Best The Apologists at Texas A&M University Podcasts (2025)

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Gospel Objections 8: The Problem of Aliens! 49:14

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3+ y ago49:14

49:14

Would the discovery of extraterrestrial life send Christianity to the dustbin of history? This video is from our 2021 Fall lecture series responding to Gospel Objections. Each week, we evaluate a common objection to the core message of Jesus. For more information and resources go to http://rc-tamu.org/gospel-objections Note: This video has been sli…

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Gospel Objections 7: The Problem of the Delay of the Paraousia (Jesus’s Second Coming) 1:03:46

3+ y ago1:03:46

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Jesus famously said “this generation shall not pass away until all these things come to pass”. After 2000 years, and many dead generations later, is it time to stop waiting? This video is from our 2021 Fall lecture series responding to Gospel Objections. Each week, we evaluate a common objection to the core message of Jesus. For more information an…

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Gospel Objections 6: The Problem of Deconversion 57:44

3+ y ago57:44

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Recent years have seen a slew of high profile Christians publicly renouncing their faith, deconverting, and/or deconstructing. Unfortunately, many of these “Exvangelicals” have received nasty responses and even many well-meaning people have unintentionally responded offensively. What is the healthy way to approach the issue of deconstruction? What …

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Gospel Objections 5: The Problem of Transhumanism 54:39

3+ y ago54:39

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The advancement of modern science has opened the door to a future where human weakness is transcended by technology. Is the promise of the gospel irrelevant in the face of the transhumanist alternative? This video is from our 2021 Fall lecture series responding to Gospel Objections. Each week, we evaluate a common objection to the core message of J…

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Gospel Objections 4: The Problem of Science 1:03:41

3+ y ago1:03:41

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Contemporary science is often presented as being in massive contradiction to the Gospel message. Is Jesus irrelevant in an age of modernity? This video is from our 2021 Fall lecture series responding to Gospel Objections. Each week, we evaluate a common objection to the core message of Jesus. For more information and resources go to http://rc-tamu.…

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Gospel Objections 3: The Problem of Atonement 1:00:58

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The core message of the gospel is that Jesus died for the sins of the world. Does this make any sense at all? This video is from our 2021 Fall lecture series responding to Gospel Objections. Each week, we evaluate a common objection to the core message of Jesus. For more information and resources go to http://rc-tamu.org/gospel-objections Note: Thi…

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Gospel Objections 2: The Problem of Hell 53:20

4y ago53:20

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What about those that reject the Gospel? Is eternal punishment proper justice for finite sins? This video is from our 2021 Fall lecture series responding to Gospel Objections. Each week, we evaluate a common objection to the core message of Jesus. For more information and resources go to http://rc-tamu.org/gospel-objections Note: This video has bee…

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Gospel Objections 1: The Problem of the Unevangelized 56:02

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What happens to those that never hear the message of Jesus? Wouldn’t it be unfair of God to punish people for what they do not know? (Note: we had some audio difficulties with this recording. Audio from 0:00–0:59 is loud and audio at 20:00–22:00 is quiet). This video is from our 2021 Fall lecture series responding to Gospel Objections. Each week, w…

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Gospel Objections 0: What is the Gospel? 22:37

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An overview of the good news of the kingdom of God. This video is from our 2021 Fall lecture series responding to Gospel Objections. Each week, we evaluate a common objection to the core message of Jesus. For more information and resources go to http://rc-tamu.org/gospel-objections Note: This video has been slightly edited for length and clarity. D…

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Natural Theology 9: Reformed Epistemology 1:01:09

4y ago1:01:09

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A review of the semester and overview of Plantinga’s account of warranted Christian belief. We’ve spent this semester discussing arguments and evidence for the truth of Christianity, but is this evidence *necessary* for warranted belief in God? This video is from our 2021 Spring lecture series covering Natural Theology & the Truth of Christianity. …

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Natural Theology 8: Did Jesus Rise from the Dead? 1:09:26

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An overview of the historical argument for the resurrection of Jesus. This video is from our 2021 Spring lecture series covering Natural Theology & the Truth of Christianity. Each week, we evaluate the classical arguments for and against the existence of God and truth of Christianity. For handouts and slides go to http://rc-tamu.org/natural-theolog…

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Natural Theology 7: Did Jesus Exist? 53:57

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An overview of the historical evidence for the existence of Jesus. This video is from our 2021 Spring lecture series covering Natural Theology & the Truth of Christianity. Each week, we evaluate the classical arguments for and against the existence of God and truth of Christianity. For slides and handouts go to http://rc-tamu.org/natural-theology N…

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Natural Theology 6: The Problem of Miracles 59:11

4y ago59:11

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Guest speaker Dr. Micah Green provides an overview of the contemporary philosophical problem of miracles and “Hume’s Abject Failure”. This video is from our 2021 Spring lecture series covering Natural Theology & the Truth of Christianity. Each week, we evaluate the classical arguments for and against the existence of God and truth of Christianity. …

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Natural Theology 5: The Problem of Evil (Part 2) 1:27:36

4y ago1:27:36

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An overview of the probabilistic problem of evil and several influential theodicies. This video is from our 2021 Spring lecture series covering Natural Theology & the Truth of Christianity. Each week, we evaluate the classical arguments for and against the existence of God and truth of Christianity. For handouts and slides go to http://rc-tamu.org/…

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Natural Theology 4: The Problem of Evil (Part 1) 1:02:19

4y ago1:02:19

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An overview of the logical problem of evil and Plantinga’s influential Free Will Defence. This video is from our 2021 Spring lecture series covering Natural Theology & the Truth of Christianity. Each week, we evaluate the classical arguments for and against the existence of God and truth of Christianity. For slides and handouts go to http://rc-tamu…

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Natural Theology 3: The Moral Argument 1:14:21

4y ago1:14:21

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An overview of the contemporary argument from morality for God. This video is from our 2021 Spring lecture series covering Natural Theology & the Truth of Christianity. Each week, we evaluate the classical arguments for and against the existence of God and truth of Christianity. For slides and handouts go to http://rc-tamu.org/natural-theology Note…

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Natural Theology 2: The Fine-Tuning Argument 1:31:50

4y ago1:31:50

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An overview of the contemporary argument from design for God. This video is from our 2021 Spring lecture series covering Natural Theology & the Truth of Christianity. Each week, we evaluate the classical arguments for and against the existence of God and truth of Christianity. For slides and handouts go to http://rc-tamu.org/natural-theology Note: …

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Natural Theology 1: The Kalam Cosmological Argument 1:27:03

4y ago1:27:03

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An overview of a classical cosmological argument for the existence of God. This video is from our 2021 Spring lecture series covering Natural Theology & the Truth of Christianity. Each week, we evaluate the classical arguments for and against the existence of God and truth of Christianity. For slides and handouts go to http://rc-tamu.org/natural-th…

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Natural Theology 0: Reason Can Lead to God 39:51

4y ago39:51

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An introduction to apologetics and how to have conversations about faith in good faith. This video is from our 2021 Spring lecture series covering Natural Theology & the Truth of Christianity. Each week, we evaluate the classical arguments for and against the existence of God and truth of Christianity. For more information go to http://rc-tamu.org/…

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OT Controversy 9: Why is the Catholic Old Testament Bigger? 1:39:53

5y ago1:39:53

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Ben (our resident Catholic) discusses the seven books of the Deuterocanon (or Apocrypha), what they are, and why they are included in the Catholic Old Testament canon. N.B. While Ratio Christi at Texas A&M does not officially take a position on the canonical status of these books and many Protestants reject them, they nevertheless are useful for un…

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OT Controversy 8: Were the Ancient Israelites Polytheists? 1:19:10

5y ago1:19:10

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We turn to the question of ancient Israelite religion. While we usually think of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism as the big three monotheistic religions, is the historical reality more complicated than that? Psalm 82 takes centre stage in a discussion of the unseen spiritual realm. Slides and video available at http://rc-tamu.org/confronting-old-t…

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OT Controversy 7: Did God Command Canaanite Genocide? 1:15:55

5y ago1:15:55

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We conclude our discussion on the question of Israelite origins by tackling the ethical objection to the Hebrew invasion of Canaan. Did God command genocide? How does Jesus influence our interpretation of these unnerving accounts? Slides and video available at http://rc-tamu.org/confronting-old-testament-controversy/…

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OT Controversy 6: Did the Israelites Conquer Canaan? 1:06:28

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The question of Israelite origins remains one of the hottest debates amongst ancient historians. Did a massive Hebrew invasion force wipe out the Canaanites in the 15th/13th century B.C.? Is the entire military career of Joshua invented from thin air? Building off of the previous discussion of the exodus, we proceed into the murky waters of the con…

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OT Controversy 5: Did the Exodus Really Happen? 1:05:53

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The Hebrew exodus from Egypt is the founding event both in Israel’s history as a people and the redemptive history of Christian faith. But, is there any evidence such an event occurred? We discuss the archaeological background, the major options for dates (early, late, and more), as well as different theories about the exodus. Slides and video avai…

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OT Controversy 4: Does Genetic Evidence Contradict Adam & Eve? 1:23:06

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We conclude our discussion on Genesis, creation, and evolution by addressing the controversy over the historical Adam & Eve. First, we outline the biblical data concerning Eve & Adam. Next, we survey the scientific data related to human origins. Lastly, we wrap up by integrating different interpretations of Eve & Adam with various theological syste…

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Addendum to “Does Genesis Contradict Science?” 38:07

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Zach and Andrew casually chat about some loose threads from the Genesis and science meeting. They clear up some confusion about stellar parallax, discuss additional interpretations of the days of Genesis, and expand on the intelligent design movement. Referenced Papers Laland Kevin N.,et al (2015) The extended evolutionary synthesis: its structure,…

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OT Controversy 3: Does Genesis Contradict Science? 1:15:03

5y ago1:15:03

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We continue addressing the controversy on Genesis, creation, and evolution. In this episode, we focus on the scientific questions of (i) the age of the earth, (ii) common ancestry, and (iii) how life diversified. Next time, we will hone in on the question of Adam & Eve. Slides and video available at http://rc-tamu.org/confronting-old-testament-cont…

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OT Controversy 2: How Should We Read Genesis 1-11? 1:39:28

5y ago1:39:28

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Confronting Old Testament Controversy 2: We begin our discussion on creation, evolution, and Genesis by addressing the controversy over the genre of Genesis 1-11, aka the “Primeval History”. Andrew surveys the relevant literary categories and the debate over literalism, metaphor, and history. Slides and video available at http://rc-tamu.org/confron…

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OT Controversy 1: How did we get the Old Testament? 56:21

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Confronting Old Testament Controversy 1: Zach discusses the text of the Old Testament (Tanakh) including the primary text types; the Septuagint, the Masoretic text as well as the most important manuscripts, including codex Leningradensis as well as the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in Qumran. Next Zach discusses textual transmission and the questions…

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What Do We Do With the Old Testament? w/ Dr. Micah Green 46:52

5y ago46:52

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Despite being the majority of the Bible, the Old Testament remains a difficult and sometime perplexing corpus of writing. With ancient laws, long histories, and confusing prophecies, we are often left wondering…what do we do with the Old Testament? We kick off our Fall 2020 semester with guest speaker Dr. Micah Green to address the question “What D…

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Paul, Justification, and Sin: a Ratio Christi Roundtable 53:26

5+ y ago53:26

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In this audio from the vault, Jace leads a conversation about what St. Paul meant by justification and how that influences our view of sin and Christs’s wo Subscribe to the Think Theism podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or thinktheism.org Disclaimer: Think Theism is an independent podcast produced in association with Ratio Christi TAMU. The opin…

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The Genealogical Adam & Eve – an interview w/ Dr. Joshua Swamidass 32:33

5+ y ago32:33

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Zach and Andrew interview Dr. Joshua Swamidass about his new book The Genealogical Adam & Eve which aims to show that a literal Adam & Eve is fully compatible with the contemporary evolutionary account of human origins. Video of the interview: https://youtu.be/HKZxPXiF9rA Resources mentioned during or relevant to the episode “The Genealogical Adam …

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Interview w/ Dr. Joshua Swamidass (Part 2) 28:48

5+ y ago28:48

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Part 2 of our interview with Dr. Joshua Swamidass. We discuss some of the particulars of why neo-Darwinianism is no longer the reigning paradigm in contemporary evolutionary biology. Swamidass argues that the deficiencies intelligent design theorists point to have been acknowledged (and addressed) as early as the 1960s. In particular, “Haldane’s di…

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Interview w/ Dr. Joshua Swamidass (Part 1) 20:24

5+ y ago20:24

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Part 1 of our interview with Dr. Joshua Swamidass. We discuss Dr. Swamidass’s journey from young-earth creationism to “affirming evolutionary science”. We also address the role evolution has played in some high profile deconversions from Christianity. Stay tuned for Part 2 and Part 3 of our interview where we discuss the particulars of intelligent …

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Darwinism Devolving – an interview w/ Dr. Michael Behe 39:58

5+ y ago39:58

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Zach and Andrew interview Dr. Michael J. Behe, professor of Biological Sciences at Lehigh University and Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture. We discuss Dr. Behe’s work in the intelligent design movement with his book trilogy Darwin’s Black Box, Edge of Evolution, and Darwin Devolves. Next, we revisit the past with…

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“God and/or Evolution?” – Dr. Michael Behe vs Dr. Joshua Swamidass (Veritas 2020) 1:36:04

5+ y ago1:36:04

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Dr. Michael Behe and Dr. Joshua Swamidass debate evolution, intelligent design, and which way the evidence points. Video of the debate available at tx.ag/veritas2020 The scientific community seeks to give an account of the world around us in terms of mathematical laws and natural processes; this description even extends to the account of biological…

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“Aquinas & Quantum Theory” w/ Fr. Robert Verrill 1:09:07

5+ y ago1:09:07

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Fr. Robert Verrill (Baylor University) joins us to discuss the implications of contemporary quantum theory with Thomistic metaphysics. The premise may seem bizarre. St. Thomas Aquinas (i) lived 700 years before the advent of quantum theory, (ii) believed in a geocentric cosmos, and (iii) believed that earth, air, fire, and water were the only four …

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Cosmological Arguments from Contingency 38:30

5+ y ago38:30

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Andrew surveys a few different versions of the cosmological argument. Then, we discuss a particular version of the argument popularized by Gottfried Leibniz that tries to show that a necessary being who is the explanatory ground of being must exist. Notes can be found here: Cosmological Arguments Tickets for Veritas 2020 can be found here: tx.ag/Ve…

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Old Testament Part III: One God, Two Powers, Three Persons 1:03:27

5+ y ago1:03:27

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In this episode, we review the divine council then begin to discuss the Old Testament roots of the doctrine of the Trinity. We survey the ancient Near Eastern concept of a Divine Council and how the ancient Hebrews adapted elements of it. Next, we survey the Hebrew concept of “Two Powers in Heaven” where there are two distinct YHWHs, visible and in…

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Old Testament Part II: Comparative Studies 59:29

6y ago59:29

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In the previous episode, we discussed the material of the Old Testament (aka Tanakh or Hebrew Bible). This time, we will be moving on to discuss the higher level conceptual world of the Ancient Near East and its influence on the biblical authors. Specifically, we look at the idea of a “divine council” present in Biblical texts such as Psalm 82. “Go…

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Old Testament Part I: Materials & History 1:08:29

6y ago1:08:29

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We provide an overview of the material elements related to the composition & formation of the Old Testament, then discuss how this shapes our understanding of inspiration. Overall structure of the Old Testament Key events in history of Israel Important textual witnesses What JEDP means Outline: RC Old Testament Outline Veritas Forum 2020 “God and/o…

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Biblical Inerrancy: Three Views 52:30

6y ago52:30

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The authority of the Bible is central to Christianity. Human authors were carried along by the Holy Spirit to provide the written revelation of God. Many Christians believe that God, being Truth itself, could not inspire a collection of documents containing any error, thus, leading to the idea of biblical inerrancy. But what does this mean? What co…

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Christian Ethics & Environmentalism w/ Dr. Robert Garcia (Alt: What has Jerusalem to do with Yosemite?) 1:08:08

6y ago1:08:08

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What has Jerusalem to do with Yosemite? Guest Speaker Dr. Robert Garcia discusses environmental ethics and how Christian approaches may have unique insights in the often heated debate. To make the question most poignant, Dr. Garcia focuses in on the question of if/when it is acceptable to eat animals and what obligations we have to non-human member…

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The Creator Revealed – an interview w/ Dr. Michael G. Strauss 54:10

6y ago54:10

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Zach and Andrew interview Dr. Michael G. Strauss, professor of physics at the University of Oklahoma, about his book The Creator Revealed: A Physicist Examines the Big Bang and the Bible. In the first half of the conversation, we discuss scientific evidence for the existence of God from (i) big bang cosmology and (ii) the fine-tuning of the univers…

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Scientific Evidence for God + Naturalistic Alternatives w/ Dr. Michael G. Strauss 1:04:08

6y ago1:04:08

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Religion and science have been often viewed as incompatible. However, recent scientific discoveries about our universe and planet have led many to reconsider God. In this talk, Dr. Michael G. Strauss surveys three lines of scientific evidence that point towards a Creator: (i) the origin of our universe, (ii) the fine-tuning of our universe for life…

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The Historical Argument for the Resurrection of Jesus 1:00:00

6y ago1:00:00

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The resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Says the apostle Paul, if Christ has not been raised, you are dead in your sins and your faith is in vain. The historical argument for the resurrection of Jesus has played a chief role in Christian apologetics, as well. In this episode, Zach takes a whirlwind tour through the theo…

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C.S. Lewis & Those That Never Hear the Gospel w/ Dr. Robert Garcia 1:15:04

6y ago1:15:04

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“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” claims Jesus. But what about those that never hear about the way, truth, and life? C.S. Lewis reflected deeply on this question and offered a few interesting perspectives. Dr. Robert K. Garcia is an Associate professor of Philosophy at Texas A&M and teaches the Ph…

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BONUS: New Testament Textual Reliability (2017) 26:53

6y ago26:53

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This short bonus episode features audio from a meeting we did in 2017 on the textual reliability of the New Testament.By Zachary Lawson

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Is Christian Belief Warranted Without Evidence? 55:31

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While there are numerous arguments for the existence of God, most believers accept theism independent of sophisticated arguments and evidence. Are these theists irrational? In this episode, Zach discusses the idea of Reformed Epistemology developed by Alvin Plantinga who argues Christian believers can be warranted independent of evidence. The core …

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Abstract Objects & God w/ Jared Oliphint 1:00:00

6y ago1:00:00

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Jared Oliphint, Ph.D. student in the Texas A&M Philosophy Dept., joins us for a fun conversation about abstract objects and how it relates to theism. The problem is motivated by an inconsistent triad of propositions, formulated by Greg Welty: Abstract objects (AOs) exist. If AOs exist, they are dependent on God. If AOs exist, they are independent o…

The Apologists At Texas A&M University Podcasts