Apologetics 315 Podcast

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview Christian philosopher Paul Gould about his book Cultural Apologetics: Renewing the Christian Voice, Conscience, and Imagination in a Disenchanted World.

0:26 - Intro to Paul Gould
4:26 - Paul’s background and how he got into apologetics
9:56 - Have we focused too much on making Christianity plausible and too little on making Christianity appealing?
12:09 - Paul on Mars Hill as the model for cultural apologetics
17:59 - Reflections on Pascal’s use of apologetics and viewing culture
21:48 - Is cultural apologetics the best way to address the more volatile issues in culture, and how?
25:00 - We can’t only use evidence and expect buy-in
25:38 - Appealing to happiness and man’s deepest longings
30:30 - C.S. Lewis’s metaphor of looking along the beam of light
33:40 - The good, the true, and the beautiful appeals to everyone
34:58 - An interaction with Paul Draper
36:14 - What does going out and being a cultural apologist look like?
41:43 - Who has done some of the best work in cultural apologetics?
47:53 - Who do you enjoy reading in philosophy?
50:20 - Further resources from Paul Gould:

www.twotasksinstitute.org
The Eudo Podcast
https://www.twotasksinstitute.org/podcast/
www.paul-gould.com

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In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross first review their first impressions of J. Warner Wallace’s new book, Person of Interest. Chad then presents an argument that disagreeing with homosexual behavior is not bigotry, but instead is rational and compassionate.

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In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross have a conversation with Erik Manning from the Testify YouTube channel about the power of testimonies and his initiative to interview his subscribers about their experiences.

1:47 - Subscriber give-away announcement
3:36 - Intro to Erik Manning for another visit to Ap315
5:49 - About the channel and the subscriber testimonies
12:07 - The impact and power of testimonies of miracles
14:30 - The cumulative effect of lots of testimonies
15:11 - Erik Manning’s interview with Dr. Craig Keener
16:14 - Sign up for your testimony sharing HERE!
18:06 - What sort of evidence are you looking for?
23:09 - Brian suggests that Jesus agrees that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence
28:28 - The difference between a claim and an event
31:57 - Religiously charged contexts are important factors in looking at the evidence that a miracle has occurred
33:39 - Where to find out more about Bayes Theorem
35:46 - The difference between “minimal facts” and “maximal facts” and a discussion about the pros and cons
50:20 - wrapping up the minimal facts discussion
Here’s where to find it all:

Fill out the testimony form:
https://forms.gle/yCzBERpkuEFP2U8U7

The “Testify with me!” Video that started it all:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZIKhpDckEI

Support Erik on Patreon here:
https://www.patreon.com/isjesusalive

Testify YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCadiEsTZ0hNxs5OxwGiyELQ

Erik’s website: www.isjesusalive.com

We appreciate your feedback.

If you have a question or comment for the podcast, record it and send it our way using www.speakpipe.com/Apologetics315 or you can email us at [email protected]

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross have a conversation with Kurt Jaros about perspectives and possible answers to a listener question about original sin and God’s judgment of those who have not heard.

0:22 - Chad asks Brian an important question
3:57 - Intro to Kurt Jaros
5:29 - Welcome to Kurt
7:47 - How Kurt deals with stress & Chad’s suggestion
9:46 - Listener email & question of the day
10:40 - Kurt explores various views of those who have not heard the Gospel
27:34 - What does the questioner mean by “sin nature”?
30:57- Important distinctions about sin nature
32:35 - What role does free will play?
34:50 - Would it have been better not to have been created?
40:51 - Looking at the question starting with God as a perfect judge
45:24 - How can one adjust one’s view to make better sense of the issue?
47:18 - The assumptions of the question

Kurt Jaros’s resources…
Kurt’s website: https://kurtjaros.com/
Kurt on Twitter https://twitter.com/tkjaros

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If you have a question or comment for the podcast, record it and send it our way using www.speakpipe.com/Apologetics315 or you can email us at [email protected]

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview Dr. Phil Fernandes on the topic of apologetics as it relates to pastoring. Lots of insights and stories in this episode!

2:08 - Recommended YouTube channel: Acts 17 Apologetics
5:00 - Intro to Dr. Phil Fernandes
6:38 - Phil’s background
10:36 - A story of Phil being mistaken for Columbo?
17:55 - Character among Christian apologists
19:43 - Topics that need addressed in our current culture
23:09 - Paranormal apologetics
25:23 - Cultural apologetics
29:39 - Karl Payne’s book on Spiritual Warfare
32:53 - How do pastoring and apologetics relate to one another?
41:32 - Advice to pastors on the need for apologetics
51:39 - Advice for those doing apologetics; hard-earned lessons, advice for debates
59:35 - What is question-bombing and how to address it
1:02:59 - Resources and books by Dr. Phil Fernandes

www.philfernandes.org
https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B00IXX09Y8
Sermon Audio:
https://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?speakeronly=true&currsection=sermonsspeaker&keyword=Dr._Phil_Fernandes

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If you have a question or comment for the podcast, record it and send it our way using www.speakpipe.com/Apologetics315 or you can email us at [email protected]

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview apologist Lenny Esposito on cultural apologetics, superhero movies, and ministry on the internet.

0:36 - Introduction to Lenny Esposito
2:47 - Apologetics and the dawn of the internet
4:44 - Old school internet apologetics
5:29 - Is Lenny related to famous hockey players?
6:40 - Are there any resources still lacking for apologetics today?
10:48 - Defining and describing cultural apologetics
16:47 - Grounding common cultural values in the Christian worldview
19:18 - Can we transition from cultural talking points to Christian truth?
23:22 - How superhero movies illustrate cultural values
26:00 - Symbiote Spider man and sin
28:11 - Forrest Gump and gospel reliability
31:40 - Chad is sad that Forrest Gump is not historical
31:57 - The trend toward anti-heroes and what it shows about culture
37:16 - Falcon and Winter Soldier
42:45 - Lenny’s writing a book about superhero movies and apologetics
45:58 - If God exists, why did he allow the Last Jedi?
48:14 - Chesterton and dragons
51:59 - Lenny’s resources:

Lenny’s Website:
www.comereason.org
Come Let Us Reason Podcast:
podcast.comereason.org
Lenny Esposito on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/comereason

We appreciate your feedback.

If you have a question or comment for the podcast, record it and send it our way using www.speakpipe.com/Apologetics315 or you can email us at [email protected]

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross answer the mailbag and then review the past 14 episodes and the interview guests, sharing insights and things learned.

0:29 - News from the world of Gozer
4:39 - Mailbag feedback
12:10 - The Stephen C. Meyer interview
15:58 - The Ken Samples episodes
19:17 - Katy Faust and Them Before Us
24:11 - The Michael J. Nelson interview
29:40 - The Ted Wright archaeology interview
31:45 - The rhetoric interview with Jim Beitler
33:32 - Apologetics for parents with Michael D’Virgilio
36:58 - The Molinism interview with Tim Stratton
38:41 - The Christian Enneagram with Marcia Montenegro
41:23 - Spiritual warfare reading (Karl Payne book)
45:27 - The Miracles interview with Craig Keener

We appreciate your feedback.

If you have a question or comment for the podcast, record it and send it our way using www.speakpipe.com/Apologetics315 or you can email us at [email protected]

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview Dr. Craig Keener, F. M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary. They discuss his most recent book Miracles Today: The Supernatural Work of God in the Modern World. Are miracles happening today? How do we evaluate miracle claims? How do we know if witnesses are credible? Many accounts and stories of healing and miracles are discussed.

To purchase Dr. Keener's courses on Logos: http://www.logos.com/craig-keener

0:42 - Introduction to Dr. Craig Keener
6:49 - Welcome to Dr. Keener; what compelled you to write a book on miracles in the world today?
10:40 - How this book is different than his previous miracles book
11:32 - What is a miracle and how do we define them? A discussion of Hume’s definition
15:20 - What criteria do we use when assessing miracle claims?
17:39 - Are some miracle claims ambiguous? What type of miracle accounts does the book discuss?
19:47 - Two accounts of dramatic healing
23:36 - What sort of environment do these miracles happen in? An account of deteriorated hip bones being healed.
29:14 - What role do presuppositions play in how we look at miracle claims? How high is the bar for evidence?
33:28 - Does “uniform human experience” invalidate miracle claims?
37:27 - “That account is too old,” “That account is too far away,” and other objections
43:06 - Do we have any miracles on video? (Yes)
47:07 - What would you say to someone who has been praying for a miracle or healing and has not experienced it yet? A discussion on cutting edge evangelism and miracles
51:44 - Does God heal amputees?
52:22 - Responses to common “internet objections”
54:38 - What about people being raised from the dead?
59:20 - Cumulative evidence of multiple claims, and the height of skepticism; how to critically evaluate claims
1:00:17 - What would you say to someone wanting God to prove himself to them through an appearance or miracle?
1:02:26 - How has your faith been strengthened by researching miracles?

http://www.craigkeener.com
Craig Keener’s two-volume work on New Testament Miracles here:
https://www.amazon.com/Miracles-volumes-Credibility-Testament-Accounts-ebook/dp/B007KOI2PY
https://asburyseminary.edu/faculty/craig-keener/
Pre-order Miracles Today on Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/Miracles-Today-Supernatural-Modern-World/dp/1540963837
Find more books by Dr. Craig Keener:
https://www.amazon.com/Craig-S-Keener/e/B000APBKEK?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1628348623&sr=8-2


If 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 [email protected]

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview Marcia Montenegro about the Enneagram and its new age origins as well as its influence in Christian circles.

2:05 - Intro to Marcia Montenegro and her background
4:09 - Why talk to a former astrologer?
10:12 - Welcome to Marcia
11:17 - How Marcia got into the New Age movement and became an astrologer; how God led her out
25:19 - Is New Age fake, false or both? What’s behind it?
29:45 - Is there a spiritual dimension behind psychic readings?
30:31 - A couple stories of special knowledge from spirit guides
40:33 - What is the Enneagram and where did it come from?
59:43 - Marcia’s recent debate with Todd Wilson on the Unbelievable? radio show
1:01:10 - Is Marcia committing the genetic fallacy?
1:02:35 - No scientific evidence for the Enneagram
1:14:14 - What would you say to a Christian that things that the Enneagram is helpful and harmless?
1:20:14 - The swath of books by Christian publishers on the Enneagram
1:27:24 - More debate reflections; is the Enneagram just a passing fad?
1:29:10 - Where to find more resources:

www.christiananswersforthenewage.org
Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret
https://www.amazon.com/Richard-Rohr-Enneagram-Secret-Veinot/dp/1098306546

If 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 [email protected]

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview Tom Gilson, the Senior Editor and Ministry Coordinator at The Stream. They discuss his book Too Good To Be False: How Jesus’ Incomparable Character Reveals His Reality.

0:30 - The Dukes of Hazzard intro
1:30 - Intro to Tom Gilson
5:01 - About Tom and his work and background
7:25 - Where did the idea for this book come from?
10:47 - A brief summary of the book
12:43 - Jesus didn’t have faith?
16:53 - You can’t make this stuff up
17:42 - What the argument is NOT and what it is
21:37 - Arguing for the best explanation
23:56 - The most common misconceptions and misunderstandings
26:27 - How would Bertrand Russell respond?
30:35 - The Facebook objection
34:13 - The book’s focus on Jesus and his character
34:36 - Positive feedback from readers
37:07 - Where to download a free chapter: thinkingchristian.net

Tom’s resources:
www.thinkingchristian.net
www.stream.org
The book:
https://www.amazon.com/Too-Good-False-Incomparable-Character-ebook/dp/B0979QLJXJ

If 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 [email protected]