Mark Twain once wrote of the Bible, “It is full of interest. It has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blood-drenched history…” The interesting thing is that Christians often avoid that history: from the flooding of the earth to the destruction of Jericho, they read those “blood-drenched” parts of the narrative […]
Podcast-The Tentative Apologist
44. Travis Dumsday on the atheist’s duty to pray
Christians believe they have a duty to pray as evidenced in passages like Luke 18:1, Ephesians 6:18 and 1 Thessalonians 5:17. But surely that duty is limited to theists, isn’t it? Maybe not. In this episode of the podcast I sit down with philosopher Travis Dumsday to discuss his 2012 journal article “Why (Most) Atheists Have a […]
43. Can pedophiles be saved? A conversation with Scott Drennan
Over the last year we’ve tackled many topics on the Tentative Apologist Podcast from big bang cosmology to biblical interpretation. But no topic is as difficult or immediately gripping as the topic of this podcast. Today we are tackling the topic of pedophiles: their crimes … and their redemption. Redemption? To many, talk of redeeming and restoring these […]
42. Peter Enns on Inerrancy and the Bible
At the beginning of his book Misquoting Jesus, Bart Ehrman tells the story of his conversion to conservative Christianity as a young man. And then he relays how, over the next several years, his faith in the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible was gradually taken apart as he confronted the full range of human […]
41. Robin Parry on Universal Salvation
The Christian story has one simple, beautiful and extraordinarily powerful claim: despite all the evil, suffering, and pain that grips this creation, the good catches up. That promise is found in the very prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray: thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. And […]
40. Oliver Crisp on the God of the Philosophers and the God of the Bible
The day was November 23, 1654, when Blaise Pascal, philosopher, mathematician, public intellectual, and one of the great minds of western history, experienced his conversion. He wrote a summary of that conversion which he sewed into the lining of his jacket to keep it ever close to his heart. The account begins: “From about half-past […]
39. Matthew Flannagan on God, ethics, and divine commands
Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” Genesis 22:1-2. People of faith have wrestled with the ethics of the […]
38. Justin Schieber on atheism and theism
The question of God’s existence is arguably the most important of all philosophical questions. God is, by definition, that being than which none greater could be conceived. So it is little surprise that the question of whether that being exists has been considered a topic of supreme importance in the history of thought. Set against […]
37. Mark Roncace on Raw Revelation
Christians believe the Bible is God’s revelation to humanity. As we read in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness”. There certainly are passages of the Bible that invoke in the reader a sense of inspiring, and perhaps even inspired, literature. One thinks, for example, of […]
36. David Goa on Religion in the Public Square
For its first three centuries, Christianity existed on the margins of Roman society. Then an event unfolded, the repercussions of which would echo down through history. Constantine, contender for the throne of the western empire, placed the Christian labarum on the shields of his soldiers and subsequently defeated his opponent Maxentius in October, 312. Having […]
35. Kevin Miller on The Chicken Manure Incident
“Hospitality.” The word is derived from a Latin root denoting friendliness to guests. It is the making of space for the stranger, the warm welcome of the outsider. The call to hospitality is at the very center of the Christian life. Indeed, it is so important to Christian ethics that Jesus points to the demonstration of […]
34. Wes Olmstead on the Sermon on the Mount
John Stott opens his book The Message of the Sermon on the Mount by observing, “The Sermon on the Mount is probably the best-known part of the teaching of Jesus, though arguably it is the least understood, and certainly it is the least obeyed.” Countless people have found themselves inexorably drawn to this profound teaching, […]
33. Paul Copan on Apologetics
“Always be prepared,” Saint Peter said, “to give a reason for the hope that lies within.” (1 Peter 3:15) Christians refer to the pursuit and articulation of such reasons for faith as apologetics. Given that Peter commended the pursuit of apologetics, you might think that Christians would be enthusiastic about the discipline. But for many the reception is […]
32. Fred Sanders on the Trinity
Back in the 1960s theologian Karl Rahner famously lamented the fact that Christians are “almost mere monotheists”. Rahner’s lament reflects the observation that the Trinitarian confession at the heart of Christian faith is often not evident in the life of the Church. Sadly, I fear that Rahner’s concern still rings true today. To be sure, one […]
