Show NotesWe started with Episode 1 in Feb 2018, today we celebrate our 100th Episode with friend John Nelson, who is now the main host at Unbelievable?.  We discussed John’s PhD thesis book on what Jesus looked like, his work at Unbelievable?, his tour with Alex O’Connor and his blog “Behind the Gospels”.  We then dove into a specific issue on the background to the gospels – the transmission of the traditions about Jesus’s teaching and actions from his ministry up to the gospel documents.And NEWS – Ed’s discussion on evolution with John & Denis Alexander which we raked over in episode 98 has been released by Unbelievable?. See links.Links:Unbelievable? Show with Ed on evolution:  “Can a Loving God Use Evolution?” Denis Alexander vs Ed Atkinson hosted by John Nelson, 4 June 2026 John’s book: “Jesus' Physical Appearance: Biography, Christology, Philosophy”https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jesus-Physical-Appearance-Christology-Philosophy/dp/0567723208 John’s “Behind the Gospels” blog: https://www.behindthegospels.com/The book: “Battle of the Big Bang: The New Tales of Our Cosmic Origins” by Niayesh Afshordi and Phil Halper”:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Battle-Big-Bang-Cosmic-Origins-ebook/dp/B0DKBHH3YN?ref_=ast_author_mpbMore recent Unbelievable?Shows:Richmond Wandera – “My Father was murdered… a sponsor saved my life” Richmond Wandera Interviewed by John Nelson, 18 March 2026“What would it take for Alex O’Connor to believe Jesus rose from the dead?” Trent Horn v Alex O’Connor, 30 April 2026Hiddenness: “Why Doesn’t God Show Himself?” Dan Paterson vs Joe Schmid hosted by John Nelson, 12 February 2026. Uncommon Ground podcast, Episode 7, hosted by Justin Brierley: “Stephen Meyer & Phil Halper: The Big Bang and Fine Tuning. Does the science of the Universe point to God?” Bart D. Ehrman’s latest book: “Love Thy Stranger: How Jesus Transformed Our Moral Conscience” April 2026https://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Thy-Stranger-Transformed-Conscience-ebook/dp/B0FKMJZJ1V/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title Doubts Aloud Links:Please keep giving feedback and ask questions using:  [email protected] 

Show NotesWe start by dipping into the book with 50 arguments for God and a chapter “Jesus as God” which says that if we ditch 4th & 5thC debates and modern categories of Trinity, we see Jesus expressing his divinity in his own way.  It explains Jesus’ caged language on this as Jesus needing to avoid being stoned for blasphemy.We look at some of the key passages in the gospels, in particular looking for differences between the author’s view and Jesus’ proclamations regarding whether he was God.  This leads on to the Liar Lunatic Lord argument made famous by CS Lewis, and the sceptics’ 4th option “Legend”.  We look at the “Liar” option. And we offer you: Misquoted, Misunderstood, Mythologised and Mistaken.    Links:Books: “Evidence for God: 50 Arguments for Faith from the Bible, History, Philosophy and Science” by Mike Licona and William Dembski. CS Lewis - “Mere Christianity”Bart Ehrman - “How Jesus Became God”Richard Carrier’s blog:https://www.richardcarrier.info/archives/20130Doubts Aloud Links:Please give feedback and ask questions using:  [email protected]    

Show NotesEd has recently recorded an Unbelievable? Show with Dr Denis Alexander who is an evangelical Christian, a biologist and author of books like “Creation or Evolution: Do We Have to Choose?”.  Denis fully embraces evolution.  While these ideas are fresh, we took the time to think through how a deep thinking Christian reconciles evolution and faith as it informs theology on suffering, God’s intervention in the world, salvation, the soul and Adam & Eve.    Links:Denis uses John Stott’s idea that Adam was “Homo Divinus”. Here is a fairly short Stott quote: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/thepangeablog/2009/01/13/quote-to-ponder-john-stott-on-creation-and-evolution/Creation Or Evolution: Do We Have to Choose?https://www.amazon.co.uk/Creation-Evolution-Do-Have-Choose/dp/1854247468Doubts Aloud Links:Please give feedback and ask questions using:  [email protected]

The evangelical case for conditional Immortality Recommended books.Edward Fudge   -  The Fire That ConsumesHenry Constable  -   The Duration and Nature of Future PunishmentEdward White -  Life in Christ John Stott -  Essentials Rethinking Hell - Readings in Evangelical Conditionalism

Episode 96 - The Kirk Cameron Controversy and the Case for Conditional ImmortalityKirks original video that sparked the controversy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RflbA8Vt_YKirk Camerons subsequent round table disscusion of the issuehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds3UbUsIaQs

Text for DA Podcast Ep 95 Title SuggestionsVirgin Births in Ancient CultureVirgin Births in Greek and Hebrew Culture Show NotesWe look for origins of the Virgin Birth doctrine in Christianity.  Principally we search the Greek and Hebrew cultures that are the context behind the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke’s gospels. What we don’t conclude is that the origin of the Virgin Birth was that mistake in the translation of the Old Testament into Greek, which created for the first time “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son…”. But we do wonder if the first version of Luke even had the Virgin Birth.Links:Greco Roman Literature and the New Testament : Selected Forms and Genres. Jan. 1988 by David E Aune (Editor)From John Nelson’s Behind the Gospels, Aug 08, 2024 “How to Write an Infancy Narrative: A Seven-Step Guide to Ancient Birth Stories”https://www.behindthegospels.com/p/how-to-write-an-infancy-narrative?utm_source=publication-searchAndhttps://www.behindthegospels.com/p/is-matthews-story-of-the-virgin-birth The early creed which seems to deny the Virgin Birth doctrine: Romans 1:3–4 Mark Goodacre thinks Mary conceiving out of wedlock might be an origin. NT Pod 64https://podacre.blogspot.com/2012/12/nt-pod-64-is-virgin-birth-based-on.html The Bart Ehrman Blog - Why Was Jesus Born of a Virgin in Matthew and Luke?https://ehrmanblog.org/why-was-jesus-born-of-a-virgin-in-matthew-and-luke/  Doubts Aloud Links:Please give feedback and ask questions using:  [email protected] 

Show NotesIn episode 92 we explained the idea of Atheist Prayer and introduced a philosophy paper on it by Oxford prof Tim Mawson. This episode Tim is our guest.  We discuss the “Atheist Prayer Experiment”, which Tim’s paper inspired, and his contribution the Unbelievable? Shows on the Experiment.  The link to Divine Hiddenness is a strong theme.Appendium notes regarding the views of Richard Swinburne."Swinburne does think that atheists who pray for a revelation because they intend to send their results into a radio show, even those who at the stage they actually do the praying are doing it sincerely (in the sense we're using that term - that is wanting to find out the truth for truth's sake and being willing to shape their lives accordingly thereafter) are less likely to get answers from God than are those who were merely sincere in this sense, i.e. those who are praying for a revelation without, as he called it today, 'mixed' motivations. But that's not because God doesn't like the idea of the news of their experiences spreading via the radio and thus reducing the general level of hiddenness that He has good reason to maintain; so Richard's is not, as I erroneously speculated it was, an instance of the footnote-13-type reasoning which someone might have for maintaining this. It's rather - Richard says - because God has more reason to answer prayers asking for revelation from people with just the motivation to seek the truth, et cetera. rather than those with mixed motives; it depends on the 'mix ratio' as it were. So, ideal then (for some purposes) would be atheists who pray this sort of thing sincerely (in the sense we mean), and only later - as an afterthought - report it onwards. Those he'd be more likely to answer than the ones Justin and I had on our 'experiment', who only started praying with the intention of passing it onwards, even if they later (or even simultaneously) developed the sincere motivation; either way, they will have had mixed motives." Links:The paper “Praying to stop being an atheist” by Prof Tim Mawson:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k_TWLsLji4te169FZicpg_2vI9vsB330/view?usp=sharingTim’s email: [email protected] Unbelievable? Shows on the Experiment:Classic Replay: Atheist prayer experiment results show – part 1. 29-9-2022Classic Replay: Atheist prayer experiment results show – part 2. 4-10-2022(Seach ‘Mawson’ in your Unbelievable? Feed) Ryan Bell tried a "Year Without God"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_J._Bell  Doubts Aloud Links:Please give feedback and ask questions using:  [email protected]

Show NotesWe welcome Dr Lucas Wilson (also known as Luke), he’s an academic and has both studied and experienced the practice of Conversion Therapy.  The idea behind such therapy is that sexual orientation and/or gender identity is a mental disorder which can be fixed, usually by God, with the help of a programme, therapist, exorcist, boot camp, deliverer or some such. Luke has recently edited a book containing a set of personal stories and vignettes of experiencing such ‘therapy’. It is shocking, harrowing, sometimes comic and wonderfully written by each contributor.  We discuss the practice from the point of view of a historian, as well as a former conservative Christian and now a human with a strong moral compass. Is Conversion Therapy a category of genocide?   Links:Don’t miss Luke’s book:Shame-Sex Attraction. Survivors’ Stories of Conversion Therapy edited byLucas F. W. Wilson. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2025 Films Mentioned, both from 2018:Boy ErasedThe Miseducation of Cameron Post Doubts Aloud Links:Please give feedback and ask questions using:  [email protected]

Show NotesYes, atheist prayer is a thing! We explain the idea and introduce a philosophy paper on it by Oxford prof Tim Mawson. The paper gave rise to the “Atheist Prayer Experiment” which Justin Brierley conducted and reported on via the Unbelievable? Show in 2012.  We discuss the setup and results of the Experiment. Tim Mawson himself has agreed to be our guest in November to give feedback on our musings.Links:The paper “Praying to stop being an atheist” by Prof Tim Mawson:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k_TWLsLji4te169FZicpg_2vI9vsB330/view?usp=sharing Unbelievable? Shows on the Experiment:Classic Replay: Atheist prayer experiment results show – part 1. 29-9-2022Classic Replay: Atheist prayer experiment results show – part 2. 4-10-2022(Seach ‘Mawson’ in your Unbelievable? Feed) The Facebook group on the Experiment, here is the setup page we mentioned and you can click on to group home page:https://www.facebook.com/legacy/notes/227785844014301/ Key Bible passage on those outside the faith seeking God:Acts 17:24-27  Doubts Aloud Links:Please give feedback and ask questions using:  [email protected]

Show NotesAndrew leads us through the development in the Hebrew scriptures regarding how other Gods/gods alongside Yahweh were understood.  Initially Yahweh was seen as Israel’s God within a Henotheist context, where Henotheism is the belief in or worship of one god while acknowledging the existence of other gods. A key idea was a Heavenly Council as seen in the opening of Job. Over time Yahweh became seen as more and more powerful than the other gods and eventually monotheism became dominant by the time of the New Testament. There is of course debate on this in the scholarship, which we discuss. Bible Study:Psalm 82:1Exodus 12:122 Chron 18:18-22Job 1:6 & 2:1Deuteronomy 32:8, 39 and 43Isaiah 47:8-9   Bible Scholars to look up: Mark Smith, Michael Heiser (the evangelical one), Dan McClellan, Thom Stark and Francesca Stavrakopoulou Doubts Aloud Links:Please give feedback and ask questions using:  [email protected]