Podcasts about plain view undesigned coincidences

Is the book of Acts a collection of stories and legends about the lives of the apostles, or is it a trustworthy and reliable history of the earliest days of the church? Is there any external evidence that helps to corroborate its claims? Shane Rosenthal discusses these questions and more with Dr. Lydia McGrew, author of Hidden in Plain View: Undesigned Coincidences in the Gospels and Acts.SHOW NOTES• Recommended books by Lydia McGrew: Hidden in Plain View, Testimonies to the Truth, and The Mirror & The Mask. Other recommended books: The Book of Acts in the Setting of Hellenistic History, by Colin Hemer, and The Book of Acts by F.F. Bruce.• Related articles by Shane Rosenthal: “Can We Trust Luke's History of the Early Jesus Movement?”, “On Faith & History”, “Authenticating The Fourth Gospel”, “Why Should We Believe The Bible?”, and “How to Detect Deception?”• Related episodes: “Fake or Authentic? (1)”, “Fake or Authentic? (2)” “Faith Founded on Facts (1)”, “Faith Founded on Facts (2)”, “Faith & Certainty”• The Humble Skeptic in association with ReThink315 will be hosting an apologetics event here in the St. Louis area in early April, 2024 featuring Greg Koukl, Jeremy Smith and Shane Rosenthal. Also, Shane will be leading a listener tour throughout Israel in the Fall of 2024. More information about both of these events will become available soon.• To put something in the TIP JAR, click here, or consider upgrading to one of the paid subscription options via Substack by using the green button below. If you'd like your gift to be “tax-deductible,” click here, and for more information about The Humble Skeptic vision, click here.The Humble Skeptic is a listener-supported podcast. To support this work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Get full access to The Humble Skeptic at shanerose.substack.com/subscribe

At Watchman Fellowship, our staff is routinely exposed to the objections about the Bible from skeptics and atheists. Such objections often include arguments against the historical reliability of the New Testament. It seems those objections become even more intensified over the historical reliability of the Gospel of John. Critics often ask of John: If Jesus really said what John reports, why don't we find those same statements in the other three Gospel accounts? Why is John so different than the other Gospels? Did the apostle John really write the gospel attributed to him? Are the Jesus' statements recorded in John actually what Jesus said or were based on later interpretations created by an anonymous community of followers of John? Unfortunately, these concerns and suspicions surrounding John's Gospel don't just come from atheists and skeptics critics but also from some Christian scholars. So what can those of us not versed in the critical scholarship of John do? Are we hopelessly tossed about in a sea of scholarly criticism, skeptical objections and textual ambiguities? Absolutely not for John himself intentions in writing about his personal experiences with the Lord Jesus “written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and I believe in you may have life in his name.” This is the conclusion of a two-part episode of Apologetics Profile. Our staff apologist, Daniel Ray, talks with Dr. Lydia McGrew about her new book defending the historicity and reliability of the Gospel of John. It is entitled, The Eye of the Beholder: The Gospel of John as Historical Reportage.Dr. Lydia McGrew is a widely published analytic philosopher and author. She received her PhD in English from Vanderbilt University in 1995. She has published extensively in the theory of knowledge, specializing in formal epistemology and in its application to the evaluation of testimony and to the philosophy of religion. She defends the reliability of the Gospels and Acts in her books Hidden in Plain View: Undesigned Coincidences in the Gospels and Acts, The Mirror or the Mask: Liberating the Gospels From Literary Devices, and most recently The Eye of the Beholder: The Gospel of John as Historical Reportage.ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:  Book - The Eye of the Beholder: The Gospel of John as Historical Reportage by Dr. Lydia McGrew: https://amzn.to/3JBwISz Book - The Mirror or the Mask: Liberating the Gospels from Literary Devices by Dr. Lydia McGrew: https://amzn.to/3h06xZE Follow Lydia McGrew's author page on Facebook: facebook.com/LydiaMcGrewAuthor SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman FellowshipFor more information visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

At Watchman Fellowship, our staff is routinely exposed to the objections about the Bible from skeptics and atheists. Such objections often include arguments against the historical reliability of the New Testament. It seems those objections become even more intensified over the historical reliability of the Gospel of John. Critics often ask of John: If Jesus really said what John reports, why don't we find those same statements in the other three Gospel accounts? Why is John so different than the other Gospels? Did the apostle John really write the gospel attributed to him? Are the Jesus' statements recorded in John actually what Jesus said or were based on later interpretations created by an anonymous community of followers of John? Unfortunately, these concerns and suspicions surrounding John's Gospel don't just come from atheists and skeptics critics but also from some Christian scholars. So what can those of us not versed in the critical scholarship of John do? Are we hopelessly tossed about in a sea of scholarly criticism, skeptical objections and textual ambiguities? Absolutely not for John himself intentions in writing about his personal experiences with the Lord Jesus “written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and I believe in you may have life in his name.” This is part one of a two-part episode of Apologetics Profile. Our staff apologist, Daniel Ray, talks with Dr. Lydia McGrew about her new book defending the historicity and reliability of the Gospel of John. It is entitled, The Eye of the Beholder: The Gospel of John as Historical Reportage.Dr. Lydia McGrew is a widely published analytic philosopher and author. She received her PhD in English from Vanderbilt University in 1995. She has published extensively in the theory of knowledge, specializing in formal epistemology and in its application to the evaluation of testimony and to the philosophy of religion. She defends the reliability of the Gospels and Acts in her books Hidden in Plain View: Undesigned Coincidences in the Gospels and Acts, The Mirror or the Mask: Liberating the Gospels From Literary Devices, and most recently The Eye of the Beholder: The Gospel of John as Historical Reportage.ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:  Book - The Eye of the Beholder: The Gospel of John as Historical Reportage by Dr. Lydia McGrew: https://amzn.to/3JBwISz Book - The Mirror or the Mask: Liberating the Gospels from Literary Devices by Dr. Lydia McGrew: https://amzn.to/3h06xZE Follow Lydia McGrew's author page on Facebook: facebook.com/LydiaMcGrewAuthor SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman FellowshipFor more information visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

The New Testament is historically reliable. Part of what gives us the confidence in their historical trustworthiness are what are known as undesigned coincidences; details about names, places, and peculiarities of first-century Israel under the provincial oversight of the Roman Empire that would have been difficult to fabricate for someone writing outside of the region and time of the events in question. In part one of this podcast, Watchman staff apologist Daniel Ray talked with Dr. Tawa Anderson about some examples of "incidental details" and "insider knowledge" recorded in the New Testament. In part two, they will discuss some examples of "intricate convergence" found in the pages of Scripture.  We hope these episodes will encourage you to find and delight in the rich details found in the Gospels and New Testament and give you more confidence that the Scriptures are indeed historically reliable in what they describe.Dr. Tawa J. Anderson joined the Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) faculty as Assistant Professor of Philosophy in the fall of 2011, shortly after completing his Ph.D. in Worldview & Apologetics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) in Louisville, KY. Before arriving at OBU, Anderson served as a Garrett Fellow at SBTS, guest lecturing in a broad variety of philosophy courses. For more on Dr. Anderson, visit: www.okbu.edu/directory/tawa-anderson.htmlADDITIONAL RESOURCES:  Why Believe: Christian Apologetics for a Skeptical Age by Tawa J. Anderson: https://amzn.to/3L3HXVB  An Introduction to Christian Worldview: Pursuing God's Perspective in a Pluralistic World by Tawa J. Anderson: https://amzn.to/3H5OAUK Lydia McGrew's book on undesigned coincidences: Hidden in Plain View: Undesigned Coincidences in the Gospels and Acts - https://amzn.to/3H9nPyI SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman FellowshipFor more information visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

Skeptics will routinely make the claim that the Gospels and New Testament are filled with contradictions and historically unreliable. Maybe at times you feel like you have to be a biblical scholar to refute such claims. Don't worry! On this special two-part episode, we sit down with professor of philosophy and apologetics at Oklahoma Baptist University Dr. Tawa Anderson to discuss a simple way to understand how the New Testament is indeed historically reliable. You need not have a seminary degree to follow along, either! It's called undesigned coincidences. First introduced in 1790 by William Paley, this concept highlights simple, seemingly trivial details in the New Testament that would have been difficult if not virtually impossible for someone writing much later and outside the region of first-century Israel and Jerusalem to have correctly mentioned. On part one, Tawa gives us examples of  two kinds of undesigned coincidences found in the New Testament  he terms “incidental details” and “insider knowledge.”In part two we'll dive deeper into what Tawa calls “intricate convergence” what undesigned coincidences are mostly all about. This is when details in one Gospel account in say Mark are explained in an entirely unrelated account in Luke or Matthew.Dr. Tawa J. Anderson joined the Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) faculty as Assistant Professor of Philosophy in the fall of 2011, shortly after completing his Ph.D. in Worldview & Apologetics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) in Louisville, KY. Before arriving at OBU, Anderson served as a Garrett Fellow at SBTS, guest lecturing in a broad variety of philosophy courses. For more on Dr. Anderson, visit: www.okbu.edu/directory/tawa-anderson.htmlADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Why Believe: Christian Apologetics for a Skeptical Age by Tawa J. Anderson: https://amzn.to/3L3HXVB  An Introduction to Christian Worldview: Pursuing God's Perspective in a Pluralistic World by Tawa J. Anderson: https://amzn.to/3H5OAUK Lydia McGrew's book on undesigned coincidences: Hidden in Plain View: Undesigned Coincidences in the Gospels and Acts - https://amzn.to/3H9nPyI SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman FellowshipFor more information visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

Dr. Lydia McGrew is a widely published analytic philosopher and author. She received her PhD in English from Vanderbilt University in 1995. She has published extensively in the theory of knowledge, specializing in formal epistemology and in its application to the evaluation of testimony and to the philosophy of religion. She defends the reliability of the Gospels and Acts in her books Hidden in Plain View: Undesigned Coincidences in the Gospels and Acts, The Mirror or the Mask: Liberating the Gospels From Literary Devices, and most recently The Eye of the Beholder: The Gospel of John as Historical Reportage. Link to the YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3ld1Jv-hU0 Our Website: www.capturingchristianity.com Our Patreon: www.patreon.com/capturingchristianity

Many people wonder if a document as old as the Bible can be considered historically reliable. Moreover, they wonder if it is even possible to test the reliability of a document that is so old. My guest today helps us to see that there are intellectually credible ways to test and rely on the historicity of the Gospels and the New Testament. Her name is Lydia McGrew and she introduces us to the argument from internal evidence and undesigned coincidences. Dr. Lydia McGrew is a widely published analytic philosopher and author. She received her Ph.D. in English from Vanderbilt University in 1995. She has published extensively in the theory of knowledge, specializing in formal epistemology and in its application to the evaluation of testimony and to the philosophy of religion. She defends the reliability of the Gospels and Acts in her books Hidden in Plain View: Undesigned Coincidences in the Gospels and Acts, The Mirror or the Mask: Liberating the Gospels From Literary Devices, and most recently The Eye of the Beholder: The Gospel of John as Historical Reportage. Check out the full show notes for highlights and resources from this episode: https://tinyurl.com/2jf454r6 Get Lydia McGrew's Books: Hidden in Plain View: Undesigned Coincidences in the Gospels and Acts, https://tinyurl.com/4vxfw6r8 The Mirror or the Mask: Liberating the Gospels from Literary Devices, https://tinyurl.com/vem96yum The Eye of the Beholder: The Gospel of John as Historical Reportage, https://tinyurl.com/29bex9j6 SUPPORT THIS PODCAST: PayPal: https://paypal.me/AaronShamp?locale.x=en_US Venmo: @AaronShamp Cash App: $AaronShamp –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Track: Perseverance — Land of Fire [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch: https://youtu.be/Ue48lJLVA30​Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/perseverance​–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

The question of the historical reliability of the Gospels is still very much alive. Hundreds of articles and videos that present robust defense, having stood the test of time, fill search results. But what about the underlying principles at play? Why are still objections raised? How has scholarship fared in responding to these? Why are critics ready to believe Josephus over Luke when Luke is considered a “historian of the highest rank”? Does the theory championed by certain Christians that the Gospel of John was written by another John and not John the son of Zebedee warrant credit? Much is at play which is why we brought in one of the best in the field, Lydia McGrew, to engage with these and more!Links and Citation:Internalism and Epistemology: The Architecture of Reason (Routledge Studies in Contemporary Philosophy)The Mirror or the Mask: Liberating the Gospels from Literary DevicesHidden in Plain View: Undesigned Coincidences in the Gospels and ActsFind Lydia's YouTube channelThe Blackwell Companion to Natural TheologyThe McGrewpies Facebook groupWatch the video podcast on our YouTube channel.Equipping the believer defend their faith anytime, anywhere. Our vision is to do so beyond all language barriers in India and beyond!SAFT Apologetics stands for Seeking Answers Finding Truth and was formed off inspiration from the late Nabeel Qureshi's autobiography that captured his life journey where he followed truth where it led him. We too aim to be a beacon emulating his life's commitment towards following truth wherever it leads us.Check out our website, support us on Patreon and follow us on our Instagram page and Facebook page.Is there a question that you would like to share with us?Reach us at: saftpodcast@saftapologetics.com Send us your questions, suggestions and queries at: info@saftapologetics.com

Does the book of Acts present an authentic narrative of the events that took place in the earliest days of the Christian church, or is it a fictional account of the lives of the apostles? On this program, Shane Rosenthal discusses this important topic with Lydia McGrew, who has argued for the authenticity of Acts by evaluating numerous “undesigned coincidences” between Luke’s writing and information found throughout the epistles of Paul. Dr. McGrew has written about this issue in her book Hidden in Plain View: Undesigned Coincidences in the Gospels and Acts. For a donation of $100, we will send you a copy of Michael Horton’s two-volume work, Justification. For a donation of $50, we will send your choice of either Vol. 1 or Vol. 2 of Justification. Volume 1 explores the doctrine of justification from the early church fathers to the Reformation. Volume 2 investigates the biblical doctrine of justification in light of contemporary interpretations. Just go to whitehorseinn.org/justification Study kits which are perfect for small groups or family devotions are available to download with  a donation of $15 - whitehorseinn.org/studykits

Episode 29 – Show NotesThis month we welcomed well known British apologist Jonathan McLatchie to share the show with us. Jonathan is a stalwart of the Unbelievable show and can be found here:www. JonathanMcLatchie.comhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/apologeticacademy/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr6nvYFyoCk5DsRgYRrhC_gJonathan has seen the importance of demonstrating the reliability of the gospels and has researched the use of ‘Undesigned Coincidences’ to do this. It is where incidental details of a story given by two separate authors mesh together in an undersigned way. It leads to greater confidence that the authors are each speaking about the same factual event rather than a legend. Andrew and Jonathan talk first about the history of Undesigned Coincidences especially regarding the gospels, the approach dates back to the late 17thC and William Paley himself. There are dozens of these apparent coincidences that scholars and then apologists has used. But we go on a deep dive on just one, from the feeding of the 5000 stories narratives which occur in all 4 gospels (starting Matt14.13, Mark6.30, Luke9.10 and John6.1). It is usually the example Jonathan mentions first.The discussion seeks to see the relationship between Undesigned Coincidences and New Testament scholarship as it has developed in the centuries since it Paley.The books and links we mentioned:Friend of the show John Nelson’s bloghttps://medium.com/the-reluctant-convert/some-thoughts-on-undesigned-coincidences-a1949c8bb4f9“Hidden in Plain View: Undesigned Coincidences in the Gospels and Acts” 2017 by Lydia McGrew“The Mirror or the Mask: Liberating the Gospels from Literary Devices” 2019 by Lydia McGrew6 blogs by Jonathan in response to Richard Carrier on Undesigned Coincidences:http://www.answeringmuslims.com/2020/03/yes-richard-carrier-there-are.htmlhttp://www.answeringmuslims.com/2020/03/can-scribal-errors-account-for.htmlhttp://www.answeringmuslims.com/2020/03/who-has-fabricated-data-lydia-mcgrew-or.htmlhttp://www.answeringmuslims.com/2020/03/is-redaction-usually-better-hypothesis.htmlhttp://www.answeringmuslims.com/2020/03/external-coincidences-and-acts-of.htmlhttp://www.answeringmuslims.com/2020/04/rounding-off-my-response-to-richard.html Scholarly article “Fatigue in the Synoptics” by Mark Goodacre, 1998http://www.markgoodacre.org/Q/fatigue.htm Doubts Aloud Links:Please leave us a review on iTunes and we will respond to any question asked there with the review.Or give feedback and ask questions using : doubtsaloud@gmail.comJoin the Facebook Group discussions:https://www.facebook.com/groups/1023280847835278/Meet us all in person at the monthly (now via Zoom during Covid lockdown) “Unbelievable Christian and Skeptic Discussion Group” in central London, see:https://www.meetup.com/Unbelievable-Christian-and-Skeptic-Discussion-Group-London

Episode 29 – Show NotesThis month we welcomed well known British apologist Jonathan McLatchie to share the show with us. Jonathan is a stalwart of the Unbelievable show and can be found here:www. JonathanMcLatchie.comhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/apologeticacademy/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr6nvYFyoCk5DsRgYRrhC_gJonathan has seen the importance of demonstrating the reliability of the gospels and has researched the use of ‘Undesigned Coincidences’ to do this. It is where incidental details of a story given by two separate authors mesh together in an undersigned way. It leads to greater confidence that the authors are each speaking about the same factual event rather than a legend. Andrew and Jonathan talk first about the history of Undesigned Coincidences especially regarding the gospels, the approach dates back to the late 17thC and William Paley himself. There are dozens of these apparent coincidences that scholars and then apologists has used. But we go on a deep dive on just one, from the feeding of the 5000 stories narratives which occur in all 4 gospels (starting Matt14.13, Mark6.30, Luke9.10 and John6.1). It is usually the example Jonathan mentions first.The discussion seeks to see the relationship between Undesigned Coincidences and New Testament scholarship as it has developed in the centuries since it Paley.The books and links we mentioned:Friend of the show John Nelson’s bloghttps://medium.com/the-reluctant-convert/some-thoughts-on-undesigned-coincidences-a1949c8bb4f9“Hidden in Plain View: Undesigned Coincidences in the Gospels and Acts” 2017 by Lydia McGrew“The Mirror or the Mask: Liberating the Gospels from Literary Devices” 2019 by Lydia McGrew6 blogs by Jonathan in response to Richard Carrier on Undesigned Coincidences:http://www.answeringmuslims.com/2020/03/yes-richard-carrier-there-are.htmlhttp://www.answeringmuslims.com/2020/03/can-scribal-errors-account-for.htmlhttp://www.answeringmuslims.com/2020/03/who-has-fabricated-data-lydia-mcgrew-or.htmlhttp://www.answeringmuslims.com/2020/03/is-redaction-usually-better-hypothesis.htmlhttp://www.answeringmuslims.com/2020/03/external-coincidences-and-acts-of.htmlhttp://www.answeringmuslims.com/2020/04/rounding-off-my-response-to-richard.html Scholarly article “Fatigue in the Synoptics” by Mark Goodacre, 1998http://www.markgoodacre.org/Q/fatigue.htm Doubts Aloud Links:Please leave us a review on iTunes and we will respond to any question asked there with the review.Or give feedback and ask questions using : doubtsaloud@gmail.comJoin the Facebook Group discussions:https://www.facebook.com/groups/1023280847835278/Meet us all in person at the monthly (now via Zoom during Covid lockdown) “Unbelievable Christian and Skeptic Discussion Group” in central London, see:https://www.meetup.com/Unbelievable-Christian-and-Skeptic-Discussion-Group-London

Matt talks with analytic philosopher, homemaker, home schooling mom and author Dr. Lydia McGrew. They discuss her important book Hidden in Plain View: Undesigned Coincidences in Gospels and Acts.

Pat is joined by Dr. Timothy McGrew to discuss the reliability of the gospels and whether we can trust what's recorded in them. Also, are miracles possible? Is that a thing? It's a fun discussion. Really! Recommended Resources Hidden in Plain View: Undesigned Coincidences in the Gospels and ACts by Lydia McGrew Dr. Tim debates Dr. BPeter Boghossian on the reasonableness of faith ... The Pat Flynn Show If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean the world to me if you could subscribe to, and leave a review for, The Pat Flynn show on iTunes HERE or Stitcher HERE. Reading your reviews and hearing your feedback is what keeps me fired up to make The Pat Flynn Show happen. Thank you!

On this much anticipated edition of the Bellator Christi Podcast, we are joined by Dr. Lydia McGrew. Dr. McGrew holds a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University and is an analytic philosopher. She is also the author of the book Hidden in Plain View: Undesigned Coincidences in the Gospels and Acts. She is wife to Dr. Tim […]

In this episode Kurt interviews Dr. Lydia McGrew, author of Hidden in Plain View: Undesigned Coincidences in the Gospels and Acts

In this episode Kurt interviews Dr. Lydia McGrew, author of Hidden in Plain View: Undesigned Coincidences in the Gospels and Acts

The Qu’ran states that Jesus did not die on the cross, but rather ‘it was made to appear’ so. Yet, historians cite Jesus’ death by crucifixion as one of the best attested facts of the ancient world. In an Easter weekend edition of the show Justin is joined by Christian scholar James White and Islamic scholar Yusuf Ismail as they debate the Islamic and Christian view of the crucifixion. At the end of the show, Justin also chats with Lydia McGrew, author of a new book Hidden in Plain View: Undesigned Coincidences in the Gospels and Acts. For Unbelievable? the Conference 2017: http://www.premier.org.uk/whychrist  For James White: https://www.aomin.org/   For Yusuf Ismail: https://www.facebook.com/Yusuf-Ismail-476386472392334/  For Lydia McGrew’s book: http://www.lydiamcgrew.com  For more faith debates visit http://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable Join the conversation: Facebook and Twitter Get the MP3 Podcast of Unbelievable? Via RSS or Via Itunes