Apologetics Profile

This week we pick up in part two of our conversation with author and missionary to Latter-Day Saints Bill McKeever. Bill continues to share with the Watchman Fellowship 2023 mission team to Utah more difficulties about the official LDS Church accounts of the gold plates as well as some historical and textual difficulties with the LDS Book of Abraham. 

Bill McKeever founded Mormonism Research Ministry in 1979 with the hope of informing the Body of Christ about the differences between Mormonism and Christianity. He has also made an effort to reach out the many individuals who are members of the LDS Church, desiring to show them in gentleness and respect the truth about God’s Word. His writings include In Their own Words: A Collection of Mormon Quotations (Morris Publishing, 2010), Answering Mormons’ Questions: Ready Responses for Inquiring Latter-day Saints (co-authored with Eric Johnson, Kregel, 2013), and Mormonism 101: Examining the Religion of the Latter-day Saints (Baker, 2015). 

Related Links: Free links to some of our most popular podcasts on Mormonism, access to some of our key LDS articles and our free, 4-page Watchman Fellowship Profile on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

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Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is founded upon the Book of Mormon. But from where did the Book of Mormon originate? According to Joseph Smith, the founder of the LDS Church, the Book of Mormon comes from sacred gold plates he uncovered in 1827 near his home in Manchester, New York. What were these plates? How did Smith obtain them? How did he bring them back to his home? Where are they now? Find out this week and next as the Watchman Fellowship 2023 mission team to Utah sat down with author and missionary to LDS, Bill McKeever, of Mormon Research Ministry (mrm.org) to discuss these and other questions. Bill shares with us the history and stories behind the gold plates.

Bill McKeever founded Mormonism Research Ministry in 1979 with the hope of informing the Body of Christ about the differences between Mormonism and Christianity. He has also made an effort to reach out the many individuals who are members of the LDS Church, desiring to show them in gentleness and respect the truth about God’s Word. His writings include In Their own Words: A Collection of Mormon Quotations (Morris Publishing, 2010), Answering Mormons’ Questions: Ready Responses for Inquiring Latter-day Saints (co-authored with Eric Johnson, Kregel, 2013), and Mormonism 101: Examining the Religion of the Latter-day Saints (Baker, 2015). 

Related Links: Free links to some of our most popular podcasts on Mormonism, access to some of our key LDS articles and our free, 4-page Watchman Fellowship Profile on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

Additional Resources

FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.

PROFILE NOTEBOOK: Order the complete collection of Watchman Fellowship Profiles (over 600 pages -- from Astrology to Zen Buddhism) in either printed or PDF formats here: watchman.org/notebook.

SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.

Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. Muslims are no longer half a world away, but now include our neighbors, friends, classmates, and coworkers. Do we as Christians worship the same God as Muslims do? What distinguishes Allah from Jesus, the Qur'an from the Bible? And how might we begin to have meaningful conversations with our Muslim neighbors? This is part two of our discussion with Qur'anic scholar, Dr. Andy Bannister, author of Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God? (uhop.me/SameGod). Andy continues to offer his insights and wisdom from his years of experience in answering these and other questions and in engaging Muslims who are searching for much more than what they read in the Qur'an.

Dr. Andy Bannister is the Director of the Solas Centre for Public Christianity, speaking and teaching regularly throughout the UK, Europe, Canada, the USA, and the wider world. From universities to churches, business forums to TV and radio, he regularly addresses audiences of both Christians and those of all faiths and none on issues relating to faith, culture, politics and society. Andy holds a PhD in Islamic studies and has taught extensively at universities across Canada, the USA, the UK and further afield on both Islam and philosophy. He is also an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Arthur Jeffery Centre for the Study of Islam at Melbourne School of Theology and is also Adjunct Faculty at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto. For more information, visit AndyBannister.net.

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Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

On the next two episodes of the Profile we sit down with Qur'anic scholar and author Dr. Andy Bannister to discuss his very insightful and helpful 2021 book, Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God? (uhop.Me/SameGod). Andy gives us some wisdom from his own experiences and research in engaging Muslims over the last few decades. If you know a Muslim but are not sure how to begin a conversation, you don't want to miss the next two weeks of the Profile.

Dr. Andy Bannister is the Director of the Solas Centre for Public Christianity, speaking and teaching regularly throughout the UK, Europe, Canada, the USA, and the wider world. From universities to churches, business forums to TV and radio, he regularly addresses audiences of both Christians and those of all faiths and none on issues relating to faith, culture, politics and society. Andy holds a PhD in Islamic studies and has taught extensively at universities across Canada, the USA, the UK and further afield on both Islam and philosophy. He is also an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Arthur Jeffery Centre for the Study of Islam at Melbourne School of Theology and is also Adjunct Faculty at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto. For more information, visit AndyBannister.net.

Related Resources: Watchman book plus free access to some related Watchman Profiles:

Additional Resources

FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.

PROFILE NOTEBOOK: Order the complete collection of Watchman Fellowship Profiles (over 600 pages -- from Astrology to Zen Buddhism) in either printed or PDF formats here: watchman.org/notebook.

SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.

Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

This week we wrap up our conversation with authors Doug Groothuis and Ike Shepardson about their latest book The Knowledge of God in the World and the Word - An Introduction to Classical Apologetics. They offer some very practical and encouraging wisdom in how to effectively and compassionately engage in apologetics.

Douglas Groothuis (PhD, University of Oregon) is professor of philosophy at Denver Seminary in Denver, Colorado, where he heads the apologetics and ethics masters degree program. His articles have been published in journals such as Religious Studies, Philosophia Christi, Themelios, Christian Scholar's Review, Inquiry, and Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. He has written numerous books, including Christian Apologetics, Philosophy in Seven Sentences, and Truth Decay. https://www.douglasgroothuis.com/

Andrew “Ike” Shepardson (Ph.D., University of Toronto) leads the B.A. and M.A. programs in Applied Apologetics at Colorado Christian University and is associated faculty at Denver Seminary. Ike is an elder at Living Way Fellowship in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. His work has been published in Philosophia Christi, Quadrum, The Denver Journal, Orthodoxy in Dialogue, and the Toronto Journal of Theology. He is author of Who’s Afraid of the Unmoved Mover?: Postmodernism and Natural Theology and coauthor (with Douglas Groothuis) of The Knowledge of God in the World and the Word. His website is ikeshepardson.com.

Related Links: Free access to some related Watchman Profiles:

Additional Resources

FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.

PROFILE NOTEBOOK: Order the complete collection of Watchman Fellowship Profiles (over 600 pages -- from Astrology to Zen Buddhism) in either printed or PDF formats here: watchman.org/notebook.

SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.

Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

This week and next we talk with authors Doug Groothuis (GROW-tice) and Andrew "Ike" Shepardson about their new book The Knowledge of God in the World and the Word - An Introduction to Classical Apologetics and how vitally important apologetics remains for us today.

Douglas Groothuis (PhD, University of Oregon) is professor of philosophy at Denver Seminary in Denver, Colorado, where he heads the apologetics and ethics masters degree program. His articles have been published in journals such as Religious Studies, Philosophia Christi, Themelios, Christian Scholar's Review, Inquiry, and Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. He has written numerous books, including Christian Apologetics, Philosophy in Seven Sentences, and Truth Decay. https://www.douglasgroothuis.com/ 

Andrew “Ike” Shepardson (Ph.D., University of Toronto) leads the B.A. and M.A. programs in Applied Apologetics at Colorado Christian University and is associated faculty at Denver Seminary. Ike is an elder at Living Way Fellowship in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. His work has been published in Philosophia Christi, Quadrum, The Denver Journal, Orthodoxy in Dialogue, and the Toronto Journal of Theology. He is author of Who’s Afraid of the Unmoved Mover?: Postmodernism and Natural Theology and coauthor (with Douglas Groothuis) of The Knowledge of God in the World and the Word. His personal website is ikeshepardson.com.

Related Links: Free access to some related Watchman Profiles:

Additional Resources

FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.

PROFILE NOTEBOOK: Order the complete collection of Watchman Fellowship Profiles (over 600 pages -- from Astrology to Zen Buddhism) in either printed or PDF formats here: watchman.org/notebook.

SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.

Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

Christian apologetics is not just a matter of crafting intellectual arguments and those who engage in Christian apologetics are not just computorial information machines dispensing facts. Our guest again this week,  author, pastor, and professor of theology at Dordt University, Dr. Justin Bailey, continues sharing his ideas from his 2020 book Reimagining Apologetics - The Beauty of Faith in a Secular Age (www.PJustin.com/Books/Reimagining) that apologetics should include a much more holistic approach that involves not only logic and reason, but the imagination as well.

Dr. Justin Ariel Bailey iis associate professor and chair of the theology department at Dordt University. He works at the intersection of theology, culture, and ministry, and his written work has appeared in publications such as Christianity Today, Christian Scholars Review, and the International Journal of Public Theology. He is the author of Reimagining Apologetics (IVP, 2020) and Interpreting Your World (Baker, 2022). He is an ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church, and he has served as a pastor in Filipino-American, Korean-American, and Anglo-American settings.

Related Links: Free access to some related Watchman Profiles:

Additional Resources

FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.

PROFILE NOTEBOOK: Order the complete collection of Watchman Fellowship Profiles (over 600 pages -- from Astrology to Zen Buddhism) in either printed or PDF formats here: watchman.org/notebook.

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Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

187 Reimagining Apologetics [Part 1] with Dr. Justin Bailey and Daniel Ray

What role does the imagination play in Christian apologetics today? How can we effectively implement a more holistic and imaginative approach in giving a defense for our faith in an ever-increasingly secular society? Our guest this week and next, author, pastor, and professor of theology at Dordt University, Dr. Justin Bailey, discusses these questions with us from his 2020 book Reimagining Apologetics - The Beauty of Faith in a Secular Age (www.PJustin.com/Books/Reimagining).

Dr. Justin Ariel Bailey iis associate professor and chair of the theology department at Dordt University. He works at the intersection of theology, culture, and ministry, and his written work has appeared in publications such as Christianity Today, Christian Scholars Review, and the International Journal of Public Theology. He is the author of Reimagining Apologetics (IVP, 2020) and Interpreting Your World (Baker, 2022). He is an ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church, and he has served as a pastor in Filipino-American, Korean-American, and Anglo-American settings.

Related Links: Free access to some related Watchman Profiles:

Additional Resources

FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.

PROFILE NOTEBOOK: Order the complete collection of Watchman Fellowship Profiles (over 600 pages -- from Astrology to Zen Buddhism) in either printed or PDF formats here: watchman.org/notebook.

SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.

Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

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One hallmark of most any religious cult today is that there is no other way to God except through the cult leader and obedience to his deceitful doctrines and deceptive practices. Cult teachings and commands twist Scripture familiar to Christians and create a climate of fear and works-based salvation.

This week Brady Blevins, Senior Apologist at Watchman Fellowship and Steve Matthews, author of our 4-page Profile on the movement known as Shincheonji, continue their discussion about how this disciplined, doctrinally-deceptive, militant cult twists Scripture, infiltrates churches in the U.S. and how you can be prepared to respond with solid biblical truth.

Steve Matthews is a countercult apologist who is not only passionate about researching the more established cults, but also in responding to the newer emerging groups as well. He has his M.A. in Christian Apologetics from Trinity International University and is involved in launching ExaminingTheCults.

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Additional Resources

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Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

How is a religious cult in South Korea making inroads into churches in the U.S.? Listen in as Dr. Brady Blevins, Senior Apologist at Watchman Fellowship and Steve Matthews, author of our 4-page Profile on the movement known as Shincheonji, discuss some of the ways in which this disciplined, doctrinally-deceptive, militant cult is infiltrating churches in the U.S. Learn how you can be prepared to respond with the Gospel.

Steve Matthews is a countercult apologist who is not only passionate about researching the more established cults, but also in responding to the newer emerging groups as well. He has his M.A. in Christian Apologetics from Trinity International University and is involved in launching ExaminingTheCults.

Related Links: Free access to additional resources including some related Watchman Fellowship Profiles:

Additional Resources

FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.

PROFILE NOTEBOOK: Order the complete collection of Watchman Fellowship Profiles (over 600 pages -- from Astrology to Zen Buddhism) in either printed or PDF formats here: watchman.org/notebook.

SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.

Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.