go to church.” But more often, I hear defensiveness, reservation, or an implied challenge. “I believe in a higher power,” some will say. “But I’m...
And It IS Certainly Bigger Than Individuals - Seraphim Hamilton - Episode 50
June 22, 2021 06:01 - 58 minutes - 23.6 MBSeraphim Hamilton joins Shane on Upstream to discuss the grand story of Scripture and the beautiful invitation we have to live inside God's economy.