Questioning Belief

C.S. Lewis Institute
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The Questioning Belief podcast, hosted by Kathleen Noller, Ph.D., addresses objections to Christianity through in-depth discussions with experts. Drawing from her background as a former atheist and her experience in apologetics, Kathleen invites you to explore thoughtful responses to serious questions about faith.

Episodios

  1. 26/12/2025

    The Protestant Pursuit of Holiness: A Response for Critics of the Reformation

    "You can tell a lot about the state of twenty-first century evangelicalism by talking to those who leave it." This is the opening sentence of the introduction to A Heart Aflame for God, a thoughtful, Scripturally-based, and thoroughly-researched book by Dr. Matthew Bingham on spiritual practices from the early Reformed church. In this episode, we discuss perceived issues with Protestantism such as the de-emphasis of ceremony and "tradition," the focus on the mind and Word over bodily worship, and the stereotype that Puritan worship was divorced from the affections of the heart. Dr. Bingham takes us through the Puritan practice of "keeping the heart" and proposes a Reformation triangle of three interconnected practices for spiritual formation: Scriptural engagement, meditation, and prayer. We close by discussing the interplay between one's own spiritual formation and the health of the Church.

    1 h y 26 min

  2. 12/12/2025

    How to Build a Radically Christ-Centered Community

    Individualism, Exclusion, and the Cult of Busyness: How to Build a Radically Christ-Centered Community Christian communities should be strongholds of worship, godly love, and hospitality, but the Church elicits many negative perceptions in the modern day, some imposed by the surrounding culture and some of its own making. Dr. Brian Carrier, Pastor of Discipleship at the District Church in Washington, D.C., shares his experience in community-building and spiritual formation as a pastor in a highly individualistic and professional urban setting. We discuss modern Church struggles such as its perception by the outside world as exclusionary and unwelcoming, its need to fight radical individualism and the consumerist mindset of attendees, and its lack of substantial young male involvement. Dr. Carrier advises non-Christians on how to explore the Church and advises Christians on how to disciple others, how to practically love their neighbors, and how to encourage commitment and forge strong bonds within Christian community. This episode will help you to understand what it means to genuinely "do life together."

    1 h y 16 min

  3. 28/11/2025

    Buddhism and Christianity: Meditation, Pluralism, and the Self

    Dr. Sita Slavov grew up in a Hindu household, practiced Zen Buddhism for many years, and is now a professing Christian. Dr. Slavov embarked on a search for absolute truth from an early age, using her skills as a researcher to investigate the truth claims behind different world religions. In this episode, we address religious pluralism, the role of tradition and upbringing in religious identity, and the distinction between religious practice and faith. We explore the contrasts between the Buddhist and Christian concepts of the self, suffering, salvation and the practice of meditation. Resources: Christianity Today article by Dr. Slavov Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis:

    51 min

  4. 14/11/2025

    Predestination and Cultural Apologetics

    In this episode, Dr. Noller engages the wisdom of a speaker with a wide-ranging expertise in Reformed theology, Dr. Gray Sutanto. We discuss the development of apologetics throughout church history and the influence of seminal Reformed theologians such as Herman Bavinck, Cornelius Van Til, and Alvin Plantinga on cultural apologetics. We dive into common yet weighty objections to Christianity such as: does evolution explain away the existence of good and evil? Why doesn't God save everyone, and does He predestine people for Hell? Do atheists have a burden of proof for denying the existence of a god? And how can a good and powerful God permit the existence of evil? We close with Bavinck's prediction of the rise of Aryan nationalism from the decline of Christian faith in Europe.

    1 h y 20 min

  5. 31/10/2025

    Practical Wisdom for the Everyday Evangelist

    Discussing Christianity or sharing your faith with others who hold different beliefs can be intimidating. In this episode, Dr. Bannister teaches us how to organically open up about our faith and ask open-ended questions of others. Evangelism doesn't need to take place in a stadium and apologists needn't be university professors-- they can be ordinary Christians like you and me. Join us as we discuss tactics to address objections such as "all religions are the same" and "Christians are hypocrites." From his real-life experience and role as Director of Solas, an evangelical organization, Dr. Bannister shares his impression of shifts in worldview, the new wave of atheism, and the Muslim perspective on Jesus. Join us for an engaging and practical discussion! The Questioning Belief podcast, hosted by Kathleen Noller, Ph.D., addresses objections to Christianity through in-depth discussions with experts. Drawing from her background as a former atheist and her experience in apologetics, Kathleen invites you to explore thoughtful responses to serious questions about faith.

    1 h y 11 min

  6. 17/10/2025

    Christians are Bigots: Part 1, Racism and the American Church

    Dr. Tom Tarrants is President Emeritus of the C.S. Lewis Institute and author of Consumed by Hate, Redeemed by Love: How a Violent Klansman Became a Champion of Racial Reconciliation. In this episode, Tom and I discuss the accusation that the American Protestant church promotes bigotry and racism, particularly white supremacy. In Part 1 of our discussion, Tom shares his gripping testimony of growing up in the Deep South amidst anti-communist and racist ideologies and coming to know God through his readings of classical philosophy and the Gospels in a maximum security prison. We discuss the difference between nominal and true faith, whether America is a Christian nation, the sinful perversion of the Bible to justify racism, and more.

    1 h y 47 min

  7. 03/10/2025

    Natural Evil: how can a good and powerful God allow natural disasters and disease?

    Sharon Dirckx, PhD., trained neuroscientist, prolific speaker, and author of award-winning books on the problem of evil and human consciousness, helps us to tackle the problem of natural evil. There are evils in our world which can't be directly attributed to human moral error: natural disasters, parasites, and disease attack seemingly indiscriminately, causing rampant death and destruction of innocent people. How can the Judeo-Christian God be simultaneously good, loving, and all-powerful and yet allow disaster and disease to occur on his watch? Did God create these evils, does he passively permit them, or is he powerless to stop them?

    1 h y 13 min

  8. 19/09/2025

    Mere Hermeneutics: Why do Christians disagree on how to interpret the Bible?

    Many Christian leaders across different sects hold varied interpretations of key Biblical practices, leading to notable differences in theology and practice. Do differences in Biblical interpretation betray a pluralism within Christianity or an insufficiency of Scripture as God's method of communication? Dr. Kevin Vanhoozer joins us to discuss historical and modern differences in Biblical reading cultures, what it means to read the Bible "literally," and how to discern Biblical genre. Dr. Vanhoozer puts forth the practice of "mere Christian hermeneutics"-- essential principles for reading the Bible as Scripture everywhere, at all times, and by all Christians.

    1 h y 23 min

  9. 05/09/2025

    The Four Gospels: Trustworthy, Forged, or Corrupted?

    Dr. Peter Williams joins us to discuss various objections to the trustworthiness of the gospels, including the possibility of fabrication of the gospel accounts by later writers, the presence of apparent contradictions within the gospels themselves, and the alleged corruption of the original accounts by oral transmission and thousands of years of copying and translation. Dr. Williams has been leading Tyndale House, an international Bible research community in Cambridge, England, since 2007. He received his MA, MPhil, and PhD from the University of Cambridge, studying ancient languages related to the Bible and was formerly a Senior Lecturer in New Testament at the University of Aberdeen. He is an Affiliated Lecturer at the University of Cambridge and a member of the Translation Oversight Committee of the English Standard Version. His book Can We Trust the Gospels? (Crossway, 2018) has been published in 15 languages. His latest book is The Surprising Genius of Jesus (Crossway, 2023).

    1 h y 19 min

  10. 22/08/2025

    Christian Literature and the Numinous: Storytelling, Myths, and Re-enchantment

    Dr. Carolyn Weber, a prolific writer, professor of literature, and ardent Christian, joins us to discuss the rich history of Christian literature and the purpose of Christian art. We discuss Rudolf Otto's concept of the numinous, or the feelings of awe and mystery which give us a sense of the supernatural. Is beauty more than aesthetic perfection? What can the Bible teach us about storytelling, myth, and archetype? What should the purpose of Christian writers be, and how should Christians handle genres such as horror? Finally, we close with a discussion of how to recover one's sense of mystery, wonder, and presence of the divine through literature.

    51 min

  11. 08/08/2025

    Is it rational to believe in miracles?

    How can it ever be reasonable to accept the testimonial evidence of an alleged miracle over the mass of evidence that the natural world behaves according to the laws of nature? Could it be rational to accept that miracles could theoretically occur, or are miracles impossible violations of nature? Dr. Timothy McGrew discusses the history of objections to miracles, focusing on Hume and Spinoza, and puts forth positive and negative criteria for evaluating the evidence behind a miracle claim. We discuss the evidence for miracle claims from the Bible, from Catholicism (Eucharistic miracles and the healings at Lourdes), and from religions other than Christianity. We conclude with a personal testimony on how to remain faithful to God in the face of unanswered prayers and undelivered miracles.

    1 h y 40 min

  12. 17/07/2025

    The Problem of Pain with Dr. Bill Kynes

    How can God be both good and powerful if evil exists? We live in a world where children die of cancer, women are raped, and entire villages are wiped out by natural disasters. Yet, according to Christianity, our universe was created and is presided over by an all-powerful, good, and loving God. So how do we reconcile God's goodness and power with the existence of moral and natural evils in the world today? Join Dr. Bill Kynes and I as we discuss the tension between God as sovereign Creator and humanity as a creation imbued with free will and capable of moral transgression. We discuss whether God is the author of evil, the fairness of original sin, the Old Testament genocides, and the purpose of evil in the lives of Christians. As a former senior pastor of Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Annandale, Virginia, Dr. Kynes shares his wealth of experience in ministering to those in the midst of suffering and offers encouragement to those walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Throughout the podcast, we discuss lessons learned from the book of Job, from Dr. Kynes' book Wrestling with Job: Defiant Faith in the Face of Suffering, and from C.S. Lewis's Problem of Pain. The Questioning Belief Podcast is hosted by Dr. Kathleen Noller who draws on her background as a former atheist, a scientist, and a critical thinker to explore serious questions about faith.

    1 h y 2 min
  • 12 episodios

Acerca de

The Questioning Belief podcast, hosted by Kathleen Noller, Ph.D., addresses objections to Christianity through in-depth discussions with experts. Drawing from her background as a former atheist and her experience in apologetics, Kathleen invites you to explore thoughtful responses to serious questions about faith.

Información

  • Creador
    C.S. Lewis Institute
  • Años de actividad
    2 k
  • Episodios
    12
  • Clasificación
    Apto
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Mostrar sitio web
    Questioning Belief

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