Unbelievable?

What does it take for life to get going in our universe?  Is there intelligence in the stars or right under our nose? Renowned astrophysicist Paul Davies chats to Oxford Professor of Mathematics John Lennox.

A popular science author, Davies’ book ‘The Eerie Silence’ examines the likelihood of the universe producing life elsewhere.

John Lennox is a Christian Mathematician and philosopher. He is the author of numerous books including ‘God's Undertaker: has science buried God?’ and has debated Richard Dawkins on several occasions.

Davies' work on the fine tuning of the universe for life has been sympathetic to theism. In this programme, Lennox challenges Davies to look to design not just in cosmology but in the cell. They also chat about what the discovery of extra-terrestrial life would mean for Christian theology. 

Originally broadcast on 17th April 2010.

For Paul Davies see http://cosmos.asu.edu/ 

For John Lennox see http://johnlennox.org/ 

For Unbelievable? The Conference 2021 http://www.unbelievable.live 

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TikTok star Zach Pincince lost his faith after developing a career in hypnotism and growing doubts about whether Jesus rose again. He engages with Christian evangelist and stage illusionist Bryan Drake on whether religious belief is down to our suggestibility and debates the evidence for the resurrection.

For Zach Pincince: https://www.tiktok.com/@zachpincince

For Bryan Drake: https://bryandrakeshow.com/

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Bishop Robert Barron of Word on Fire and Alex O'Connor of the Cosmic Skeptic channel discuss the evidence for God, the nature of faith and the problem of suffering in the first episode of The Big Conversation season 3.

For a bonus video of Bishop Barron and Alex O'Connor debating the Trinity sign up at http://www.thebigconversation.show

We'd love to know what you think of the conversation! Take our survey: https://survey-star.co.uk/thebigconversation1

The Big Conversation is a video series from Unbelievable? featuring world-class thinkers across the religious and non-religious community. Exploring science, faith, philosophy and what it means to be human. The Big Conversation is produced by Premier in partnership with John Templeton Foundation.

More Resources:

• For Bishop Barron https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcMjLgeWNwqL2LBGS-iPb1A

• For Cosmic Skeptic https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7kIy8fZavEni8Gzl8NLjOQ

• For Unbelievable? The Conference 2021 http://www.unbelievable.live

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• Rest of the World https://resources.premier.org.uk/supportunbelievable

• Our regular Newsletter https://www.premier.org.uk/Unbelievablenewsletter

• The Unbelievable? podcast http://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable

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In prominent atheist author Philip Pullman’s ‘The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ’, he re-imagines the story of Jesus as the story of two twins - one called Jesus, the other Christ. It is the twin Christ who writes the history of Jesus, turning him into the God-man of the Gospels.

Philip Pullman joins Justin Brierley to discuss whether we should believe the biblical stories of Jesus as historical fact or whether myth and invention are inevitable in the 2,000 year old Gospel accounts.

Christian journalist Martin Saunders engages Pullman on his view of the Church and his scepticism of the miraculous, while Bible Scholar Anthony McRoy challenges Pullman's view that the Gospels are the product of the mythologising and interpretation of its historical core. He particularly takes issue with Pullman's recasting of the resurrection as a fabricated trick to create the foundation of the future church.

For ‘The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ’ see http://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Jesus-Scoundrel-Christ-Myths/dp/1847678254  

For Unbelievable? The Conference 2021 http://www.unbelievable.live 

USA listeners check out our new USA website for exclusive resources and to support us: http://www.unbelievable.show 

Subscribe to our newsletter and receive the free Unbelievable? e-book ‘In Conversation With…’ https://www.premier.org.uk/Unbelievablenewsletter   

Support the show: https://resources.premier.org.uk/supportunbelievable    

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Former Christian youth worker, Logan Walker, shares some of the reasons for losing his faith. Evangelist Ben Jack from the Message Trust responds to some of Logan's doubts and provides some of his own thoughts on these difficult topics. 

• For Ben Jack’s book My Lord and My God https://shop.message.org.uk/product/my-lord-and-my-god-ben-jack/

• For Unbelievable? The Conference 2021 http://www.unbelievable.live 

How can natural evil and death that have existed for millions of years on an Old Earth view be reconciled to the view that the Fall brought these things into God's good world? Why does God answer some prayers and not others?  Does free will exist? American mathematician, professor of theology and author of The End Of Christianity, Bill Dembski engages with former Christian Norman Hansen.

For Dembski's blog see http://www.uncommondescent.com/ 

For Norman Hansen see http://www.nrhansen.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/ 

For Unbelievable? The Conference 2021 http://www.unbelievable.live 

USA listeners check out our new USA website for exclusive resources and to support us: http://www.unbelievable.show

Subscribe to our newsletter and receive the free Unbelievable? e-book ‘In Conversation With…’ https://www.premier.org.uk/Unbelievablenewsletter  

Support the show: https://resources.premier.org.uk/supportunbelievable   

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• For Alister’s tribute to John Polkinghorne https://www.premierchristianity.com/Blog/John-Polkinghorne-1930-2021-The-pre-eminent-voice-on-science-and-religion

• For Unbelievable? The Conference 2021 http://www.unbelievable.live 

This week we look at two different Christian views of Divorce and Remarriage.

Andrew Cornes is part of the clergy team at All Souls Eastbourne.  He holds to the traditional understanding that Jesus taught divorce is only permissible for adultery, and that the Bible forbids remarriage.

David Instone-Brewer is a New Testament scholar from Tyndale House Cambridge.  He believes the church has misunderstood Jesus teaching on divorce.  He claims that Jesus was responding to "any cause" divorce - a Rabbinical view of divorce popular at the time.

They debate the Biblical and pastoral issues involved.

For David Instone-Brewer’s book Divorce and Remarriage in the Church (Paternoster) Click here

For Andrew Cornes’ book Divorce and Remarriage: Biblical Principle and Pastoral Practise (Christian Focus) Click here

For Unbelievable? The Conference 2021 http://www.unbelievable.live

USA listeners check out our new USA website for exclusive resources and to support us: http://www.unbelievable.show

Subscribe to our newsletter and receive the free Unbelievable? e-book ‘In Conversation With…’ https://www.premier.org.uk/Unbelievablenewsletter  

Support the show: https://resources.premier.org.uk/supportunbelievable   

For more faith debates visit http://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/UnbelievableJB  

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• For Julia & ADF: http://www.protectfreespeech.uk  

• For Unbelievable? The Conference 2021 http://www.unbelievable.live 

Alister McGrath combines a background in science with a passion for theology and apologetics. Many of his books, including ‘The Dawkins Delusion’, his critique of Richard Dawkins and the New Atheism, have been bestsellers. In this wide-ranging interview McGrath shares his own journey of faith and why Christianity makes best sense of the world as he sees it. He addresses the way atheism is currently making its case, as well as fine tuning of the universe, the resurrection, heresy and much more besides!

Originally broadcast 14th November 2009.

For Alister McGrath's website visit http://users.ox.ac.uk/~mcgrath/ 

For Unbelievable? The Conference: http://www.unbelievable.live 

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Unbelievable? 12 Jul 2008 Gary Habermas - American Masters of Apologetics pt 1 American Masters of Apologetics Pt 1: Gary Habermas

Unbelievable? 19 Jul 2008 William Lane Craig - American Masters of Apologetics pt 2 American Masters of Apologetics Pt 2: William Lane Craig

USA listeners check out our new USA website for exclusive resources and to support us: http://www.unbelievable.show

Subscribe to our newsletter and receive the free Unbelievable? e-book ‘In Conversation With…’ https://www.premier.org.uk/Unbelievablenewsletter  

Support the show: https://resources.premier.org.uk/supportunbelievable   

For more faith debates visit http://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/UnbelievableJB  

Twitter https://twitter.com/unbelievablejb  

Insta https://www.instagram.com/justin.brierley