Apologetics 315 Podcast

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview Jacob Varghese from SAFT Apologetics, an apologetics ministry based in India with an international reach. www.saftapologetics.com2:40 - Introduction to Jacob Varghese and the work of SAFT Apologetics.7:45 - How Jacob got into apologetics and the beginnings of SAFT.12:00 - Seeking answers, finding truth. The growth of the podcast.20:00 - Cultural differences in apologetics in India. Naturalism, supernaturalism, and apologetic questions. Which is harder to deal with: naturalism or supernaturalism? Cultural and religious diversity in India.36:10 - Atheism on the rise in India.39:30 - The recent SAFT Online Conference: https://areopagus.saftapologetics.com50:00 - What’s on the horizon for SAFT?Support SAFT Apologetics here:Website: www.saftapologetics.comPatreon: www.patreon.com/saftapologeticsPodcast webpage: https://saftpodcast.buzzsprout.comYouTube: www.youtube.com/c/saftapologeticsIf you have a question for the podcast, record it and send it our way using www.speakpipe.com/Apologetics315 or you can email us at podcast@apologetics315.com

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview Christian blogger Wintery Knight on the topics of Christian blogging, apologetics in the workplace and in the public square, how policy effects Christian freedoms, and more. www.winteryknight.com1:30 - Discussing moral and ethical issues, having an alias, and observing the changers in culture.8:00 - The conflict between the Happiness Quest and the Truth Quest.10:00 - The difficulty getting apologetics into the church. The importance of a commitment to a truth quest.13:00 - Doing apologetics on the internet. 17:30 - How to interact with skeptics, and what to do when the people you interact with become hostile.20:00 - In-person interaction and discerning the right way to communicate in the workplace or public square. 25:20 - How can Christians be informed about what’s going on in culture and public policy? How does one become equipped? Resources for being equipped.37:00 - “The Equality Act” and religious liberty issues. 43:00 - The speed of cultural change in the US, and the importance of religious freedoms.52:45 - Christianity and politics.

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross answer listener questions: one concerning the historical reliability of the Old Testament and one on the topic of revival.2:30 - Mailbag questions #1: “What are your thoughts on the following view of scripture?” Is the Old Testament a product of imaginative interpretation? Is the OT fiction? Do we have archeological evidence for the OT?24:50 - Mailbag questions #2: “Are there signs of a coming revival? What must Christians do to usher in this revival?” A conversation about what revival is, what revival is for, what has happened in revivals historically, and whether or not there are signs of a “coming revival”. Is there anything Christians can do to bring about revival? Suggested resources:* Revival by Martyn Lloyd Jones (Youtube | Book )• Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill• Power Through Prayer by E.M. Bounds• The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview “The Belfast Bigot” (www.facebook.com/thebelfastbigot) on the topic of abortion, and defending a pro-life position in the public square.1:00 - Intro to the Belfast Bigot, why use that name? The history of the Belfast Bigot blog. 5:30 - The goals of apologetics interaction online.9:10 - Why does the Belfast Bigot talk so much about abortion? Main influences and resources.12:00 - The abortion situation in the UK / Ireland. The common views on abortion in the UK / Ireland.17:00 - How do you make a case for life? What is the best angle to take? “What is the unborn?”20:00 - The use of scientific arguments for the pro-life position. Three types of pro-abortion views.24:00 - Examples of some bad pro-life arguments. The use of graphic images (are they helpful or not?)32:50 - What are the common objections to 39:00 - The violinist argument in favor of abortion.44:00 - “This pregnancy is the product of rape.”49:00 - What if the life of the mother is at risk?51:00 - Why blog anonymously?56:30 - Pro-life resources and more:• The Case for Life by Scott Klusendorf• Why Pro-Life by Randy Alcorn• Love Unleashes Life by Stephanie Gray• The Ethics of Abortion by Christopher Kaczor• Love Thy Body by Nancy Percy

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview Christian philosopher David Baggett on the topic of moral apologetics, arguments for God from morality, and the Masters of Arts programs available at Houston Baptist University.0:30 - Over 100 arguments for the existence of God. Capturing Christianity: Over 100 Arguments for the Existence of Godhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi7ANgO2ZBU1:50 - Intro to David Baggett and his books.God and Cosmos: Moral Truth and Human Meaninghttps://www.amazon.com/God-Cosmos-Moral-Truth-Meaning/dp/0199931216The Moral Argument: A Historyhttps://www.amazon.com/Moral-Argument-History-David-Baggett/dp/0190246375Good God: The Theistic Foundations of Moralityhttps://www.amazon.com/Good-God-Theistic-Foundations-Morality/dp/0199751811The Morals of the Story: Good News About a Good Godhttps://www.amazon.com/Morals-Story-Good-News-About/dp/08308520775:15 - David Baggett’s background, education, and about Michigan.7:35 - The Houston Baptist University campus experience and the Master's of Arts and apologetics degree. 10:00 - The Center for Moral Apologetics at HBU. 12:50 - Cultural apologetics: what is it? How does HBU educate in cultural apologetics?15:15 - Cultural apologetics and philosophical apologetics: the importance of having both.18:50 - Further discussion on distinctions in cultural apologetics.22:05 - Opportunities at HBU for distance learning programs.23:20 - What’s it like being married to an academic and also writing a book together?26:35 - “The Morals of the Story” - the purpose and scope of the book. The fourfold moral argument. Defending theistic ethics.38:25 - The personal impact of moral arguments for God.39:25 - The most persuasive moral arguments for God.42:35 - Guilt, shame, and how they point to a transcendent source of morality. 46:40 - Answering the Euthyphro dilemma. Has the Euthyphro argument lost its potency?55:10 - Best introductory texts and recommended reading for moral apologetics, morality. Resources at www.moralapologetics.com58:00 - Biggest misconceptions about moral arguments for God.1:00:00 - Harry Potter and Philosophyhttps://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Philosophy-Aristotle-Hogwarts-ebook/dp/B003S3RL7GParenting and an incarnation model of approaching what we find in the world.1:08:30 - David’s encouragement to those who are considering the moral argument for God.1:13:00 - Wrapping up with David Baggett, and a reminder to listen to the end for bonus content.1:16:15 - What's the difference between William Lane Craig's moral argument and David Baggett’s moral argument?

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview Craig Hazen of Biola University, talking to him about Masters degrees in Apologetics at Biola University, his book Fearless Prayer, and his insights on defending the faith.Biola Masters Programshttps://www.biola.edu/christian-apologetics-maCertificate in Christian Apologeticshttps://www.biola.edu/christian-apologetics-certificate1:30 - Intro to Craig Hazen4:00 - Craig's background, upbringing and Christian background, motivation for getting into apologetics, and how he got to Biola.11:00 - The Masters programs in Christian Apologetics at Biola.Biola Masters Programshttps://www.biola.edu/christian-apologetics-maCertificate in Christian Apologeticshttps://www.biola.edu/christian-apologetics-certificate12:30 - What is the cross-section of the students in the apologetics program? The now fully online apologetics program.15:45 - Distance/remote learning vs. on-campus study.17:45 - Are the questions about Christianity changing? How has culture shifted? Bring rooted in foundational topics and being able to handle the basics.22:15 - The faculty at Biola25:00 - The role of philosophy when thinking about Christianity. Is there a conflict? How can it help?29:00 - Religious studies and comparative religions; Craig's background in studying the world's religions.31:40 - Craig's book Fearless Prayer. The goal in writing it, and the overall focus of the book.36:00 - Stories of answered prayer. 38:30 - Advice for those who are having a hard time with praying; intellectual obstacles to prayer.

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross record with a "live studio audience" and address the common objection that there is no evidence for God, as well the view of postmodernism.1:30 - Truthbomb's series on "Common Objections to Christianity."http://truthbomb.blogspot.com/search/label/Common%20Objections4:00 - The objection that "there is no evidence for God." What's the difference between evidence and arguments? 10:00 - A list of 13 arguments for the existence of God. The Kalam argument, the Leibnizian cosmological argument, moral arguments, ontological arguments, design arguments, transcendental arguments, etc.38:40 - Making a case for the resurrection of Jesus. 41:00 - Question about postmodernism from listener. "True for you but not for me." 46:00 - The objection that "all religions teach the same thing."

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross record with a "live studio audience" and answer questions about conspiracy theories (how to speak with those who are into them), and how to think about personal words of prophecy.2:00 - Discussing a blog post about Christians who believe conspiracy theories. What could be the root problems? Excerpts from J.P. Moreland's "Love God with All Your Mind." How did Christianity go from being intellectually robust to being intellectually shallow?11:40 - Question about how we can speak to people who are believing conspiracy theories, and how can the church guard itself against misinformation? Excerpts from Adler & Van Doren's "How to Read a Book."• Uninformed• Misinformed• Illogical • Incomplete22:00 - The importance of asking the right questions. Keep calm, don't dismiss, encourage critical thinking.28:00 - How can the church guard itself against misinformation? Critical thinking; addressing issues and doing equipping in the local church.33:40 - Listener question about personal prophecy in the local church. Wayne Grudem's "Systematic Theology" chapter 53. Defining prophecy and prophets. Old Testament vs. New Testament prophecy. Testing prophetic words, holding fast to what is good.

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross record with a "live studio audience" and discuss apologetics in parenting as well as engaging with ideas in culture.2:00 - Question #1 from listener, timeline and suggestions for introducing and teaching kids apologetics. Children's books, Study Bibles, catechisms, Harry Potter and more.William Lane Craig children's books:https://www.reasonablefaith.org/store/childrens-books/Big Truths for Little Kidshttps://www.10ofthose.com/uk/products/10867/big-truths-for-little-kidsJ. Warner Wallace books:https://coldcasechristianity.com/books-by-j-warner-wallace/Long Story Shorthttps://www.thegoodbook.co.uk/long-story-shortThe Pleasure of Finding Things Out by Richard Feynmanhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pleasure_of_Finding_Things_Out“Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.” ― G.K. ChestertonThe Way of Wisdom by Tim Kellerhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Way-Wisdom-Devotions-Proverbs-Navigating/dp/147364755XFurther books: The Fallacy Detective, Mama Bear Apologetics, Case for Christ for Kids, Case for Faith for Kids, Cold Case Christianity for Kids, Keeping Your Kids on God's Side, Talking to Kids about Jesus, Talking to Your Kids about God.19:40 - Using questions when talking about God with kids. "Quarantine" parenting, or "inoculation" parenting.21:45 - Question #2 from listener. How can Christians engage with ideas in culture? The analogy of apologetics as farming & preparing the soil for planting. Using your sphere of influence. The importance that the church address hard questions. Critical thinking and asking good questions.

Today's interview is with biochemist Fazale Rana, the vice president of research and apologetics at Reasons to Believe. He is the author of several groundbreaking books, including Who Was Adam, Creating Life in the Lab, The Cell’s Design, and Humans 2.0. He holds a PhD in chemistry with an emphasis in biochemistry from Ohio University.We'll be talking to Fuz about RTB's book, "Thinking About Evolution: 25 Questions Christians Want Answered" in which he's a contributing author.1:25 - Introduction to Fuz Rana, Reasons to Believe (www.reasons.org) and the book Thinking About Evolution.2:30 - Defining the terms surrounding evolution, as well as the possibility of equivocation on evolution. Micro-evolution, macro-evolution, speciation, chemical evolution, origin of life, etc. 6:45 - Thinking through evolution for yourself. Philosophical pre-commitments. The problem of underdetermination of scientific theories. 10:00 - The structure of the book, overarching goals, and RTB's approach to evolution as it relates to creation.12:05 - The biases that everyone brings to scientific topics. Acknowledging our biases. The progressive creation model. 15:50 - Fuz's personal journey, uncertainty about God's existence, evolution, design in biological systems, the origin of life. 19:30 - What is theistic evolution / evolutionary creationism? Philosophical challenges and theological implications. "Tacking God onto evolution".26:50 - Chemical evolution and the origin of life. Philosophical pre-commitments that life evolved. Challenges in origin of life research. 30:00 - Interactions with origin of life researchers. Intelligent agency in origin of life experiments. "The hand of God dilemma."39:10 - Irreducible complexity in biological systems, and how they may or may not be good arguments for design in biology. Co-option as a possible rejoinder to irreducible complexity. 44:00 - How the concept of biological convergence could be interpreted as common design rather than evolutionary similarities on two different beaches of the evolutionary tree.48:00 - Does co-option apply to biological convergence? Eye structures in chameleons and sandlances. 51:30 - Does Paley's "watchmaker argument" fail? Biomemetics and bio inspiration. The inverse watchmaker argument.54:50 - Junk DNA? What is the state of the science? Functions that have been discovered in "junk DNA". 59:30 - Advice to Christians going into science, biology, and technology. The importance of the philosophy of science.Find more info on Reasons to Believe at www.reasons.org.