The Confronting Christianity Podcast

Rebecca McLaughlin, Kyle Worley

Hard questions, faithfully explored. Hosted by Rebecca McLaughlin and Kyle Worley. read less
Religião e espiritualidadeReligião e espiritualidade
Do We Live in a Post-Christian World? with Andrew Wilson
Ontem
Do We Live in a Post-Christian World? with Andrew Wilson
Rebecca McLaughlin is joined by Andrew Wilson to have a conversation about his book “Remaking the World.”Questions Covered in This Episode:Can you tell us what your new book is actually about?How might the line, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal” otherwise be known?What would you say to someone who understands this originates from Christianity but believes it has evolved past that?What would you say to someone who thinks Christianity is taking a step backward in enlightenment?What does it mean that the West is post-Christian? What is currently happening in London?What would you say gives you the most hope and encouragement in terms of the gospel spreading?How would you encourage someone who is exploring Christianity?What was it for you that made Jesus beautiful?Guest Bio:Andrew is Teaching Pastor at King’s Church London, and has degrees in history and theology from Cambridge (MA) and King’s College London (PhD). He’s the author of several books, including Remaking the World, Incomparable, God of All Things, and Echoes of Exodus. You can follow him on Twitter. Andrew is married to Rachel and they have three children: Zeke, Anna and Samuel.Resources Mentioned:“Remaking the World: How 1776 Created the Post-Christian West” by Andrew WilsonSponsors:To learn more about our sponsors please visit our website.Follow Us:Instagram | TwitterOur Sister Shows:Knowing Faith | The Family Discipleship Podcast | Starting Place | Tiny TheologiansConfronting Christianity is a podcast of Training the Church. For ad-free episodes and more content check out our Patreon.
What If I Don’t Feel Thankful? with Hannah Anderson
21-11-2023
What If I Don’t Feel Thankful? with Hannah Anderson
Rebecca McLaughlin is joined by Hannah Anderson to have a conversation about the book of Ecclesiastes.Questions Covered in This Episode:What is the context of the book of Ecclesiastes?In the first verse, the word “preacher” is a complex word in Hebrew, can you help us understand that?What can we gather from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8?What would you say to the person whose life feels kind of meaningless?How does the book of Ecclesiastes show us how to demonstrate the full range of human feelings and how God engages with us?Why is the phrase, “all is vanity” repeated so many times?How can someone who is struggling with depression find comfort in the book of Ecclesiastes?Guest Bio:Hannah Anderson lives with her family in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where her husband, Nathan, pastors Brookhill Baptist Church. Hannah is the author of several books, including Humble Roots, All That’s Good, Life Under the Sun. You can find more of her writing at sometimesalight.com or follow her on Twitter.Resources Mentioned:Ecclesiastes“Life Under the Sun” by Hannah Anderson“Turn, Turn, Turn” by Pete SeegerSponsors:To learn more about our sponsors please visit our website.Follow Us:Instagram | TwitterOur Sister Shows:Knowing Faith | The Family Discipleship Podcast | Starting Place | Tiny TheologiansConfronting Christianity is a podcast of Training the Church. For ad-free episodes and more content check out our Patreon.
Can a Historian Believe in the Resurrection? with Molly Worthen
14-11-2023
Can a Historian Believe in the Resurrection? with Molly Worthen
Rebecca McLaughlin is joined by Molly Worthen to discuss how Jesus can transform the life of an academic.Questions Covered in This Episode:What is your story of how you became a Christian?What were the main barriers from keeping you from becoming a Christian?Can you share about your conversation with J. D. Greear?What pieces of evidence were you surprised by when you researched if Jesus was raised from the dead?What about the eye witness accounts of the gospels and their accuracy?What would you say to someone who has an academic background and doesn’t believe in anything supernatural?If someone said to you, I’m so glad that you believe in Jesus but it's just not for me, how would you respond?Guest Bio:Molly Worthen is an associate professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a freelance journalist. She received her BA and PhD from Yale University. Her research focuses on North American religious and intellectual history. Her most recent book, Apostles of Reason, examines American evangelical intellectual life since 1945, especially the internal conflicts among different evangelical subcultures. Resources Mentioned:“The Resurrection of the Son of God” by N.T. WrightSponsors:To learn more about our sponsors please visit our website.Follow Us:Instagram | TwitterOur Sister Shows:Knowing Faith | The Family Discipleship Podcast | Starting Place | Tiny TheologiansConfronting Christianity is a podcast of Training the Church. For ad-free episodes and more content check out our Patreon.
Why Are There So Many Rules in Christianity? with Jen Wilkin
07-11-2023
Why Are There So Many Rules in Christianity? with Jen Wilkin
Rebecca McLaughlin is joined by Jen Wilkin to have a conversation about the ten commandments and why they are important to us today.Questions Covered in This Episode:What did you want to be when you grow up?What is an image bearer?Where do the ten commandments fit into the story of the Bible?Tell us about the first command and why it is at the top of the list.How do the ten plagues connect to the ten commandments?Why would we read and show interest in the ten commandments?What is the purpose of rules?Help us think through the commandments that dont intuitively make sense to us today.Why is the gospel beautiful and compelling?Guest Bio:Jen Wilkin is an author and Bible teacher from Dallas, Texas. She has organized and led studies for women in home, church, and parachurch contexts. An advocate for Bible literacy, her passion is to see others become articulate and committed followers of Christ, with a clear understanding of why they believe what they believe, grounded in the Word of God.Resources Mentioned:Genesis 1:26-27, Exodus 20, Genesis 3-4, Exodus 7-11, Matthew 12:48-50, 1 Timothy 5:1-2 Matthew 5-7“Ten Words to Live By” by Jen WilkinSponsors:To learn more about our sponsors please visit our website.Follow Us:Instagram | TwitterOur Sister Shows:Knowing Faith | The Family Discipleship Podcast | Starting Place | Tiny TheologiansConfronting Christianity is a podcast of Training the Church. For ad-free episodes and more content check out our Patreon.
Can We Trust the Gospels? with Peter Williams
31-10-2023
Can We Trust the Gospels? with Peter Williams
Rebecca McLaughlin is joined by Peter Williams to have a conversation about the trustworthiness of the gospels.Questions Covered in This Episode:How far off from Jesus's death and resurrection were the Gospels written?How can people remember the things Jesus said with such great detail decades after Jesus's resurrection?Why are there differences between the gospels in Jesus’s teachings?Why do the gospels have a different ordering of events?Why do we hear about Bartimaeus in one gospel and he doesn't have a name in another?Do the gospels use names as eye witness evidence?Can you tell us a bit more about the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15?Help us think through the historical context clues that the gospels were written in the place they claim to be written.When Jesus dies on the cross, the curtain in the temple is torn in two. Is there any historical record of this happening?Guest Bio:Dr Peter J. Williams is the Principal and CEO of Tyndale House, Cambridge. He was educated at the University of Cambridge, where he received his MA, MPhil, and PhD in the study of ancient languages related to the Bible. Dr Williams is also an Affiliated Lecturer in the Faculty of Divinity in the University of Cambridge, Chair of the International Greek New Testament Project, and a member of the Translation Oversight Committee of the English Standard Version of the Bible. He assisted Dr Dirk Jongkind in Tyndale House’s production of a major edition of the Greek New Testament and his book Can We Trust the Gospels? has been translated into 10 languages.Resources Mentioned:Matthew 5-7, Luke 15, Genesis 33:4“New evidence for Hipparchus’ Star Catalogue revealed by multispectral imaging”“The Surprising Genius of Jesus” by Peter J. Williams“Can We Trust the Gospels?” by Peter J. WilliamsSponsors:To learn more about our sponsors please visit our website.Follow Us:Instagram | TwitterOur Sister Shows:Knowing Faith | The Family Discipleship Podcast | Starting Place | Tiny TheologiansConfronting Christianity is a podcast of Training the Church. For ad-free episodes and more content check out our Patreon.
What Can We Do With Doubt and Disconnection? with Keith Plummer
24-10-2023
What Can We Do With Doubt and Disconnection? with Keith Plummer
Rebecca McLaughlin is joined by Keith Plummer to discuss how we can model the love of Jesus to others online and how to engage in embodied community.Questions Covered in This Episode:Can you share your story of how you became a Christian?Where would you trace this transformation to?How has the online experience changed how students are thinking?How do Christians relate with others online?What does it look like to have embodied community in your life? How would you recommend someone to develop that community?Why is it that we want to be loved and heard?Guest Bio:Keith Plummer serves as Dean and Professor of Theology at the School of Divinity at Cairn University. He holds a BA in Health and Society from Brown University, a MDiv with emphasis in Apologetics from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a PhD in Systematic Theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife have two adult children.Resources Mentioned:“Five Evangelical Leaders” by Christopher Catherwood“2 Contents, 2 Realities” by Francis A. Schaeffer “True Spirituality” by Francis A. Schaeffer “Disruptive Witness” by Alan Noble Sponsors:To learn more about our sponsors please visit our website.Follow Us:Instagram | TwitterOur Sister Shows:Knowing Faith | The Family Discipleship Podcast | Starting Place | Tiny TheologiansConfronting Christianity is a podcast of Training the Church. For ad-free episodes and more content check out our Patreon.
How Can We Learn From Leviticus? with Andrew Hile
17-10-2023
How Can We Learn From Leviticus? with Andrew Hile
Rebecca McLaughlin is joined by Andrew Hile to discuss why the book of Leviticus is important and what we can learn from reading and studying it.Questions Covered in This Episode:Where does Leviticus fit into the first five books of the Bible?When you see the stories in Exodus are you supposed to see them stacking onto the stories in Genesis?What purpose is Leviticus fulfilling for us?How do the categories “clean and unclean” operate in Leviticus?What was the sacrificial system about in its original context?Was Leviticus written to an audience outside of the priests who were enacting the laws?How do we understand Leviticus from a New Testament perspective and how do we view the sacrificial system?How did you become a follower of Jesus?Guest Bio:Andrew Hile grew up in Durban, South Africa and moved to Dayton, Ohio during highschool. In May 2022, he graduated from Harvard Divinity School with my master’s and, now, he is a doctoral student in Harvard’s Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, studying Hebrew Bible and Semitic languages. Andrew’s research centers on the composition, writing conventions, and scribal epistemologies behind ritual text production in ancient Israel.Resources Mentioned:Genesis 2-3, Genesis 15, Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28, Leviticus 10Sponsors:To learn more about our sponsors please visit our website.Follow Us:Instagram | TwitterOur Sister Shows:Knowing Faith | The Family Discipleship Podcast | Starting Place | Tiny TheologiansConfronting Christianity is a podcast of Training the Church. For ad-free episodes and more content check out our Patreon.
What in the World is the Trinity? with Christy Thornton
03-10-2023
What in the World is the Trinity? with Christy Thornton
Rebecca McLaughlin is joined by Christy Thornton to answer questions about the Trinity.Questions Covered in This Episode:Has God always been Triune?Do other aspects of God’s identity change between the Old and New Testament?Is “let us make man in our image” written in plurality?If God was triune from the beginning why didn’t He make that clear from the beginning?Why is the Trinity not more clearly articulated in the New Testament?How do we know there are just three parts to God?How can all three parts be fully God and yet not all of God’s fullness?What differentiates each person of the Trinity?What exactly does it mean for Jesus to be the Son of God? How is it different from us being sons and daughters of God? How is this different from being a demi-god?If Jesus is fully God then He is perfect. If He is fully human then He is sinful, by definition, someone who is sinful can’t be perfect. How then can Jesus and God be one and the same?Who is God the Father? Who is God the Son? Who is the Holy Spirit?How do we know we aren’t projecting our human understanding and relationships onto God?Guest Bio:Christy Thornton is Assistant Professor of Christian Thought and Associate Director of PhD Studies and Director of ThM Studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. She has served with the International Mission Board in North Africa, and is currently a covenant member at the Summit Church. She has contributed to The Gospel Coalition, Christianity Today, and numerous other publications.Resources Mentioned:Genesis 1-4, John 3:16Sponsors:To learn more about our sponsors please visit our website.Follow Us:Instagram | TwitterOur Sister Shows:Knowing Faith | The Family Discipleship Podcast | Starting Place | Tiny TheologiansConfronting Christianity is a podcast of Training the Church. For ad-free episodes and more content check out our Patreon.
Will AI's Become “I”s? with Max Riesenhuber
26-09-2023
Will AI's Become “I”s? with Max Riesenhuber
Rebecca McLaughlin is joined by Max Riesenhuber to have a conversation about the ethics and morality of artificial intelligence.Questions Covered in This Episode:What first interested you about neuroscience?Can you talk about recent advancement in AI and where we might go?Do we have a moral responsibility to artificial intelligence beings?What do you say to scientists who say that humans are just computers in a flesh case?What is moral truth?Do you think we need to be concerned about the ethical direction that AI’s are taking us?What is the good side of artificial intelligence?How did you become a Christian?Guest Bio:Max Riesenhuber is a Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Georgetown University Medical Center and Co-Director of the CNE. His research uses computational modeling, brain imaging and EEG to understand how the brain makes sense of the world, and how these insights can be translated to neuromorphic AI and augmented cognition applications. Max obtained his Master’s degree in physics from the University of Frankfurt, Germany, and his PhD in computational neuroscience from MIT. He has received several awards, including Technology Review’s “TR100”, one of the “100 innovators 35 or younger whose technologies are poised to make a dramatic impact on our world” and an NSF CAREER award.Resources Mentioned:“Klara and the Sun” by Kazuo Ishiguro“The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind” by Mark A. NollSponsors:To learn more about our sponsors please visit our website.Follow Us:Instagram | TwitterOur Sister Shows:Knowing Faith | The Family Discipleship Podcast | Starting Place | Tiny TheologiansConfronting Christianity is a podcast of Training the Church. For ad-free episodes and more content check out our Patreon.
Can You Meet the Messiah at Harvard? with Mark Shepard
19-09-2023
Can You Meet the Messiah at Harvard? with Mark Shepard
Rebecca McLaughlin is joined by Mark Shepard to discuss his story of how he started following Jesus.Questions Covered in This Episode:Tell us more about your upbringing when it comes to faith.Was there a time in your life where you just didn’t believe in God?Most of my Jewish friends identify with the cultural and tradition but don’t believe in God. Did you identify with that?How did you first become interested in Christianity?Was there anything in particular in the Bible that grabbed you?Tell us how you responded to the idea that you are actually deeply sinful?How have you found faith in Jesus has helped you navigate success and failure?How would you say that Christians can better understand the University? And how can we help people in the University who aren’t Christians understand Christianity?Guest Bio:Mark Shepard is an associate professor at Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). His research studies health care markets, with topics at the intersection of health, industrial organization, and public economics. Mark received a PhD in economics from Harvard University and an A.B. in applied math from Harvard.  He is married to Annetta Zhou and they have two daughters. Resources Mentioned:Matthew 5-7, Mark 10:41-45, Ephesians 2:11-22, Jeremiah 29:7Sponsors:To learn more about our sponsors please visit our website.Follow Us:Instagram | TwitterOur Sister Shows:Knowing Faith | The Family Discipleship Podcast | Starting Place | Tiny TheologiansConfronting Christianity is a podcast of Training the Church. For ad-free episodes and more content check out our Patreon.
Will We Be Single Forever? with Dani Treweek
12-09-2023
Will We Be Single Forever? with Dani Treweek
Rebecca McLaughlin is joined by Dr. Danielle Treweek to have a conversation about singleness and marriage.Questions Covered in This Episode:What is the spiritual climate of Australia?What are the health benefits of regular participation in church?What does the subtitle of your book, “Retrieving an Eschatological Vision for the Contemporary Church” mean?When you say “the life to come,” what do you mean?Why are you gonna be single forever?Help us understand how we got to our current viewpoint on singleness.How are we currently idealizing and idolizing marriage?What does the New Testament say about sexual immorality?How might those of us who are married help to reclaim the value of singleness?Guest Bio:Dr. Danielle Treweek is a Christian theological researcher, author and speaker whose ministry focus lies in resourcing Christian individuals & communities on biblical singleness, sexuality, theological retrieval, worldview formation & other related topics.Resources Mentioned:Matthew 22:30“The Meaning of Singleness” by Danielle Treweek “Marriage, a History” by Stephanie Coontz“No Greater Love” by Rebecca McLaughlin Sponsors:To learn more about our sponsors please visit our website.Follow Us:Instagram | TwitterOur Sister Shows:Knowing Faith | The Family Discipleship Podcast | Starting Place | Tiny TheologiansConfronting Christianity is a podcast of Training the Church. For ad-free episodes and more content check out our Patreon.
Should Someone in a Same-Sex Marriage Who Becomes a Christian Get Divorced? with Rachel Gilson and J. D. Greear
23-05-2023
Should Someone in a Same-Sex Marriage Who Becomes a Christian Get Divorced? with Rachel Gilson and J. D. Greear
Rebecca McLaughlin is joined by Rachel Gilson and JD Greear to answer the question, what does someone do when they become a Christian and they are married to someone of the same sex?Questions Covered in This Episode:Rachel, can you share a little of your story?Why do you think it's important for people to hear from people like Rachel on this topic?How would you respond to someone who would think that the Bible is wrong on this one because they can’t believe that God wouldn’t want someone to not be happy?JD, why would you choose to address this issue in your book?What about somebody that becomes a Christian and they are married to someone of the same sex? Isn’t it worse for them to get a divorce?How do we help and care for people in this specific situation?What can be helpful and unhelpful in this conversation?Guest Bio:Rachel Gilson is on the leadership team for theological development and culture for Cru. She is the author of Born Again This Way: Coming Out, Coming to Faith, and What Comes Next. Rachel has a Master of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and is pursuing a Ph.D. from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. She is married to Andrew and has a daughter.J.D. Greear is the pastor of The Summit Church, in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. Pastor J.D. Greear has authored several books, including but not limited to; Essential Christianity, What Are You Going to Do with Your Life?, Gaining by Losing, Stop Asking Jesus into Your Heart. Pastor J.D. completed his Ph.D. in Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Chick-fil-A since January 2022 and recently served as the 62nd president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Pastor J.D. and his wife Veronica are raising four awesome kids: Kharis, Alethia, Ryah, and Adon.Resources Mentioned:1 Corinthians 7:12–13, Matthew 19:1-12, Ephesians 5:22-33, Matthew 13:44-46“Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis“Essential Christianity” by JD GreerFollow Us:Instagram | TwitterOur Sister Shows:Knowing Faith | The Family Discipleship Podcast | Starting PlaceConfronting Christianity is a podcast of Training the Church. For ad-free episodes and more content check out our Patreon
Bonus Episode: Easter with Esau McCaulley
07-04-2023
Bonus Episode: Easter with Esau McCaulley
Kyle Worley and Rebecca McLaughlin are joined by Esau McCaulley to have a conversation about Easter and why it is important. Questions Covered in This Episode:What is your new book, “Lent: The Season of Repentance and Renewal” about?What would you say to someone who does not fully understand what Lent is?Is Easter Sunday just another Sunday? Isn’t every Sunday an opportunity to celebrate the risen Lord? What’s so special about Easter?What difference does it make that Jesus rose from the dead?What about the resurrection of the body?A number of years ago, in a wonderful article for the New York Times, you talked about the unsettling power of Easter and you said: “Easter is a frightening prospect. For the women, the only thing more terrifying than a world with Jesus dead was one in which he was alive.” What do you mean by that?What does the resurrection mean for us?What do you make of Judas?Guest Bio:Dr. Esau McCaulley is associate professor of New Testament at Wheaton College and theologian in residence at Progressive Baptist Church, a historically Black congregation in Chicago. He is the author of the award-winning book Reading While Black and the children’s book Josey Johnson’s Hair and the Holy Spirit. He is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times. His writings have also appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and Christianity Today.Resources Mentioned:Mark 16, John 6:25-58, John 13:1-30“Lent: The Season of Repentance and Renewal” by Esau McCaulley‘What Good Friday and Easter Mean for Black Americans Like Me” by Esau McCaulley“The Unsettling Power of Easter” by Esau McCaulleyFollow Us:Instagram | TwitterOur Sister Shows:Knowing Faith | The Family Discipleship Podcast | Starting PlaceConfronting Christianity is a podcast of Training the Church. For ad-free episodes and more content check out our  Patreon
Where Did Human Rights Come From? with Sarah Irving Stonebraker
28-03-2023
Where Did Human Rights Come From? with Sarah Irving Stonebraker
Kyle Worley and Rebecca McLaughlin are joined by Sarah Irving Stonebraker to discuss the history of ideas around human rights, where Christians find the foundation for human rights, and where we are today.Questions Covered in This Episode:Sarah, what is your story, how did you become a Christian?What is the idea that universal human equality is Christian fiction? How does the history of ideas point to this idea?When we say “human rights,” what are we walking about?Has there been an attempt to disguise the Judeo-Christian origins of human rights?Does it matter that we don’t have a shared sense of values and principles? Where are we at in the global west when we are talking about human rights?Is it hard for people to see how strongly human rights are tied to Judeo-Christian origins?People can say that Christians have a terrible track record with human rights, how do we grapple with that?What would you say is the one thing you found most attractive about Jesus?Helpful Definitions:Human Rights: The idea that there are certain entitlements or rights that belong to all human beings regardless of their religion, sexuality, gender, etc., and regardless if laws recognize those rights.Guest Bio:Sarah Irving-Stonebraker is an Australian-based academic, focusing on the history of Britain and the colonial world and especially the intersection of religion, science, and politics. Her first book, Natural Science and the Origins of the British Empire, investigates the way that England’s colonial empire became tied to the Protestant redemptive project of restoring humanity's original dominion over nature.  Sarah and her husband, Johnathan, have three children, Madeleine, Charlotte, and James.Resources Mentioned:Genesis 1:26-28“Mere Christianity” by C.S. LewisUnited Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights“Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World” by Tom Holland“After Virtue” by Alasdair MacIntyre“The Abolition of Man” by C.S. LewisFollow Us:Instagram | TwitterOur Sister Shows:Knowing Faith | The Family Discipleship Podcast | Starting PlaceConfronting Christianity is a podcast of Training the Church. For ad-free episodes and more content check out our Patreon.