I Don't Have Enough FAITH to Be an ATHEIST

Should we interpret the Bible literally? One of our recent shows has stirred up a hornet’s nest with regard to that question! Just HOW do we interpret the Bible? Can something be true, but not expressed literally? And if that’s the case, why would God make things so difficult for us to figure out? On this week’s podcast episode, Frank responds to a listener’s question that relates to the discussion he had with Dr. John Walton last week on the right way to interpret Genesis. He does a deep dive into Genesis 1:1 and explains that even though everything in the Bible is literally true, not everything in the Bible is expressed literally. He also walks listeners through a fun + educational thought experiment and shares some of the most popular Hebrew and Greek idioms we find in the Bible. If you (or the people you disciple) ever wished that the Bible had an EASY button you need to take a listen, because we might just change your mind! To view the entire VIDEO PODCAST, be sure to join our CrossExamined private community. It’s the perfect place to jump into some great discussions with like-minded Christians while simultaneously providing financial support for our ministry. If you would like to submit a question to be answered on the show, please email your question to Hello@Crossexamined.org. Subscribe on Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/CrossExamined_Podcast Rate and review! Thanks!!! Subscribe on Google Play: https://cutt.ly/0E2eua9 Subscribe on Spotify: http://bit.ly/CrossExaminedOfficial_Podcast Subscribe on Stitcher: http://bit.ly/CE_Podcast_Stitcher  

George Orwell once said, “In a time of universal deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” Those seem like prophetic words as we watched two major news events unfold this past week. The first–Ivan Provorov, the Philadelphia Flyers hockey player who cited his religious beliefs for skipping an NHL-sponsored LGBTQ pride event. And second–Rebecca Phillips, a 17-year-old girl who reported a naked trans-woman she encountered after getting out of the shower in a California YMCA women’s locker room. Both Provorov and Phillips received criticism from the media and the general public for their actions, inciting a social media storm of name-calling and angry comments. On this midweek podcast episode, Frank takes a look at some of these comments and demonstrates with logic and reasoning how these hollow “arguments” against the actions of Provorov and Phillips point to a culture that puts symbolism over substance. Now more than ever, we need to calmly and reasonably stand in the way of evil by telling people the truth–even if they hate us for it. Why? Because that’s the most loving thing to do! To view the entire VIDEO PODCAST, be sure to join our CrossExamined private community. It’s the perfect place to jump into some great discussions with like-minded Christians while simultaneously providing financial support for our ministry. If you would like to submit a question to be answered on the show, please email your question to Hello@Crossexamined.org. Subscribe on Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/CrossExamined_Podcast Rate and review! Thanks!!! Subscribe on Google Play: https://cutt.ly/0E2eua9 Subscribe on Spotify: http://bit.ly/CrossExaminedOfficial_Podcast Subscribe on Stitcher: http://bit.ly/CE_Podcast_Stitcher  

Your children may know WHAT they believe about the Christian faith but do they know WHY? What happens when they leave the safe comforts of home and someone challenges their beliefs–will they know how to respond? Or maybe your child is already questioning the validity of Christianity and the Bible and you don’t even know it yet. Don’t panic! Former public-school teacher and certified apologist Shanda Fulbright is here to help! She says skepticism about God, Jesus, and the Bible usually begins during the middle school years, which is why we need to start teaching kids as early as possible about how God’s Word and God’s world connect. She sits down with Frank to explain the layered process parents should use to create a strong foundation for their child’s faith and also shares some of the challenges she faced as a parent and public-school teacher in California. Shanda also points out that many parents feel ill-equipped to teach their children the objective truth behind the Christian worldview because they were never taught it themselves. That’s where her online course (co-authored with Frank), Let’s Get Real: Examining the Evidence for God, saves the day! This course was specially designed for 6-8th graders and will take students on a challenging (but FUN!) journey as they dig in and become confident that Christianity is true and not just stories–that Christianity isn’t just an opinion or preference, but a belief based on FACTS. To view the entire VIDEO PODCAST, be sure to join our CrossExamined private community. It’s the perfect place to jump into some great discussions with like-minded Christians while simultaneously providing financial support for our ministry. ‘Let’s Get Real’ PREMIUM online course for kids: https://bit.ly/3jX4IS1 Shanda’s website: https://shandafulbright.com/ If you would like to submit a question to be answered on the show, please email your question to Hello@Crossexamined.org. Subscribe on Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/CrossExamined_Podcast Rate and review! Thanks!!! Subscribe on Google Play: https://cutt.ly/0E2eua9 Subscribe on Spotify: http://bit.ly/CrossExaminedOfficial_Podcast Subscribe on Stitcher: http://bit.ly/CE_Podcast_Stitcher  

Just when you thought there was nothing new to be said about the Book of Genesis, Dr. John Walton shows up! Dr. Walton is an Old Testament scholar and Professor at Wheaton College and has written many books on the Old Testament and its ancient Near Eastern background, including a commentary on Genesis, and his popular Lost World series. In this midweek podcast episode, he sits down with Frank to discuss why being faithful to the context lies at the heart of our understanding of what the Bible communicates to us about God as our creator. In other words, we need to stop viewing it through a modern lens and placing our cultural expectations on it–demanding it to answer questions it was never intended to address. Some of the ideas and questions they discuss include: What is a cultural river and why is it important? What kind of story is Genesis 1? What did the ancient Israelites think about the material world? The Egyptian creation story vs. the Bible What does it really mean to read the Bible literally? What’s up with the Nephilim? Was there a global or localized flood?   To view the entire VIDEO PODCAST, be sure to join our CrossExamined private community. It’s the perfect place to jump into some great discussions with like-minded Christians while simultaneously providing financial support for our ministry. Resources mentioned during the show: The Lost World of Genesis One: https://a.co/d/a76qyNN Wisdom for Faithful Reading: https://a.co/d/0k3LrXL Old Testament Theology for Christians: https://a.co/d/bxzYb5x Dr. John Walton at Wheaton College: http://bit.ly/3jXdn6H If you would like to submit a question to be answered on the show, please email your question to Hello@Crossexamined.org. Subscribe on Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/CrossExamined_Podcast Rate and review! Thanks!!! Subscribe on Google Play: https://cutt.ly/0E2eua9 Subscribe on Spotify: http://bit.ly/CrossExaminedOfficial_Podcast Subscribe on Stitcher: http://bit.ly/CE_Podcast_Stitcher  

Who or what are we worshiping? Are we bowing to the one true God, or to the god of the self? We’ve all witnessed the Western world change quite dramatically, especially during the past few years. It goes from faith “deconstruction” to woke ideology to radical gender theory. Anti-Christian ideas haven’t just crept into our homes. They’ve kicked the door down and pulled a chair up to the table! Christians feel immense pressure to bow down to these false idols as we watch the culture (and many of our loved ones) being shaken up all around us. Once you decide to take a stand for Christ and His authority, how do you hold your ground and live boldly in a world that is downright hostile to the idea of objective and Biblical truth? That’s the BIG question Alisa Childers, Natasha Crain, and Frank will be tackling in the first-ever UNSHAKEN Conference which is set to take place in Dayton, Ohio on 1/28 along with three other locations later this year! In this podcast episode, Alisa and Natasha sit down with Frank to give us a glimpse into some of the content they’ll be sharing at the conference, which is set to be unlike any other apologetics conference you’ve ever seen before! To view the entire VIDEO PODCAST, be sure to join our CrossExamined private community. It’s the perfect place to jump into some great discussions with like-minded Christians while simultaneously providing financial support for our ministry. UNSHAKEN conference info + tickets: https://unshakenconference.com/ If you would like to submit a question to be answered on the show, please email your question to Hello@Crossexamined.org. Subscribe on Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/CrossExamined_Podcast Rate and review! Thanks!!! Subscribe on Google Play: https://cutt.ly/0E2eua9 Subscribe on Spotify: http://bit.ly/CrossExaminedOfficial_Podcast Subscribe on Stitcher: http://bit.ly/CE_Podcast_Stitcher  

C.S. Lewis famously said, “Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” And someone who can quote C.S. Lewis better than most people is the winsome and award-winning actor Max McLean who joins Frank on our midweek podcast today! Max is the founder and artistic director of the Fellowship for Performing Arts, a New York City-based non-profit production company that produces live theater and film from a Christian worldview to engage a diverse audience. In addition to his narration of The Listener’s Bible, Max is most well-known for his many stage adaptions of books and essays by C.S. Lewis, including the feature-length film, The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis, and his current on-stage production of Further Up and Further In, which may be coming to a city near you soon! In this episode, Max sits down with Frank to discuss his inspiration for developing this play, which is a dazzling, state-of-the-art, multimedia experience that explores what made C.S. Lewis such an effective apologist/evangelist to skeptics. Further Up and Further In picks up where The Most Reluctant Convert ends and is sure to impress believers and non-believers alike! At one point during the podcast, you’ll hear Max go into character as he performs the first scene of the play! To view the entire VIDEO PODCAST, be sure to join our CrossExamined private community. It’s the perfect place to jump into some great discussions with like-minded Christians while simultaneously providing financial support for our ministry. Remember, our team members all work remotely, this allows us to allocate 100% of your donations to ministry work and 0% to buildings! Ticket and show information: https://cslewisonstage.com/ If you would like to submit a question to be answered on the show, please email your question to Hello@Crossexamined.org. Subscribe on Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/CrossExamined_Podcast Rate and review! Thanks!!! Subscribe on Google Play: https://cutt.ly/0E2eua9 Subscribe on Spotify: http://bit.ly/CrossExaminedOfficial_Podcast Subscribe on Stitcher: http://bit.ly/CE_Podcast_Stitcher  

Is it ever OK for a Christian to lie or cheat? What if you know your opponent is being dishonest? What examples can we find in Scripture that demonstrate our ethical duties based on God’s will? To help us answer those questions is the newest member of the Cross Examined team, Dr. John Ferrer (yes, dedicated husband of Hillary Morgan Ferrer from Mama Bear Apologetics)! John received his Ph.D. in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics from Southern Evangelical Seminary and sits down with Frank to discuss a question we received from an international listener who is currently struggling with the imbalance of political power between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria. They also have a very interesting discussion on the topics of football, spiritual warfare, and what we can learn from the Damar Hamlin incident and the public display of prayer. To view the entire VIDEO PODCAST, be sure to join our CrossExamined private community. It’s the perfect place to jump into some great discussions with like-minded Christians while simultaneously providing financial support for our ministry. Remember, our team members all work remotely, this allows us to allocate 100% of your donations to ministry work and 0% to buildings! If you would like to submit a question to be answered on the show, please email your question to Hello@Crossexamined.org. Subscribe on Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/CrossExamined_Podcast Rate and review! Thanks!!! Subscribe on Google Play: https://cutt.ly/0E2eua9 Subscribe on Spotify: http://bit.ly/CrossExaminedOfficial_Podcast Subscribe on Stitcher: http://bit.ly/CE_Podcast_Stitcher  

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson once declared, “The universe is a deadly place. At every opportunity, it is trying to kill us.” Tyson is not alone in his dark, doomsday perspective. Many have sought to warn of the weapons the universe might use to wipe out humanity. Similar to the tone of Tyson is the media minefield we now refer to as “climate change”–but is it a political issue or a real threat to our planet? In this fascinating midweek podcast episode, Frank is joined by the legendary Hugh Ross. Their discussion takes listeners on a journey from deep inside the Earth’s core all the way to the moons of Mars with multiple stops in between! Dr. Hugh Ross is the founder and president of Reasons to Believe and shares many of the insights from his latest books, Designed to the Core, and Weathering Climate Change, to help us see that every tiny detail in the universe is part of God’s grand design. They examine the fine-tuning of the universe and how even the Milky Way galaxy (our home away from home) is special and unique. You’ll also hear a balanced and factual (dare we say…refreshing?) response from Dr. Ross on the subject of climate change, and what we can do (if anything) to help steward the resources of God’s amazing creation. You definitely don’t want to miss it! To view the entire VIDEO PODCAST, be sure to join our CrossExamined private community. It’s the perfect place to jump into some great discussions with like-minded Christians while simultaneously providing financial support for our ministry. Remember, our team members all work remotely, this allows us to allocate 100% of your donations to ministry work and 0% to buildings! Reasons to Believe: https://reasons.org/ Designed to the Core: https://a.co/d/2vUFGeE Weathering Climate Change: https://a.co/d/9Ndzore If you would like to submit a question to be answered on the show, please email your question to Hello@Crossexamined.org. Subscribe on Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/CrossExamined_Podcast Rate and review! Thanks!!! Subscribe on Google Play: https://cutt.ly/0E2eua9 Subscribe on Spotify: http://bit.ly/CrossExaminedOfficial_Podcast Subscribe on Stitcher: http://bit.ly/CE_Podcast_Stitcher  

Does Christianity hold the most satisfying answers to life’s BIGGEST questions? Questions like… What is the MEANING OF LIFE? What is TRUE HAPPINESS? What is BEAUTY? What is LOVE? WHO AM I? That’s exactly what philosopher and apologist, Paul Gould, explores in his new book–A Good and True Story: Eleven Clues to Understanding Our Universe and Your Place in It. Specially written for unbelievers and skeptics of the Christian faith, A Good and True Story is accessible, conversational, full of stories + illustrations, and takes the reader on a grand expedition in search of the cosmic narrative that best explains the human experience of the world. In today’s podcast episode, Paul joins Frank to discuss a few of the eleven “clues” that suggest Christianity is not only true but satisfies our deepest longings. They explore topics such as the universe, morality, beauty, happiness, flourishing, love, religion, and much more! To view the entire VIDEO PODCAST, be sure to join our CrossExamined private community. It’s the perfect place to jump into some great discussions with like-minded Christians while simultaneously providing financial support for our ministry. Our team members all work remotely, this allows us to allocate 100% of your donations to ministry work and 0% to buildings! Paul’s book: https://a.co/d/ciRnOYr Paul’s website: https://www.paul-gould.com/ Palm Beach Atlantic University: https://www.pba.edu/directory/gould-paul.html If you would like to submit a question to be answered on the show, please email your question to Hello@Crossexamined.org. Subscribe on Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/CrossExamined_Podcast Rate and review! Thanks!!! Subscribe on Google Play: https://cutt.ly/0E2eua9 Subscribe on Spotify: http://bit.ly/CrossExaminedOfficial_Podcast Subscribe on Stitcher: http://bit.ly/CE_Podcast_Stitcher  

Why does God hide? If God loves us and truly desires that none should perish, why doesn’t He make His existence more obvious? Wouldn’t a loving God want us all to be saved? Divine hiddenness is a problem that puzzles many believers and non-believers, and in this midweek podcast episode, Christian philosophers + apologists Michael Jones and Eric Hernandez tackle it head-on! Other issues they discuss with Frank include Hell, torture vs. torment, non-resistant non-belief, and Molinism. To view the entire VIDEO PODCAST, be sure to join our CrossExamined private community. It’s the perfect place to jump into some great discussions with like-minded Christians while simultaneously providing financial support for our ministry. Where to find Michael and Eric: Michael’s website: https://inspiringphilosophy.org/ Michael’s YouTube channel: http://bit.ly/3BXKTjA Eric’s YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/3PNY1xl Texas Apologetics: http://texasapologetics.org If you would like to submit a question to be answered on the show, please email your question to Hello@Crossexamined.org. Subscribe on Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/CrossExamined_Podcast Rate and review! Thanks!!! Subscribe on Google Play: https://cutt.ly/0E2eua9 Subscribe on Spotify: http://bit.ly/CrossExaminedOfficial_Podcast Subscribe on Stitcher: http://bit.ly/CE_Podcast_Stitcher