We may be quite familiar with the biblical exhortation from 1 Peter 3:15 to be ready to give a defense for the hope that is in us with gentleness and respect, but in our day and age where dialogue with those with whom we disagree is so polarized and divisive, we may easily forget what 1 Peter 3:15 looks like in practice.
For the next two broadcasts of Apologetics Profile, we're stepping away from our normal "interview" format to bring you a special rebroadcast in two parts of a panel discussion between two atheists and two theists. One of those panel participants is James Walker, President of Watchman Fellowship.
James was asked to appear on the panel by long-time friend of James', Jim Hall, himself a lifelong atheist. The challenge for the panel was to "trade places" with each other, with the atheists offering what they believed were the best arguments for God's existence and the weakest arguments for atheism, while the theists were challenged to offer what they thought were the strongest arguments for atheism and the weakest arguments for God's existence.
The discussion was civil and cordial and we believe serves as a good example of how to put into practice what 1 Peter 3:15 tells us. We hope it serves to encourage you to have more informed and civil conversations in your own engagement with your non-Christian neighbors and friends.
Special thanks to Jim Hall of Atheist Edge for permission to rebroadcast this for Apologetics Profile.
CONTENT WARNING: This has been edited for time and to remove explicit language. Mature themes are discussed in the broadcast. You may also watch the full interview on Atheist Edge YouTube channel here (Warning: Explicit Language and Mature Themes): https://youtu.be/mbZcEWqMSqs.
JAMES WALKER is the president of Watchman Fellowship and a host of Apologetics Profile podcast. He is a former fourth generation Mormon with over twenty-five years of ministry experience in the field of Christian evangelism and apologetics. He is cofounder of the Atheist & Christian Book Club.
Education: Rev. Walker holds a BA in Biblical Studies and an MA in Theology from Criswell College. He serves as an adjunct professor at Arlington Baptist University and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He is an ordained Baptist minister and a member of the International Society of Christian Apologetics (ISCA), the Evangelical Press Association, and serves on the Board of Directors of Evangelical Missions to Non-Christian Religions (EMNR).Media and Books: He has been interviewed as an expert on new religious movements and cults on a variety of network television programs including Nightline, ABC World News Tonight, and PBS NewsHour. In addition to network television, Rev. Walker has been interviewed numerous nationwide Christian radio programs. These include Truths that Transform with Dr. D. James Kennedy; Hope for the Heart, with June Hunt, OpenLine with Kirby Anderson on the Moody Broadcasting Network, and Point of View. He authored the books, The Concise Guide to Today’s Religions and Spirituality, What the Qur’an Really Teaches about Jesus, and coauthored The Truth Behind 'The Secret.'The Atheist & Christian Book Club: www.AtheistChristianBookClub.comComplete YouTube Video Playlist on Street Epistemology by Daniel Ray: watchman.org/PlaylistSEWatchman Fellowship's 4-page Profile on Street Epistemology by Daniel Ray: watchman.org/SEWatchman Fellowship's 4-page Profile on Atheism by Robert M. Bowman: watchman.org/AtheismWatchman Fellowship's 4-page Profile on Agnosticism by W. Russell Crawford: watchman.org/AgnosticFREE: We are also offering a free subscription to our bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free
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