AUTHENTIC with Shawn Boonstra

About AUTHENTIC with Shawn Boonstra

Casual, transparent conversations about life, spirituality and God. AUTHENTIC is a deep-dive into the nature of love, relationships, emotions and self-awareness. Host Shawn Boonstra answers real existential questions—stuff that everybody wonders about: the meaning of life, living with purpose, and understanding how the great philosophers still impact the way you live today.

Publisher

Voice of Prophecy

Category

religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

26 Feb 2022

Latest episode

13 Mar 2026

Latest episodes

1 of 119 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   13 Mar 2026

   In Pursuit of Justice

   What makes us think that life should be fair? Why do we feel that someone owes us something when they do something wrong to us? We all seem to have a profound sense of justice. Shawn Boonstra says it's because we are the work of a profoundly just Creator.

2. 

   7 Mar 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Ode to Cincinnatus

   It's a fact you'll find all throughout history: people who unwittingly become leaders by accident or in times of sudden crisis quite often make better leaders than people who spend their lives trying to gain power. On this week’s episode of AUTHENTIC host Shawn Boonstra takes a look at Cincinnatus, an ancient Roman statesman who was quickly made dictator in wartime—and just as quickly resigned after victory. His unusual story points us to the true nature of human rule, power, and corruption.

3. 

   4 Jul 2025

   The Failure of Philosophy, Part 4

   You slip on a ring, and SNAP! You're invisible. What will you do with this power? This week, Shawn Boonstra turns to an old fable of Plato's to confront who we are in the dark, when no one is looking. But while it's easy to sin in secret, the ancient wisdom of Proverbs reminds us: there's a real cost even in this life...and a REAL path to your authentic self.

Inside a recent episode

Ode to Cincinnatus

Published 7 Mar 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Then the king will say to those on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me. So, yeah, we have a duty to try harder, to do better and to love our neighbors the way that Christ has loved us. But at the same time, we've got to understand we are not going to fix our worst problems by using our ingenuity. Human beings are just far too corruptible for that to ever happen. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

6,401,883

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

42 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

29 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 83 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

95

Social presence

0

YouTube

93

Engagement

85

Contact AUTHENTIC with Shawn Boonstra

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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