China's verse and the roots of anxiety
- Is modern anxiety new, or is it different in kind from the fear described in the Bible?
The country-guessing continues — no data for Zimbabwe or Cuba ('Come on, Ben'). China's top verse is Proverbs 4:23 ('keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life'), which a host notes sounds like a Confucius saying. Discussion turns to whether modern anxiety is new: biblical fear was rooted in God's judgment or mortal danger ('will the crops survive,' 'will the kingdom kill us'), while today's anxiety is work pressure, neighbors, and relationships — real, but a different kind.
More on Proverbs
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Pope style, full: the man mistaken for the Pope on childlike curiosity
- Did dinosaurs exist, and can science and faith be held together?
Framing gag: a man in Minneapolis (sketching the 'pope' in downtown Des Moines) mistook Boova for the pontiff and demanded 'paper wisdom' — Boova refused to sign his Bible but agreed to the wisdom.
From No. 364 · Golden Calf Purity Rings
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Solomon: eight marks of a sluggard
For the Solomon round, the hosts read an article listing eight marks of the sluggard from Proverbs: he will not start things, will not finish things, will not face hard things…
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Ask the Pastor: why is Proverbs in the Bible?
- Why is the book of Proverbs in the Bible?
- Should we be looking for Jesus in every Old Testament text?
A host asks why Proverbs belongs in Scripture, launching a wide answer: Proverbs is a curated collection, and the Bible preserves the whole range of the human experience with God,…
From No. 505 · Because of Fussy and Fuzzy
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Secular vs Solomon: drowning men, monkeys, and Proverbs 11:9
- A drowning man is not troubled by rain — secular or Solomon?
- A monkey never thinks her baby's ugly — secular or Solomon?
Secular vs Solomon begins with the Ben Franklin rule that 'God helps those who help themselves' is not biblical.
From No. 474 · The Details Are Super Important