For decades historical Jesus scholars assumed the birth stories in the Gospels (Matthew 1 & 2 and Luke 1 & 2) were not historical accounts; but they were legends or myths. Case Closed.

Not so fast. Caleb Friedeman is reopening the cold case and asking the right kinds of questions. Not just of the Gospels, but of other kinds of ancient biographies. The kinds you read in Suetonius, Philo, and Plutarch, just to name a few. Did they intend to write history? Or not? How can you tell? This is part one of a two-part conversation.

Here is a link to the transcript of this episode.

Listen to more great episodes of The Stone Chapel Podcast.

Email us at [email protected]

The Stone Chapel Podcast is part of the Church Leaders Podcast Network.

For Caleb's book: Gospel Birth Narratives and Historiography: Reopening a Closed Case

Nicole Martin is coming to lecture at the Lanier Theological Library February 27—March 1, 2026. She is the newly appointed CEO and president of Christianity Today.

Dr. Martin is a marvelous leader and influencer. She's written a number of books on leadership. We discuss one of her recent books, Nailing It: Why Successful Leadership Demands Suffering and Surrender (InterVarsity, 2025).

Get the book here. Nailing It: Why Successful Leadership Demands Suffering and Surrender

Watch the video version of this podcast on our YouTube channel.

Here is the transcript for today's episode.

Listen to many more episodes of The Stone Chapel Podcast here.

The Stone Chapel Podcast is part of the Church Leaders Podcast Network.

Email us at [email protected].

Starting a seminary in Jerusalem has been no easy task with the Covid-pandemic and the war in Gaza since 2022. But somehow, providentially, it is not only surviving in Jerusalem, it is thriving.

You can study in Jerusalem with some gifted and committed teachers. Earn a certificate or a MA in Biblical Studies. Jerusalem Seminary's president, Baruch Kvasnika, joins David Capes to talk about the inspiration for this new work and how it has developed. Is this the place for you to learn Hebrew, Greek or the Bible?

For more information go to jerusalemseminary.org

You can here more amazing episodes of The Stone Chapel Podcast here.

Here is the transcript for this episode.

Email us at [email protected]

The Stone Chapel Podcast is part of the Church Leaders Podcast Network.

Dr. Obi is Secretary General of the Association of Evangelicals in Africa, AEA. His organization represents 380 million evangelicals and Pentecostals in Africa. There are more Christians in Africa than people in the United States.

In this podcast David Capes talks with Master Obi about "the Africa God Wants." Africa has been changed by the gospel yet there is so much work to do. There is also the constant threat of persecution in many nations. If you ever wanted to pray for Africa, this podcast will tell you how. To learn more, go to https://aeafrica.org/

You can find a transcript of this episode here.

Listen to more great episodes of The Stone Chapel Podcast.

The Stone Chapel Podcast is part of the ChurchLeaders podcast network.

Email us at [email protected]

Lyndon Drake, a research fellow at the University of Oxford, joins David Capes on The Stone Chapel Podcast to talk about his upcoming lecture at Lanier Theological Library in Houston. Dr. Drake has two doctorates: one in Artificial Intelligence; and another in Theology. He brings his expertise to the question of how our tech tools shape us. There is a lot of talk these days about AI. This is talk that makes sense.

Here's a transcript of this episode.

Listen to more great episodes here.

Here are two videos from Lydon Drake's weekend at the Lanier Theological Library.

AI and The Christian Life with Lyndon Drake, Gretchen Huizinga, and Toby Kurth. AI, Theology, and Human Formation: How Our Tools Should Shape Us with Lyndon Drake

The Stone Chapel Podcast is part of the ChurchLeaders Podcast Network.

Email us at [email protected]

Many people today are on a journey of deconstruction, that is, deconstructing their faith because of doubts, injury, or some other issue. Often, deconstruction comes in a college classroom when a university professor endeavors to help his/her students shed their unreasonable beliefs.

Melissa Cain Travis joins David Capes on The Stone Chapel Podcast to discuss the philosophy behind deconstruction and to help people begin reconstructing. She has a new book coming out you will want to read!

Here's the transcript for this episode.

You can listen to more interesting episodes here.

Email us at [email protected]

The Stone Chapel Podcast is part of the Church Leaders Podcast Network.

Jesus is often depicted as a prophet who is replacing Moses' law with his own, distinct law. In his book Jesus and the Law of Moses: The Gospels and The Restoration of Israel Within First Century Judaism, Paul Sloan challenges that portrayal for another that places Jesus at the heart of Judaism.

He joins David Capes on The Stone Chapel Podcast to discuss his book and to make the case that we have not often taken seriously the prophetic notion that God promises to restore his people. For Sloan Jesus becomes the "herald" of that good news: "Our God reigns."

Click here for a transcript of this episode.

You can listen to more amazing episodes here.

Email us at [email protected]

Here is a link to Dr. Sloans book. Paul Sloan, Jesus and the Law of Moses: The Gospels and The Restoration of Israel Within First Century Judaism (Baker Academic, 2025.

The Stone Chapel Podcast is part of the ChurchLeaders Podcast Network.

Horror Movies. What do you think about them? Do you love them? Do you hate them? Well, you're not alone. Horror movies are the most divisive genre of film.

Dr. Phil Tallon and his co-writer, Cameron McAllister, are writing a book on horror movies and how they can save your soul. How could that be? What do horror movies do that might be "good" for the soul. Well, listen and see what you think.

Listen to even more great episodes of The Stone Chapel Podcast.

Here's the transcript from today's episode.

The Stone Chapel Podcast is part of the ChurchLeaders Podcast Network.

Dr Christopher Hays returns with how Scholar Leaders is addressing sexual abuse in churches and seminaries and the challenge of getting good digital resources into the hands of majority world scholars, pastors, and church leaders. We cannot believe how generous the publishers are!

To learn more, go to the website for Scholar Leaders: https://www.scholarleaders.org/

Be sure to listen to part one of Dr. Capes's conversation with Dr. Hays here:

Here is the transcript from today's episode.

Listen to more episodes of The Stone Chapel Podcast.

The Stone Chapel Podcast is part of the ChurchLeaders Podcast Network.

Russian bombs started falling on Ukraine in February 2022. Christopher Hays and his organization, ScholarLeaders, were on the ground in Ukraine to help the refugees of war and to be the best friend majority world scholars and leaders in Ukraine could have.

Dr. Hays stops by to talk with David Capes on the Stone Chapel Podcast about how Christian churches and schools have managed the last 3 years. Some might ask: why is it so important to carry on with higher education when a war is raging? C.S. Lewis had an answer to that question a the beginning of WW 2. Listen closely and you will hear why.

Here is a transcript from today's episode.

Listen to more amazing episodes of The Stone Chapel Podcast.

Here's Christopher Hays speaking about 8 million exiles in Columbia.

The Stone Chapel Podcast is a part of The Church Leaders Podcast Network.