Reasoned Hope
Reasoned Hope
Parks Edwards
In this podcast, we explore the intellectual credibility of the Christian faith.
RH:50 Some Thoughts on the Resurrection of Jesus
In this episode, I consider the centrality of Jesus' resurrection to Christianity and discuss what makes belief in it plausible and implausible. I also present and critique a popular line of argument against the resurrection.
Jun 1, 2024
52 min
RH:49 What Does it Mean to Worship God?
There is a lot in the Bible about worshiping and praising God. Do the commands and passages that refer to this mean that God is arrogant, self-absorbed, or even needy? While the commands to worship and praise God are often taken for granted by Christians, they raise good questions that help us clarify what this means. In this episode, I look at some things CS Lewis had to say about the worship of God.
Mar 23, 2024
38 min
RH:48 Can We Know if God Exists?
Is humanity in a position to know if God exists? If not, this means that claims to know that God exists are groundless. Agnosticism, in its strong form, says that we are unable to have knowledge of God. What does this view involve and is it a credible objection to belief in God?
Jan 21, 2024
50 min
RH:47 Why Did God Become Human?
Christmas is a celebration of the Incarnation, when God entered our world as a human being in Jesus Christ. But why was this necessary and what significance does the Incarnation have for Christian theology? What implications does this have for our lives today?
Dec 25, 2023
42 min
RH:46 Can We Only Know Things We Can Test Empirically?
The Christian worldview involves supernatural events, but many reject the supernatural as rationally credible. One reason given is that such events cannot be empirically tested and are outside the scope of scientific investigation. But is this true? And is it a good reason to reject belief in the supernatural? In this episode, I discuss these questions and argue this idea makes serious philosophical mistakes about science and knowledge.
Nov 18, 2023
14 min
RH:45 Street Smarts Interview with Greg Koukl
Greg Koukl returns as a guest on the podcast to discuss his latest book, Street Smarts. Greg and I discuss how the book aids Christians in dialoguing with people about Christianity as well as the many contentious issues of our time.
Oct 24, 2023
1 hr 4 min
RH:44 God of the Gaps?
A common critique of arguments for God's existence is they are based on a "God of the gaps" fallacy. In essence, this says that such arguments are fundamentally based on ignorance. They use God as an explanation to fill a gap in knowledge. When this is done, skeptics argue, belief in God is shown to be based upon ignorance instead of knowledge. But is this true? In this episode, I aim to show why the God of the gaps objection fails as a critique of arguments for God.
Oct 10, 2023
20 min
RH:43 The Argument from Beauty (Evidence for the Existence of God, Part 7)
Beauty is all around us and it permeates our universe. The existence of beauty is confirmed in the natural world and in works of human creation such as music and art. But what is beauty and how do we best explain it? In this episode, I argue that beauty is objective and that it requires a transcendent explanation. In this way, the existence of a personal God best explains beauty.
Sep 10, 2023
1 hr 21 min
RH:42 The Argument from Reason (Evidence for the Existence of God, Part 6)
Skeptics claim belief in God's existence is irrational. Furthermore, they claim their position (most often, atheism) is based upon careful reasoning and evidence. But the argument from reason calls into question the very ability of atheism to provide a grounding for our rational faculties. Furthermore, it shows that pantheism (the worldview of most Eastern religions) also fails to provide a foundation for human reason. In this episode, I explain and defend the argument from reason and show how reason itself provides evidence for God.
Aug 10, 2023
1 hr 39 min
RH:41 The Argument from Desire (Evidence for the Existence of God, Part 5)
True happiness. Lasting peace. Contentment. Something more. While people may differ on the details of what provides these things, every person alive is in pursuit of them. It seems there is an innate desire for the transcendent that we possess. How does such a desire function as evidence for God's existence? What exactly is a desire for the transcendent and where do we encounter it? Is this just an exercise in wishful thinking? In this episode, I explain what the Argument from Desire is, show how it provides evidence for God's existence, and respond to objections.
Jul 11, 2023
1 hr 45 min
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