Unbelievable?

Both guests on today's show are Christians, both are gay, and both run ministries supporting Christians of homosexual orientation. However a very different ethos underpins each.  The True Freedom Trust, run by Jonathan Berry believes that Christians with homosexual orientation should abstain from sexual practise.  Courage, run by Jeremy Marks accepts committed same-sex relationships between Christians. Courage adopted its new position in 2001.  Jeremy explains why, and Jonathan responds.  Sharing their own stories, they debate the best way of supporting gay Christians and why they differ on Biblical teachings about homosexuality For True Freedom Trust http://www.truefreedomtrust.co.uk/ For Courage http://www.courage.org.uk/ For more discussions visit http://www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable or get the podcast or Via Itunes If you enjoyed this discussion you may also want to hear: Unbelievable? 29 May 2010 - This first show addresses the main scriptural passages that relate to homosexuality. Unbelievable? 5 Jun 2010 - Homosexuality and the Church - This second show addresses whether the church is homophobic in its attitude towards gay people Join the debate at the "Unbelievable?" group of the Premier Community http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/group/unbelievable

Michael Behe is professor of biochemistry at Lehigh University, Pennsylvania and the founder of the modern Intelligent Design movement.  His book "Darwin's Black Box" ignited the controversy 14 years ago when it claimed that certain molecular machines and biological processes are "irreducibly complex" and cannot be explained by Darwinian evolution. His new book "The Edge of Evolution" takes his conclusions further, arguing that the Darwinian processes of random mutation and natural selection are incapable of producing the variation and complexity we see in most of life. So can we conclude that life was intelligently designed by a creator? Keith Fox is Professor of biochemistry at the University of Southampton and chairman of Christians in Science.  As a theistic evolutionist he believes that Evolution is the best explanation going for the complexity we see and that ID is a blind scientific alley and theologically unappealing to boot. They debate whether micromachines in the cell such as the "bacterial flagellum" could have evolved by a Darwinian process of evolution. When inference to design is and isn't acceptable in science.  Whether random mutation can mathematically stack up to complex life, and whether God is reduced to a divine "tinkerer" by ID. For Michael Behe see http://www.lehigh.edu/~inbios/faculty/behe.html or http://www.darwinordesign.org.uk/ For Keith Fox see http://www.cis.org.uk/resources/interviews/keith-fox and for the CIS conference 2010 http://www.cis.org.uk/ For more debate visit http://www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable or get the podcast http://ondemand.premier.org.uk/unbelievable/AudioFeed.aspx or via Itunes If you enjoyed this programme you may also enjoy Unbelievable? 20 Mar 2010 - Expelled" live audience debate at Imperial College London - Susan Blackmore, Steve Fuller, Keith Fox & Alastair Noble Unbelievable? 16 Jan 2010 - "Expelled" the Movie - Intelligent Design theorist Stephen Meyer vs. Atheist scientist Peter Atkins debate Intelligent Design Unbelievable? 2 Jan 2010 - Is there design in biology? Intelligent Design proponent William Dembski vs. Biology Professor Lewis Wolpert Join in the discussion at the Premier Community http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/group/unbelievable

C.S. Lewis was one of the most influential Christian writers of the 20th Century and remains so today.  Many are familiar with his Narnia stories, but he was also a populariser of Christian apologetics, and continues to be the first place that many encounter the key arguments for Christian faith. 60 years on from when they were written, are his arguments for God and Christ still compelling?  We look at Lewis' Natural Law argument for God in "Mere Christianity", his Argument from Reason in "Miracles" and his classic 'Trilemma' - Jesus is either a liar, lunatic, or Lord. Michael Ward is Chaplain of St. Peter's College, Oxford and a research fellow at the Independent Institute. He is a leading authority on CS Lewis.  His books "Planet Narnia" and "The Narnia Code" unearthed a hidden dimension to the Narnia chronicles.  He also lectures on the apologetics of C.S. Lewis. Dan Barker is a US atheist and heads up the Freedom From Religion Foundation.   As a Christian he read "Mere Christianity" but on re-reading it as an atheist found it unconvincing. They debate the faith, philosophy and apologeics of CS Lewis. For Michael Ward see http://www.planetnarnia.com/ or http://www.independent.org/aboutus/person_detail.asp?id=1333 For the new book "The Narnia Code" http://www.amazon.com/Narnia-Code-Lewis-Secret-Heavens/dp/1414339658/ref=pd_sim_b_3 For Dan Barker and his book "Godless" see http://www.ffrf.org/ For more Christian/non Christian discussions visit www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable or get the podcast or via itunes If you enjoyed this discussion try these: Unbelievable? 6 Jun 2009  Narnia & CS Lewis - a skeptic and Christian discuss - Michael Ward & Laura Miller Unbelievable? 5 Dec 2009 - Are we better off free from religion? Atheist Dan Barker vs. Christian Charles Foster Unbelievable? 10 Oct 2009 - Is the divinity of Jesus at odds with Jewish Monotheism? Richard Bauckham & James Crossley. Join the discussion at the "Unbelievable?" group of The Premier Community http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/group/unbelievable

Torturing children for fun - is that absolutely wrong? The Moral Argument for God states that there are such things as objective moral facts, and that objective moral facts must have an immaterial source - namely God.  Therefore God Exists... Simple right? However, atheist Cambridge Philosopher Arif Ahmed disagrees with the first two premises.  He debates with New Zealand's Christian philosopher Glenn People's on whether the argument proves the existence of God. So, are moral beliefs nothing more than our "preferences"? What do we do with the intuition that certain things are absolutely wrong?  Are atheists who affirm moral facts but deny God, being inconsistent? For Glenn People's blog visit http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/ For Arif Ahmed see http://www.phil.cam.ac.uk/teaching_staff/ahmed/ahmed_index.html For more Christian/non Christian debates and discussions visit http://www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable or get the podcast http://ondemand.premier.org.uk/unbelievable/AudioFeed.aspx or via Itunes If you enjoyed this programme you may also enjoy: Unbelievable? 13 Jun 2009 The Moral Argument For God - Atheist Paul Orton & Christian David Robertson Unbelievable? 7 Mar 2009 "The Reason for God" - Pastor Timothy Keller & Atheist Norman Bacrac To join the discussion at the Premier Community visit http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/group/unbelievable

Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Dennett & Sam Harris are all figures at the vanguard of the "New Atheism".  The books have sold well, but where does this form of confrontational and outspoken atheism have to go next? Alister McGrath is Theology professor at Kings College London and regularly speaks and writes against Atheism.  He says that there's nothing "new" about New Atheism and that it exhibits all the signs of being a religious form of belief itself. Caspar Melville is editor of the UK's New Humanist magazine.  He says that "New Atheism" has been good for business and is provoking a debate that needs to be had. They debate whether there is a historical naivety to the movement, Dawkins' claim that "I just believe in one less god than you" and much more besides. For Alister McGrath see http://users.ox.ac.uk/~mcgrath/ For Caspar Melville see http://www.newhumanist.org.uk/ For more Christian/non-Christian debate visit http://www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable or get the podcast at http://ondemand.premier.org.uk/unbelievable/AudioFeed.aspx or via Itunes If you enjoyed this programme you may also enjoy: Unbelievable? 14 Nov 2009 - Alister McGrath on Atheism, theology and defending the faith Unbelievable? 12 Dec 2009 Richard Dawkins debate on "Atheism is the New Fundamentalism" - review with interviews Join the discussion at the Unbelievable? group of the Premier Community. http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/group/unbelievable

We return to listener questions on whether Hawking was right or wrong to dismiss God as a cause of the universe in his new book "The Grand Design". John Polkinghorne is a theoretical physicist and Anglican Priest in Cambridge.  Hugh Ross is a Christian physicist and founder of "Reasons to Believe". They tackle questions on whether the multiverse is really an alternative to God in explaining our fine-tuned universe. What physicists really mean when they say the universe came into being "out of nothing", and whether the massive size of the universe makes our existence insignificant. For Hugh Ross see http://www.reasons.org/resources For John Polkinghorne see http://www.polkinghorne.net/ For more debates and discussions visit http://www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable or get the podcast http://ondemand.premier.org.uk/unbelievable/AudioFeed.aspx or via Itunes Join the discussion at the "Unbelievable?" group of the Premier Community http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/group/unbelievable

We return to listener questions on whether Hawking was right or wrong to dismiss God as a cause of the universe in his new book "The Grand Design". John Polkinghorne is a theoretical physicist and Anglican Priest in Cambridge.  Hugh Ross is a Christian physicist and founder of "Reasons to Believe". They tackle questions on whether the multiverse is really an alternative to God in explaining our fine-tuned universe. What physicists really mean when they say the universe came into being "out of nothing", and whether the massive size of the universe makes our existence insignificant. For Hugh Ross see http://www.reasons.org/resources For John Polkinghorne see http://www.polkinghorne.net/ For more debates and discussions visit http://www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable or get the podcast http://ondemand.premier.org.uk/unbelievable/AudioFeed.aspx or via Itunes Join the discussion at the "Unbelievable?" group of the Premier Community http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/group/unbelievable

As Pope Benedict XVI undertakes a four day tour of Britain we explore the theology of the Roman Catholic Church. What is the Catholic view of the role of the Pope?  How do they ground his authority as head of the church in Scripture?  Is he God's representative or mediator on earth?  What does it mean to speak of his "infallible" statements? Is Catholic tradition a part of God's revelation alongside scripture? William Johnston was ordained in the Anglican Church before going "over to Rome" because of a felt lack of authority in the Anglican church.  He says the Pope's role as ultimate arbiter of authority in the church is essential. Duncan Boyd of the Protestant Truth Society believes Roman Catholicism is a false religion and the Pope is a heretic.  He argues that the role of the Pope is unscriptural along with many of the doctrines of the Catholic church. For more on Roman Catholic teaching see http://www.catholicchurch.org.uk/Catholic-Church/what_does_the_catholic_church_teach/catechism For William Johnstone http://www.catholicvoices.org.uk/team For the Protestant Truth Society see http://www.protestant-truth.org/ For Duncan Boyd http://protestant-truth.org/aboutus/duncan_boyd.html For more Christian/non-Christian debate visit www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable or get the podcast at http://ondemand.premier.org.uk/unbelievable/AudioFeed.aspx or Via Itunes If you enjoyed this programme you may also enjoy: Unbelievable? 11 Sep 2010 - "Is the Catholic Church a force for Good or Evil?" - Catholic Peter D Williams & Humanist Andrew Copson Unbelievable? 16 May 2009 - A Response to Angels & Demons - Ged Clapson, Susan Fani, David Wilkinson & Robert Stovold Join the debate at the Premier Community http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/group/unbelievable

With the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the UK, some are protesting that his visit should not be sponsored by the State.  They say that the Catholic church is a force for bad in the light of its record on human rights, child abuse and past persecution. Peter D Williams, a young "revert" to Catholicism from atheism argues the Catholic church's record of wrongs has been overstated and misunderstood and that it remains the most beneficial institution in the world today.  Andrew Copson, Director of the British Humanist Association and part of the Protest the Pope Coalition argues that the Pope should not visit the UK in the manner of a head of State and that the record of the Catholic church undermines its claim to be a force for good. For Peter D Williams see http://www.catholicvoices.org.uk/team For Andrew Copson see http://www.humanism.org.uk/home For the IQ2 debate see http://www.intelligencesquared.com/events/catholic-church For more Christian/non-Christian debate visit www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable or get the podcast at http://ondemand.premier.org.uk/unbelievable/AudioFeed.aspx or Via Itunes If you enjoyed this programme you may also enjoy: Unbelievable? 27 Feb 2010 - Stop worrying and enjoy your life" - are we better off without God in Britain? Andrew Copson of the British Humanist Association vs. David Robertson Unbelievable? 12 Dec 2009 - Dawkins debate on "Atheism is the New Fundamentalism" - review with interviews Join the discussion at the Premier Community http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/group/unbelievable

Christians have traditionally held that humans comprise two things - a body and a soul.  Christian Philosophers have written in defence of the soul against a reductive atheism that claims we are material beings alone. But a new movement in Christian philosophy claims that the atheists are correct, at least when it comes to humans. Glenn Peoples is a Christian philosopher who subscribes to physicalism - that humans are only physical and they have no immaterial soul.  He explains how he arrived at that view from Scripture and how he defends it philosophically, without giving up an evangelical Christian view. Prof John Haldane is a Christian philosopher at St Andrews University in Scotland.  He believes that Christian faith and Philosophy bear witness to an immaterial soul - though his "Thomistic" view defends it differently to the prevailing trend. For Glenn Peoples Blog visit http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/ For John Haldane see http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~jjh1/ For John's Book "Reasonable Faith" see http://www.amazon.com/Reasonable-Faith-John-Haldane/dp/0415430240/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1 For more Christian/non Christian debate visit http://www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable or get the podcast at http://ondemand.premier.org.uk/unbelievable/AudioFeed.aspx or Via Itunes If you enjoyed this programme you may also enjoy: Unbelievable? 17 Jul 2010 - Wired for God? The biology of spiritual experience - Christian Charles Foster & Atheist Susan Blackmore Unbelievable? 23 Aug 2008 - Why there almost certainly IS a God: Keith Ward and Robert Stovold Join the discussion at the Unbelievable? group of the Premier Community http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/group/unbelievable