The Blue Collar Scholar

This episode begins with an impromptu discussion of various English translations of the Bible. Then, we discuss the different kinds of apologetics and the different philosophies apologists use to defend the Christian faith. Then the main point of this episode: we see how the Apostles Paul & Peter engage in apologetics in the New Testament.

After the New Year 2018, our Ambassador Academy class switched from a heavy emphasis on theology to a heavy emphasis on apologetics. (Note: a rough definition of "apologetics" is the intellectual defense of the Christian faith.) In preparing for the new series, I came to the conclusion that I ought to tell my story so that it would be clear why apologetics is so important to me. So this episode is...

This is the final episode in the theology section of the Ambassador Academy lectures. Starting in the next episode, we will switch to apologetics. This theology lecture, about the Incarnation (given just before Christmas 2017), provides analysis for the scriptural data presented in the previous episode.

This episode introduces the theological topic of the Incarnation, which is when God the Son became flesh (John 1:14) and dwelt with us humans as one of us humans. This episode, part 1, presents the texts of Scripture regarding the Incarnation in order to flesh them out in the next episode, part 2.

Having established the biblical data regarding the Trinity in the previous episode, this episode digs into the philosophical, logical, and theological implications of the doctrine of the Trinity.

In discussing the attributes of God, this series touched on the topic of the Trinity frequently. Now the Ambassador Academy switches from the attributes of God to the Trinity as the main topic. In this episode, we lay the Scriptural foundations of the Trinity, setting up the next episode where we analyze the Trinity philosophically and theologically.

This is the 5th of a 5-part series on the attributes of God. We close out with discussions of God's Wisdom, Mercy/Grace, Immutability, (or Unchangeableness), Jealousy, Justice/Wrath, Infinity, & Perfection.

Part 4 of "The Attributes of God" switches from attributes of God's abilities to attributes of God's character. This episode discusses God's Love, Holiness, Righteousness, Impeccability, Veracity (or Truthfulness), & Goodness (or Omnibenevolence).

In this series, I divide God's attributes into Abilities (or *what* God is) and Character (or *who* God is). This episode sees us complete the Abilities category by examining God's Omniscience, Providence, Incomprehensibility, & Invisibility.

In the previous episode, we only got through 2 of God's many attributes. This episode represents a welcome increase in pace. This episode examines 5 of God's many attributes: Sovereignty, Transcendence, Eternity, Omnipresence, & Omnipotence.

The next five episodes (including this one) will be about the attributes (or traits) of God. But first, what is the definition of God? The definition I came up with is thus: God is the uncreated Creator and the greatest possible Being, entirely unique in being, manifesting Himself in three Persons; and He is the Source of all reality and life, perfect in love and holiness, with all possible power...

In the previous episode we learned that the Bible has two attributes: Authority, and Inerrancy. In this episode we examine the other three attributes of Scripture: Clarity, Necessity, & Sufficiency. The clarity of Scripture means that, while not every single verse of the Bible is crystal clear, the Holy Bible is readily available to any reader or listener, and that the Word of God can be understoo...

Christianity is a doctrinal religion that is entirely dependent upon God's revealed Word in the Holy Bible. But what is the Bible? In this episode, we will look at 2 aspects of Scripture: Authority & Inerrancy. The Authority of Scripture means that the words of Scripture are God's Word in such a way that to disbelieve or to disobey Scripture is to disbelieve or disobey God. Inerrancy, a doctrine t...

Epistemology - or, how we know things - is important. We humans know things through logic, reason, observation, empirical research, etc. One way to know things is through revelation. So, for instance, what number am I thinking of right now? The answer is 42. How do you know that the answer is 42? Because I *revealed* it to you. And by the nature of the knowable thing in question, you can only ever...

This episode is a quick overview of the entire Bible, placing the major characters and the 66 books of the Bible in their appropriate place in a mostly chronological survey of the Holy Bible.

In the Fall of 2017 & Spring of 2018, Fellowship Baptist Church of Neosho, Missouri, and its then-pastor Buddy Funk entrusted to me the Sunday nigh worship service, an honor that I still cherish almost a decade later. What I crafted was something I called "Ambassador Academy." 2 Corinthians 5:20 in the English Standard Version reads, "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal...

The last episode with my friend Aaron was a serious discussion of immigration policy, but this episode is silly pop culture fun! First, we discuss the things we like, the things we're trying to like, and the things we can't like no matter how hard we try. But then, the main event! From the IMDB Top 250 Movies, I took the highest ranking films that (1) we both have watched, & (2) only one film per...

This is the third interaction between Southeast Kansas' own The Blue Collar Scholar podcast and Southwest Missouri's own Trying to Like It podcast. In episode 66 (which is episode 84 of Trying to Like It), we talked about music festivals and classic rock. In episode 102 I respond to Trying to Like It episode 109 which talked about conspiracy theories. In this episode, my friend Aaron Carmichael an...

The plan was to teach a "Comparing World Religions" class this fall. Unfortunately, too few students signed up for the class. Nevertheless, the first lecture was given and recorded, and here it is. In this episode, we ask the question "What is religion?" Each religion answers ten different questions, and each religion answers those questions quite differently. This lecture analyzes how different r...

The plan was to teach a World War II class this fall. Unfortunately, too few students signed up for the class. Nevertheless, the first lecture was given and recorded, and here it is. In this episode, we take a look at the history leading up to "The Great War," and do an ever-so-brief survey of World War I (as the Great War came to be known).

In 2021, I was invited onto an atheist podcast five times to represent an evangelical perspective. The podcast is known as "Analyzed" and can be found in your podcast distributor. This episode was originally called "Episode #29 Celebrity Moral Failings and Societal Retributivism." This episode has been edited by the Blue Collar Scholar podcast in order to ensure that we would not need an "E" ratin...

In 2021, I was invited onto an atheist podcast five times to represent an evangelical perspective. The podcast is known as "Analyzed" and can be found in your podcast distributor. This episode was originally called "Episode #26 Abortion and Personhood Debate." This episode has been edited by the Blue Collar Scholar podcast in order to ensure that we would not need an "E" rating, but the views of a...

In 2021, I was invited onto an atheist podcast five times to represent an evangelical perspective. The podcast is known as "Analyzed" and can be found in your podcast distributor. This episode was originally called "Episode #24 Convo with Will About the Atlanta Shooter and Evangelicalism." This episode has been edited by the Blue Collar Scholar podcast in order to ensure that we would not need an...

*** NOTE: This episode features a panelist talking frankly about his history of drug use. This episode may not be suitable for younger viewers. *** In 2021, I was invited onto an atheist podcast five times to represent an evangelical perspective. The podcast is known as "Analyzed" and can be found in your podcast distributor. This episode was originally called "Episode #21 Our Deconversion Stories...

This is my very first podcast of all time, back in 2021 when I was invited onto an atheist podcast to discuss sex and relationships. The podcast is known as "Analyzed" and can be found in your podcast distributor. This episode was originally called "Episode #19 Challenging a Pastor on Monogamy and Sexuality." This episode has been edited by the Blue Collar Scholar podcast in order to ensure that w...