A Christian Reads the Tao te Ching

Since the show is "finished" (for now), the Patreon site is no longer active. However, there are still hosting costs, and I still have expenses! If you would like to show gratitude with a small donation in a very easy way, you can do so at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crttc. No account creation required!
Support the show

After two and a half years, we've reached the very last episode of the Tao te Ching! I'm not sure what's next for me, but at least for now, I'll stop regular posting here as I focus on some other pressing things in life and brainstorm possible future ideas. 

This chapter is a nice summary of three of the key themes of the Tao te Ching that we've focused on in these last few years:
1. Wisdom over learning
2. Using too many words
3. The selfless ideal

See more and contact me at www.coreyfarr.com
Support the show

Chapter 80 presents Lao Tzu's vision of the ideal society, the "Taoist utopia". Although it is not a "realistic" picture at first glance, writing it off would be a big mistake. The chapter not only praises minimalism and simple living, but also contains a thinly veiled but cutting cultural critique that is just as relevant today as it was 2600 years ago.
1. The simple life - minimalism and Christian activist Shane Claiborne's "Irresistible Revolution"
2. The cultural critique - overpopulation, overdevelopment, industrialization, and insatiable desires
3. A clarification - is this chapter really idolizing a boring, antisocial life?

See more at www.coreyfarr.com
Support the show

We're skipping chapter 78 since we looked at it all the way back in episode 6! Chapter 79 is focused on the complex repercussions of human conflict. This is a shorter episode, and I'll split it into just two pieces:
1. "Just let it go" - conflict resolution the Taoist way
2. Peace is worth the risk - Christ as the ultimate example

See more at www.coreyfarr.com
Support the show

Chapter 77 describes the Tao as being like the drawing of a bow, where the top is brought down and the bottom is brought up. It is a cultural critique about how the way of man tends to upset the natural balance of things. The episode will have three general thematic movements:
1. Equilibrium and balance in the universe and in our lives
2. The "Robin Hood effect" - taking from the rich and giving to the poor
3. Lao Tzu's static equilibrium versus Christ's redemptive restoration
Here's the blog entry I quote from: https://www.coreyfarr.com/post/extreme-makeover-eden-edition
Support the show