Educate For Life with Kevin Conover

In this episode Kevin talks with Jeremy Tedesco, Esq., a senior legal council for Alliance Defending Freedom who is currently representing Kelvin Cochran.  In the United States of America in the 21st century, is it possible for a qualified individual to be fired from his job solely on the basis of his religious beliefs?  We would all like to think that the answer is no, but this seems to be exactly what happened to Kelvin Cochran, former fire chief of Atlanta, GA.

After having achieved the highest possible position for a fireman in 2009 (US Fire Administrator), and being named Fire Chief of the Year in 2012, Cochran was dismissed from his position in Atlanta in 2014.  Why?  For writing and self-publishing a devotional, completely separate from his job as fire chief, which stated his Christian perspective on marriage and sexuality.  When the devotional was first brought to public attention, Cochran was suspended without pay, and an investigation revealed that he had not treated anyone unfairly on the basis of their sexuality.  Yet he was still fired, because of his beliefs rather than his actions.  How could he be treated in a manner so completely contrary to America’s principles of freedom?  The truth is that as society’s esteem for religion (specifically Christianity) diminishes, attacks on religious freedom increase.  Can our First Amendment rights be defended, or will they soon be a happy memory?  Learn more about Kelvin Cochran’s case at AllianceDefendingFreedom.org, and consider contributing to this fine organization as it fights to defend your rights!

This episode first aired on May 17th, 2015.

We make video lessons to raise up confident Christians: https://educateforlife.org/

Are the stories recorded in the Bible real history, or just mythology?  There’s only one way to know for sure: through biblical archaeology. This week Kevin talks with archaeologist Dr. Scott Stripling of the Associates for Biblical Research, author of The Trowel and the Truth.

Dr. Stripling grew up in a Christian home, hearing the stories of the Bible from his mother.  He became an avid Bible reader in his teen years, but was perplexed by the huge cultural divide between the biblical text and modern day readers such as himself.  His desire to better understand the historical context of the Bible led him to study archaeology, and he went on to earn his Doctorate in Ministry with an emphasis in Ancient Near Eastern archaeology.

Today Dr. Stripling is the director of ABR’s excavation in Khirbet el-Maqatir, located 9 miles north of Jerusalem in the disputed territory of Security Zone C.  Though excavation only takes place five weeks out of the year, his team has made many discoveries that verify biblical history.  Dr. Stripling tells Kevin about some of the most significant of these finds, such as an Egyptian scarab that helps to verify biblical accounts of Israel’s exodus and the conquest of Canaan.

Christianity is not a religion of mythology and blind faith; biblical events really happened, and the evidence is out there.  Some of it still needs to be unearthed, and the Associates for Biblical Research are doing just that.  You can support their archeological mission to show the truth of the Bible at BibleArchaeology.org, and even volunteer to participate in a dig yourself!

This episode first aired on May 10th, 2015.

We make video lessons to raise up confident Christians: https://educateforlife.org/

According to NOVA, 20 million Americans claim to have seen a UFO, and 4 million claim to have been abducted!  Are they all just liars (or insane)?  How can Bible-believing Christians make sense of these claims?  Kevin talks with Gary Bates, author of the Amazon best-seller Alien Intrusion: UFOs and the Evolution Connection.  Bates is also the CEO of Creation Ministries International, one of the world’s leading creationist organizations.

Kevin and Gary begin the discussion by talking about their own reasons for believing in creation over evolution, from the complex biological information in DNA, to the rapid formation of geologic strata through catastrophic events.  Gary explains how the modern belief in alien life forms owes its existence to evolutionary theory: if the universe is 14 billion years old, and unguided evolutionary processes produced intelligent life here on Earth, then surely intelligent life evolved in other parts of the universe as well.

But even if belief in aliens is based on faulty evolutionary assumptions, it is clear that the millions of people who claim to have encountered them are seeing and experiencing something.  And what’s more, throughout history there have been records of humans having interactions with otherworldly beings acknowledged by the culture of their day (such as faeries in the 1800s).  Could it be that these sorts of encounters are actually instances of spiritual warfare, and that spiritual forces are now using “aliens” to infiltrate today’s scientific culture?  Alien researchers provided further support for this perspective when they identified one particular group of people that seems to be immune to alien abduction: born-again Christians.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” —Ephesians 6:12

This episode first aired on May 3rd, 2015.

We make video lessons to raise up confident Christians: https://educateforlife.org/

Kevin talks with Dawn Stefanowicz, who shares her story of growing up in Canada with heavy exposure to the male homosexual lifestyle.  When Dawn was still an infant, her father brought a homosexual partner to live in their home for the first time.  Throughout her childhood she was introduced to other young men involved with her father, including minors and some who later committed suicide.  Dawn was taken to places that no child should be exposed to, such as gay nude beaches and “sex shops.”  Dawn’s father died from AIDS in 1991, and his last living partner died from AIDS in 1996.

Dawn was not comfortable with what she saw and experienced, but felt that she had no voice to speak her concerns until her late 20s.  It was at this point in her life that she found healing through Christian counseling, and realized that she should speak out.  She began to testify about the homosexual lifestyle in court cases regarding issues such as hate crime legislation, and wrote a book about her childhood.  Since going public with her story, Dawn has been contacted by dozens of others raised by a homosexual parent and has found that her own experience was not unique.

Kevin and Dawn discuss many key issues in the current debate over sexuality, such as gender identity formation, transgenderism, same-sex marriage, freedom of speech/”hate speech”, and same-sex parenting.  They consider how the church can offer love and support to those who struggle with their sexuality, while also upholding the ideal pattern that God has provided for human relationships and families.

“So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.” —Romans 7:21

This episode first aired on April 26th, 2015.

We make video lessons to raise up confident Christians: https://educateforlife.org/

What, if anything, does the Bible have to say about homosexuality?

On April 28th, the Supreme Court will hear arguments regarding the ability of individual states to prohibit same-sex marriage.  It may surprise you to learn that until 1961, long before the possibility of legally-recognized homosexual marriage was imagined, homosexual practice was prohibited by law in every state.  And it was not until 2003 that the Supreme Court struck down all laws against homosexuality nationwide.

Needless to say, American’s views on homosexuality are rapidly changing.  While a few decades ago it was only considered acceptable by a small minority, it is becoming the case that any negative view of homosexuality is equated with racism.  This cultural climate puts biblically-based Christians in a tough position.  Does the Bible really teach that homosexuality is wrong, and if so, why?  Is it just some outdated, arbitrary rule (like “don’t wear a garment made of two different fabrics”), or are there valid reasons why God would warn mankind against this lifestyle?  In this episode Kevin takes a look at both Old and New Testament verses that deal with this issue.  He also shares statistical data that discredit the popular idea that the homosexual lifestyle holds no dangers—data our culture chooses to suppress in the name of “tolerance” rather than face head-on.

“Then he said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.'” –Mark 2:27

This episode first aired on April 19th, 2015.

We make video lessons to raise up confident Christians: https://educateforlife.org/

Kevin talks with humanitarian Mark Arabo, who has been working tirelessly to garner US support for the Chaldean Christian community as they face the threat of ISIS. Arabo tells the sad tale of 150,000 displaced Christians (including 90,000 children), driven from their homes by violence.  They have been forced to live in the desert without basic necessities, and last year over 12,500 people died in these conditions.

The Chaldeans are the oldest group of Christians, their heritage going all the way back to the patriarch Abraham (from Ur of the Chaldeans).  They have long practiced Catholicism, refusing to give up their faith despite being surrounded by hostile Islamic groups.  With the rise of ISIS they face a greater threat than ever before, and they are in desperate need of support from the global Christian community.

Arabo discusses what has already been accomplished to put an end to this ongoing genocide, and the great amount of work that still needs to be done.  Visit his website, EndTheGenocide.com, to find out what you can do to help your brothers in Christ.

"If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them." –James 4:17

This episode first aired on April 12th, 2015.

We make video lessons to raise up confident Christians: https://educateforlife.org/

Kevin continues the discussion on the resurrection of Jesus, this time with two guests from opposing positions: Christian apologist Dr. Sean McDowell and atheist Sean Taylor.

Sean McDowell grew up in the home of eminent Christian apologist and author Joshua McDowell.  As a young adult, he began to explore religious questions for himself to come to his own answer.  He is currently a professor at Biola University.  Sean Taylor grew up in a non-religious home, and despite extensive exposure to Christian and Mormon ideas as a young man, never came to believe in any god.  He currently identifies as an atheist but has not done any personal research into the life of Jesus Christ.

Kevin moderates as Taylor states his concerns about the biblical account, and Dr. McDowell answers with historical evidence.  They discuss issues from the variations in gospel accounts to the reliability of Jesus’ reported appearances.  Even if it is established that Jesus was real, is there any way of connecting the historical person to the supernatural claims? As Dr. McDowell shows, the evidence says yes.

This episode first aired on April 5th, 2015.

We make video lessons to raise up confident Christians: https://educateforlife.org/

How is it that one man—who possessed no political power, conquered no cities, and was publicly executed as a criminal—founded the largest and most persistent movement the world has ever seen?  It all goes back to what happened on one fateful day: Easter Sunday.  This week Kevin talks to Dr. Clay Jones, professor of Christian Apologetics at Biola University.

Having grown up with an atheist father and an occultist mother, Dr. Jones knows well that religious beliefs cannot just be based on feelings.  All religions make truth claims, and it is important to evaluate such claims in light of actual facts.  Can the resurrection of Jesus Christ hold up to such an evaluation?  What about the people who say that Jesus never even existed?  Isn’t it more likely that the disciples hallucinated about seeing the risen Jesus than it is that he actually raised?  Kevin and Dr. Jones answer these questions and others using historical data.

“And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” –1 Corinthians 15:14 (NIV)

This episode first aired on March 29th, 2015.

We make video lessons to raise up confident Christians: https://educateforlife.org/

Kevin talks to astrophysicist Dr. Jason Lisle, not just about evidence for biblical creation, but about the even more foundational issue of worldview.  Dr. Lisle explains that those who reject God have a bigger problem than evidence: they don't even have a viable framework in which to interpret evidence correctly. All of the knowledge modern people take for granted, from the laws of logic to the advances of science, are based on assumptions that are only valid in a theistic universe: that all of reality is consistent, that the future will be like the past, etc.

Dr. Lisle admits that all people, himself included, have problems to deal with in their worldview—but having good reasons for the worldview itself is key. In the final segment, Kevin and Dr. Lisle talk about specific evidence that fits within the worldview of biblical creation, but cannot be reconciled with the prevailing secular view: from the decay of Earth's magnetic field to the moon's increasing distance from the earth, to the faint young sun paradox.

This episode first aired on March 22nd, 2015.

We make video lessons to raise up confident Christians: https://educateforlife.org/