Mary Jo Sharp: A Former Atheist Looks at the Problem of Evil + “One of Us” (Joan Osborne)
The Apologetics Podcast
Exploring the Intersection of Music and Spiritual Beliefs
The chapter delves into the origins and implications of famous songs that question the nature of God, exploring the diverse spiritual journeys of musicians like Joan Osborne and Prince, and their interpretations of faith through their music.
Why do atheists see the problem of evil as such a problem for Christians? And is the problem of evil really as problematic as some atheists seem to think? Those are a few of the many questions that Timothy explores in this episode with Mary Jo Sharp. A former atheist who's now a faithful follower of Jesus, Mary Jo Sharp first encountered apologetics in her own spiritual search for truth. Now, Mary Jo is assistant professor of apologetics at Houston Baptist University and the founder of Confident Christianity Apologetics Ministry. She's also a delightful guest and a knowledgeable musician, which cranks up the dial on this episode from "ordinary" to "epic."
In the second half of the episode, the star is a one-hit wonder from 1995. The dynamic duo of Garrick and Timothy delves into "One of Us," a song made popular by a musician who was born and raised about five miles from Timothy's house. Along the way, your intrepid cohosts discuss how nothing less than the incarnation and suffering of God in Christ is able to provide a comprehensive solution to the problem of evil. Before it's over, Garrick and Timothy also take a look at a far superior version of "One of Us" from a Jehovah's Witness who went by the name of Prince (except for those few years when he went by a symbol instead).
Once again, the Toybox Hero Tournament nearly degenerates into total insanity and uncontrollable chaos, as an A-Wing starfighter from Star Wars clashes with an armor-plated coffee pot from Target. This unexpected contest forces Garrick and Timothy to face some of the most crucial and difficult questions that they've ever discussed on this program, questions such as "Is a lightsaber capable of blocking boiling water?" and "Exactly how much coffee would a Star Wars pilot need to stay awake in space?" Also, "One of Us" would actually be a great name for a band—much better than "the Hooters," which also shows up on this episode and which Timothy awkwardly compares to Forrest Gump if you listen all the way to the end.
The new cover art for this season was created by Dani Wallace (daniwallace.myportfolio.com).
THIS WEEK’S GUESTMary Jo Sharp is assistant professor of apologetics at Houston Baptist University and the founder and director of the apologetics ministry Confident Christianity. An international speaker on apologetics, Sharp focuses on love and logic to uncover truth. She is also a published author with Kregel, B&H, and Zondervan. Her most recent book is Why I Still Believe.
LINKS TO CLICKWhy I Still Believe: book by Mary Jo Sharp
One of Us: song by Joan Osborne
One of Us: song by Prince
HOW TO MAKE THREE CHORDS AND THE TRUTH MORE AMAZING THAN IT ALREADY ISSupport the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:
1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.
2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.
3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.
4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.
5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones @GarrickBailey @ApologeticsPod
CLOSING CREDITSThree Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).
The AI-powered Podcast Player
