The Wise Fool

The Wise Fool

By Caleb BrakeReligion & SpiritualityChristianity
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The Wise Fool episodes

  • Christians, Stop Talking About Muslims This Way

    Muslims are not our enemies. Two influential pastors, Josh Howerton and Philip Anthony Mitchell, describe Muslims moving to America as an invasion, an infiltration and a takeover. I agree with a lot of their theology. My concern is what that language teaches Christians to feel about the Muslim family down the street, and whether it matches how the New Testament tells us to treat people who are not in Christ.To be fair to them: both say Christians should love Muslims as individuals and share the gospel with them, and I play those clips too. This is a disagreement about method and motivation, not about whether Islam is true.THE ARGUMENT IN SHORT• Paul says our struggle is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). No fellow human is our enemy, and the forces at work in "the sons of disobedience" work in everyone outside Christ, not just Muslims. We were once there too (Ephesians 2:1-3).• Jesus says to love the people who treat you as an enemy. On the cross he prayed, "Father, forgive them."• Paul motivates by the mercies of God and the love of Christ (Romans 12:1; 2 Corinthians 5:14), not by fear of a takeover.• Suffering for the faith is the New Testament norm. Comfort for our kids and grandkids was never the promise (1 Peter 3:14-16).• Paul changed culture one heart at a time. He never campaigned to outlaw slavery, yet he sent Onesimus back to Philemon as a brother.• Muslims moving here may be the greatest evangelistic opportunity of our lifetime. The answer is hospitality, philoxenia: love of strangers.CHAPTERS0:00 Christians, Muslims are not our enemies3:21 Their case, at its strongest4:54 What I concede5:42 Who is our enemy?8:54 How does God treat his enemies?10:49 Fear is the wrong motivation13:08 Comfort was never the promise14:57 Suffering is the norm, not the exception17:11 What about politics?18:37 Paul never tried to outlaw slavery23:09 Gospel first, not "both-and"24:06 Where I agree with Josh and Philip24:54 Where I disagree26:06 Contending for the faith27:50 What are we protecting?28:50 What happened in Turkey33:02 What we should do instead34:49 Hospitality37:10 How we say it mattersCLIPS IN THIS VIDEO (used for commentary)• Live Free, "The Biggest THREAT to Christianity Is Happening RIGHT NOW (ft. Philip Anthony Mitchell)," September 23, 2026: https://youtu.be/zovqu2MINOA• Live Free, "An ISLAMIC Takeover is Coming...Here's what Christians Should Do," August 14, 2026: https://youtu.be/RWY9GPDqor8• Live Free, "What Christians MUST KNOW about Islam in America," October 27, 2025: https://youtu.be/2GuvtmbuEJA• Jesus People Podcast, "Philip Anthony Mitchell: Radical Islam, the Antichrist & Revelation," September 18, 2026: https://youtu.be/VV7vI6I-g2YTertullian quote: Apology 50.13.I'm Caleb Brake, ThM, and a PhD student in New Testament. This channel takes hard questions seriously: steel-man the strongest version first, concede what should be conceded, then make the case from the text. No shallow answers to deep questions.I'm critiquing pastors here, so I should be open to critique too. If I misrepresented Josh, Philip or the Scriptures anywhere, tell me in the comments.#NewTestament #Christianity #Islam #Muslims #Apologetics #Evangelism #Hospitality

    41 min
  • The One Thing Atheism Can't Explain

    Naturalism is self-refuting. If the physical world is all there is, then your reasoning is a byproduct of natural selection, and natural selection selects for what helps you survive, not for what is true. So the naturalist has no grounds for trusting the very reasoning he used to arrive at naturalism. He is sitting on a branch, sawing between himself and the trunk.


    This episode is largely a reflection on chapter three of C. S. Lewis, Miracles.


    It will not take you from atheism to Christianity, and it is not trying to. It is trying to do one thing: open the door to the possibility that something exists outside the physical world, so that the historical evidence for the resurrection gets a fair hearing instead of being ruled out before anyone reads it.


    I'm Caleb Brake, ThM, and a PhD student in New Testament. This channel takes the hardest objections to Christianity seriously: steel-man the strongest version first, concede what should be conceded, then make the case on the merits. No shallow answers to deep questions.


    If you were not convinced, leave a comment and tell me where it breaks.

    22 min
  • Are the Gospels Historically Reliable? EVERY Major Critique Debunked

    Hey everyone, I'm diving in to what I have personally found to be the most convincing arguments for the historical accuracy of the gospel accounts of Jesus's life.

    First, here are my sources I used to create this video. It's not everything I've read or watched on the topic, just stuff I consulted to make this video:
    Books (no particular order):
    Timothy Keller, The Reason for God
    Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses
    Craig Blomberg, The Historical Reliability of the Gospels
    Metzger and Ehrman, The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration, 4th ed.
    Bart Ehrman, Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why
    Bart Ehrman, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings
    Darrell Bock, Studying the Historical Jesus
    Robert Stein, Studying the Synoptic Gospels
    Videos (no particular order):
    Obviously in my video watching, I focused heavily on Ehrman's arguments for the New Testament's lack of trustworthiness. He's by far the biggest name in the field, and its biggest popular "critic," so I wanted to get a very good idea of the types of things he was saying in his debates.
    Ehrman vs. Wallace Debate: https://youtu.be/WRHjZCKRIu4?si=TGnaMMOKuOeeyymv
    Ehrman and Peter Williams Debate: https://youtu.be/foLI3KGbMnk?si=nWjXCIpqr9jmaeK_
    Ehrman and Robert Price Debate: https://youtu.be/GzjYmpwbHEA?si=JhFEK85CTq4rHEDI
    Ehrman and Licona Debate: https://youtu.be/bTw8sGfuMOs?si=RQDkTjNH9apS_kbQ
    Ehrman solo presentation: https://youtu.be/AymnA526j9U?si=OE6AztK4JVf-4xiG
    So the question is, are the Gospels historically reliable?
    In this video, my goal isn’t to prove Christianity conclusively but to show that the gospels are "true enough" for you to decide for yourself who Jesus is.
    We’ll explore:
    - The historical trustworthiness of the gospel authors.
    - External evidence, like archaeology and corroborating documents.
    - Internal evidence, including “embarrassing” details and cultural context.
    - Why contradictions in the gospels might actually strengthen their reliability.
    - Early written sources and the reliability of oral tradition.
    I also discuss key questions like:
    - How do we determine trustworthiness in ancient texts?
    - Do contradictions disprove Christianity?
    - Can we trust the gospels to tell us about Jesus’ life and claims?
    Ultimately, this video is about showing you that you have the ability to decide. With a reasonable understanding of the evidence, you can decide for yourself what to make of Jesus.
    #Christianity #FaithAndReason #HistoricityoftheGospels00:00 Intro
    01:40 The Importance of Trustworthiness
    04:00 External Evidence for Historicity
    05:55 Internal Evidence | Criterion of Embarrassment
    10:08 Internal Evidence | 1st Century Theological Debates
    11:39 Contradictions and Trustworthiness
    13:45 Does a Single Contradiction Disprove Christianity?
    14:45 The Reasonableness of Inerrancy
    17:20 The Beauty and Usefulness of a Contradiction
    22:26 An Analogy for Gospel Contradictions
    24:23 Dates of Composition for the Gospels and Q
    26:54 Reasons the Disciples Had Hand-Written Notes
    31:51 Oral Tradition and the Telephone Game
    36:22 Evidence for Oral Tradition in the NT | Philippians 2:5-11
    38:13 Outro

    41 min
  • Is Jesus a Myth? | Is There Any Evidence for Jesus OUTSIDE the Bible?

    Is Jesus a man or a myth? We'll discuss that in this video! Subscribe and hit the bell icon to get notified when the second part of this two part series on "Can We Know the Real Jesus?" comes out!

    Here are the bibliographic references for every historian I mention in the video in order:
    1.Tacitus, Annals, Book 15 chapter 44.
    2. Suetonius, The Lives of the Caesars, chapter 25.
    3. Pliny the Young, Letter 96
    4. I got the quote of Thallus and Africanus from “The Extant Fragments of the Five Books of the Chronography of Julius Africanus” in The Ante-Nicene Fathers Book 6, pages 136–137.
    5. First Josephus quote: Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 20.200-203
    6. Second Josephus quote: Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 18.63-64
    Is Jesus just a myth? Or was he a real person who walked the earth and changed history? In this video, we tackle a hotly debated questions: the historical existence of Jesus. Using sources completely outside of the Bible—Roman historians, Jewish writers, and others—we uncover the evidence that proves Jesus was not only a real man but also someone whose teachings, death, and claims left an undeniable mark on history.
    From Tacitus and Suetonius to Josephus and beyond, these sources validate key events in Jesus’ life, from his crucifixion under Pontius Pilate to the early Christians' worship of him as God. What’s even more incredible? Jesus, a poor man from a small town in the Roman Empire, is better documented in ancient history than most Roman officials!
    By the end of this video, you’ll see why saying “Jesus is just a myth” is no longer an intellectually honest position. Whether you believe he’s the Son of God or not, the historical evidence leaves no room to deny that Jesus existed and profoundly influenced the world.
    Next Steps: Can we trust the writings about Jesus? Stay tuned for Part 2, where we dive into the historical accuracy of the Gospels.
    #Jesus #History #Christianity #HistoricalJesus #Skepticism #Faith

    22 min
  • Atheist Alex O'Connor Is Wrong About The Existence of God

    O'Connor's Video: https://youtu.be/Wu2hvtR5-5M?si=jFLk4HFhy74dvkRQ

    Religious Diversity Chart: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2014/04/04/global-religious-diversity/religious-diversity-4-png/
    Alex O'Connor ( @CosmicSkeptic ) is a sharp thinker, an articulate speaker, and someone who deeply engages with religious ideas. As a Christian, I find his arguments against the existence of God both challenging and worth exploring. In this video, I’ll respond to three main points from one of his opening statements:
    1. The Hiddenness of God – Why isn’t God more obvious to those who genuinely seek Him?
    2. The Geographical Spread of Religion – Does the global distribution of faith suggest religion is a cultural phenomenon rather than divine truth?
    3. The Problem of Grotesque Suffering – How can a loving God allow the extent of suffering we see, including among animals?
    While Alex believes atheism better accounts for these realities, I aim to show why Christianity not only addresses these challenges but provides deeper answers that resonate with both the mind and the heart.
    If you're curious about Alex’s full arguments, I’ve linked his video below for context. Let’s dive into these questions with intellectual honesty and a commitment to understanding.
    #Christianity #Atheism #CosmicSkeptic #HiddennessOfGod #Philosophy #Apologetics

    27 min
  • What is Christianity? And Why Should YOU Care?

    Before deciding on rejecting or accepting Christianity, do you actually know what its core teachings are? Whether you’ve grown up in church, rejected religion, or are just curious about spiritual ideas, understanding Christianity is crucial before deciding if it’s true or not. Too often, people reject or accept it without knowing what it's all about. In this video, we’ll break it down into four key statements:

    1️⃣ Christianity is about a person—Jesus Christ. He wasn’t just a good teacher or moral leader; Jesus claimed to be God in the flesh. That claim changes everything.
    2️⃣ Christianity is a way of life. It’s about more than beliefs; it’s about following Jesus’ example of love, forgiveness, and justice.
    3️⃣ Christianity is a religion. Like any religion, it makes big claims about the universe, purpose, and life itself—but with a unique message of redemption.
    4️⃣ Christianity is not a religion. Unlike other religions, it’s not about earning your way to God. It’s about grace: God coming to us through Jesus, offering forgiveness and hope freely.
    By the end of this video, you’ll understand the foundational claims of Christianity—and why they might be worth your attention.
    If you’re skeptical, I encourage you to explore these ideas fully before making up your mind. Questions like, “How can a good God allow suffering?” or “Did Jesus really rise from the dead?” deserve thoughtful answers—and we’ll dive into those in future videos.
    🔔 Subscribe to join me as we discuss life’s biggest questions about faith, philosophy, and spirituality.
    #ChristianityExplained #WhoIsJesus #FaithAndReason #WhatIsChristianity #ExploreFaith

    24 min

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