
Unbelievable?
Unbelievable? offers a weekly podcast, blog, and video series hosted by Ruth Jackson and a team of thinkers and Christian apologists.
Latest episodes

Jun 10, 2025 • 1h
Classic: Tom Wright meets Tom Holland on St Paul
In a captivating discussion, NT Wright, a leading Bible scholar, teams up with Tom Holland, a bestselling historian, to dissect the life of St. Paul. They delve into how Paul's transformative experience on the road to Damascus led him to challenge societal norms and redefine power through suffering. Holland shares insights on Paul's radical teachings and their profound effects on Western civilization. The duo also explores the revolutionary ideals of equality and dignity fostered by Judeo-Christian values, highlighting their resonance in today’s world.

Jun 6, 2025 • 1h 19min
Can therapy alone heal the soul? Two Psychiatrists Treating BPD & NPD Explore the Search for Meaning
Can Therapy Heal the Soul?
Exploring BPD, NPD and Meaning in Christian and Secular Psychiatry
Today we’re asking: Can therapy heal the soul? We’ll be exploring two complex and often misunderstood conditions - borderline personality disorder (BPD) and narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) - through both Christian and secular perspectives. What happens when psychiatry meets philosophy? And how do meaning, identity, and belief shape the path to healing?
Joining Vince Vitale on Unbelievable? are two leading psychiatrists from the Gunderson Residence at McLean Hospital in Massachusetts - Dr Brandon Unruh and Dr Claire Brickell. As colleagues, friends, and thoughtful practitioners, they bring Christian and secular perspectives to the complex work of treating borderline personality disorder (BPD) and narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) - exploring how therapy, identity, and belief intersect in the search for meaning.
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Jun 3, 2025 • 1h 3min
Classic: Putin's War - The Spiritual and Ideological Battle Behind the Invasion of Ukraine
Originally recorded in March 2022, this classic Unbelievable? takes us back to the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As the world grappled with the shock of war, this conversation sought to uncover a deeper layer of the conflict — its religious and ideological roots.
Justin Brierley is joined by Father Cyril Hovorun, a Ukrainian Orthodox priest and theologian, and Clifford Longley, a Catholic journalist and Tablet contributor. Together, they explore the ancient Christian heritage shared by Russia and Ukraine, the mystical ideology of “Holy Rus,” and how Putin’s vision of spiritual destiny has shaped his aggression.
While some see this war as a purely political power play, this episode argues that religion, nationalism, and myth all play a critical role in Putin’s motivations.
🎧 Listen to this important archive conversation
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Fr Cyril Hovorun: https://www.sanktignatios.org/dr-cyril-hovorun
Clifford Longley: https://www.thetablet.co.uk/editors-desk/2/21568/religious-roots-of-ukraine-crisis-
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May 30, 2025 • 57min
Adult Conversion vs Leaving the Faith: What’s More Meaningful? Matthew Su & Nathan Ormond | Schools Debate Special
Is it more meaningful to convert to Christianity as an adult—or to leave it behind after growing up in the faith? In this special schools debate, host Sam McKee is joined by Matthew Su, a Christian convert and Cambridge PhD candidate, and Nathan Ormond, ex-Christian and YouTuber at Digital Gnosis. With big questions from teenage students, the episode dives into belief, deconstruction, and what it really means to be intellectually honest about faith.
A raw and thoughtful exchange for anyone navigating belief, doubt, or somewhere in between.
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👉 Get bonus content, updates, fascinating articles, and early access to new episodes—absolutely free! Join now at www.premierunbelievable.com 🎉📢
• Subscribe to the Unbelievable? podcast: https://pod.link/267142101
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May 27, 2025 • 60min
Classic: An ex-atheist faces off with an ex-Christian
Holly Ordway is the Cardinal Francis George Professor of Faith and Culture at the Word on Fire Institute and a Visiting Professor of Apologetics at Houston Christian University. She holds a PhD in English and serves as a subject editor for the Journal of Inklings Studies. A regular guest on The CS Lewis Podcast, Holly has a deep passion for exploring the intersection of faith and culture.
In 2016, she engaged in a fascinating conversation with Vanessa James, a musician who was once a committed Christian but later became an atheist. Their discussion explores the complexities of faith, the pros and cons of atheism and Christianity, and our shared search for meaning, beauty, and truth. This dialogue offers a compelling look into both women’s journeys and the challenges they faced in their quests for understanding.

May 23, 2025 • 1h 12min
Is the natural world evidence of design, or the result of random processes? Rachel G Jordan vs Michael Shermer hosted by Andy Kind
In this episode of Premier Unbelievable? comedian and host Andy Kind welcomes marine biologist and Christian author Rachel G. Jordan, author of If the Ocean has a Soul, and sceptic science-historian Dr Michael Shermer, founder of Skeptic Magazine and author of The Moral Arc, for a dynamic conversation exploring whether nature reveals divine purpose or reflects impersonal forces.
Drawing on Rachel’s book If the Ocean Has a Soul, today's guests tackle questions on the nature of the soul, biblical interpretation of creation and evolution, and what counts as truth in science and faith. From coral reefs to cosmic entropy, they wrestle with suffering, beauty, and the possibility of redemption through opposing worldviews.
They explore awe, the hero’s journey, the implications of the gospel, and the call to care for creation. Can awe lead to belief? Does randomness rule the universe?
Buy Rachel Jordan's If the Ocean has a soul https://amzn.to/4mnzuPx
Buy Michael's book Conspiracy Why the Rational Buy the Irrational https://amzn.to/3SfPk0R

May 20, 2025 • 1h 1min
Classic: Is War ever justified? Just War, Darwinism and Christianity | Michael Ruse vs Nigel Biggar.
In 2025, as the world is devastated by continuing wars, many are simultaneously commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Returning to this edition of Unbelievable, recorded as marks of Remembrance took place across the world to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of WW1 in 2018, Justin Brierley discussed just war theory, Darwinism and Christianity with atheist guest Prof Michael Ruse and Christian Prof Nigel Biggar.
Michel Ruse is Professor of Philosophy of Science at Florida State University. Nigel Biggar is Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology at the University of Oxford. Ruse’s book ‘The Problem of War’ critiques Biggar’s work on just war theory, 'In Defence of War’.
Further reading
‘In Defence of War’ by Nigel Biggar: https://amzn.to/3SbPxCk
For ‘The Problem of War’ by Michael Ruse: https://amzn.to/4k0JegS
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• Subscribe to the Unbelievable? podcast: https://pod.link/267142101
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May 16, 2025 • 1h 26min
Do humans have the right to engineer life? Prof. Keith Fox v Dr. Sam McKee
Should we be tampering with the genetic code of life? What are the ethical and theological implications of engineering artificial organisms?
This episode of Unbelievable? explores the cutting-edge world of synthetic biology - from designing artificial microbes to help us live on Mars, to the deeper philosophical and ethical questions about humanity “playing God.”
Joining the conversation are Dr Sam McKee, a philosopher of science and cancer researcher, and Prof Keith Fox, Emeritus Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Southampton. They draw their lines in the sand - but not in the same place.
Unpack the moral, spiritual, and existential dilemmas raised by synthetic life in this thought-provoking episode. Your mind will be stretched - Roger Bolton says his was, while hosting the show.
Does our ability to engineer life challenge traditional religious beliefs, or can it align with a theological vision of human creativity?
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• Subscribe to the Unbelievable? podcast: https://pod.link/267142101
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May 13, 2025 • 1h 2min
Classic: Can Christianity be true if Christians can't agree on doctrine? Andrew Whyte vs Nabeel Qureshi
Less than a year after this classic episode aired, Nabeel Qureshi, author of
Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, one of the most compelling accounts of a Muslim’s journey to Christianity, announced he had stage IV stomach cancer. He passed away in September 2017. In this unforgettable episode, Nabeel brings his characteristic warmth and clarity as he engages with Andrew Whyte, a former Christian who lost his faith after wrestling with the wide range of beliefs within the Church. Andrew has since created a series of YouTube videos highlighting theological disagreements among Christians. We hear clips from his videos, while Nabeel offers a passionate response, arguing that Christianity remains cohesive and coherent despite internal differences.
Nabeel's book https://amzn.to/4df1bWH

May 9, 2025 • 1h 15min
Does true freedom exist? Max Jeganathan vs Andrew Copson hosted by Andy Kind
Is our obsession with personal autonomy leading to fulfilment—or fracture? Max Jeganathan (author of The Freedom Trap) and Andrew Copson (CEO of Humanists UK) explore the purpose, power, and pitfalls of freedom. While Max argues that unexamined individualism breeds anxiety, disconnection, and moral confusion, Andrew defends freedom as a means to happiness, but warns against excessive egoism. The discussion spans everything from Nazi resistance and speeding laws to Taylor Swift and tech billionaires, with surprising agreements and sharp disagreements - particularly over the value of self-sacrifice and whether belief in God really matters. A nuanced, often humourous journey through politics, ethics and belief hosted by comedian and writer Andy Kind, this episode asks: is true freedom found in autonomy, or in responsibility, community and even love?
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👉 Get bonus content, updates, fascinating articles, and early access to new episodes—absolutely free! Join now at www.premierunbelievable.com 🎉📢
• Subscribe to the Unbelievable? podcast: https://pod.link/267142101
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