Doubts Aloud Podcast Doubts Aloud Podcast
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- Religion & Spirituality
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The Doubts Aloud Podcast!
Join us as we allow doubts to be voiced regarding faith, religion and worldviews. Two of us have been Christians and none of us believe, so our current conclusion is that the doubts regarding Christianity are justified, but we are keen to question ourselves and hear Christian arguments and hear from Christian guests. Our background means that our conversation with Christianity will tend to dominate over other faiths.
We are Frances Janusz, Andrew Whyte and Ed Atkinson. We value the use of reason and evidence to assess matters of faith and worldview. (Should we doubt those assumptions?). We will consider philosophy, theology, Biblical Studies, human experience from the thinking layman’s viewpoint. We greatly value respect for those we disagree with and engaging in discussion. Meet us all in person at the monthly Unbelievable Christian and Skeptic Discussion Group in central London
https://www.meetup.com/Unbelievable-Christian-and-Skeptic-Discussion-Group-London
Andrew Whyte one of the hosts of Doubts Aloud has his own "Christian Diversity" YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIyesuRCrlRFYCYs_XMDKhd_MAyeF8esH
For those not familiar with the Christian Premier Radio Unbelievable Show that we praise, it is podcast as “Unbelievable?” and on the web:
https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable
Andrew’s appearances on Unbelievable were 31/10/2009 on the Return of Jesus, 26/04/2014 with Greg Boyd on Doubt and 10/07/2015 with Nabeel Qureshi on Christian Diversity.
Doubts Aloud Links:
Please give feedback and ask questions using :
doubtsaloud@gmail.com
Join the Facebook Group discussions:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/247243319147813
Meet us all in person at the monthly “Unbelievable Christian and Skeptic Discussion Group” in central London, see:
https://www.meetup.com/Unbelievable-Christian-and-Skeptic-Discussion-Group-London
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Episode 78 - The McGrewvianism Phenomenon – Part 2
Show Notes
In Part 1, friends of the show John Nelson and Josh Parikh returned as guests and discussed “McGrewvianism”, which is the apologetic approach of partners Tim & Lydia McGrew. Their critiques of McGrewvianism centred largely in lack of engagement in the last 150 years of scholarship into the New Testament documents and they related this extensively to the McGrew’s use of ‘Undesigned Coincidences’ to establish the historical reliability of the NT narratives.
Jonathan McLatchie, who we also consider a friend of the show, is in the McGrew camp and wrote a helpful response blog, which also concentrated on Undesigned Coincidences. In this episode we discuss his responses and we take a wider look at contradictions between texts as a potentially symmetrical opposite concept to Undesigned Coincidences.
Links:
We discussed ‘undesigned coincidences’ with Jonathan McLatchie in our episode 29.
Jonathan’s blog, which we are responding to, is:
https://jonathanmclatchie.com/have-john-nelson-and-josh-parikh-refuted-the-reportage-model/
The tome Andrew mentioned on the Encyclopaedia of Bible Difficulties
https://www.amazon.co.uk/International-Encyclopedia-Difficulties-Understand-Zondervans/dp/0310241464
The criminal case Frances discussed: a summary of the Hanratty case is here:
https://mobile-webview.gmail.com/-1530513736/426787727007691964
(You can access the full judgment from a link on the summary page.)
[We didn’t give Bible references in the podcast to the uncertainty over the disciple Andrew’s home, which impacts on Philip’s. They are John 1v44 and Mark 1v21, 22 & 29]
Doubts Aloud Links:
Please give feedback and ask questions using: doubtsaloud@gmail.com
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Episode 77 - Doubts Aloud Book Club Tom Holland’s Dominion – Part 2
Show Notes
We return to our “Doubts Aloud Book Club” with a second episode on Tom Holland’s book ‘Dominion’ which has caused quite a stir in Christian apologetics circles over the last few years. We cover some of the critical responses, including ours. But most importantly we sought out responses from historians. Tom makes a bold and interesting set of claims that we list, and then we assess them with a wider philosophical view to go with the historical story that Dominion presents.
Links:
The book Dominion:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dominion-Making-Western-Tom-Holland/dp/0349141207
Book reviews we found:
Jenkins - in Christianity Today
https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/january-web-only/tom-holland-dominion-christian-revolution.html
De Groot – in The Times
https://www.thetimes.com/world/europe/article/dominion-by-tom-holland-review-7pc255qs7
Jonathan Sumption – in The Spectator
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/did-christianity-make-the-western-mind-or-was-it-the-other-way-round/
The Unbelievable episodes with Tom that we discuss:
With AC Grayling:
https://youtu.be/7eSyz3BaVK8?si=TOdafNjHf22AJuov
And with Andrew Ollerton:
https://youtu.be/f2_W6eCijV4?si=QBEuJnA1N-xyxS7t
The Jennifer Glance book on slavery in early Christianity
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Slavery-Early-Christianity-Jennifer-Glancy/dp/0800637895
Rowan Williams book, Passions of the Soul
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Passions-Soul-Rowan-Williams/dp/1399415689
Doubts Aloud Links:
Please give feedback and ask questions using: doubtsaloud@gmail.com
Join the Facebook Group discussions:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1023280847835278/
Meet us all in person again at the monthly “Unbelievable Christian and Skeptic Discussion Group” in central London, see:
https://www.meetup.com/Unbelievable-Christian-and-Skeptic-Discussion-Group-London -
DA - Episode 76 - The McGrewvianism Phenomenon with Josh & John – Part 1
Show Notes
Friends of the show John Nelson and Josh Parikh return as guests together. They introduce Josh’s new term to the world: McGrewvianism, which is the apologetic approach of partners Tim & Lydia McGrew. They are scholars in their own fields but do not use the methods of modern NT scholarship when arguing for the historical reliability of the gospels. Potentially this can be seen as fresh air, but Josh & John dig deeper.
This will be the first episode of a 2 part set. Josh & John cover such topics as McGrewvianism treatment of modern NT scholarship and their key ‘undesigned coincidences’ argument.
Links:
We discussed ‘undesigned coincidences’ with Jonathan McLatchie in our episode 29.
John’s blog, which has a post on undesigned coincidences, is:
https://www.behindthegospels.com/
The McGrews
https://lydiamcgrew.com/
Tim doesn’t seem to have a home page for his work, search for him on Amazon, or here:
https://wmich.edu/philosophy/directory/mcgrew
Doubts Aloud Links:
Please give feedback and ask questions using: doubtsaloud@gmail.com -
Episode 75 - Doubts Aloud Book Club: Tom Holland’s Dominion – Part 1
Show NotesTom Holland’s book ‘Dominion’ has caused quite a stir in Christian apologetics circles over the last few years and we’ve been reading it. We also attended a church leader’s evening where he was the speaker. So we thought we would start a “Doubts Aloud Book Club” with Dominion the first book covered.We introduce Tom, his current faith position and the book, we discuss his style and how much we enjoyed the read.
We present the key messages that Tom seeks to make and talk about whether it’s a book useful for apologetics. Finally, we read some extracts that had struck us and discussed them.A later episode on the book will cover more on the critical responses, including ours. He makes a bold and interesting set of claims that we can both learn from and see where we, and historians, may disagree. Links:That book
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dominion-Making-Western-Tom-Holland/dp/0349141207
The Justin Brierley Spectator article:
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/a-christian-revival-is-under-way-in-britain/
Doubts Aloud Links:Please give feedback and ask questions using:
doubtsaloud@gmail.com Join the Facebook Group discussions:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1023280847835278/
Meet us all in person again at the monthly “Unbelievable Christian and Skeptic Discussion Group” in central London, see:
https://www.meetup.com/Unbelievable-Christian-and-Skeptic-Discussion-Group-London -
Episode 74 - The age of the earth with Rev Michael Roberts
Show NotesWe are excited to have guest Rev Michael Roberts with us, he’s an Oxford geologist who subsequently became an Anglican vicar. He is extremely knowledgeable on the history of geology and the age of the earth in science, Christian academic thought, theology and the modern Young Earth movement. Did you know that Darwin was a geologist at the start of his career? Neither did we. Links:Michael’s blog is:
https://michaelroberts4004.wordpress.com/
Michael’s paper “Just before the Beagle”:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17qo3zEeYKZlwL_Y8DpoX3F-35BO4rPPz/view?usp=sharing
His 5 day trip exploring Darwin in Wales
https://www.newscientist.com/tours/retracing-charles-darwins-travels-across-north-wales/?
fbclid=IwAR372bjMkHAcr0UU4p6B9KqztYkaOk5bxLH4PUgXRT06Nfo75iuhank-gac
That Ovid book
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamorphoses
That Genesis Flood 1961 book:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Genesis_Flood(
The link also mentions the Bernard Ramm book “The Christian View of Science and Scripture” we mentioned.) That irreverent cartoon on Adam and Eve overpopulating the globe due to obedience:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziQrzXmjk-M Doubts Aloud Links:Please give feedback and ask questions using: doubtsaloud@gmail.com Join the Facebook Group discussions:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1023280847835278/
Meet us all in person again at the monthly “Unbelievable Christian and Skeptic Discussion Group” in central London, see:https://www.meetup.com/Unbelievable-Christian-and-Skeptic-Discussion-Group-London -
Episode 73 Presuppositional Apologetics Part 2
Show NotesThis month we return to that different form of Apologetics - Presuppositional Apologetics. Please see Part 1 - Episode 70 - where we gave a more social and historical background to it. Here we look at the basic argument made: the Transcendental Argument for God, “TAG”. We set it out and discuss implications and objections to it. Links:The Debunking Christianity material on Presup:
https://www.debunking-christianity.com/2022/08/the-failure-of-van-tillian.html
The short clip of someone doing a ‘reverse Presup’ on Presuppositional Apologists, invoking a “non-conscious power”:
https://youtu.be/BPF8lcYWQ1Y?si=_B8mO9jUKdA6z8Q7
Blog expanding on our point that our desire for there to be reliable rationality does not show there ishttps://useofreason.wordpress.com/2019/05/10/the-limitations-of-transcendental-arguments/ Julian Baggini’s book “How the World Thinks”
https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-World-Thinks-History-Philosophy/dp/1783782285
The Dan Linford paper given to us by Josh on skeptical theism and how it destroys TAG
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4iojx3honcv4mv4/On_Knowledge_Without_God_Van_Tillian_Pre.docx?fbclid=IwAR34-aQh0Kny9J6pTCQbSKyiiuZauzza1j4ddu4WeCTE3XsXCGqdJFq4sa4
Doubts Aloud Links:
Please give feedback and ask questions using: doubtsaloud@gmail.com
Join the Facebook Group discussions:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1023280847835278/
Meet us all in person again at the monthly “Unbelievable Christian and Skeptic Discussion Group” in central London, see:
https://www.meetup.com/Unbelievable-Christian-and-Skeptic-Discussion-Group-London
Customer Reviews
I really enjoy listening to this podcast.
Similar to another review I read, I get tired of so many of the other religious podcasts, both theistic and atheistic because they seem too dogmatic and over-confident to me. I think most of these people lack a certain honesty about these matters of faith and religion that I find quite refreshing in Doubts Aloud. I relate so much to Andrew’s journey and I love learning more about the history and diversity of Christian views. I love Ed’s philosophical mind, pointing out interesting perspectives and insights I wouldn’t have thought of. And I greatly respect Francis for her straight forward common sense rationality. She calls balls and strikes as they come, as I see it. This is my favorite ‘religious’ podcast.
Very enjoyable
I sometimes feel like there's not much left to discuss in the atheist and Christian debate, and I've grown tired of going over the same ground time and time again.
So I wasn't expecting very much from another atheist podcast.
However, I gave this one a chance because I've heard Andrew Whyte on other podcasts, as well as his Christian Diversity YouTube channel, and always liked hearing what he has to say.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy the mature, thoughtful and educated discussion by the panelists on Doubts Aloud, and I’ve even learned some new things.