Why Do You Believe?

While many modern conservative Christians uphold the idea that there are two genders, they often inadvertently eviscerate the male and female genders by making the masculine and feminine roles interchangeable. If we disregard the specific man/woman directives and differences in scripture, are we really valuing God’s design for us? Specifically, what should biblical womanhood really look like in the 21st century? Is historic Christianity's view of womanhood outdated and oppressive? Join us as we discuss these issues with SES alumna Nora Hale.

We conclude our overview of the new SES infographic "Nine Essential Arguments for Effective Christian Apologetics" by looking at the final three points that seek to demonstrate the truthfulness of Christianity specifically. The foundation has been laid regarding the nature and knowability of truth, the existence of God, and the fact that miracles are at least possible. Join us as SES Provost Dr. Richard G. Howe walks us through the final steps of our apologetic by examining the reliability of the Bible and the reality of Jesus' resurrection.

Last week we discussed the nature of truth, its knowability, and the fact that every aspect of physical reality has a metaphysical nature which we are capable of knowing and communicating about. As we continue our journey through the essential arguments for a complete apologetic for Christianity, we're joined again by SES Provost Dr. Richard Howe to discuss the existence of God and the implications this has to further our apologetic. If there is no God, there can be no Word of God. But how can we know that God actually exists?

We talk a lot about specific issues and nuanced philosophical and theological concepts. But at the end of the day, what are the basic arguments that form the foundation for a solid Christian apologetic? In our post-Christian culture, it is imperative that believers at least know the basics in order to become effective ambassadors for Christ in their proclamation and defense of the Gospel. Join us for this series with SES Provost Dr. Richard Howe as we discuss nine essential arguments for effective Christian apologetics.

Once again, Dr. William Lane Craig, along with Dr. James White, has mischaracterized Aquinas' view of divine simplicity, its importance, and its implications. This matters because divine simplicity, properly understood, is one of the most important doctrines of God from which the other divine attributes properly follow and are understood. SES professor Dr. Brian Huffling will discuss his recent blog post graciously responding to our brothers' continued misunderstanding and mischaracterizations.

A couple of episodes ago we began talking about the book “Answering the Music Man: Dan Barker’s Arguments Against Christianity” written by several of our SES alumni. The book is a response to Dan Barker, the co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Barker touts many of the typical, and shallow, talking points common to what has come to be known as the “new atheists." Today, we’ll be talking with three more authors of the book and their specific responses to Barker.

We all know that one of the most well-known and difficult issues facing Christian apologetics is the problem of evil. Book after book has been written on the subject. There is one particular aspect of the problem of evil that is gaining in popularity amongst skeptics and unbelievers. That is the so-called problem of animal suffering. Why would a good God create animals and allow them to suffer in so many horrible ways?. Some, like Alex O’Conner also known as the Cosmic Skeptic on YouTube, go so far as to claim this is the single greatest problem to Christianity. What exactly is the problem of animal suffering, and how should Christians respond?. We’ll be discussing this issue with Dr. Kyle Keltz, SES alum and author of “Thomism and the Problem of Animal Suffering.”

At our National Conference on Christian Apologetics, Dr. Richard Howe debated professing-Christian-music-minister-turned-atheist Dan Barker. Barker is the co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. After the debate, two of our SES Ph.D. alumni decided to begin a book project to dive more deeply into answering the many claims and assertions Barker promoted at the debate. The result is a relatively new book entitled “Answering the Music Man: Dan Barker’s Arguments Against Christianity." We’ll be discussing the book with a few of the authors this week and next week.

The seemingly overnight adoption of critical race theory as mainstream, the acceptance of transgenderism and homosexuality, the ideas of safe spaces and hate speech, and even the idea of cultural marxism have been brewing behind the scenes for decades. Namely, these ideas have been taught at the university for years. Finally, those college students have become societal leaders and we are reaping the poisonous fruit of these corrupt ideas. What can be done now, and how do we reach the university for Christ? We’ll be examining these questions with SES alum and Ratio Christi staff member, Aaron Marshall

Dr. William Lane Craig is perhaps the most popular Christian apologist and philosopher today, and of course he is a dear brother in Christ. Ironically, however, he rejects some of the most foundational aspects about the nature of God upon which classical theism rests. We will specifically be looking at the simplicity of God and God's knowledge of the future. What, if any, are the implications of thinking wrongly about these issues? In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Brian Huffling, Director of the SES Ph.D. program, to analyze Dr. Craig's views on the nature of God.

How can someone help get apologetics training started at their local church, and what are some of the hurdles to look out for? What are the most important apologetics issues every church should equip their members to engage? Join us as we discuss these issues and more with Dr. Ray Ciervo, SES alum, author, and seasoned apologist.

We've discussed some of the classical attributes of God and how we, as limited human beings, can talk meaningfully about the unlimited God. But in modern times, this classical view of God has slowly been abandoned. Why is "God fading away" in this sense, and what implications are at stake with the abandonment of classical theism? Dr. Richard G. Howe, SES Provost, will join us to discuss this important topic.

What does it mean to say God is "good"? Could God be evil? Does God ever change His mind? What does it mean to say that God is everywhere present and all-knowing? Taken at face value, the Bible seems to provide contradictory information about the nature of God. Join us as we continue to discuss these issues as they relate to the attributes of God. We will again be joined by Dr. Doug Potter, SES Assistant Professor of Apologetics and Theology.

Mortimer Adler said, “More consequences for thought and action follow the affirmation or denial of God than from answering any other basic question.” The popular Chris Tomlin song, “Indescribable”, poetically articulates how God is beyond our comprehension. So how can we describe an indescribable God? Thoughts about the existence and nature of God are all over the place, even within the evangelical church. How can we know we are thinking well about God and that we are not in fact guilty of idolatry? What are God’s attributes, and why does it matter that we get this right? For the next two weeks, we’re going to be discussing these issues with my good friend and long-time SES professor, Dr. Doug Potter.

The Apostle Paul says we are to be pitied among all people if Jesus did not in fact rise from the dead. As we come to the time celebrating Easter, how do we know Jesus actually rose from the dead? What evidence is do we have showing us that we can be confident that our hope is not in vane? We discuss this topic with apologist and Assistant Professor of Biology, Dr. Jonathan McLatchie.

Is there any validity to the never-ending spiral of conspiracy theories that surround the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus every Easter? How should we think about the claims of dying and rising gods from pagan myths and cults? Is Christianity just a copycat of other myths, or did Jesus really rise from the dead? Join us as author and SES alum Allan Di Donato discusses this important topic.

There are lots of questions and concerns regarding the recent COVID vaccines that have been approved for public usage. Should we be worried? Are the conspiracy theories valid? How should Christians think through the issues related to the vaccines so that we can make an informed decision about taking one ourselves? Join us as we discuss these issues with Dr. Fuz Rana, SES adjunct professor and Vice President of Research/Apologetics at Reasons to Believe.

How should we understand the Bible's relationship to slavery? Doesn't the Bible condone slavery? How can Christians say they stand against racism and slavery given all the Bible says? SES alumnus Dr. H.C. Felder dives into these issues as we reach into the NCCA archives to listen to his talk from our 2018 National Conference.

What is the Equality Act, and how will it impact believers living out their Christian convictions? More importantly, what is equality and why does it matter? Should we really strive for equal outcomes across the board? Join us as we discuss these issues with SES alum and president of CrossExamined.org, Dr. Frank Turek.