I think this is my eleventh appearance on “Unbelievable” with Justin Brierley. It was also one of the most enjoyable and lively debates in which I’ve had the privilege to participate. ?
Justin Brierley
Are Progressive Christians Christian? My Debate with Doug Groothuis
I was really grateful for Doug Groothuis’s willingness to debate the topic of progressive Christianity with me on Unbelievable though I was admittedly disappointed (but not surprised) that he declined to defend Alisa Childers’ thesis that progressive Christianity is another religion. ?
Antinatalism: A Rebuttal
This week’s edition of “Unbelievable” features a debate/dialogue on antinatalism between anti-natalist philosopher David Benatar and Christian philosopher Bruce Blackshaw. Benatar is the world’s leading philosophical defender of antinatalism, a philosophical position that attributes a negative value to the origin of new human life. Thus, on the antinatalist perspective, it would be better, all things […]
Don’t Be Meme! A Friendly Debate and Dialogue
My latest (ninth) appearance on Unbelievable, the premier (pun-intended) apologetics radio show and podcast (hosted, as ever, by the ever-affable Justin Brierley) went live today. This time out, I have a friendly debate and dialogue with David Smalley. Smalley is the host of Dogma Debate, a radio and podcast show similar to Unbelievable except that Smalley […]
Some Thoughts on the Bennett/Lee Dialogue on Gay Christianity
These brief ruminations are offered in response to the latest episode of Unbelievable featuring a dialogue between David Bennett and Justin Lee. Bennett and Lee are both gay, but Bennett insists that celibacy is the only morally acceptable option for the gay Christian while Lee insists that the gay Christian can pursue monogamous samesex relationships. […]
Blind Faith: All the Way Down. A Review of one Chapter in Still Unbelievable.
Over the last few days, I’ve spent some time interacting with comments on the recent episode of “Unbelievable” (for which I was one of the guests) debating Justin Brierley’s book Unbelievable and the atheist/skeptic response titled Still Unbelievable. Some of the contributors to Still Unbelievable were frustrated that I took the time to quote several passages to highlight the book’s […]
Addressing some Unbelievable Fallout
“Fallout” may be too strong, but there definitely is some dissatisfaction being voiced from the atheist guests — David and Andrew — on our recent appearance on Unbelievable. While I heard complaints from David and Andrew after the show was recorded, a fuller picture is provided by a long comment that David posted just today […]
Defending Unbelievable: Brierley and Rauser vs. Johnson and Knight
Last year, Justin Brierley published his book Unbelievable? Why After Ten Years of Talking With Atheists, I’m Still a Christian. At the time, I was invited to give the book an endorsement. I wrote the following: “Over the last decade, I’ve come to recognize “Unbelievable” with Justin Brierley as a show of unparalleled quality. Week by week Brierley facilitates […]
An Unbelievable Illustration of My Problem with Christian Apologetics
I have some significant frustrations with popular Christian apologetics. Perhaps my greatest problem is that Christian apologists often prefer answers that simplify to the point of distortion. Whatever attraction those kinds of answers may have in buoying confidence and rallying the base, they ultimately inhibit Christians from maturing in the faith. A clear example of […]
Can Evangelicalism Be Saved? My Debate with Frank Schaeffer
Last week I appeared again on Unbelievable with Justin Brierley. This time the debate was with renowned author and commentator Frank Schaeffer, son of evangelical legend Francis Schaeffer. The topic? Evangelicalism, and specifically whether evangelicalism is worth saving in the age of Trump. Schaeffer argues that it isn’t while I provide an evangelical defence. I […]
1 Samuel 15 and Paul Copan’s Middling Compromise
This week “Unbelievable” featured Part 2 of an exchange between Paul Copan and Greg Boyd on Boyd’s new book The Crucifixion of the Warrior God. In Part 2, Justin Brierley and his two guests focus in on particular biblical texts to see how each position deals with the text in question. The first major text under discussion is 1 […]
The Violent God Debate: An Unbelievable Review
This week’s episode of Unbelievable features a debate between Paul Copan and Greg Boyd regarding Boyd’s new book The Crucifixion of the Warrior God. I will not be rehearsing the various arguments here, so I definitely advise you take the time to listen to this excellent exchange (the first of two rounds). Instead, I will offer […]
Debriefing the Mormon vs. Christian Debate on Unbelievable
The November 25th show of “Unbelievable” featured a conversational debate between two former Mormons-turned-Christians (Lynn Wilder and Corey Miller) and current Mormon James Holt. While Holt was an amiable bloke, I did not find that he had substantive criticisms to Wilder’s objections. For example, Wilder pointed out that Joseph Smith was an infamous polygamist who […]
Alvin Plantinga’s Surprisingly Deflationary Take on his own Ontological Argument
Living legend Alvin Plantinga was recently a guest on Unbelievable with Justin Brierley. The show was classic Plantinga — clear analysis, dry wit, admirable humility — and surveyed some of the highlights of his impressive career including warrant, proper basicality and Christian belief, the evolutionary argument against naturalism, and the ontological argument. The last choice […]
