The Cerebral Faith Podcast
By Evan Minton
The Cerebral Faith PodcastApr 13, 2019
Episode 170: The Final Episode
This is the final episode of The Cerebral Faith Podcast. Mr. Minton explains his reasons for ending the podcast, as well as listing 30 episodes of the podcast that he recommends newcomers listen to the most. He then gives a few testimonials. He ends with a heartfelt thank you to all those who tuned in over the years as well as the guests who came on to converse on a variety of different topics.
Episode 169: What Evan Minton Thinks About The Bible - Part 2
In this episode, Evan Minton will go on to talk about his view on inerrancy and how that relates to the theory of divine accommodation which encompasses such topics as Ancient Near Eastern Cosmology, the head covering issue of 1 Corinthians 11, God's Gender, and Jesus' Sonship. He will also talk about the differences between Bible reading and Bible Study, as well as resources he recommends for digging deeper into one's Bible study.
To see The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy mentioned in this episode, click here --> https://www.etsjets.org/files/documents/Chicago_Statement.pdf
To see The Bellingham Statement on Inerrancy mentioned in this episode, click here --> https://drmsh.com/another-proposed-bellingham-statement/
Episode 168: What Evan Minton Thinks About The Bible - Part 1
Episode 167: The Historical Reliability Of Acts - With Erik Manning
In todays episode, Evan Minton talks about the case for the historical reliability of the book of Acts with Christian Apologist and YouTuber Erik Manning. Who wrote the book of Acts? When was Acts written? What extra biblical writings and archeological evidence can verify what Acts says? Are there any clues within the book of Acts itself that suggest that the author knew what he was talking about? All of these questions and more are addressed in this episode.
For more content from Erik Manning, check out his YouTube channel; Testify - https://www.youtube.com/@TestifyApologetics
Episode 166: Responding To Open Theism - With Kirk MacGregor
In this episode, Mr. Minton has Dr. Kirk MacGregor on the podcast to talk about a view known as Open Theism, and what the biblical and philosophical issues with such a view are. Primarily they will be responding to arguments for Open Theism such as the argument that if humans have libertarian free will, God cannot foreknow our libertarianly free choices, as well as certain biblical proof texts Open Theists have marshaled in favor of their view. However, a positive case for God having foreknowledge of future contingent events is also made in this episode.
If you'd like to read more about Molinism and Open Theism from Dr. MacGregor, below are a couple of resources mentioned in the episode:
* "Calvinism and Middle Knowledge: A Conversation" -- https://www.amazon.com/Calvinism-Middle-Knowledge-John-Laing/dp/1532645732
* "Luis De Molina: The Life and Theology Of The Founder Of Middle Knowledge" -- https://www.amazon.com/Luis-Molina-Theology-Founder-Knowledge-ebook/dp/B00UF7W4AM?ref_=ast_author_dp
Episode 165: Responding To David Tsumura’s Critique Of “The Lost World Of Genesis One” - With Zach Miller
In this episode, it is also an episode of What Your Pastor Didn’t Tell You in which Zach Miller had Evan Minton on as a guest. Miller and Minton respond to David Tsumura’s criticism of The Functional Origins/Temple Inaguration view of Genesis 1 as defended in books such as John Walton’s “The Lost World Of Genesis One” and “Genesis 1 As Ancient Cosmology”.
If you’d like to see the video of this episode, click here —> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Twp-gXDmY&t=3s
Click here to visit Zach Miller’s channel. —> https://www.youtube.com/@WhatYourPastorDidntTellYou
Episode 164: Responding To Noel Week’s Critique Of “The Lost World Of Genesis One” - with Zach Miller
Back in 2022, Evan Minton was on Zach Miller's podcast "What Your Pastor Didn't Tell You". In this episode, they responded to criticisms of the interpretation of Genesis 1 defended by John Walton in books like "The Lost World Of Genesis One" and "Genesis 1 As Ancient Cosmology".
To see more of Zach Miller's podcast, visit the following URLs for the podcast in its video and audio only formats respectively.
Episode 163: Conversations About Heaven - With Brian Chilton
Many people wonder about what's going to happen to them after they die. The Bible teaches that Christians will go to a place God has prepared for us called Heaven, whereas those who don't believe in Jesus go to a place called Hell. Yet as many tough questions as the latter place generates, there are also many questions about the former as well, even from people who have gone to church for years! In today's episode, Evan Minton interviews Brian Chilton, author of the book "Conversations About Heaven: Difficult Questions About Our Eternal Home". Dr. Chilton tackles questions such as "Where is Heaven?", "Does the soul survive the death of the body?", "What will the new creation be like?", and "Do animals go to Heaven?", "What about Near Death Experiences?" In the book, he discusses even more questions than what was discussed in this podcast episode.
Click here to get to the book --> https://www.amazon.com/Conversations-about-Heaven-Difficult-Questions/dp/1666762687
Episode 162: Only One Jesus: The Unity of Jesus’ Portrait in All Four Gospels - With Lydia McGrew
New Testament scholars treat John's gospel as largely a-historical when it comes to things Jesus said and did. This is even true of some evangelical scholars. For example, Craig Evans has publicly said that Jesus just sounds too different from how he talks in the synoptics, so John more or less paints an interpretive portrait of Jesus, making up things that Jesus never literally said in the narrative contexts we read about, but still vaguely captures some essence of what the historical Jesus taught. But how solid of a conclusion is this view? In this episode, Dr. Lydia McGrew offers a rebuttal.
To read more about this, check out Dr. McGrew's book "The Eye Of The Beholder: The Gospel Of John As Historical Reportage" and "Testimonies To The Truth: Why You Can Trust The Gospels". Click the links below for both books respectively.
https://www.amazon.com/Eye-Beholder-Gospel-Historical-Reportage/dp/1947929151
https://www.amazon.com/Testimonies-Truth-Why-Trust-Gospels/dp/1947929232/ref=d_m_crc_dp_lf_d_t1_sccl_2_2/135-4936731-3445617?pd_rd_w=CXY0O&content-id=amzn1.sym.5d471845-5073-424b-b27b-c0676f48a016&pf_rd_p=5d471845-5073-424b-b27b-c0676f48a016&pf_rd_r=H1XRG76F930CZD2NG53G&pd_rd_wg=r1cvP&pd_rd_r=0adbae74-ce82-45b1-97d6-930b1d216e68&pd_rd_i=1947929232&psc=1
Episode 161: An Atheist Philosophy Professor Becomes A Christian - with John Wise
In today's episode, Mr. Minton interviews John Wise; a philosophy professor who went from Christian to atheist to back to being a Christian again, a remarkable journey that spanned 25 years and culminated in 2019. Dr. Wise tells of his journey of faith and skepticism, and how he now views faith matters having been on both sides of "the looking glass". Dr. John Wise goes into more detail about his journey on his podcast "The Christian Atheist" which he runs alongside his wife Jenny Wise, as well as in his book "Through The Looking Glass: The Imploding Of An Atheist Professor's Worldview" which can be purchased on Amazon in paperback and Kindle.
Check out The Christian Atheist here --> https://open.spotify.com/show/4wWaVlpuRgoLOpZDtADBPD
Check out "Through The Looking Glass: The Imploding Of An Atheist Philosopher's Worldview" --> https://www.amazon.com/Through-Looking-Glass-Professors-Transcripts/dp/B0BW23B4MR/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Episode 160: Christianity and Video Games - With Nick Peters
In today's episode, I have Nick Peters of Deeper Waters ministries on the podcast. Nick Peters is a Christian Apologist and theologian who has recently devoted his research to, believe it or not, video games! Specifically, video games and the psychology surrounding it as well as the theological aspects of it. In fact, he gave an entire talk at the Defend conference last year on this very subject. Why do people play video games? Why are so many adults interested in video games? Is there anything particularly wrong with adults playing video games? And what would happen if we took life as seriously as we took video games? These topics and more are discussed in this episode.
For more content from Nick Peters, go to www.deeperwaters.com
"Life Is A Game: What Game Design Says about the Human Condition" by Edward Castronova -- https://www.amazon.com/Life-Game-Design-about-Condition/dp/1501360612
"The Gaming Mind: A New Psychology of Video Games and the Power of Play" by Alexander Kriss PhD -- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WFXCTP4/ref=adbl_dp_wfv_kin
Episode 159: The Case For The Reliability Of The Gospels – Conclusion
In this podcast episode, we wrap up our series on the historical case for the reliability of the gospels. I will tell the non-Christian who has been convinced by the evidence and arguments surveyed in the series what he should do next. I also have a message for non-Christians who may be resisting the evidence for non-intellectual reasons. And finally, I have a message for Christians who may want to use this material in their evangelistic encounters. The Maximal Data Approach is not the unweildy, inefficient argument that many defenders of the Minimal Facts Approach (formerly including myself) have made it out to be. In fact, when all is said and done, the Maximal Data Argument for Jesus' Resurrection might be even better. Though I still think The Minimal Facts Argument for Jesus' Resurrection is still a good argument.
To see the blog post, click here --> https://cerebralfaith.net/the-case-for-the-reliability-of-the-gospels-conclusion/
Episode 158: The Case For The Reliability Of The Gospels – Part 9: The Resurrection Of Jesus
Continuing on with the audio blog series on the historical reliability of the gospels, I now turn to the issue of the historicity of Jesus' resurrection. Having previously established that the gospels are eyewitness accounts that are early (not to mention verified to be telling the truth on a variety of different occasions), we must answer the question as to why they claimed to have seen Jesus alive after His death saying and doing very specific things on a multitude of occasions. There are only three possibilities; they were either lying, mistaken, or telling the truth.
Click here to see the blog post --> https://cerebralfaith.net/the-case-for-the-reliability-of-the-gospels-part-9-the-resurrection-of-jesus/
Episode 157: The Case For The Reliability Of The Gospels – Part 8: Can We Really Believe In Miracles?
Continuing on with The Gospel Reliability Audio-Blog series, I examine the case against miracles. Are miracles really impossible? Or if they're possible, can they never be evidentially established? This is what the 18th century Scottish philosopher David Hume argued. In this episode of The Cerebral Faith Podcast, I will be giving my refutations of Hume, showing that miracles are both possible and are capable of being established as long as the evidence is good enough. While miracles have a somewhat low antecedent probability in isolation, that antecedent probability is not so low that a posteriori evidence cannot overcome it. This is important because in the next episode, I will be arguing for the historicity of Jesus' resurrection.
To see the blog post, click here --> https://cerebralfaith.net/the-case-for-the-reliability-of-the-gospels-part-8-can-we-really-believe-in-miracles/
Episode 156: The Case For The Reliability Of The Gospels – Part 7: What About Contradictions?
In this episode, we continue our "psudeo-audiobook" of the Cerebral Faith blog post series; The Case For The Reliability Of The Gospels. In this episode, I tackle the issues of alleged contradictions between the four gospel narratives. Do the gospels really contradict each other, and if so, what would that mean for their historical reliability? Listen to find out.
To see the blog post, click here --> https://cerebralfaith.net/the-case-for-the-reliability-of-the-gospels-part-7-what-about-contradictions/
Episode 155: The Case For The Reliability Of The Gospels – Part 6: Even More Internal Evidence
Continuing on with my gospel reliability audio blog series, I examine several pieces of internal evidence for the historical verisimilitude of the gospels; Undesigned Coincidences, Unnecessary Details, and Unexplained Allusions.
To see the blog post, click here --> https://cerebralfaith.net/the-case-for-the-reliability-of-the-gospels-part-6-even-more-internal-evidence/
Episode 154: The Case For The Reliability Of The Gospels – Part 5: Some Internal Evidence
In this podcast episode, I continue my series on the case for the historical trustworthiness of the gospels. I make a cumulative case for the gospel's trustworthiness from internal evidence. How can the criteria of authenticity help to build a cumulative case for the trustworthiness of the gospels? Listen to this episode to find out.
Click here to see the blog post. --> https://cerebralfaith.net/the-case-for-the-reliability-of-the-gospels-part-5-some-internal-evidence/
Episode 153: The Case For The Reliability Of The Gospels – Part 4: The External Evidence
In this podcast episode, we continue our series on the case for the historical reliability of the gospels. In this episode, I talk about the various extra-biblical evidence that confirms the existence of persons and historicity of events that the gospels record. What corroboration can secular authors of that time period and archeological evidence give? Listen to this episode to find out.
To see the blog article, click here --> https://cerebralfaith.net/the-case-for-the-reliability-of-the-gospels-part-4-the-external-evidence/
Episode 152: The Case For The Reliability Of The Gospels – Part 3: The Dating Of The Gospels
In this episode, I continue reading the essays I wrote as part of the Gospel Reliability series for the Cerebral Faith blog. First, I had an introduction episode, then we had an episode looking at the textual transmission of the New Testament documents. We saw in that episode that The New Testament documents were reliably preserved to 99.99% accuracy. Yes, the New Testament we have today is a near perfect copy of The New Testament that was originally written. And after that, we had a lengthy episode discussing the authorship of the gospels. We saw that there is every reason to believe that the tax collector Matthew wrote the gospel of Matthew, that John Mark wrote the gospel of Mark and used Peter as his source, that Dr. Luke wrote the gospel of Luke, and that John the son of Zebedee wrote the gospel of John. In this episode, we turn to the issue of dating. I make the case that the gospels were written much earlier than a lot of liberal scholars say.
To see the blog post, click here --> https://cerebralfaith.net/the-case-for-the-reliability-of-the-gospels-part-3-the-dating-of-the-gospels/
Episode 151: The Case For The Reliability Of The Gospels – Part 2: The Case For Traditional Authorship
In this episode, I continue reading aloud my Gospel Reliability blog post series. In this installment, I look at the external and internal evidences for the traditional authorship of the gospels. I argue that the evidence from the early church fathers as well as evidences from within the biblical text itself strongly supports the view that the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were written by the people that bear their names, and therefore, that the gospels are based on eyewitness testimony.
To see the blog post, click here --> https://cerebralfaith.net/the-case-for-the-reliability-of-the-gospels-part-2-the-case-for-traditional-authorship/
Episode 150: The Case For The Reliability Of The Gospels – Part 1: The Reliability Of The Manuscript Transmission
In this episode, I read part one of my gospel, reliability blog post series. In the previous podcast episode, I read the introduction to the series. In this episode, I get into the first installment, which really gets up to the meat and potatoes. I look at the evidence of the manuscript transmission tradition of the New Testament documents, and I ascertain that we can be confident that the New Testament we read today is the same as what was originally written down thousands of years ago. Contrary to what some claim, the New Testament documents have NOT been distorted to the point where we do not know what the original documents said.
To see the blog article, click here --> https://cerebralfaith.net/the-case-for-the-reliability-of-the-gospels-part-1-the-reliability-of-the-manuscript-transmission/
Episode 149: The Case For The Reliability Of The Gospels - Introduction
Episode 148: Designed To The Core - With Hugh Ross
Today on The Cerebral Faith Podcast, I have astrophysicist Hugh Ross on the program to talk about his new book "Designed To The Core", which talks about both cosmic and local Fine-Tuning, and what the latest science has to say regarding the evidence for a Cosmic Creator of our world.
Hugh Ross is the founder of Reasons To Believe (RTB), an organization dedicated to showing the compatibility between science and faith, and giving reasons to believe (hence the name) that God exists and that The Bible can be trusted.
Click here to get a copy of "Designed To The Core" -- https://support.reasons.org/category/...
Episode 147: Gifts Of The Holy Spirit and Tongues - With Chris Date
Do the gifts of The Holy Spirit continue to be distributed today? Many Christians think so. However, some Christians think the gifts of the Spirit have ceased since the first century. Moreover, whichever view you take on this, what about the gift of tongues? Continuing today or not, are the tongues some heavenly angelic language no one on this planet can speak or are the tongues human languages of different nations? And what about those who say speaking in tongues is a litmus test for salvation?
These topics and more will be discussed by my guest Chris Date.
Chris' material can be found at www.Theopologics.com and www.RethinkingHell.com. And also www.ChrisDate.info
Episode 146: Exegeting The Sermon On The Mount (Part 12) - Winding Down The Sermon
We come to the end of our exposition of Jesus' Sermon On The Mount covered in Matthew 5-7. In this episode, we'll streamline the exegesis and cover the entire chapter beginning with Jesus' command "Do not judge" and ending with the crowd's reaction to everything Jesus said.
To support this ministry financially, go to www.patreon.com/cerebralfaith
Episode 145: Exegeting The Sermon On The Mount (Part 11) - The Antidote To Anxiety
We come to part 11 in our exposition of the Sermon On The Mount. We will examine Jesus' teaching on worry, why we shouldn't do it, and how can we avoid it. If you'd like to support this ministry financially, go to www.patreon.com/cerebralfaith
Episode 144: Exegeting The Sermon On The Mount (Part 10) - Prayer
In this episode of The Cerebral Faith Podcast, we continue our series on The Sermon On The Mount. Jesus instructed his disciples about prayer and even how to pray. This prayer that Jesus taught his disciples is most commonly known as "The Lord's Prayer". It is this prayer and Jesus' instructions which preceded it, that we'll be expositing in this episode.
To support this ministry financially, go to www.patreon.com/cerebralfaith
Episode 143: Exegeting The Sermon On The Mount (Part 9) - Keeping Your Good Deeds Secret
Today on The Cerebral Faith Podcast, we're continuing our series on the Sermon On The Mount. We will look at Jesus' command to keep your good deeds secret. Didn't Jesus tell us to let our light shine before others? Moreover, what does it even mean to keep your good deeds secret? How should we go about carrying this command out?
If you'd like to support this ministry financially, go to www.patreon.com/cerebralfaith
Episode 142: Exegeting The Sermon On The Mount (Part 8) - Loving Your Enemies
Today on The Cerebral Faith Podcast, we're continuing our series on the Sermon On The Mount. We will look at Jesus' command to love your enemies which some allege is an unreasonable command. How could Jesus expect us to do such a thing? Moreover, what does it even mean to love your enemies? How should we go about carrying this command out?
If you'd like to support this ministry, go to www.patreon.com/cerebralfaith
Episode 141: Exegeting The Sermon On The Mount (Part 7) - Oaths
In this week's Cerebral Faith Live, we continue our series on Jesus' Sermon On The Mount. Jesus taught about oaths. What did Jesus teach and how should we respond to it?
To support this ministry financially, go to www.patreon.com/cerebralfaith
Episode 140: Cerebral Faith 10th Anniversary Special
[DISCLAIMER: Book Giveaway is no longer viable. This audio came from a live streamed episode of Cerebral Faith Live. The winner has already been chosen and has received his prize.]
On August 12th, 2012, I decided to start a blog called Cerebral Faith to write about the things I was learning about in the books on Christian Apologetics I had been reading and to give my own thoughts on certain arguments for and against the Christian faith. It grew from a tiny blog with hardly any readers to one with about 1,500 page views a day on average. In 2019, I decided to start an audio podcast, and then in 2020, I started Cerebral Faith Video; the name of the Cerebral Faith YouTube channel. To commemorate 10 years of this ministry, I did a stream in which I read off Q&A articles while interacting with the live chat.
Episode 139: Exegeting The Sermon On The Mount (Part 6) - Divorce
This week on The Cerebral Faith Podcast, we will continue our series on the Sermon On The Mount; one of Jesus' most famous discourses recorded in Matthew 5-7. This week, we'll be examining Jesus' teaching on divorce.
If you'd like to support Cerebral Faith financially go to www.patreon.com/cerebralfaith
Episode 138: Exegeting The Sermon On The Mount (Part 5) - What Adultery Is and Is Not
This weekon The Cerebral Faith Podcast, we will continue our series on the Sermon On The Mount; one of Jesus' most famous discourses recorded in Matthew 5-7. This week, we'll be examining Jesus' teaching on lust and what he meant when he said that if you even look at a woman with lust, you've committed adultery with her in your heart.
If you'd like to support Cerebral Faith financially go to www.patreon.com/cerebralfaith
Episode 137: Exegeting The Sermon On The Mount (Part 4) - Anger and Thought Crimes
This week on The Cerebral Faith Podcast, we will continue our series on the Sermon On The Mount; one of Jesus' most famous discourses recorded in Matthew 5-7. This week, we'll be examining Jesus' teaching on anger and what he meant when he said that if you're even angry with a brother, you'll be in danger of judgment.
If you'd like to support Cerebral Faith financially go to www.patreon.com/cerebralfaith
Episode 136: Exegeting The Sermon On The Mount (Part 3) - Jesus' Attitude Toward Old Testament Law
This week's Cerebral Faith Podcast continues a series that started last week. I will be preaching through Jesus' Sermon On The Mount in Matthew 5. This week, we will look at what Jesus meant when he said he "hasn't come to abolish the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them". What does Jesus mean by this phrase? Are we still bound to the 613 laws of Torah? Doesn't this contradict the equally inspired Pauline epistles? Is Jesus teaching we're saved by works? These are the questions I will be addressing in tonight's sermon.
Episode 135: Exegeting The Sermon On The Mount (Part 2) - Salt and Light
This week's episode of The Cerebral Faith Podcast continues a series that started last week. I will be going through Jesus' Sermon On The Mount in Matthew 5. Much ink has been spilled in expositing this sermon. It is three chapters of God incarnate preaching to us about kingdom living. As such, it is of importance for any Christian to spend time in meditating on what our Lord is saying to us. Since coming back from burnout in May, I've spent the last couple of months intensely studying this Sermon in Logos Bible Software, reading books by theologians about it, reading commentaries alongside the biblical text in two separate columns, and digging into the biblical Greek and other biblical references. This series will be about me discussing the results of my study.
This week, we will begin looking at Jesus' illustrations of salt and light which symbolize what Christians are to be in the world.
Episode 134: Exegeting The Sermon On The Mount (Part 1) - The Beatitudes
This week's Cerebral Faith Live marks the beginning of a new series. I will be going through Jesus' Sermon On The Mount in Matthew 5. Much ink has been spilled in expositing this sermon. It is three chapters of God incarnate preaching to us about kingdom living. As such, it is of importance for any Christian to spend time in meditating on what our Lord is saying to us. Since coming back from burnout in May, I've spent the last couple of months intensely studying this Sermon in Logos Bible Software, reading books by theologians about it, reading commentaries alongside the biblical text in two separate columns, and digging into the biblical Greek and other biblical references. This series will be about me discussing the results of my study.
This week, we will begin looking at The Beatitudes which mark the beginning of Jesus' sermon.
Episode 133: Bringing The New Testament To Life - With Phillip Cottraux
"The New Testament is the foundational document of the Christian faith. But how much do we really know about these 27 books? To whom were they written, and what were they trying to say? All too often, we treat the Bible with sacred reverence, without examining its historical context. But in doing so, we risk losing its original meaning. Worse, we provide fodder for skeptics ready to pounce on our lack of knowledge of our own holy book. In Bringing the New Testament to Life, author Philip Cottraux seeks to correct that. Armed with years of historical research, Cottraux weaves an easy-to-understand breakdown of scripture with an epic narrative, casting the world that birthed Christianity in a whole new light.” In today’s Cerebral Faith Live episode, I discuss the new book “Bringing The New Testament To Life” with its author Phillip Cottraux. Cerebral Faith Podcast logo by Ben Stanhope.
Episode 132: The High Christology Of The Gospel Of Mark
Some skeptics of The Bible argue that the teaching that Jesus is God did not emerge until very late in the first century. Few skeptical New Testament scholars would deny that the gospel of John presents us with a divine Jesus. After all, not many (besides Arians and Jehovah's Witnesses) can read John 1 without seeing that Jesus is God, distinct from the Father, and is the Creator of all? But what about Mark's gospel? Whereas the latest gospel undoubtedly presents us with a divine Jesus, Mark's gospel, skeptics say, does not. Mark's gospel presents us with a merely human Jesus who is a prophet sent from God at best.
In this episode of The Cerebral Faith Podcast, I will argue that Mark presents us with a Jesus every bit as divine as John's gospel, and ergo, this evolving divinity hypothesis is false.
Cerebral Faith Podcast logo created by Ben Stanhope.
Episode 131: Evan Minton's Study Habits
An idea given by last week's guest, Ken Samples, today on Cerebral Faith Live/The Cerebral Faith Podcast, I will be discussing how I got into apologetics, how I got started studying the arguments for God's existence, the case for Jesus' resurrection, and whatnot, and how I got into a steady rhythm of learning so that I could become the well-equipped apologist I am today.
If you'd like to support this ministry financially, go to www.patreon.com/cerebralfaith
Episode 130: Have Christians Lost Their Minds? - With Ken Samples
As a philosopher and theologian, Kenneth Samples is passionate about encouraging Christians to think. This is why he was disturbed when discovering this quote from Dennis Prager found in Kent Hughes’s, Disciples of a Godly Man.
“One thing I noticed about Evangelicals is that they do not read. They do not read the Bible, they do not read the great Christian thinkers, they have never heard of Aquinas. If they're Presbyterian, they've never read the founders of Presbyterianism. I do not understand that. As a Jew, that's confusing to me. The commandment of study is so deep in Judaism that we immerse ourselves in study. God gave us a brain, aren't we to use it in his service? When I walk into an Evangelical Christian's home and see a total of 30 books, most of them best-sellers, I do not understand. I have bookcases of Christian books, and I am a Jew. Why do I have more Christian books than 98% of the Christians in America? That is so bizarre to me.”
The life of the mind is more than simply enriching. It is crucial to the future of Christianity. Philosopher and theologian Kenneth Richard Samples has a great passion to help people understand the reasonableness and relevance of Christianity’s truth claims. He is the senior research scholar at Reasons to Believe and the author of several books, including "Classic Christian Thinkers", "7 Truths That Changed the World", and "God Among Sages".
The Cerebral Faith Podcast logo by Ben Stanhope.
Episode 129: How Did God Create Us?: Evolution Or Special Creation?
How did God create us human beings? Did He create us de novo, apart from the other species or did He employ an evolutionary process? To debate this issue tonight is Reason’s To Believe’s Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Aaron R. Yilmaz. Dr. Rana will be defending the special creation view and Yilmaz will be defending the Evolutionary Creationist view.
Biochemist Fazale Rana, is VP of Research and Apologetics at Reasons to Believe, holds a PhD in chemistry with an emphasis in biochemistry from Ohio University. He is the author of several groundbreaking books, including Humans 2.0, Thinking about Evolution, and Fit for a Purpose (Fall 2021).
Aaron R. Yilmaz has taught biology at the college level and holds an M.S. in Biology from the University of Saint Joseph, and a B.S. in Biology with departmental honors from Oakland University. He is currently pursing a PhD in Biology (evolutionary ecology focus) from Case Western Reserve University. He is the author of the book “Deliver Us From Evolution?: How A Scientist’s In Depth Look At The Evidence Reveals A Surprising Harmony Between Science and God”.
Episode 128: Soteriology Is A Bed Of R.O.S.E.S - With Kenneth Keathley
Are you aware that deterministic T.U.L.I.P Calvinism has more holes than a block of Swiss cheese and yet you find yourself not completely satisfied with typical Arminian soteriology either? Then you’re in good company. Evan Minton and Kenneth Keathley felt exactly the same way, but then they discovered Molinism. While Molinism is not a soteriological view per se, it can be applied to one’s understanding of soteriology. With a Molinistic flavor of Arminianism, no longer do you have to explain away any of The Bible’s teachings on God’s love, the extent of the atonement, predestination, or eternal security. You can embrace the whole counsel of God. If you want to dive deeper into this subject, pick up a copy of Kenneth Keathley’s book “Salvation and Sovereignty: A Molinist Approach”. It’s available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon.com
Episode 127: DEBATE - The Resurrection Of Jesus: Fact Or Fiction?
Did Jesus rise from the dead? How can we know whether he did or not? Do you just have to have faith that it happened? Does your answer to this question depend on a presupposition on whether or not The Bible is the word of God? Or can we have good historical evidence for this event? In tonight’s episode of Cerebral Faith Live, Christian Caleb Jackson and Non-Christian James Fodor will be debating this topic. Chris Jackson takes the resurrection of Jesus as “fact” and James Fodor takes it as “fiction”. For more on this topic from these two men, check out the following: “Undead: A Historical Investigation Into The Most Famous Miracle Of History” by Caleb Jackson “Unreasonable Faith: How William Lane Craig Overstates The Case For Christianity” by James Fodor Search for them on Amazon (the URLs to these books are really really long for some reason) And if you’d like to support this ministry financially, go to www.patreon.com/cerebralfaith
Episode 126: Discussing Preterism With Nick Peters
In this episode of The Cerebral Faith Podcast, I have Nick Peters of Deeper Waters Ministries on to discuss a view of eschatology (i.e the end times) known as preterism. What is preterism and is it biblical? If you'd like to see more content of Nick Peter's in the form of blog posts and podcast episodes, check out his website at www.deeperwatersapologetics.com
Episode 125: Is It Ok For Christians To Be Cremated?
Is cremation morally permissible for Christians or is burial the only acceptable option? In this episode, Evan Minton provides his thoughts.
Episode 124: Remembering Michele Minton
Evan Minton gives a euology for his mother, Darlean Michele Minton (1959-2021). He talks about how she played a role in helping him cultivate his Christian faith, how she has been a huge support to him throughout his time doing apologetics ministry, and how although he is sad because she's gone, he isn't in despair due to God's promise of resurrection for those who place their trust in His Son Jesus Christ.
Be sure to check out
The book "365 Read-Aloud Bedtime Bible Stories” by Daniel Partner (Author), Kathy Arbuckle (Illustrator). -- https://www.amazon.com/Bedtime-Bible-Story-Book-Read-aloud/dp/1557482640/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1632753204&sr=1-8
"What To Expect During All Stages Of COPD" by Rachel Despres. --> https://www.activebeat.com/your-health/what-to-expect-during-the-4-stages-of-copd/2/
Episode 123: Baby Dinosaurs On The Ark? - With Janet Kellogg Ray
The issue of science and faith is a struggle for many Christians. How to we reconcile the findings of science regarding an old earth and evolution with our Christian faith? Can they be reconciled? And what does the evidence from science even say in the first place? What evidence is there for an old earth? What evidence is there for evolution? In today's episode, Evan Minton interviews Janet Kellogg Ray, author of “Baby Dinosaurs On The Ark?: The Bible and Modern Science And The Trouble Of Making It All Fit” which talks about this subject.
Get yourself a copy here --> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802879446/ref=x_gr_w_bb_sin?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_sin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0802879446&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2
Janet Kellogg Ray's blog --> https://janetkray.com/author/janetkray/
Episode 122: Misunderstandings On The Mount
The Sermon On The Mount recorded in Matthew 5-7 has many teachings of Jesus that He intended for members of the kingdom of God to follow. However, not everything in this passage is correctly understood by Bible readers. Many misconceptions and misinterpretations abound. In this episode, Evan Minton sets the record straight on many of Jesus' teachings recorded. The topics to discuss are:
*Light Of The World and Showing Off - Matthew 5:14-16
*Since Jesus Said He Came Not To Abolish The Law, Are We Still Bound By Old Testament? - Matthew 5:17-18
*Jesus said never to get angry? - Matthew 5:21-22
*The Commandment Not To Lust - Matthew 5:28
*Did Jesus contradict Leviticus? - Matthew 5:38-42
*The Commandment To Love Your Enemies. - Matthew 5:43-48
*Rain On The Just and The Unjust Is Showing Kindness Not Allowing Bad Things To Happen. - Matthew 5:45
*Did Jesus Say Not To Judge? - Matthew 7:1
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BE SURE TO CHECK OUT:
"'Whoever Looks at a Woman With Lust': Misinterpreted Bible Passages #1" by Jason A. Staples -- https://www.jasonstaples.com/bible/most-misinterpreted-bible-passages-1-matthew-527-28/amp/?fbclid=IwAR19o5Q71DfEknfehmt9CUJkGv966zNkZYM-Q8ZVAT9GYDEBUO36NY0WtP4
The Cerebral Faith Podcast, Episode 85: Does God Punish Thought Crimes?" -- https://anchor.fm/evan-minton/episodes/Episode-85-Does-God-Punish-Thought-Crimes-ejre7p
"What does it mean that Jesus fulfilled the law, but did not abolish it?" - https://www.gotquestions.org/abolish-fulfill-law.html
Episode 121: Responding to Sean Carrol’s Article On The Soul - With Michael Jones
Sean Carrol wrote a blog post titled "Physics and The Immortality Of The Soul" in which he argues that physicalism is the only scientifically viable model of anthropology. In this episode, Michael Jones of Inspiring Philosophy tackles the article and shows why Carrol's arguments do nothing to refute either substance dualism or idealism.
To read Carrol's article, click here --> -- https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/blog/2011/05/23/physics-and-the-immortality-of-the-soul/?fbclid=IwAR3viwEcXeyOT40BIhJrQd9EUQFZmN4mQZMAWbxSvMJ1nxXrM1sVIo7Le18
To see Inspiring Philosophy's video series on the soul, click here --> https://inspiringphilosophy.org/the-case-for-the-soul/