We live in a world aching with sorrow—fractured by injustice, loneliness, and grief too deep for words. And yet, we’ve built altars to happiness. Not the kind rooted in joy or meaning, but the kind that promises escape. We build our own ‘worldly heavens’ hoping to outrun the ache. It blinds us to the sacredness of sadness.

Perhaps real joy doesn’t come from masking the brokenness but comes from meeting it, naming it, and discovering that God is already there.

• Enlightenment Now
• Brave New World

In a culture obsessed with comfort, dopamine hits, and curated joy, we’ve been sold the idea that happiness is something we can chase, hack, or buy. In fact you might say that we live in a happiness cult, we worship happiness, and it’s become our ‘idol’. But what if that chase is precisely what’s making us anxious, disconnected, and spiritually thin?

This isn’t a call to abandon happiness. It’s an invitation to reorder it.

What if the good life isn’t found in feeling good, but in becoming good? What if joy is not the prize—but the echo of a life lived with purpose?

• The Misery of Chasing Happiness | Psychology Today

How far do we go in investing in systems that are, in some ways, opposed to God’s kingdom?

When does engagement become entanglement?

Are we salvaging a sinking ship—or are we being drawn into a false hope in human progress?

Are we engaging to serve, love, and witness—or to gain power, security, or identity?

Are we humble, prayerful, and distinct—or are we blending in, compromising, or losing our prophetic voice?

Is our ultimate hope in Christ and his kingdom—or in the myth of progress, politics, or institutional reform?

Maybe the ship is sinking—but our role isn’t necessarily to patch every hole. It’s to bear witness to another kingdom, even as we love and serve those on board. We’re not called to save Babylon, but to seek its peace while pointing to the New Jerusalem.

In this episode of Thrive Perspectives, we’re peeling back the layers of a truth that’s both unsettling and liberating: our natural resistance to God. Whether you're a lifelong believer or just beginning to explore faith, this conversation invites honesty, because the tension isn’t just “out there”—it’s in us. Even as Christians, called to surrender, we often find ourselves resisting the very grace we profess to follow.

Why do we resist the very presence we crave? What does it mean to be drawn toward God while holding back from the mountain’s edge? And how can spiritual knowing emerge not from mastery, but from surrender?

Postmodernism questions many of the assumptions that undergird Western Christianity, but it also invites a return to deeper, more relational expressions of faith. Postmodernism’s critique of sterile rationalism may actually clear space for a more embodied, awe-filled spirituality.

Join us as we discuss the ideas of postmodernism and how it confronts many of the assumptions of the Enlightenment, and opens an opportunity to embody truth in ways that resonate with postmodern sensibilities.

Today we’re diving into the controversial and provocative ideas of Friedrich Nietzsche who boldly declared "God is dead," challenging the very foundation of Christian belief.

In the late 19th century, as the world embraced the rational and reasoned approach to all things, Nietzsche called for a radical consistency of thought: without God, there can be no inherent morality, no ultimate meaning, and no divine purpose. He envisioned a humanity, that creates new values and meaning, rejecting the moral and spiritual truths that Christianity upholds. In every way, Nietzsche’s idea sits in direct contradiction to Christ.

Yet, in the 21st Century, the predominant worldview still tries to keep a foot in both camps. We like the sense of right & wrong, of the sacred, of looking out for those less fortunate than ourselves, of purpose beyond ourselves . . . and yet this is all founded in Abrahamic traditions and diametrically opposed to what Nietzche advances.

In today's episode from our series on Big Ideas that Changed the World, we're diving deeper into the fascinating world of modern thought. We break down the complex ideas about knowledge from the 18th and 19th centuries that still shape how we understand truth today. So, join us as we explore the evolution of Western thought and its significant impact on our thinking.