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Commitment to Reality

Commitment to Reality

By: Christian Research Institute
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Hosted by Dave Hanegraaff

Commitment to Reality is a podcast for a post-truth—and increasingly post-reality—age. We are living through one of the most disorienting periods in human history—leaving many to wonder: What is reality? As artificial intelligence accelerates and institutional trust erodes, our shared sense of what is real continues to crumble. Reality is the way the world truly is—independent of our beliefs, opinions, or illusions. If truth is the map by which we navigate our lives, then it is no surprise that we feel disoriented when we live by lies. The post-truth, post-reality crisis is not merely an intellectual problem; it is an existential one. A commitment to reality is a dedication to discerning what is true and developing the discipline to live in alignment with that truth—with reality. This podcast is an apologetic for reality—each episode serving as an intentional act of grounding our existence together as we commit to what is beautiful, good, and true.Copyright Christian Research Institute Spirituality
Episodes
  • Your Mother Is Still Carrying Part of You | Dr. Kristin Collier

    Your Mother Is Still Carrying Part of You | Dr. Kristin Collier
    Jun 30 2026
    Long after you’re born, your mother’s body continues to carry your cells—and you carry hers. The science behind this phenomenon is called fetomaternal microchimerism, and by bringing attention to this reality Dr. Kristin Collier dismantles the modern myth that we are isolated, autonomous, self-made individuals. The significance of relational biology is that you are never alone.

    On its own, the science is fascinating. But it becomes something far more profound when you consider the theological implications—especially for the Theotokos, the God-bearer who carried the very cells of Christ within her body—and her cells within His.

    In this conversation, the University of Michigan physician—whose 2022 white coat address famously provoked a walkout—explores how faith and reason work best together, why medicine has become an idol for many, and what it truly means to see human beings as embodied persons rather than machines. Dr. Collier makes a compelling case for a proper view of health as right relationship, the power of story in medicine, and the deep biological and spiritual reality that we are never truly alone.

    Thank you for joining Commitment to Reality, hosted by Dave Hanegraaff. Follow Commitment to Reality wherever you get your podcasts.

    Also discussed on this episode:
    • The white coat walkout and the myth of neutrality in the public square
    • Why faith and reason are like two wings
    • The idol of medicine—and the deeper idol of health
    • Narrative medicine—why story is a doctor’s most important instrument
    • The placenta—the only organ two people create and share together
    • Gnosticism and our age of disenchantment
    • What it means to learn how to die well
    (Timestamps below.)
    0:00 — The story of Kristin Collier
    1:30 — From secular humanism to belief in Christ
    8:15 — The white coat walkout at University of Michigan and the issue of viewpoint diversity
    11:50 — The two wings of faith and reason
    18:45 — Have we made an idol out of science and medicine?
    23:50 — Health as an idol: A Christian perspective
    31:50 — The importance of learning to die well
    34:45 — What is health? Learning to see health as more than just the absence of disease
    42:30 — We are not machines
    52:15 — Task completion is not care — Narrative medicine and the value of story in medical care 59:30 — Relational biology
    1:08:45 — The placenta is the only organ in the human body created and shared by two people 1:10:50 — If we believe that life begins at fertilization, then our language and ethics should reflect that reality
    1:16:15 — Your mother still has your cells in her body (and you have hers)
    1:19:45 — The theological implications of fetomaternal microchimerism for the Theotokos carrying the cells of Christ within her forever
    1:30:30 — Should scientific discovery and the theology of the body change the way Christians view Mary as the mother of God?
    1:33:00 — Gnosticism and our age of disenchantment
    1:36:30 — Where are we most eager to ignore reality?
    1:46:35 — In a world that feels increasingly unreal, what feels most real?
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 50 mins
  • We ALL Have a Porn Problem | Andrew Williams

    We ALL Have a Porn Problem | Andrew Williams
    Jun 16 2026
    We all have a pornography problem, whether we’ve ever watched pornography or not. The issue with pornography goes far beyond sex—it’s an issue of vision. How we view one another.

    We have lost our ability to see properly, and when we lose our sense of spiritual vision, we reduce persons made in the image of God to objects for our consumption. Pornography is simply one of the most obvious ways that we objectify one another. The normalization and proliferation of pornography have disastrous consequences for the soul—consequences that extend far beyond pornography itself.

    If pornography is demonic iconography, then an understanding of holy iconography can be used to reliably guide us back to reality. To regain our spiritual vision, we must learn to see every face we encounter as an icon of Christ. This includes our enemies. This involves learning to venerate rather than objectify.

    Andrew Williams—mental health chaplain, psychotherapist, and author of From Object to Icon: The Struggle for Spiritual Vision in a Pornographic World—joins Dave Hanegraaff on Commitment to Reality to talk about how we lost our vision, and how we get it back.

    For more information on From Object to Icon: The Struggle for Spiritual Vision in a Pornographic World please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/cri-resource-from-object-to-icon-the-struggle-for-spiritual-vision-in-a-pornographic-world/


    Thank you for joining Commitment to Reality, hosted by Dave Hanegraaff. Follow Commitment to Reality wherever you get your podcasts.

    (Timestamps below.)

    0:00 — How does one define oneself?
    3:00 — The biggest problem with pornography is a problem of vision
    4:45 — What is pornography?
    7:00 — We all have a pornography problem
    11:20 — Training algorithms before they train us
    14:00 — Practicing nepsis—the sober guarding of our soul
    15:45 — The problem with thinking of sin as breaking a rule rather than deforming our soul
    18:40 — Evil never exists in isolation, but is always the perversion of goodness
    24:35 — Why is the act of confession so important?
    28:00 — Why are icons important? (and not idolatrous)
    36:45 — Why would we need iconography for prayer?
    40:30 — What is veneration and why is it necessary in the life of a Christian?
    44:45 — Embracing an icon and watching pornography are based on the same desire
    49:30 — You can actually rightly venerate pornography
    53:00 — The nous—the source of our spiritual vision
    55:00 — Idolizing individualism is literally idiotic
    57:30 — Imagination can be a dangerous thing
    1:00:00 — It’s not enough to kill our desires, we must transform them
    1:02:15 — We must accept that we are powerless—could anything be less American?
    1:05:00 — How can we experience true freedom?
    1:08:45 — What is true repentance?
    1:12:00 — Why does the Church care so much about sex?
    1:15:20 — Where are we most eager to ignore reality?
    1:19:15 — In a world that feels increasingly unreal—what feels most real?
    1:25:40 — The answer to the problem of pornography is real relationship and vulnerability
    1:28:00 — Stand on the edge of the abyss. And when you feel it’s beyond your strength, break off and have a cup of tea

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 30 mins
  • Lost Gifts: Miscarriage, Hope, and the God of All Comfort | Brittany Lee Allen

    Lost Gifts: Miscarriage, Hope, and the God of All Comfort | Brittany Lee Allen
    Jun 2 2026
    How we talk about miscarriage—or don’t talk about it—matters. Miscarriage is one of the most painful experiences a family can endure, yet we rarely speak of it. The silence is deafening, and it creates a culture of isolation for families bearing these lost gifts.

    Dave and his wife recently experienced the pain of miscarriage, and he wanted to discuss it publicly with Brittany Lee Allen, author of Lost Gifts: Miscarriage, Grief, and the God of All Comfort.

    At the same time, many Christians—and Churches—are not handling miscarriage in a way that reflects the reality of what we believe about life in the womb. If we truly believe that a pre-born child is a person with an eternal soul, then these children should be celebrated—and mourned—communally.

    This is a hard conversation, but a necessary one. It is also a reminder of the hope to be found in the God of all comfort.

    For more information on receiving Lost Gifts: Miscarriage, Grief, and the God of All Comfort please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/cri-resource-lost-gifts-miscarriage-grief-and-the-god-of-all-comfort/

    Thank you for joining Commitment to Reality, hosted by Dave Hanegraaff. Follow Commitment to Reality wherever you get your podcasts.

    Also discussed on this episode:
    • Why the Church should break the 12-week rule
    • The Emotional Prosperity Gospel — and what it costs grieving Christians
    • What well-meaning Christians say that hurts the most
    • Praying the Psalms as a school of lament
    • Why our culture is so eager to look away from death
    • Suffering as gift — a paradox most of us would rather ignore
    • The parents who keep counting children no one else sees
    • “How many kids do you have?” — and the answer miscarriage makes us quietly weigh
    (Timestamps below.)
    0:00 — Why is it so hard for us to talk about miscarriage?
    1:45 — My parents named and buried their miscarried child—and never stopped counting her
    6:45 — My first experience with miscarriage
    15:30 — The paradox of rainbow babies and our second experience with miscarriage
    19:15 — Being happy in your situation, even if you’re not happy with your situation
    20:30 — The Emotional Prosperity Gospel
    23:00 — The importance of lament in the life of a Christian
    26:00 — Why should we break the “12 week rule” for pregnancy announcements
    30:40 — The Church needs to be the Church
    32:30 — We are called to be the hands and feet of Christ
    38:00 — Praying the Psalms
    39:15 — Pregnancy after miscarriage is a battleground of fear and anxiety
    46:30 — How should we talk about miscarriage? Also—what not to say?
    53:00 — The Church needs to lead the way in changing how we discuss miscarriage
    57:35 — Discussing infertility
    1:00:00 — Becoming a parent is hard, but it is worth it
    1:05:40 — Lost Gifts
    1:07:30 — Theology of Suffering—Is suffering a gift?
    1:11:00 — Why are we so eager to ignore the reality of death?
    1:14:25 — How parenting connects us with reality
    1:16:50 — How many kids do you have? (Are we answering honestly?)
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 21 mins
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