May 05, 2020

Josh Chatraw: Apologetics at the Cross + "Word on a Wing" (David Bowie)

52 minutes

Apologetics scholar Josh Chatraw joins your intrepid cohosts this week to talk about cross-centered apologetics, Augustine of Hippo, and what it takes to hang out with Tim Keller. Josh is the coauthor of several books, including Truth in a Culture of Doubt from B&H Academic. Along the way, Josh makes the mistake of revealing his longstanding affection for pseudo-saxophonist Kenny G, apparently unaware that Kenny G is Timothy’s least favorite musician. The ensuing kerfuffle threatens to eliminate Josh from the podcast. In the end, a reference to the Dave Matthews Band intervenes and saves the day.

Davy Jones—no relation to Timothy, by the way, because British rock stardom is nowhere to be found in any branch of Timothy’s family tree—is the focus of the second half of this week’s podcast. But, of course, you don’t know him as Davy Jones; you know him as David Bowie—and as Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, and the Thin White Duke. Garrick also remembers him as the goblin king in the movie Labyrinth, but Timothy and Garrick end up having very different opinions about this particular film. (Also, why hasn’t there ever been a heavy metal band named “Labyrinth”?) In 1975, while recording his album Station to Station, David Bowie seriously considered Christianity. His song “Word on a Wing” encapsulates some of his spiritual struggles during this time. So what was it, from a human perspective, that kept Bowie from turning to Christ? That’s the question that Garrick and Timothy consider this week. Before the segment is over, you’ll also learn about Garrick’s odd fixation on Portuguese renditions of David Bowie’s songs and Timothy’s surreptitious purchase of stone-washed jeans when he was seventeen.

This week’s Toy Box Hero Tournament is the toughest yet (but, then again, this is only the second one). A Lego AT-AT owned by Garrick’s son levels its blasters at a wizard bearing Hermione Granger’s wand—or, more precisely, an overpriced replica thereof, purchased at Universal Studios because, once in a while, Timothy does actually give in to his children. So which one of these two toys will win? Find out in this week’s episode of Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast!

This Week’s Guest

Joshua Chatraw is the director of New City Fellows at the Center for Public Christianity and resident theologian at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. Some of his books include Apologetics at the Cross (co-authored with Mark Allen) and Truth in a Culture of Doubt (co-authored with Andreas Köstenberger and Darrell Bock). You can find out more about Josh and the Center for Public Christianity at https://centerforpublicchristianity.org/.

Links to Click

B and H Academic

Truth in a Culture of Doubt: book by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw

Apologetics at the Cross: book by Josh Chatraw and Mark Allen

The City of God: book by Augustine

The History of Apologetics (June 2020): book by Benjamin Forrest, Josh Chatraw, and Alister McGrath

Telling a Better Story: book by Josh Chatraw

Labyrinth (1986 Film)

Word on a Wing: song by David Bowie

Ziggy Stardust: song by David Bowie

Space Oddity: song by David Bowie

Bus Stop: song by David Bowie and Tin Machine

God Knows I'm Good: song by David Bowie

Lazarus: song by David Bowie

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Urban Ministry Podcast

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The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

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By Timothy Paul Jones and Garrick Bailey

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