Apologetics315 Interviews

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross first review their first impressions of J. Warner Wallace’s new book, Person of Interest. Chad then presents an argument that disagreeing with homosexual behavior is not bigotry, but instead is rational and compassionate.We appreciate your feedback.If you have a question or comment for the podcast, record it and send it our way using www.speakpipe.com/Apologetics315 or you can email us at podcast@apologetics315.com

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross have a conversation with Erik Manning from the Testify YouTube channel about the power of testimonies and his initiative to interview his subscribers about their experiences.1:47 - Subscriber give-away announcement3:36 - Intro to Erik Manning for another visit to Ap3155:49 - About the channel and the subscriber testimonies12:07 - The impact and power of testimonies of miracles14:30 - The cumulative effect of lots of testimonies15:11 - Erik Manning’s interview with Dr. Craig Keener16:14 - Sign up for your testimony sharing HERE!18:06 - What sort of evidence are you looking for?23:09 - Brian suggests that Jesus agrees that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence28:28 - The difference between a claim and an event31:57 - Religiously charged contexts are important factors in looking at the evidence that a miracle has occurred33:39 - Where to find out more about Bayes Theorem35:46 - The difference between “minimal facts” and “maximal facts” and a discussion ab

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross have a conversation with Kurt Jaros about perspectives and possible answers to a listener question about original sin and God’s judgment of those who have not heard.0:22 - Chad asks Brian an important question3:57 - Intro to Kurt Jaros5:29 - Welcome to Kurt7:47 - How Kurt deals with stress & Chad’s suggestion9:46 - Listener email & question of the day10:40 - Kurt explores various views of those who have not heard the Gospel27:34 - What does the questioner mean by “sin nature”?30:57- Important distinctions about sin nature32:35 - What role does free will play?34:50 - Would it have been better not to have been created?40:51 - Looking at the question starting with God as a perfect judge45:24 - How can one adjust one’s view to make better sense of the issue?47:18 - The assumptions of the questionKurt Jaros’s resources…Kurt’s website: https://kurtjaros.com/Kurt on Twitter https://twitter.com/tkjarosWe appreciate your feedback.If you have a question or comment for

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview Dr. Phil Fernandes on the topic of apologetics as it relates to pastoring. Lots of insights and stories in this episode!2:08 - Recommended YouTube channel: Acts 17 Apologetics5:00 - Intro to Dr. Phil Fernandes6:38 - Phil’s background10:36 - A story of Phil being mistaken for Columbo?17:55 - Character among Christian apologists19:43 - Topics that need addressed in our current culture23:09 - Paranormal apologetics25:23 - Cultural apologetics29:39 - Karl Payne’s book on Spiritual Warfare32:53 - How do pastoring and apologetics relate to one another?41:32 - Advice to pastors on the need for apologetics51:39 - Advice for those doing apologetics; hard-earned lessons, advice for debates59:35 - What is question-bombing and how to address it1:02:59 - Resources and books by Dr. Phil Fernandeswww.philfernandes.orghttps://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B00IXX09Y8Sermon Audio:https://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?speakeronly=true&currsection=sermonsspeake

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview apologist Lenny Esposito on cultural apologetics, superhero movies, and ministry on the internet.0:36 - Introduction to Lenny Esposito2:47 - Apologetics and the dawn of the internet4:44 - Old school internet apologetics5:29 - Is Lenny related to famous hockey players?6:40 - Are there any resources still lacking for apologetics today?10:48 - Defining and describing cultural apologetics16:47 - Grounding common cultural values in the Christian worldview19:18 - Can we transition from cultural talking points to Christian truth?23:22 - How superhero movies illustrate cultural values26:00 - Symbiote Spider man and sin28:11 - Forrest Gump and gospel reliability31:40 - Chad is sad that Forrest Gump is not historical31:57 - The trend toward anti-heroes and what it shows about culture37:16 - Falcon and Winter Soldier42:45 - Lenny’s writing a book about superhero movies and apologetics45:58 - If God exists, why did he allow the Last Jedi?48:14 - Chesterton and dragons

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross answer the mailbag and then review the past 14 episodes and the interview guests, sharing insights and things learned.0:29 - News from the world of Gozer4:39 - Mailbag feedback12:10 - The Stephen C. Meyer interview15:58 - The Ken Samples episodes19:17 - Katy Faust and Them Before Us24:11 - The Michael J. Nelson interview29:40 - The Ted Wright archaeology interview31:45 - The rhetoric interview with Jim Beitler33:32 - Apologetics for parents with Michael D’Virgilio36:58 - The Molinism interview with Tim Stratton38:41 - The Christian Enneagram with Marcia Montenegro41:23 - Spiritual warfare reading (Karl Payne book)45:27 - The Miracles interview with Craig KeenerWe appreciate your feedback.If you have a question or comment for the podcast, record it and send it our way using www.speakpipe.com/Apologetics315 or you can email us at podcast@apologetics315.com

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview Dr. Craig Keener, F. M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary. They discuss his most recent book Miracles Today: The Supernatural Work of God in the Modern World. Are miracles happening today? How do we evaluate miracle claims? How do we know if witnesses are credible? Many accounts and stories of healing and miracles are discussed.0:42 - Introduction to Dr. Craig Keener6:49 - Welcome to Dr. Keener; what compelled you to write a book on miracles in the world today?10:40 - How this book is different than his previous miracles book11:32 - What is a miracle and how do we define them? A discussion of Hume’s definition15:20 - What criteria do we use when assessing miracle claims?17:39 - Are some miracle claims ambiguous? What type of miracle accounts does the book discuss?19:47 - Two accounts of dramatic healing23:36 - What sort of environment do these miracles happen in? An account of deteriorated hip bones being healed.

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview Marcia Montenegro about the Enneagram and its new age origins as well as its influence in Christian circles.2:05 - Intro to Marcia Montenegro and her background4:09 - Why talk to a former astrologer?10:12 - Welcome to Marcia11:17 - How Marcia got into the New Age movement and became an astrologer; how God led her out25:19 - Is New Age fake, false or both? What’s behind it?29:45 - Is there a spiritual dimension behind psychic readings?30:31 - A couple stories of special knowledge from spirit guides40:33 - What is the Enneagram and where did it come from?59:43 - Marcia’s recent debate with Todd Wilson on the Unbelievable? radio show1:01:10 - Is Marcia committing the genetic fallacy?1:02:35 - No scientific evidence for the Enneagram1:14:14 - What would you say to a Christian that things that the Enneagram is helpful and harmless?1:20:14 - The swath of books by Christian publishers on the Enneagram1:27:24 - More debate reflections; is the Enneagram just a pass

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview Tom Gilson, the Senior Editor and Ministry Coordinator at The Stream. They discuss his book Too Good To Be False: How Jesus’ Incomparable Character Reveals His Reality.0:30 - The Dukes of Hazzard intro1:30 - Intro to Tom Gilson5:01 - About Tom and his work and background7:25 - Where did the idea for this book come from?10:47 - A brief summary of the book12:43 - Jesus didn’t have faith?16:53 - You can’t make this stuff up17:42 - What the argument is NOT and what it is21:37 - Arguing for the best explanation23:56 - The most common misconceptions and misunderstandings26:27 - How would Bertrand Russell respond?30:35 - The Facebook objection34:13 - The book’s focus on Jesus and his character34:36 - Positive feedback from readers37:07 - Where to download a free chapter: thinkingchristian.netTom’s resources:www.thinkingchristian.netwww.stream.orgThe book:https://www.amazon.com/Too-Good-False-Incomparable-Character-ebook/dp/B0979QLJXJIf you have a question for the

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview Tim Stratton of Free Thinking Ministries. They discuss the topic of Molinism as it relates to God’s sovereignty, human free will, and why it matters. Tim’s book on the subject is Human Freedom, Divine Knowledge, and Mere Molinism: A Biblical, Historical, Theological, and Philosophical Analysis.1:03 - Intro to Tim Stratton1:41 - Why Molinism on the podcast?3:20 - Welcome to Tim Stratton3:54 - How Tim became a Christian9:37 - God as a maximally great being10:43 - Tim’s dissertation11:18 - What does Tim find compelling about Molinism?12:42 - The Mere Molinism Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/407036864304486716:14 - What is the problem that Molinism is trying to solve?22:47 - How to briefly summarize Molinism?23:41 - Defining terms: Middle knowledge and counterfactuals31:39 - Scriptures that affirm counterfactuals / middle knowledge 41:53 - Why us the term “mere” Molinism?46:22 - Can Molinism be applied to salvation?48:21 - Does this chess analog

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview Mike D'Virgilio on the topic of apologetics for parents. He is author of the book The Persuasive Christian Parent: God’s Provision for Building an Enduring Faith in You and Your Children.www.persuasivechristianparent.com0:44 - Introduction to our Mike D'Virgilio and the topic of parenting with apologetics4:25 - Mike’s background and how he got into apologetics6:59 - What inspired Mike to write a book on apologetics and parenting7:50 - J.P. Moreland’s endorsement, and the importance of using apologetics when raising your kids11:43 - The plausibility of Christianity, and the threat of children falling away from the faith16:06 - The importance of emphasising the truth18:07 - Emphasising reality and the facts of life experience20:47 - Embedding right expectations in our kids23:06 - The outline of topics covered in the Persuasive Christian Parent book25:23 - Plausibility structures, certainty, and epistemology29:34 - Ways that we can approach bringing apologeti

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview Jim Beitler, Associate Professor of English at Wheaton College, and author of Seasoned Speech: Rhetoric in the Life of the Church as well as Charitable Writing: Cultivating Virtue Through Our Words (with co-author Richard Hughes Gibson). They discuss rhetoric and communication in relation to Christian Apologetics.0:27 - Introduction to rhetoric and Jim Beitler4:36 - Jim’s background and books5:37 - What is rhetoric?6:32 - How Jim got interested in rhetoric7:18 - How has rhetoric been taught, and how has that changed?10:20 - Can rhetoric be taught?11:48 - Why should anyone care about rhetoric in the church?14:20 - Are you an effective communicator or not?15:44 - Doesn’t the Bible argue against using rhetoric?19:11 - How the book is laid out and the ground it covers22:52 - C.S. Lewis as a rhetorician25:25 - How we need rhetoric now more than ever27:19 - Dietrich Bonhoeffer on preaching and rhetoric30:37 - Rhetoric in sermons and preaching33:37 - How to apply

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview archaeologist Ted Wright of Epic Archaeology.0:29 - Introducing Ted Wright of Epic Archaeology2:00 - What got Ted into archaeology?4:00 - What you’ll find at EpicArchaeology.org6:12 - More about Ted’s background in apologetics 9:44 - What is the actual job of an archaeologist?15:30 - Being chased by Nazis19:03 - The role that archaeology plays in defending the Bible?23:00 - “Archaeological evidence for Jesus does not exist…”29:40 - What sorts of things in the Holy Land are legit?35:43 - Unpacking archaeological evidence for the exodus 48:39 - Dating of the exodus 56:04 - How to think through the accounts of “the Canaanite genocide question”1:03:00 - Cool archaeological discoveries that support the Old and New Testaments1:13:00 - Where to find more great archaeological resources:ESV and NIV Archaeological Study BibleThe Case for Biblical Archaeology by Dr. John CurridDoing Archaeology in the Land of the Bible by Dr. John CurridEpicArchaeology.orgEpic Archae

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview comedian Michael J. Nelson about his work in comedy, his apologetics podcast, sharing the faith and what he’s learned from watching the worst movies of all time.0:56 - Intro to a unique interview with Michael J. Nelson2:30 - Who is Mike Nelson and what is Mystery Science Theater 3000?4:05 - How did MST3K come about?5:00 - How Mike became a Christian and what inspired him to make an apologetics podcast? (Like Trees Walking)7:20 - Did apologetics play a big role in Mike’s life?9:30 - The role of apologetics with interactions with friends and family relationships12:19 - Biggest apologetic influences13:34 - What does “Like Trees Walking” mean as a podcast title?16:13 - How to be a Christian in the entertainment industry18:12 - Rifftrax - and does making that kind of content get old?20:34 - Navigating the ins and outs of humor and Hollywood content23:38 - Profound wisdom learned from watching culture’s garbage24:52 - Mike’s take on “Christian movies” and entert

In this episode, Brian Auten, Chad Gross and The Belfast Bigot interview Katy Faust about the global children’s rights movement (and book): Them Before Us.0:38 - Pre-show chat; The Belfast Bigot and the original Bigot.2:38 - Introduction to Katy Faust and how she got into running a global children’s rights movement6:43 - How Katy went from being anonymous to going public 7:49 - How Katy influenced the Belfast Bigot9:40 - The goal of the Them Before Us movement / organization13:36 - How does Katy hear from kids whose parents prioritize their own desire above children's rights 15:31 - What do we mean when we talk about “rights”?20:09 - Why children’s rights is something that all political parties should prioritize24:33 - Three staples of a child’s social/emotional diet25:27 - How dads are not always the idiots; men and women are different32:58 - “How are you not pushing a religious view?” and “you’re just shrouding religious views in secular arguments.”36:11 - Let the data do the talking; disagreeing with reali

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview Christian philosopher Ken Samples on topics from his newest book Christianity Cross-Examined. This is part 2 of a 2-part interview.2:03 - The types of questions people are asking today about Christianity. Killing in the name of God, the Crusades, violence, etc.4:19 - Approaching the subject of slavery. What does the Bible actually say?10:43 - What about killing in the name of God?18:01 - What about so-called genocides in the Bible?25:03 - Presuppositional approaches to moral objections against God.28:44 - What about hypocrisy in the church?37:06 - Walking through healing from wounds from fallen leaders.42:08 - Brian’s encouragement and prayer.47:08 - Ken’s encouragement for those who do not believe.www.reasons.orgIf you have a question for the podcast, record it and send it our way using www.speakpipe.com/Apologetics315 or you can email us at podcast@apologetics315.com

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview Christian philosopher Ken Samples on topics from his newest book Christianity Cross-Examined. This is part 1 of a 2-part interview.1:33 - Chad’s twitter encounters for the week.6:43 - Weekly Mailbag8:14 - Intro to Ken Samples9:34 - Welcome to Ken Samples9:52 - Ken’s current work and what he’s seeing in apologetics today.11:28 - The need and impact of logic and critical thinking.12:22 - The goal of the Ken’s book14:16 - Two types of atheists Ken has encountered.16:46 - What has contributed to the shift in what sorts of questions people are asking about Christianity?20:19 - The impact of rhetoric in influencing people for or against the Gospel.22:41 - The power of a cumulative case; the way inductive, deductive and abductive arguments work.23:51 - Abduction as a form of reasoning.31:06 - If God really existed, we wouldn’t need arguments…39:54 - How Christianity welcomes science and reason.41:31 - The three things you need in order to do science.48:26 - A dis

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross make a case for doing apologetics and talk about how YOU can get apologetics into YOUR church.0:50 - Rapid fire questions with Chad.1:29 - Is “someone with an experience never at the mercy of someone with an argument”?9:45 - Why the resurrection is Chad’s favorite argument11:37 - Introduction to getting apologetic in your church12:29 - Geisler’s case for apologetics in general19:47 - Apologetics modelled in scripture26:27 - 7 Reasons why the church needs apologetics32:58 - How Truthbomb apologetics started in the local church38:38 - How Brian started a Reasonable Faith chapter40:53 - The 2-part ebook How to Get Apologetics in Your Church44:47 - The benefits of starting a local group48:22 - The community aspect of your own apologetics study group52:35 - The quickest advice for starting something in your churchResources: How to Get Apologetics in Your Church e-book Part 1http://apologetics315.com/media/Apologetics-In-Church-Podcast/HowtoGetApologeticsinYourChurch.pdfH

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross address a listener question about prophecy, discuss recent books they have been reading, and explore some thoughts on the reality of spiritual warfare in the Christian life.Links mentioned in the show:• Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theologyhttps://www.amazon.com/Systematic-Theology-Second-Introduction-Biblical-ebook/dp/B085XNN5H1• Wayne Grudem’s podcast episode on prophecyhttps://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/gifts-of-the-holy-spirit-prophecy/id322844869?i=1000082948644• Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices by Thomas Brookshttps://www.amazon.com/Precious-Remedies-Against-Satans-Devices/dp/B01COQNXQ0• Abide in Christ by Andrew Murrayhttps://www.amazon.com/Andrew-Murray-Books-Abide-Christ-ebook/dp/B076QFY8D6If you have a question for the podcast, record it and send it our way using www.speakpipe.com/Apologetics315 or you can email us at podcast@apologetics315.com

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview Dr. Stephen C. Meyer on his latest book Return of the God Hypothesis.0:43 - Intro to Dr. Stephen Meyer, author of Return of the God Hypothesis, Signature in the Cell, and Darwin’s Doubt.3:00 - Dr. Meyer’s background, education, and how he got interested in the question of intelligent design.9:58 - Meyer’s view of science and philosophy of science, the importance for understanding philosophy when doing science.16:28 - reviewing five centuries of the history of science, the false idea that science and religion have always been at war.23:49 - The reason for telling the story of the rise of science, the rejection of the God hypothesis, and its subsequent return based on the most recent scientific discoveries.28:15 - Explaining the methodology of inference to the best explanation. How this fits within theistic apologetics.36:30 - Is our goal truth, or a pre-commitment to naturalism? What challenges has Meyer faced when arguing for intelligent design?39:45 - Are