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

Nov 21, 2023 • 56min
Classic Replay: Have atheists got the wrong God? Rupert Shortt vs Jeremy Rodell
From 2016: In his new book ‘Go Is No Thing’ Rupert Shortt argues that many ‘new atheists’ have a faulty view of God that doesn’t take seriously the philosophical arguments that thinkers like Thomas Aquinas gave many centuries ago for the existence of God. Rupert discusses the issues with atheist Jeremy Rodell, dialogue officer for the British Humanist Association. We also hear some feedback to the most recent Bauckham vs Ehrman shows.
For God Is No Thing: http://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/god-is-no-thing/
For Jeremy Rodell: https://humanism.org.uk/about/our-people/trustees/
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Nov 17, 2023 • 1h 20min
Classic Replay: Bart Ehrman vs Richard Bauckham : Can we trust eyewitness testimony in the biblical accounts?
Unbelievable shows often benefit from a second listen and some even become classics. Today we are dipping into the concluding part of a conversation between noted Bible scholar Bart Ehrman and Richard Bauckham who debate each other with Justin Brierley in the hosting seat. This show was recorded following the publication of Ehrman's 2016 book "Jesus Before the Gospels". Bart Erhman recently debated Justin Bass on The Big Conversation which you can watch here. But in this show Bart Erhman makes the case that eyewitness testimony is very fallible and that the stories about Jesus that were written down in the Gospels would have changed shape over time. Noted scholar Richard Bauckham, author of "Jesus and the Eyewitnesses", disagrees and defends the trustworthiness of eyewitness testimony and addresses the question of how Jesus' sayings and stories would have been memorised and passed along. Coming soon the latest course from Premier Unbelievable Did it happen? The Birth of Jesus will explore Bauckman's work further on the veracity of the details of Jesus's birth in the Gospel accounts.
For Richard Bauckham: http://richardbauckham.co.uk
For Bart Ehrman: http://www.bartdehrman.com
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Nov 14, 2023 • 1h 18min
Classic Replay: Are the Gospels based on eyewitness testimony? Bart Ehrman vs Richard Bauckham
From 2016: Bart Ehrman's new book "Jesus Before the Gospels" makes the case that the stories about Jesus would have changed and evolved before they were written down as the Gospels. Richard Bauckham, author of "Jesus and the Eyewitnesses", defends the view that the Gospels were written by those with access to eyewitness testimony of Jesus' first followers. They debate who wrote Mark, whether the the Gospels came from anonymous traditions and how they received their titles
For Bart Ehrman: http://www.bartdehrman.com
For Richard Bauckham: http://richardbauckham.co.uk
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Nov 10, 2023 • 1h 18min
Gay Christians, God and the church | David Bennett, Taylor Telford & Billy Hallowell
Embark on a journey with host Billy Hallowell exploring a deep friendship between two academics with wildly opposing views but who both attest to the boundless love of God on this week’s podcast. This week’s Unbelievable features an insightful discussion featuring two individuals with contrasting LGBTQI+ faith journeys as they delve into the intersection of faith, sexuality, and the Bible. The debate is between two gay Christians who have arrived at distinctly different interpretations of the Bible's teachings on sexual ethics, marriage, and human relationships.
As a young man Dr. David Bennett perceived Christianity as an adversary to LGBTQI+ freedom. Shaped by early encounters with prejudice and homophobia, he embraced life as a gay activist. Opposite David is Dr. Taylor Telford, an academic theologian whose journey led her from an evangelical upbringing to a progressive perspective, especially concerning gay marriage. Taylor serves as the Associate Pastor for Imaginative Worship at a PC(USA) congregation in Spokane, WA, and as adjunct faculty at Whitworth University and The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology.
David Bennett's transformative conversion to Christianity, unfolded in a gay bar in his native Australia, and propelled him on a profound theological quest that ultimately led him to embrace an historically orthodox sexual ethic. Identifying as gay, a Christian, and living a celibate life, David is currently a postdoctoral research fellow and theologian at the University of Oxford, England. As the Anglican's General Synod meets this coming week and it appears gay and lesbian/ same-sex attracted Christians whatever their theological convictions are upset with the way Bishops have suggested implementing the Prayers of Love and Faith (PLF) in the Church of England, this is an unmissable episode of Premier Unbelievable.
Read David's story
https://www.amazon.co.uk/War-Loves-Bennett-David/dp/0310538106/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1699556413&sr=8-1
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Nov 7, 2023 • 1h 20min
Classic Replay: Did Jesus' followers believe he was God? Yusuf Ismail vs Jonathan McLatchie
From 2016: In Islam, Jesus is regarded as a prophet. Muslims commonly claim that the Christian belief in Christ as co-equal with God is a corruption of Jesus' message and that his first followers did not regard him as the Son of God. Christian apologist Jonathan McLatchie returns for a second week to debate Islamic evangelist Yusuf Ismail on whether early church Christology evolved over time or whether Christ's deity was believed by his first followers.
For Michael J Alter: https://m.facebook.com/pages/Yusuf-Ismail/476386472392334
For Jonathan McLatchie: http://www.apologetics-academy.org/
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Nov 3, 2023 • 1h 19min
How much has Christianity contributed to antisemitism?
Welcome to the latest episode of Unbelievable? where we confront the challenging relationship between Christianity and anti-Semitism, shedding light on Christianity's role in the troubling history of prejudice. The show embarks on a profound journey through the intricate history of Biblical Israel and its contemporary implications in the strife-ridden Middle East. In a region marked by breathtaking violence and conflicting narratives, we strive to make sense of both current and historical bloodshed.
Join us as we delve into the origins of Israel as described in the Bible's Old Testament and explore how this narrative intertwines with the chequered and disputed history of the Middle East. To help us are two experts, Dr. Darrell Bock, a renowned New Testament scholar and New York Times best-selling author and Dr. Krish Kandiah, a distinguished social entrepreneur, writer, speaker, and expert in refugee resettlement, who provides a unique perspective on the modern-day implications. Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter at premierunbelievable.com for a chance to win this month's prize book!
• Subscribe to the Unbelievable? podcast: https://pod.link/267142101
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Oct 31, 2023 • 1h 21min
Classic Replay: A Jewish sceptic investigates the resurrection: Michael Alter vs Jonathan McLatchie
From 2016: Michael Alter is a Jew who spent a decade researching the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus after being challenged to investigate it. The result is his book ‘The Resurrection: A critical enquiry’. He was not eventually persuaded by the evidence he found. Part of his research responds to the so-called ‘minimal facts’ surrounding the story often cited by apologists. Apologist Jonathan McLatchie responds to Alter’s objections to the resurrection making that case that the reported experiences of the disciples, and the conversion of Paul and James the brother of Jesus, provide historical evidence for the plausibility of the Resurrection.
For Michael J Alter: https://michaeljalter.wordpress.com/
For Jonathan McLatchie: http://www.apologetics-academy.org/
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Oct 27, 2023 • 1h 20min
Is Halloween harmless fun?
Get ready for a spine-tingling edition of Unbelievable. Hosted by Billy Hallowell, we're diving headfirst into Halloween hysteria. Is it all innocent fun or something more sinister? Join the conversation with ex-healer Angela Ucci, pastor Ray Comfort who after being petrified of Halloween decided to use it to tell people about Jesus. Rounding up the discussion Unbelievable welcomes Matt Arnold, editor of The Christian Parapsychologist Journal. We'll uncover the mysteries, explore the spiritual realm, and ask the big question: should we celebrate?
https://heavenandhealing.com/about
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Oct 24, 2023 • 1h 18min
Classic Replay: Is the fine-tuning of the Universe evidence for God? Robin Collins vs Peter Millican
From 2016: Science has revealed that the fundamental constants and forces of the cosmos appear to be exquisitely fine-tuned to allow a universe in which life can develop. Is God the best explanation of the incredibly improbable odds of the universe we live in being a life-permitting one? Robin Collins is a Christian philosopher and a leading advocate of the argument for God from cosmic design. Peter Millican is an atheist philosopher at Oxford University. They debate the issues.
For Robin Collins: http://home.messiah.edu/~rcollins/
For Peter Millican: http://www.millican.org/
• Subscribe to the Unbelievable? podcast: https://pod.link/267142101
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Oct 20, 2023 • 1h 26min
Why I believe in God: John Lennox interviewed by Amy Orr-Ewing
In a Premier Unbelievable special, celebrating his 80th birthday, the indomitable Christian apologist, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics, and renowned ethicist, Dr. John Lennox, engages in a candid and unreserved interview with fellow apologist and Oxford-educated theologian, Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing. A long-standing friend of Unbelievable, John delves into his life journey, from a childhood in Ireland, to studying Mathematics at University of Cambridge, speaking and defending his Christian faith from Russian to East Germany, and his electrifying debates with formidable atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Peter Atkins, Christopher Hitchens and Peter Singer. This illuminating discussion also delves into the AI and the future of humanity, the problem of evil and other profound questions that continue to captivate the minds of believers and sceptics alike.
https://www.gtc.ox.ac.uk/about/fellows/john-lennox/
https://againstthetide.movie/
https://www.amyorr-ewing.com/
• Subscribe to the Unbelievable? podcast: https://pod.link/267142101
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