Cover of Commitment to Reality

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
  • Sin Is a Sickness, Not a Crime | Fr. Evan Armatas

    Sin Is a Sickness, Not a Crime | Fr. Evan Armatas
    20 Oct 2026
    The Church is a hospital, not a courtroom. It is a lifesaving station for the world.

    Yes, we are sinners. But what does it actually mean to be a sinner?

    Our understanding of sin may be one of the most consequential—and misunderstood—questions in Christianity. I believe many people reject Christianity because they have been given a distorted picture of what sin is and what salvation means.

    What if sin isn’t primarily a crime to be punished, but a sickness to be healed? What if salvation is less about a transaction and more about transformation?

    In this conversation, Fr. Evan Armatas challenges our assumptions about sin, righteousness, confession, and salvation—offering a different way of understanding what it truly means to be a sinner and what it means to become truly human as we were created to be.

    For more information on receiving resources written by Fr. Armatas for your partnering gift, please see Reclaiming the Great Commission: A Roadmap to Parish Health and Toolkit for Spiritual Growth: A Practical Guide to Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving.

    https://www.equip.org/product/cri-resource-reclaiming-the-great-commission-a-roadmap-to-parish-health-1026ctr/

    https://www.equip.org/product/cri-resource-toolkit-for-spiritual-growth-a-practical-guide-to-prayer-fasting-and-almsgiving-ctr1026/

    Thank you for joining Commitment to Reality, hosted by Dave Hanegraaff. Follow Commitment to Reality wherever you get your podcasts.Timestamps
    0:00 — Fr. Evan Armatas: his story and how he is able to make theology accessible and practical
    6:00 — The goal isn’t just right theology; it’s practicing righteousness
    11:00 — Have we misunderstood sin? What did the West get wrong?
    15:45 — How the debate over faith and works affects spiritual practice
    25:15 — What if salvation is a relationship?
    29:00 — When we love someone, we glow—almost literally—and what that reveals about salvation
    42:15 — Is sin boring?
    47:30 — Sin is how we spend our time: how our habits move us toward or away from God
    1:03:00 — What is confession, why is it necessary, and why is it different from what many people think?
    1:11:15 — The Church is a hospital, not a courtroom
    1:18:10 — Have we become Epicureans in our endless pursuit of pleasure?
    1:21:50 — Reality is found in relationship
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 26 min
  • The Holy Fool: El Tonto Por Cristo | Joshua David Jordan

    The Holy Fool: El Tonto Por Cristo | Joshua David Jordan
    6 Oct 2026
    What does it mean to be a fool for Christ? Honestly, it sounds like a contradiction. Those who know Christ are meant to be wise—not fools.

    But what if following Christ faithfully means looking foolish in the eyes of the world? For those who seek to conform their lives to Christ rather than the ways of the world, being called a fool might actually be a compliment.

    Joshua David Jordan joins Dave for a wide-ranging conversation about holy fools, monasticism, prayer, art, miracles, and what it means to live in alignment with reality—even if it means looking like a fool.

    When you’re finished listening, I strongly encourage you to watch his masterpiece film, El Tonto Por Cristo (Spanish for The Fool for Christ), please see their official website by clicking here. https://www.eltontoporcristo.com/

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

    (Timestamps below.)
    0:00 — Joshua David Jordan tells his story
    6:20 — Fathers and Sons
    10:35 — I Arise Today—does how we begin the day matter?
    17:00 — The value of simple prayer
    21:15 — What is a fool for Christ?
    24:00 — A holy fool feels like a contradiction—how do you explain the holy fool?
    26:45 — Dave used to be a vagabond and relates to the lack of constraints Holy Fools have
    34:00 — Monks, Mount Athos and the value of monasticism for our modern world
    47:15 — Monasticism shows us another way of life is possible
    50:15— Art as an apologetic for truth (when we create art we imitate the creator)
    59:45 — Just make GOOD art—Why Christians shouldn’t try to make “Christian” art
    1:02:00 — Art is prayer
    1:05:45 — Sweet smelling relics—wishful thinking or mystical reality?
    1:12:00 — Believe again—believing in miracles without demanding an explanation
    1:18:15 — The greatest lesson Josh David Jordan learned about monasticism
    1:29:00 — Closing questions about reality
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 39 min
  • Free Palestine? The Coffee Shop Contradiction | Fares Abraham

    Free Palestine? The Coffee Shop Contradiction | Fares Abraham
    22 Sep 2026
    The Palestinian flag is everywhere these days. Along with the Ukrainian flag, the pride flag and a number of other flags that have come to hold cultural meaning in our modern world. These flags are symbols—but symbolic of what?

    Dave likes to call this the coffee shop contradiction. The cognitive dissonance of competing claims about reality crowding the same coffee shop window. What do these flags have in common? More importantly—are they in contradiction? Shouldn’t these contradictions matter?

    To discuss this issue and the wider situation in Palestine, Dave is joined by Fares Abraham—Palestinian Christian, founder of Levant Ministries, and a native of Bethlehem. Dave thinks the situation is unbelievably complex. Fares doesn’t deny the complexity, but instead argues that complexity is no excuse for Christians to lose moral clarity. Yet they are both clear on how Christians are called to live. As a child, Fares saw his mother shot in front of their home in Palestine and yet his family has made forgiveness a living reality. In a situation that can often feel hopeless—Fares Abraham is an ambassador of forgiveness and hope.

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

    For related information please see Hank Hanegraaff’s book The Apocalypse Code: Find out What the Bible Really Says About the End Times and Why It Matters Today.

    (Timestamps below.)
    0:00 — Dave met Fares Abraham in Palestine 10 years ago
    0:40 — Who is Fares Abraham?
    4:15 — Christ at the checkpoint and Christian Zionism
    5:50 — The rise of flag culture—Israel, Palestine, Ukraine, LGBTQ+ flags everywhere—why?
    11:25 — The impact of theology in the Middle East?
    17:00 — The impact of Jewish and Islamic theology regarding conflict resolution
    21:45 — A personal account of life in Palestine
    27:55 — Dave describes his first impressions of Palestine and reality of intercultural relations
    36:50 — Secular Flags and the Coffee Shop Contradiction
    41:05 — The reality of queers for Palestine
    44:35— What does it mean to be a sermon on the mount Christian?
    47:15 — The reality of religious freedom in the Middle East
    52:50 — What is the reality of Islamic theology?
    57:20 — Can you support Palestinians without supporting Hamas?
    1:04:15 — The real world impact of theology
    1:14:45 — Are Palestinians and Israelis asking for the impossible?
    1:16:30 — Fares saw his mother get shot in front of his home—how have they made forgiveness a living reality?
    1:21:30 — Closing questions about reality
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 25 min
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