Many people think the Bible is just a collection of unrelated stories or religious rules. But the Bible actually tells one unified story written over more than 1,500 years by over 40 authors.

In this episode of Practical Apologetics, we walk through the big picture of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. We examine the four major movements of the biblical narrative: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration.

Understanding this story helps explain the purpose of humanity, the problem of sin, and how Jesus fits at the center of the entire Bible.

Sources:

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2016.

Bartholomew, Craig G., and Michael W. Goheen. The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2004.

Roberts, Vaughan. God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002.

Goldsworthy, Graeme. According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002.

Geisler, Norman L., and Frank Turek. I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2004.

Scripture Referenced (ESV):

Genesis 1:1
Genesis 1:27
Genesis 3
Genesis 3:15
Genesis 12:3
Romans 3:23
Galatians 4:4–5
Revelation 21:5

Is Jesus just a good teacher… or is He God?

In this episode, we examine one of the most important questions in all of Christianity. If Jesus is not God, then Christianity falls apart. But if He is, then everything changes.

We walk through a cumulative case for the deity of Christ by examining the reliability of the New Testament, the claims and actions of Jesus, His acceptance of worship, and the resurrection as God’s validation of His identity.

Scripture Referenced (ESV)

• 1 Corinthians 15:3–4
• John 8:58–59
• Exodus 3:14
• John 10:30–33
• Mark 2:5–11
• Matthew 14:33
• Matthew 28:9
• John 9:38
• Romans 1:4
• Romans 3:23
• 1 Timothy 2:5
• John 1:3

Sources

• The Bible (ESV)
• Reasonable Faith – William Lane Craig
• I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist – Norman Geisler & Frank Turek
• The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus – Gary Habermas & Michael Licona
• The Historical Reliability of the Gospels – Craig Blomberg
• The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? – F. F. Bruce
• The Case for Christ – Lee Strobel
• Mere Christianity – C.S. Lewis

Christians claim Jesus is the promised Messiah foretold in the Old Testament. But is that claim supported by evidence?

In this episode of Practical Apologetics, we examine the biblical and historical case that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah. We look at Old Testament messianic expectations, specific prophecies Christians believe Jesus fulfilled, Jesus’s own claims about his identity, and the role the resurrection plays in confirming those claims. We also examine the well-known probability illustration from Peter Stoner’s book Science Speaks that highlights how unlikely it would be for one person to fulfill multiple messianic prophecies by chance.

Sources referenced in this episode include:

Evidence That Demands a Verdict – Josh McDowell & Sean McDowell
The Case for Christ – Lee Strobel
Handbook of Christian Apologetics – Peter Kreeft & Ronald Tacelli
Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics – William Lane Craig
Science Speaks – Peter W. Stoner
Hard Sayings of the Bible – Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Peter H. Davids, F. F. Bruce, and Manfred T. Brauch
Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus, Volume 3: Messianic Prophecy – Michael L. Brown

All biblical quotations are taken from the English Standard Version (ESV).

Did Jesus really rise from the dead?

The resurrection of Jesus is the central claim of Christianity. The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:17 that if Christ has not been raised, the Christian faith is futile. Everything rises or falls on this single historical question.

In this episode, we examine the historical evidence surrounding the death of Jesus and the rise of the early Christian movement. Using the same methods historians apply to other ancient events, we look at several widely accepted historical facts: Jesus’ crucifixion, the empty tomb, the reported appearances of the risen Jesus, the transformation of the disciples, and the dramatic conversions of skeptics like Paul and James.

We also evaluate common alternative explanations such as the conspiracy theory, hallucination theory, swoon theory, and the idea that the resurrection developed as legend.

When all the historical evidence is considered together, which explanation best accounts for the facts?

Sources referenced in this episode include:

William Lane Craig – On Guard
William Lane Craig – Reasonable Faith
Josh McDowell & Sean McDowell – Evidence That Demands a Verdict
Lee Strobel – The Case for Christ
Peter Kreeft & Ronald Tacelli – Handbook of Christian Apologetics
Gary Habermas & Michael Licona – The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus

All biblical references are from the English Standard Version (ESV).

Did Jesus of Nazareth actually exist?

Before asking whether Jesus was God, performed miracles, or rose from the dead, we have to answer a simpler question: Was Jesus a real historical person?

In this episode, we examine the historical evidence for the existence of Jesus using the same standards historians apply to other ancient figures. We look at ancient non-Christian sources such as Tacitus, Josephus, Pliny the Younger, and Lucian of Samosata, along with the early writings of the Apostle Paul.

We also consider the consensus of modern historians and scholars across ideological lines, including Bart D. Ehrman, James D. G. Dunn, Rudolf Bultmann, E. P. Sanders, Michael Grant, and Maurice Casey.

When the ordinary standards of ancient history are applied consistently, the conclusion is clear: the existence of Jesus of Nazareth is beyond reasonable dispute.

Sources referenced in this episode include:

Ancient sources -

Annals by Tacitus, Book 15, Chapter 44.

Antiquities of the Jews by Josephus, Book 20, Section 200, and Book 18, Sections 63–64.

Letters by Pliny the Younger, Book 10, Letter 96.

The Death of Peregrinus by Lucian of Samosata.

From modern scholars -

Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth by Bart D. Ehrman.

Jesus and the Word by Rudolf Bultmann.

The Historical Figure of Jesus by E. P. Sanders.

Jesus: An Historian’s Review of the Gospels by Michael Grant.

Jesus: Evidence and Argument or Mythicist Myths? by Maurice Casey.

Is the Bible historically reliable, or is it just a collection of myths and legends?

In this episode of Practical Apologetics, we examine the historical credibility of the Bible through three key areas:

• Archaeological evidence
• Textual preservation
• Internal unity

We look at discoveries such as the Tel Dan Inscription referencing the “House of David,” the Nabonidus Cylinders confirming Belshazzar in Daniel 5, the Pilate Inscription, the Pool of Bethesda, and the manuscript evidence of the Dead Sea Scrolls and New Testament documents.

Rather than assuming inspiration, we ask a historical question:
Does the evidence support the Bible’s reliability?

Sources referenced in this episode include:

• F.F. Bruce — The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?
• Josh McDowell & Sean McDowell — Evidence That Demands a Verdict
• William Lane Craig — Reasonable Faith
• Norman Geisler & Frank Turek — I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist
• Daniel B. Wallace — New Testament manuscript scholarship

Next Episode:
Did Jesus of Nazareth really exist?

Remember, faith isn’t believing without evidence.
It’s trusting where the evidence leads.

In Part 2 of our series asking “Is God Real?”, we move from philosophy to science.

Does modern physics support the idea of a Creator?

Is the universe fine-tuned for life?

Can chemistry alone explain the origin of biological information?

We examine cosmology, the precision of the physical constants, the origin of life, and the structure of DNA. We also look at why the laws of nature are mathematically intelligible and what that suggests about the source of reality.

Belief in God isn’t a blind leap.

It’s a reasonable conclusion based on the structure of the universe and the nature of life itself.

Sources used in this episode are listed below.

And remember, faith isn’t believing without evidence. It’s trusting where the evidence leads.

Sources:

• William Lane Craig – Reasonable Faith
• Norman Geisler & Frank Turek – I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist
• Josh McDowell & Sean McDowell – Evidence That Demands a Verdict
• Lee Strobel – The Case for Christ
• Frank Morison – Who Moved the Stone

Is God real?

Before we ask whether Christianity is true… before we examine the reliability of the Bible… before we look at the resurrection of Jesus… we have to answer a more basic question:

Does God exist at all?

In Part 1 of this two-part series, we examine the philosophical case for God’s existence. We focus on two foundational arguments:

• The argument from the beginning of the universe
• The argument from objective morality

Does the universe require a cause?
Can something come from nothing?
If real moral right and wrong exist, what grounds them?

This episode does not assume the Bible is true. It asks what reason itself tells us about reality.

Belief in God isn’t a blind leap. It’s a reasonable conclusion drawn from the world around us and the moral awareness within us.

Join us as we begin answering the most important question this podcast will ever address.

Sources Referenced:
William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith

Contemporary defenses of the Kalam Cosmological Argument

Philosophical discussions on objective moral values and moral grounding

Is Christianity just blind faith?
Can we really trust the Bible?
Is God actually real?

Practical Apologetics exists to answer these questions clearly and confidently.

In this introductory episode, Kenneth Willis shares his story and the reason behind launching this podcast: to equip everyday Christians with thoughtful, biblical answers to the most important questions of life.

Each episode will focus on one question and build from there. Join us while we answer the questions that everyone, Christian or not, has asked at one time or another.