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Hank Unplugged: Essential Christian Conversations

The Wisdom Pyramid: Feeding Your Soul in a Post-Truth World with Brett McCracken

Hank Unplugged: Essential Christian Conversations

The Christian Research Institute

Education, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture

5791 Ratings

🗓️ 1 December 2022

⏱️ 92 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

​Why aren’t we wise? One of the greatest paradoxes of the information age—a historic period of unparalleled access to information and knowledge—is that we are woefully unwise. In the face of dizzying distractions we encounter on a daily basis, Christians are called to cultivate wisdom. But, what does wisdom look like?

In an effort to help us consume a more balanced, healthy diet of information, our guest Brett McCracken has created the “Wisdom Pyramid.” Inspired by the food pyramid model, the Wisdom Pyramid challenges us to increase our intake of enduring, trustworthy sources (like the Bible) while moderating our consumption of less reliable sources (like the Internet and social media). At a time when so much of our daily media diet is toxic and making us spiritually sick, The Wisdom Pyramid suggests that we become healthy and wise when we reorient our lives around God―the foundation of truth and the eternal source of wisdom.

For more information on The Wisdom Pyramid: Feeding Your Soul in a Post-Truth World and how to receive for your partnering gift please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/cri-resource-the-wisdom-pyramid-feeding-your-soul-in-a-post-truth-world/

Topics discussed include: The paradox of lacking wisdom during the information age (2:30); the importance of contemplation (4:30); do you know how to read? (8:15); chronological snobbery—is innovation always better? (10:00); the danger of being a digital wanderer (12:45); the problem of algorithm driven, hyper-partisan echo chambers combined with the sorry state of journalism today (15:55); the democratization of information and the death of expertise (20:00); the tension between feelings, reality and the self (25:15); can wisdom exist apart from God? (32:10); what are the biggest challenges for the church in the digital age? (36:30); the connection between embodiment, the church and wisdom (43:00); approaching the Bible with humility and learning to live with tension and paradox (48:35); the rhythms of the church calendar (55:00); the synergy between Christianity and science (56:05); the importance of being involved in your local community (1:03:45); our innate need for nature (1:07:00); the importance of developing the discipline of reading (1:11:00); the synergy of silence and beauty and their relationship to the Sabbath (1:19:25); 5 habits to cultivate wisdom online (1:21:50); what does wisdom look like? (1:27:15).

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Transcript

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0:00.0

and welcome to another edition of the Hank Unplug podcast, which is a podcast that is designed to bring the most interesting, informative, and inspirational people directly to your earbuds.

0:37.8

It's a podcast that I think has really fulfilled that particular mission statement.

0:43.9

Some of the guests that I've had on the podcast tell me that I looked at the list of people

0:50.3

that you've had on this podcast, and I was excited to be on that podcast for that very

0:55.1

reason. So we've had a lot of great response to the podcast, and by the way, if you enjoy the

1:01.0

podcast, please subscribe, rate review. That helps a lot. Today, we want to talk about wisdom.

1:08.9

Solomon said something about wisdom, which is always stuck in my

1:13.1

mind, how blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding for its profit

1:20.6

is better than the profit of silver and its gain than fine gold. She's more precious than jewels

1:27.4

and nothing you desire compares with her. She's more precious than jewels,

1:29.8

and nothing you desire compares with her.

1:32.5

Long life is in her right hand,

1:34.3

in her left hand, her riches and honor.

1:36.7

Her ways are pleasant ways,

1:38.6

and all her paths are peace.

1:41.6

She's a tree of life to those who take hold of her,

1:45.5

and happy are all who hold her fast.

1:52.1

So you think about the importance of wisdom, and all of a sudden, my son gives me a book which deals with that very thing.

1:55.4

In fact, on the front cover of the book is the wisdom pyramid.

1:59.9

And we often have that wisdom pyramid inverted.

2:04.6

And a person that wrote about this eloquently in this book is Brett McCracken.

2:10.2

He's senior editor and director of communications for the Gospel Coalition.

...

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