The Present-Day Saint

0057 - In this episode of our apologetics series we look at truth! What is truth? Everyone talks about it but what does it mean to say that something is true. We talk about theories of truth vs. tests for truth and then we discuss six truths about truth. We show how all truth is absolute - there are no relative truths! We also discuss how most Christians treat their faith as subjective and not objective. We discuss all of this and more in this episode. This is such an important episode and I try to make it as exciting as possible!!! Hope you enjoy!

0056 - In this episode we interview five students that came with us on our most recent Ratio Christi Applied Apologetics Mission Trip to Utah. We talk to them about why they came and what they learned when they were out here. We also talk about why other students should come on this trip. I hope that you will listen as these students talk about the state of Christianity among their peers and why we need trips like this to challenge Christian students. If you would like to talk to me about scheduling a trip or anything having to do with the ministry please email me at  - aaronmarshall@ratiochristi.org.

0055 - On this episode David Halevy and I discuss our recent Mission trip out here in Utah that we helped lead. At the beginning of June we brought 29 other people out here for a week long mission trip of evangelism and discipleship. In this episode we discuss why our mission trips are different than 95% of mission trips out there and why we think it is so important for all Christians to come on a trip like this. We talk all things mission trip and the plans that we have to do one in Israel next year.  Please let me know if you would be interested in bringing a group out here for a Mission Trip (or just come by yourself) - aaronmarshall@ratiochristi.org

0054 - In this episode we continue our Apologetics series by looking more into the true worldview. I discuss how biblical christianity and Mormonism cannot both be true. I talk about how most Christians do not have a Christian worldview. I then talk about how we determine the correct worldview (hint...it is Christianity). All that in about thirty minutes! Let me know what you think of the podcast - email me at aaronmarshall@ratiochristi.org

0053 - In this episode we discuss some tests we can apply to our worldview to determine if our worldview is correct. We first discuss how everyone has a worldview and how each worldview has to answer the same fundamental questions. They all can give very different answers to those questions. We walk through some tests we can use to examine our worldview to determine if it is true or not. In the end there is only one correct worldview and that is the one that we want to have. In the episode I show how atheism and Mormonism cannot answer the most important questions of reality and thus cannot be the true worldview. Which worldview is correct --- BIBLICAL CHRISTIANITY!!!

0052 - In this episode we talk about faith. What is biblical faith? So many people think that faith is believing things we don't have evidence for. They think faith is what you have when you don't have reason. That is simply not what Biblical faith is. In this episode we define what Biblical faith actually is and what that looks like in a believers life. I also talk about how the LDS miss the boat on faith as they root everything in a subjective feeling. I show how that isn't a good test to determine what truth is. I hope that you will have a better understanding of Biblical faith after listening to this episode. 

0051 - In this episode we start our Classical Apologetics series where we will walk through a classical apologetics argument over the course of many podcasts. In this first episode I talk about what apologetics is, why we do it and what it can and cannot do. Many people have a false understanding of apologetics or have never heard of it. In this series we want to help correct your understanding of apologetics so that you can give a defense for the truth claims of Christianity with gentleness and respect. 

0050 - On this episode I review two recent conversations I had with LDS students from BYU. I talk about how to enter into the conversation and how to avoid making it awkward. I discuss the five main areas that I want to focus on in conversations with LDS (and anyone really). We talk about two questions that should be ingrained in your subconscious for these conversations and virtually every conversation you ever enter into!!! I hope that this will take some of the nervousness off engaging with people in spiritual conversations and encourage you to get out there and share the gospel!!

0049 - On this episode I interview Rob Bowman (https://robertbowman.net/) about his new book, "Jesus' Resurrection and Jospeh's Visions: Examining the Foundations of Christianity and Mormonism." In the book Dr. Bowman looks at the evidence for the foundational truth claim in Christianity - the resurrection of Jesus - and the evidence for the foundational truth claims in Mormonism - Joseph Smith's visions. In the interview we go through the highlights of the book. We look at the evidence that points overwhelmingly to the resurrection of Jesus. We then look at the lack of similar evidence for the first vision and visions of Moroni that Joseph Smith claimed. If these visions did not take place then Mormonism cannot be true. Dr. Bowman meticulously examines the evidence and has come to the conclusion that they probably did not happen. There is so much good information in this podcast you will want to listen to it twice and then go grab his book!!!

0048 - In this episode our friend David Halevy from Builders of Israel (https://www.buildersofisrael.net/) joins us to discuss the topic of Universalism. I have recently been reading a book by Thomas Talbott called, "The Inescapable Love of God." It has challenged my in multiple ways and so I wanted to sit down with David to discuss this topic. In the episode we discuss the nature of Hell, God's Sovereignty, Man's Free will and responsibility and many other issues. This topic has direct relatability to the LDS conversation since they are basically universalists. I appreciate David's thinking on this topic and I think you will as well. I hope you enjoy. 

0047 - In this episode I interview Monique Duson, Racial Unity Advocate and Founder of The Center for Biblical Unity (https://www.centerforbiblicalunity.com/). Monique spent two decades advocating for Critical Race Theory but ended up changing her position when she was confronted with the evidence (an act of intellectual strength). In this interview we talk about her history and how she changed her mind on this issue. We talk about Critical Race Theory and why she thinks it is destructive in the church. We also talk about what the church should be doing on racial issues and how the church has failed in the past. We also talk about how we can engage with people in the church that disagree with us on this issue and how we can work towards bringing more light than heat on this issue. This was a great interview and I hope it will bless you.

0046 - In this episode I end up talking about a lot of things in a little bit of a stream of consciousness. The first thing I discuss is the suicide of Mike Adams, our former Ratio Christi Faculty Advisor at UNCW. I talk about how there wouldn't be a Ratio Christi chapter at UNCW if it were not for Mike. I also talk about the reality of suicide, especially in the Corona world. I also wanted to talk about how easy it is for apologists to lose their first love. How easy it is for us to focus on loving facts about Jesus and not actually loving Jesus. I know that Corona, and the isolation of the last few months, has shown me how dry my relationship with Jesus really was. I talk about the Christian response to suicide and how I think many people just miss the mark. Finally I talk about a short book Francis Schaeffer wrote called, "Two Contents, Two Realities." This book really sums up what I am wrestling through now and how Christians (Apologists!!) need relationships with Jesus and other people. I hope this episode will bless you and challenge you. Praying for the friends and family of Mike Adams. 

0045 - On this episode of the podcast I interview my friend Glen Levinzon who grew up nominally Jewish but converted to Catholicism a few years ago. We discuss Catholicism and Evangelicalism while also discussing a book I just read by Eric Metaxas, titled, "Martin Luther - The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World." In the course of the interview we discuss some of the things that led Luther away from Catholicism and then get deep into the weeds on multiple issues in the discussion. In the course of the interview we discuss multiple things that have a bearing on evangelicalism and mormonism. I hope you enjoy this interview with my buddy Glen. 

0044 - In this episode our friend David Halevy from Builders of Israel joins us to discuss our ministry vision. Both David and I have a vision to reach an unreached people group with the gospel - him in Israel and me in Utah. We also both also have a vision to train evangelicals in how to do apologetics and evangelism. What we realized is that these two visions match perfectly together. So our ministry vision is that we can partner together to bring mission teams to Israel and Utah. We will collaborate on the curriculum that the mission participants will go through before, during and after the trips. The goal will be that evangelicals will be more comfortable sharing their faith and handling objections from non-christians. We discuss all of this and more in this episode. I hope you enjoy!

0043 - This is the final episode of our Galatians study. We have walked through the entire book of Galatians verse by verse using "Galatians for You" by Tim Keller as our guide. In this final section Paul issues a final warning and then an invitation. His final warning is similar to the rest of the letter in regards to not going back to legalism. His invitation is to a life of peace and mercy resting in the saving power of Jesus. We also talk about an area that I disagree with Keller on at the end of the chapter. The reference "the Israel of God" is hotly debated among Christians and I let you know my position and why I disagree with Keller. In the end I pray that God will use this Galatians study to grow believers in the gospel and expose others to the true gospel of Jesus Christ. 

0042 - In this episode of our Galatians study we walk through the last verse of Chapter 5 and the first five verses of Chapter 6. Here Paul is challenging us to live out the implications of 5:13 - where he told us to love each other by serving each other. We talk about how we can't do that if I am focusing on myself. We discuss how insecurity and pride are really just two sides of the same coin and both of them are the wrong way to look at life. We use Tim Keller's "Galatians for You" as our guide and he helps us to understand what it means to bear each others burdens. This was such an important episode for me to challenge myself to live out the gospel in a better way.  I hope you enjoy. 

0041 - We continue our march through Galatians verse by verse by taking a look at Chapter 5, verses 16-25. In this section Paul talks about the works of the flesh and compares them to the fruit of the Spirit. We break down both lists. We also discuss what it means to walk in the Spirit vs. walking in the flesh. As always we use Tim Keller's, "Galatians For You" as our guide for the discussion.  

0040 - In this episode of the podcast we continue our march through Galatians verse by verse by looking at Chapter 5 - verses 1-15. As always we are using Tim Keller's "Galatians for You" as our guide through the epistle. In this section Paul begins to start applying the theological points he has been making in Chapters 1-4. He challenges us to walk in our Christian liberty but that doesn't mean that we are free to live any way we want. The freedom we have in Jesus is the freedom to be who we were created to be and that means following Jesus.  This is a really important section of the book because Paul shows us how the true gospel helps us walk the line between legalism and licentiousness. 

0039 - In this episode we continue to walk through the book of Galatians verse by verse using Tim Keller's commentary, "Galatians for You" as our guide. In this section Paul challenges the Galatians that they can either live free in Jesus or put themselves back into bondage under the Mosaic Law. He uses Sarah and Hagar to represent those that are slaves and those that are free. Sarah represents those that trust in God and Hagar represents those that are relying on their good works to make themselves right with God. We also discuss what it looks like to be a true Christian in regards to keeping the law and relying on the law for our standing with God. This is a great section of the book and I hope this study will bless you. 

0038 - In this episode I got a chance to interview Chip Thompson, the Executive Director of Tri-Grace Ministries in Ephraim, Utah. In the interview Chip talks about why he moved his family here to Utah 30 years ago and he picked Ephraim, a small Mormon community in central Utah. He talks about starting a church and getting involved in the community in Ephraim. Eventually God led them to be engaged with the college in town and that ultimately led them to buy a piece of property adjacent to the college and start a coffee shop. He talks about how God has used the coffee shop to witness to those in the community and at the college. He also shared with us about the Biblical archeology museum in the coffee shop and about the tours to Israel that he leads every year. We talk about all these things and more in this podcast. Check out his ministry here - www.trigrace.org

0037 - We continue our march through Galatians by taking a look at Chapter 4 - verses 8-20. As always we are using Tim Keller's "Galatians for You" as our guide through the book. In this section Paul discusses his changed relationship with the Galatians. They used to adore him and now they are angry at him. Why? Because he is challenging them with Gospel truth. The Judaizers are flattering them and trying to get the Galatians to love them. Paul is lovingly challenging the Galatians and trying to get them to love Jesus. We discuss this in detail as well as the implications for ministry. We also talk about how God uses suffering in our lives as well as the identity of Paul's "thorn in the flesh." All this and more in this episode!!!

0036 - In this episode I interview Adam Tucker from Southern Evangelical Seminary about Epistemology!! Epistemology is just the study of how we know what is real. Many people think that we can't know anything at all or that we can't know anything for certain. If that is true then we certainly can't know if Christianity is true. In this episode Adam walks us through how we know things as human beings and how we've gotten off track in our thinking of how we know things due to bad philosophy. He explains how we know things and how God knows things. If you follow Adam's arguments through to their conclusion then it means that God could not have a body and a man could never become God. This obviously has huge implications for conversations with LDS.  We also touch on what Biblical Faith is at the beginning of the podcast. We discuss how it is not based on feelings or emotions but is better defined as active trust based on the evidence. All that and more in this episode!! Check out www.ses.edu for more info on Southern Evangelical Seminary and also to download the short book, "Why Trust the God of the Bible?"

0035 - We continue our walk through Galatians by taking a look at the end of Chapter 3 and the very beginning of Chapter 4. As always we are using Tim Keller's book, "Galatians For You" to walk through the book of Galatians verse by verse. In this episode we discuss what it means that those of us in Jesus are "all sons of God." We discuss what sonship means and why it matters in our Christian walk. We discuss what it means to "put on Christ" and what that should look like in our lives. We discuss how believers are heirs to the promise of Abraham and the implications of that. Finally we discuss the difference between the objective truth of believers being in Christ and the subjective, experiential truth of having the Holy Spirit in us. I hope this study will bless you!

0034 - In this episode I am joined again by David Halevy from Builders of Israel. In this episode we discuss what the Biblical Temple was and why it existed. We discuss the nature of the Temple in light of the Mosaic and Abrahamic Covenants. We talk about how the Temple was about the way we relate to Yahweh (God) and how the Temple showed us how unworthy we were. We then discuss how all that changed with Jesus' death on the cross. We then compare the Biblical understanding of the Temple with the LDS Temples that have nothing at all in common. We talk about where much of the LDS Temple ceremonies come from and how they have nothing to do with what happened in the Temple in the first century. I hope you will be challenged and encouraged by this episode. 

0033 - Welcome back to our walk through the book of Galatians using Tim Keller's book, "Galatians For You" as our guide. In this episode we examine what Paul has to say about the law. If we are under grace and not under law then what is the purpose of the law? Is the law bad? Was there two systems of salvation in the Bible - works in the Old Testament and grace in the New Testament? Did the Mosaic Law abrogate the Abrahamic Covenant? What is the function of the law in a believers life today? How is the law good? These are all questions that we answer in examining this short piece of text. I hope you will listen and let God's word minister to you today.  

0032 - As we continue our march through the book of Galatians verse by verse we now come to Chapter 3 verses 1-14. In these verses Paul builds on what he has just challenged Peter with at the end of Chapter 2. The challenge is for all of us that are Christians. If we came to Christ through Faith then why are we now trying to finish the race through our own efforts. This is a very important message for Christians and for those that are caught in legalist religions. We come to God through faith (trust) - just like Abraham - and we continue in our relationship with God through faith. The law and faith are opposites. Either we are trusting in God by faith or we are trying to earn our place with Him by works. The last option leads to all kinds of problems and we address those in this episode. As always we are using the book "Galatians For You" by Tim Keller as our guide through the book of Galatians. 

0031 - In this episode we continue our walk through Galatians verse by verse using Tim Keller's book, "Galatians for You" as our guide. In the second half of Chapter 2 we learn how Paul opposes Peter with the gospel and not just with condemnation. After just standing together at the Jerusalem Council in the first half of Chapter 2, Paul now opposes Peter to his face. Why does he do that and how does he use the gospel to confront him? Check out the answers to those questions and more in this episode.

0030 - In this episode we continue our walk through Galatians by looking at Ch.2:1-10. In this series we are walking through the book of Galatians verse by verse while using the book "Galatians for You" by Tim Keller as our guide. In episode we zoom in on the Jerusalem Council and the true gospel. The question at the council was whether the apostles were going to make Titus get circumcised as the Judaizers were demanding. In the end they agreed that salvation was by grace through faith alone and that there was no additional steps that gentiles had to go through to become a Christian. We discuss all this and more as we walk through Galatians 2:1-10 verse by verse. 

0029 - In this episode we walk through "41 Unique Teachings of the LDS Church" by Sandra Tanner. Sandra was a former Mormon who converted to Christianity when she and her husband began investigating the truth claims of the LDS church. In this book Sandra presents 41 unique teachings of the LDS church that separate them from Christianity. Many people ask me what the main differences are between Christianity and the LDS church. Take a listen to this episode and you will see how stark the differences are. 

0028 - This is the second episode of our Bible study through the book of Galatians. We are using the book "Galatians For You" by Tim Keller, as our guide to walk through Galatians verse by verse. In this show we examine the second half of Chapter 1. We discuss the nature of the gospel and Paul's conversion. We talk about what Paul did immediately after his conversion and why that is so important. We discuss how the gospel will save us from religion just as much as it will save us from irreligion. Paul was a very religious man and yet he needed the gospel just like anyone. Whether you are very religious or not religious at all, the gospel is for you. I hope you will listen as we examine the book of Galatians.  

0026 - In this episode of the Present-Day Saint I update listeners on the upcoming plans for our ministry here in Utah. We have decided to stay in Utah for at least one more year to continue to build the Ratio Christi Chapters at The University of Utah and Utah Valley University. I am also going to try and start a Christian Study Center with a Cafe near the campus of BYU. I explain everything in the podcast. Take a listen and let me know what you think. If you would like to talk about these ideas and how you can be a part of what we are doing out here in Utah, let me know and we can chat - aaronmarshall@ratiochristi.org.

0027 - In this episode I begin a journey through the book of Galatians. We will walk through the book of Galatians verse by verse over the course of 13 podcasts. I will be using the book "Galatians for You" by Tim Keller as my main resource for this discussion. Please get a copy of this book for your own edification. In this first episode we see that Paul clearly states that there is only one gospel by which man can be saved. We are saved by grace, through faith, alone. Paul says that if he or an Angel from Heaven were to preach another gospel then they would be accursed. In these first nine verses we examine what the gospel truly is and how people can get it wrong. I hope you will study the Scripture with us as we follow Keller through the book of Galatians verse by verse.

0025 - In this episode Later-day Saint Kwaku El came on the show to discuss the recent debate he had with Evangelical Christian Aaron Shafovaloff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMAKQ9g8zT8). In the beginning Kwaku shares a little about how and why he became a Mormon after converting from protestant Christianity. We then discuss each of the three main topics of the debate in detail. We discuss God's nature and Kwaku's view on God's sovereignty. We talk about God's relation to time in the LDS view and the Evangelical view. We discuss the Great apostasy and the afterlife. Kwaku also talks about why he does what he does on social media and what religion he would be if he came to believe that Mormonism was wrong. Overall it was a very interesting discussion and I learned a lot about how Kwaku thinks through these issues as a Latter-day Saint. 

0024 - In this episode I discuss verses from the Bible that are commonly taken out of context. I start with Jeremiah 29:11 and demonstrate that this verse is not a promise to you. I discuss how the context of the whole chapter shows us who the verse is intended for and how we should properly interpret Scripture. I discuss how people have turned the Bible into a series of pithy sayings that we can rip out of context and how that is destroying people's faith and the Bible. I use a book by Eric J. Bargerhuff called "The Most Misused Verses in the Bible" as a jumping off point for many of the verses I discuss.  Listen to why verses like Philippians 4:13, Matthew 7:1, Matthew 18:20, 2 Chronicles 7:14 and others don't mean what many people think they mean. I hope this will be an edifying podcast and help you think better about the truth claims of Scripture. 

0023 - In this episode I interview Adam Tucker from Southern Evangelical Seminary (www.ses.edu). Adam and I discuss one argument for God's existence that we think demonstrates God's existence. We then discuss the attributes that God must have (and must NOT have) based upon this argument. One of the things that cannot be true of God is that He has a body. Thus, this argument demonstrably shows that the embodied god (gods) of Mormonism could not exist. This discussion shows the need for good philosophy and how our philosophy can help our theology. I encourage everyone to listen to this episode and consider taking some classes at SES to further your theological and philosophical understanding. 

0022 - In this episode I interview Bill McKeever, the founder of Mormonism Research Ministry. Bill has been doing ministry with the LDS for decades and is one of the most knowledgable people on this subject. In this interview we discuss his history and how he got involved in this type on ministry. We then go on to discuss some tips that he has learned throughout the years in how to engage in good conversations with Mormons. He talks about some things not to do as well as how to not get frustrated in your evangelism. Bill is a wealth of information and you will be blessed from listening to this episode. Check out his ministry website here - https://www.mrm.org/

0021 - In this episode Aaron Shafovaloff and I do a final debate breakdown of his debate with Kwaku El. In this episode we look at Part 3 of the debate - Are Families Forever? We talk about the LDS view of eternity and how that compares to the Biblical view. We talk about what marriage is and why there will not be marriage in the eternal state as opposed to the LDS view. We go into the weeds a few times on this episode into some really interesting topics. We finish up by addressing some the questions that came up during the Q and A period at the end of the debate. You will be smarter after listening to Aaron (the other Aaron) for two hours. Remember that you can check out the actual debate Aaron had with Kwaku here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMAKQ9g8zT8. 

0020 - In this episode Aaron Shafovaloff and I continue our breakdown of the debate Aaron had with Latter-Day Saint Kwaku El. In this episode we take a deep dive into part two of the debate - Was there a Great Apostasy? The LDS position is that there was a great apostasy after the apostles died which necessitated a restored church, not just a reformed church. The LDS believe that they are that restored church. In this episode we review the arguments that Kwaku made for his position and then discuss why they don't actually make the case for the great apostasy. There is TONS of good info in this podcast. Aaron S. goes deep into the weeds on multiple topics. You will be educated and blessed from listening to this debate breakdown. You can watch the actual debate here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMAKQ9g8zT8.

0019 - In this episode I am joined by Aaron Shafovaloff (Evangelical Christian) as we begin to dissect his debate with Kwaku El (Latter-Day Saint) that can be seen here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMAKQ9g8zT8. In this LONG interview we first touch on Aaron's history and what brought him to Utah. He then gives some big picture takeaways from the debate and gives us some background on his history with Kwaku. We then breakdown the first part of the debate - Is salvation by faith alone? Aaron expands on his opening statements and then we discuss Kwaku's opening statement and the cross-examination rounds. In the midst of this discussion we hit on the nature of God, the Gospel, the Mormon view of God, debate tactics, tips on discussions with LDS and much more. We will examine parts two and three of this debate in upcoming podcasts. 

0018 - In this episode I interview my friend James Phelps, a former Mormon who is now an evangelical Christian. James talks about his life growing up LDS, his mission trip to Taiwan and his time at BYU Law School. He then discusses the changes that started to happen in his life and the questions he began to ask about the truth claims of the LDS Religion. His wife got involved with an offshoot of the LDS church which caused huge strains on their marriage but it gave him permission to really examine his doubts. He tells us how he found the true Jesus and how his wife found the Biblical Jesus a few years later. This is an incredible testimony! He also shares some things to say and not to say to your LDS friends who are recognizing the problems within their Religion and asking questions. I hope you will listen to James' amazing testimony. 

0017 - In this episode I review the spiritual deconstruction of Link from Ear Biscuits (that you can listen to here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1AZhlyoD9s). I examine the reasons that Link discussed as to why he walked away from the Christian faith and is now an Agnostic. I talk about some of the problems with typical modern Evangelicalism and how I see some of these problems manifested in Link's story. Link's (and Rhett's) story is very similar to many Christians who have walked away from the faith and so I think it is very important that we listen to what they are saying. Typical objections regarding faith and science and Christian views on moral issues are discussed. I also discuss how agnosticism is, in some sense, an easy position to take and is not a virtuous one. I hope you will find this review helpful. 

0016 - In this episode I am joined by David Halevy of "The Jew and Gentile" podcast to discuss the spiritual deconstruction of Rhett from Ear Biscuits. In an episode of their popular podcast, Rhett described his spiritual conversion from Christianity to "hopeful agnostic." You can watch that episode here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qbna6t1bzw.  We review Rhett's arguments for why he left the faith and talk about how Christianity does have good answers for these objections. We talk about the need to be good thinkers and how we have to encourage our young people to wrestle with these hard questions from a young age. This is a very important discussion. If Rhett ever watches this we would love to have him on the show to discuss these matters further!!

0015 - In this episode I discuss the weeklong mission trip that we just hosted here in Utah. We partnered with MAVEN to host 23 Ratio Christi students and leaders from across the country for a week of what we call "applied apologetics."  We think Utah is the perfect place to learn how to put your apologetics learning to use. This past week we went to Temple Square, BYU, Snow College, the University of Utah and Utah Valley University evangelizing. We even went door knocking in Provo! We had excellent speakers teaching the students and then we put all our learning to direct use as we immediately engaged in conversations.  We are hoping to do many more of these Applied Apologetics Intensive Experiences so let me know if your group is interested in coming out to Utah.

0014 - In this episode I review the book, "The Ambassadors Guide to Mormonism," by Brett Kunkle. In this short book, Brett hits on the main differences between Evangelical Christianity and Mormonism. He focuses on the nature of God, the Gospel, the reliability of the New Testament and our final authority. In this podcast I walk the listener through the book and talk about why it is such an effective tool for evangelism. I also talk about the Utah Immersive Experience we are doing here in Utah with some of our Ratio Christi people in conjunction with Brett's ministry MAVEN. We will be doing more of these in the future. 

0013 - In this episode I look at the evidence that Jesus rose from the dead. I use the work of Gary Habermas and Mike Licona from their book, "The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus," to make the case that Jesus did rise from the dead. I look at five of the facts that almost all scholars agree on and how the best explanation of those five facts is that Jesus rose from the dead. I also look at some of the evidence that Jesus existed and that he claimed to be God. If all these facts are true then Christianity is true. Please take a listen and get a copy of Habermas and Licona's book!

0012 - In this episode I review a book by Peter Boghossian called, "A Manual for Creating Atheists." Dr. Boghossian is a Professor at Portland State University and teaches a class on Atheism. In this book he tries to build up an army of "Street Epistemologists" who will engage with those who have "faith" and ultimately disabuse them of their false beliefs. He believes that the proper way to engage with those of "faith" is to attack faith as a way of knowing. In my review I talk about the things that we agree on and about how I think the things I learned in reading his book will be very effective in talking to LDS and most evangelical Christians who have "faith in faith." I talk about why I think that Dr. Boghossian's understanding of faith is fatally flawed and what faith really is. I also talk about how this false view of "faith in faith" is infecting evangelicals, churches and campus ministries all across the world.  

0011 - In this episode I do a book review on the recently published Ratio Christi booklet, "Engaging Critical Theory and the Social Justice Movement," by Dr. Neil Shenvi and Dr. Pat Sawyer. In this short booklet the authors examine the history of contemporary critical theory and how this worldview is wreaking havoc at the university. In this episode I review the book and the far reaching implications in the university and the church if this worldview isn't stopped. I define and discuss terms like "social justice," "white-privilege," "intersectionality," and more buzz words within the movement, and how they don't mean what many of us think they mean.  If you would like a free copy of the booklet you can download from the Ratio Christi website here - https://ratiochristi.org/engaging-critical-theory-and-the-social-justice-movement/

0010 - In this episode I interview Corey Miller, President of Ratio Christi, in advance of his upcoming discussion with atheist Professor Peter Boghossian here in Utah. On February 6 and 7, Dr. Miller and Dr. Boghossian will engage in four dialogues on four Utah campuses. The title of their dialogue is, "A Christian and an Atheist Unite Against the Death of Intellectual Diversity at the University: How Social Justice and Identity Politics are Negatively Impacting Culture and the University." In our interview Dr. Miller discusses how this discussion came about and why this topic is so important. He defines and gives the history of the "social justice" movement and contemporary critical theory and how these ideas are destroying the campus and the church.  For more info about the upcoming events in Utah go here - https://www.facebook.com/ratiochristi.utah. 

0009 - In this episode I talk about a dialogue that I am having with a Latter-Day Saint. I discuss some of the points he makes in our discussion and I show how it is hard to have productive conversations with the LDS because of their very different epistemology. I discuss his claims that we worship the same Jesus and that the way to figure out what religion is true is to pray about it. I also talk about an event that we have coming up here in Utah on Feb. 6 and 7.  I hope you will listen.

0008 - In this episode I review the book "I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist" by Frank Turek and Norman Geisler. This has been one of the most important books in my life due to the content of the book. It was the Classical Apologetics argument outlined in the book that caused me to come to the realization that Christianity was true for all people, at all times and in all places. Turek and Geisler walk through a twelve point argument that starts with the nature of truth and ends with the fact that the Bible is the Divine and Inerrant word of God. This is such an important book and I couldn't recommend it more highly. 

0007 - In this episode I review the book "Talking to Strangers" by Malcolm Gladwell. I talk about how some of the ideas in the book can help me think through the discussions I have with Latter-Day Saints. Gladwell talks about some of the misconceptions we have regarding strangers and how some of our natural tendencies can actually undermine our ability to seek the truth when dealing with other people. Overall it was an enjoyable, and easy, read and I would recommend it for the reasons outlined in the podcast.