Shane Rosenthal and the Humility of Healthy Skepticism

Shane Rosenthal | Featured Guest

Shane Rosenthal is the founder and host of The Humble Skeptic podcast which seeks to explore the beliefs and ideas that shape our lives. He was one of the original creators of the White Horse Inn radio broadcast, which he also hosted from 2019-2021. Shane was one of the authors of the book Defending the Faith: Essays on Apologetics and has been a frequent contributor over the years to Modern Reformation magazine. He is a graduate of Cal-State Fullerton (B.A. Humanities) and Westminster Seminary California (M.A. Historical Theology), and resides with his family in St. Louis.

Summary - Shane Rosenthal and the Humility of Healthy Skepticism

Amid all the tribalism and polarization we see today, Christians could learn something from The Humble Skeptic Podcast. Shane Rosenthal, host of the Humble Skeptic Podcast, joined me to discuss this new project, and the value of thoughtful and reflective Christians. We discuss a number of things, including the problem of the left-right paradigm that appears in politics, religion, and culture. How do we discuss tough issues especially with people who are defensive (or offensive) in their ideas.

Rosenthal highlights his pilot episode, wherein he describes the experience of digging into the truth of a story his dad told him about Billy Joel, before Joel was famous. Rosenthal's skepticism was not motivated by distrust, but by curiosity and wonderment. We discuss the twists and turns of the process of thinking through a matter, as well as the reality of coming face-to-face with our own ignorance, a key feature of the Socratic Method which I use in my courses.

Rosenthal wants people, Christians in particular, to recognize the value in becoming reflective thinkers, toward the pursuit of truth, for the love of God and neighbor. Rosenthal's gentle temperament, and childlike wonderment will inspire you to embrace the humble skeptic in you too.

Join me, Kerry Baldwin, with Shane Rosenthal, as we Dare to Think about the humility of healthy skepticism.

Main Points of Discussion

00:00 Introduction

01:28 Shane Rosenthal's background and concept for the Humble Skeptic Podcast

08:13 The fear of asking and receiving questions and what critical thinking is

15:17 Seeking to understand; digging into facts; evaluating information

25:13 Seeking to understand ... our own emotions in relation to facts, truth

32:18 What to do when you have unanswered questions and no good resources?

39:54 Concluding thoughts

Resource Links

Shane's Substack https://shanerose.substack.com/podcast

The Humble Skeptic Podcast https://thehumbleskeptic.com/

Support the Humble Skeptic Podcast https://www.givesendgo.com/humbleskeptic