Questioning Belief

Prominent theologian Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing joins us to discuss her new book, Forgiveness: Reclaiming its Power in a Culture of Outrage and Fear . We discuss the true, Biblical meaning of forgiveness and its relationship to justice. Is forgiveness conditional on repentance? Does forgiveness look different for those in a covenantal relationship such as marriage? How do we deal with a culture that often...

Is it appropriate-- or even relevant-- to bring principles of one's Christian faith into the workplace? We address this question in the field of law with James R. Edwards, Jr., a devout Christian and intellectual property lawyer. His recent book,To Intent Is Divine: Creativity and Ownership, shows how the patent and intellectual property system the American Founders designed became the world’s “go...

Join seasoned apologist Greg Koukl and I as we discuss how to defend your faith and artfully communicate truths about Christianity. If you’re a Christian who has ever talked to a nonbeliever about your faith, you know what it’s like to face uncomfortable questions, argumentative opponents, and people with varying degrees of receptivity to the gospel. Greg takes us through his famous book used to t...

Was Jesus of Nazareth a real, historical figure? Join us in this brief episode where we take a deep yet concise dive into three primary sources from non-Christian Roman historians and writers to assess whether a human named Jesus actually existed, was killed by Pontius Pilate, and founded the Christian religion. We discuss the testimonies of Pliny the Younger, Tacitus, and Flavius Josephus -- thre...

We’ve all heard the charge levelled at Artificial Intelligence (AI) that it is a demonic technology that should never be used. However, AI already underpins many technologies in our lives, from Netflix suggestions to software for clinical decisionmaking. Can AI be stewarded wisely for use by the church to support its mission without denigrating its community? Will AI ever reach the status of human...

You may or may not be aware of the debates surrounding the historicity of the Gospel of John. Many scholars have suggested that John’s Gospel contains unhistorical embellishments or is “metaphorically” but not historically true as are Matthew, Mark, and Luke. This accusation has serious implications for our understanding of Jesus and His teachings, as well as for the reliability of the New Testame...

Do you want to transmit your faith to the next generation and leave behind a legacy that your children and grandchildren will be proud of? Substack bestseller and strategist Johann Kurtz joins us to discuss how to build a virtuous family dynasty which serves the local community. We discuss the true meaning of Christian charity and how to practically love your neighbor and become a servant leader i...

Is the archetype of the crucified and resurrected God present in religions other than Christianity— particularly in religions predating Christianity? Apologetics debates often bring up pre-Christian resurrection and crucifixion myths as evidence that the Christian accounts of Jesus' bodily resurrection are at best unremarkable and at worst copied from older accounts. We dive into primary sources i...

What did Jesus really think of women, and what is the modern woman called to be? Renowned apologist and writer Dr. Rebecca McLaughlin joins us to tackle the assertions of sexism and gender inequality commonly made against Christianity. In this episode, we address unsavory statements made by church fathers attesting to women's inferior intellect or moral character in reference to men's. We discuss...

"You can tell a lot about the state of twenty-first century evangelicalism by talking to those who leave it." This is the opening sentence of the introduction to A Heart Aflame for God, a thoughtful, Scripturally-based, and thoroughly-researched book by Dr. Matthew Bingham on spiritual practices from the early Reformed church. In this episode, we discuss perceived issues with Protestantism such as...

Individualism, Exclusion, and the Cult of Busyness: How to Build a Radically Christ-Centered Community Christian communities should be strongholds of worship, godly love, and hospitality, but the Church elicits many negative perceptions in the modern day, some imposed by the surrounding culture and some of its own making. Dr. Brian Carrier, Pastor of Discipleship at the District Church in Washingt...

Dr. Sita Slavov grew up in a Hindu household, practiced Zen Buddhism for many years, and is now a professing Christian. Dr. Slavov embarked on a search for absolute truth from an early age, using her skills as a researcher to investigate the truth claims behind different world religions. In this episode, we address religious pluralism, the role of tradition and upbringing in religious identity, an...

In this episode, Dr. Noller engages the wisdom of a speaker with a wide-ranging expertise in Reformed theology, Dr. Gray Sutanto. We discuss the development of apologetics throughout church history and the influence of seminal Reformed theologians such as Herman Bavinck, Cornelius Van Til, and Alvin Plantinga on cultural apologetics. We dive into common yet weighty objections to Christianity such...

Discussing Christianity or sharing your faith with others who hold different beliefs can be intimidating. In this episode, Dr. Bannister teaches us how to organically open up about our faith and ask open-ended questions of others. Evangelism doesn't need to take place in a stadium and apologists needn't be university professors-- they can be ordinary Christians like you and me. Join us as we discu...

Dr. Tom Tarrants is President Emeritus of the C.S. Lewis Institute and author of Consumed by Hate, Redeemed by Love: How a Violent Klansman Became a Champion of Racial Reconciliation. In this episode, Tom and I discuss the accusation that the American Protestant church promotes bigotry and racism, particularly white supremacy. In Part 1 of our discussion, Tom shares his gripping testimony of growi...

Sharon Dirckx, PhD., trained neuroscientist, prolific speaker, and author of award-winning books on the problem of evil and human consciousness, helps us to tackle the problem of natural evil. There are evils in our world which can't be directly attributed to human moral error: natural disasters, parasites, and disease attack seemingly indiscriminately, causing rampant death and destruction of inn...

Many Christian leaders across different sects hold varied interpretations of key Biblical practices, leading to notable differences in theology and practice. Do differences in Biblical interpretation betray a pluralism within Christianity or an insufficiency of Scripture as God's method of communication? Dr. Kevin Vanhoozer joins us to discuss historical and modern differences in Biblical reading...

Dr. Peter Williams joins us to discuss various objections to the trustworthiness of the gospels, including the possibility of fabrication of the gospel accounts by later writers, the presence of apparent contradictions within the gospels themselves, and the alleged corruption of the original accounts by oral transmission and thousands of years of copying and translation. Dr. Williams has been lead...

Dr. Carolyn Weber, a prolific writer, professor of literature, and ardent Christian, joins us to discuss the rich history of Christian literature and the purpose of Christian art. We discuss Rudolf Otto's concept of the numinous, or the feelings of awe and mystery which give us a sense of the supernatural. Is beauty more than aesthetic perfection? What can the Bible teach us about storytelling, my...

How can it ever be reasonable to accept the testimonial evidence of an alleged miracle over the mass of evidence that the natural world behaves according to the laws of nature? Could it be rational to accept that miracles could theoretically occur, or are miracles impossible violations of nature? Dr. Timothy McGrew discusses the history of objections to miracles, focusing on Hume and Spinoza, and...

How can God be both good and powerful if evil exists? We live in a world where children die of cancer, women are raped, and entire villages are wiped out by natural disasters. Yet, according to Christianity, our universe was created and is presided over by an all-powerful, good, and loving God. So how do we reconcile God's goodness and power with the existence of moral and natural evils in the wor...