Season: 13 Episode: 186

Summary:

To recover means to “regain possession of.” Why do we have to regain meaning in our culture? It’s due to postmodernism and the message that meaning is not based on absolute truth. One of the questions every worldview answers is, “How should I live?” Annie Crawford is on the show to discuss how we can regain the meaning of life and the human need to connect what is true and beautiful to our purpose under the sun. 

Find my indcutive Bible studies at Shandafulbright.com/shop

Connect With Annie Crawford

Annie Crawford is a cultural apologist, classical educator, and homeschooling mom whose passion is to help others look at the world around them and see that all truth is God’s truth. 

For the last two decades, Annie has worked to reintegrate education and discipleship by creating classes, discussion groups, and lectures for both school and church contexts. In 2014, Annie co-founded Vine Classical Community where she currently teaches apologetics and humanities courses for their Manna program. From 2016-2021, Annie helped develop the Faith & Culture ministry at Christ Church Anglican of Austin, and in 2021 she co-founded The Society for Women of Letters where she currently serves as Senior Fellow. Annie also writes for Salvo, The Symbolic World, The Shadowlands Dispatch, and An Unexpected Journal, which she helped found in 2017. Her writing and speaking is focused on the three important “S’s” in modern culture: story, sex, and science.

A native Oregonian, Annie loves a good cup of strong coffee and to be on a horse or in the mountains with her family whenever possible. She also especially enjoys black licorice, detective novels, and is slightly obsessed with Harry Potter. You can connect with Annie through social media on Facebook and Twitter.

Links to articles related to our conversation. 

• Meaning and Imagination – https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/content/meaning-and-imagination-a-2024-address-for-graduates
• Literary Apologetics – https://anunexpectedjournal.com/literary-apologetics-a-spell-for-the-refreshment-of-spirit/
• Reviving a Sacred Imagination – https://anunexpectedjournal.com/reviving-a-sacred-imagination/
• More at http://anniecrawford.net/writing/

Question One

We’re talking about recovering meaning in our current culture. What do you mean by that and why do you say it’s a meaning crisis?

Question Two

How has the postmodern worldview created a need to recover meaning? What are the results of postmodernism in our culture?

Question Three

It was Solomon in Ecclesiastes who said, “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity.” You can also replace the word vanity with meaningless. Solomon made the case that he tried everything under the sun – all that he could see, taste, touch, and smell – and nothing satisfied. I see a human need to find meaning echoing from the words of a king who had everything, to a society today trying to find meaning and purpose in things like the victim mentality and gender identity. How is this need for meaning and purpose innate to humanity and the way God wired us?

Question Four

I once heard Jordan Peterson say something about how people will create dragons to slay if they don’t find a reason to live for something. Dragons aren’t real, and that’s his point – the problems they create to fight are made up or invented so that they have something to fight for. Do you agree with that and if so, how do we restore meaning in the younger generations? 

Question Five

What are your suggestions for us so that we live with meaning and purpose?