June 8, 2025 Challenging History: Cycles, Progress, And Transgression A Show Of Faith podcast

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June 8, 2025 Challenging History: Cycles, Progress, and Transgression

13d ago 54:46

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What happens when a society rejects both cyclical fatalism and divine purpose in favor of progress defined solely by transgression? Our panel dives deep into the philosophical roots of today's cultural battles by examining how our understanding of history shapes everything around us.
Before Judaism introduced its revolutionary concept of linear time, ancient civilizations were trapped in either endless cycles or nostalgic reverence for a lost golden age. This transformation – what Thomas Cahill called "The Gift of the Jews" – gave humanity a future-oriented perspective where history had meaning and purpose under divine guidance.
The Enlightenment secularized this progressive view, with thinkers like Hegel and Marx removing God while maintaining the forward momentum. This created what our panel identifies as the modern "culture of transgression," where breaking established norms becomes celebrated as heroic resistance against oppression. Without moral anchors, progress becomes defined simply as whatever destroys the current order.
We examine how this philosophy manifests today – from identity politics that frames biology itself as oppressive to the celebration of behavior that deliberately violates traditional boundaries. The destruction of childhood innocence through premature exposure to adult concepts represents another troubling aspect of this transgressive worldview.
Yet amid this cultural upheaval, our panelists note significant indicators of potential pushback: rising Bible sales, increased religious conversions across denominations, and a growing hunger for meaning that material progress alone cannot satisfy. Could we be witnessing the early stages of a spiritual revival?
Join us for this thought-provoking conversation about how competing philosophies of history continue to shape our understanding of progress, morality, and purpose in the modern world. Subscribe to hear more discussions that explore the intersection of faith, culture, and contemporary issues.

Chapters

1. Philosophies of History Introduction (00:00:00)

2. Cyclical vs. Progressive History (00:10:45)

3. The Jewish Impact on Historical Understanding (00:17:40)

4. Marxism and Cultural Revolution (00:28:20)

5. Transgression as Cultural Identity (00:41:00)

6. Signs of Religious Revival (00:49:50)

207 episodes

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