Proselytize or Apostatize: Recent Episodes
David Russell
We exist to engage the big questions and to equip others with knowledge through debate, interviews, and commentary. We engage with any worldview including ideas regarding politics, religion, and current events.
At the end of the day, you decide!
Welcome back Hugh Ross, President of www.reasons.org. In this episode we discuss the hot topic of Climate change! Joined by atmospheric scientist and student Travis Worth!
This will be part one of an ongoing conversation with the folks at Skeptics and seekers! We barley scratched the surface!
Join us as we host Jim Majors and Nick Peters on the resurrection.
Find Jim here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7Id... and Nick here: https://www.deeperwatersapologetics.com/
Russell enters the arena with Nash NoLastname as they discuss the most important holiday held by Christians!
Join our Guest Host as they have put together an all star cast for a debate on God and Morality!
Join us as PORA gets taken over by Reasons 2 Doubt our first Guests Hosts. They put us in the hot seat and we explored the question of miracles.
Join David and David as we explore everything from Mythicism to the Resurrection of Jesus with Dr. Habermas!
Were the Gospels written late? Early? Do we have good reasons to trust who wrote them?
Join David and David as they ask Cold Case homicide detective J. Warner Wallace of Cold Case Christianity.
David and David Join the Mentionables and Real Seekers Ministries for a show all about Christmas.
Merry Christmas! See you next year!!!
I had a unique opportunity to be interviewed alongside Gary Habermas. Gary is one of my favorites and I felt honored to be on the same panel. Thanks to Dale of Real Seekers for having me on. Be sure to check out Dale's Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_6-... You can find more about Dr. Habermas here: http://garyhabermas.com/
Enjoy the show! To engage some, to equip some. PORA is an apologetics based show that reaches out to believers and unbelievers to discuss and debate the big questions. We exist to engage not only, unbelievers but believers of various faiths and worldviews. We also aim to equip believers with sound arguments that demonstrate the truth of Christianity. At the end of the day, you choose!
To engage some, to equip some. PORA is an apologetics based show that reaches out to believers and unbelievers to discuss and debate the big questions. We exist to engage not only, unbelievers but believers of various faiths and worldviews. We also aim to equip believers with sound arguments that demonstrate the truth of Christianity. At the end of the day, you choose! Today Dave and Dave discuss some of the evidence for God and Christianity with Erin Burnett a Christian agnostic. Check out her book here: http://erinburnettauthor.co.uk/ Also see: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6zh3... https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/bl... https://www.livescience.com/20654-aut... http://csjarchive.cogsci.rpi.edu/proc...
To engage some, to equip some. PORA is an apologetics based show that reaches out to believers and unbelievers to discuss and debate the big questions. We exist to engage not only, unbelievers but believers of various faiths and worldviews. We also aim to equip believers with sound arguments that demonstrate the truth of Christianity. At the end of the day, you choose! Check out Tim's channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcXd... Check out Travis's other debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEpye... Check out Jordan and Jared's podcast: https://reason2doubt.podbean.com/ Explore the fine-tuning argument: https://www.amazon.com/Fallacy-Fine-T... https://www.amazon.com/Creator-Cosmos... Explore the perfect foundation argument: https://www.amazon.com/How-Reason-Can... https://www.amazon.com/Necessary-Exis...
Your all caught up my audio lovers! Join us as both David's take part in the discussion on methodology.
Join David and David with special guest Travis Worth as we respond to the Inquisitor's notion that early Christianity didn't believe in the Trinity.
To engage some, to equip some. PORA is an apologetics based show that reaches out to believers and unbelievers to discuss and debate the big questions. We exist to engage not only, unbelievers but believers of various faiths and worldviews. We also aim to equip believers with sound arguments that demonstrate the truth of Christianity.
At the end of the day, you choose!
Check out James' channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJUU...
Check out Caleb's book https://www.amazon.com/Undead-Histori...
Dane van Eys - Perseverance of the Saints
https://www.amazon.com/Eternal-Securi...
https://www.amazon.com/Race-Set-Befor...
https://www.amazon.com/Kept-Jesus-Tes...
Christian Huls - Once Saved, Always Saved
https://www.amazon.com/Recanting-Calv...
https://www.amazon.com/Chosen-But-Fre...
https://www.amazon.com/Eternal-Securi...
David Pallmann - Reformed Arminianism
https://www.amazon.com/Classical-Armi...
https://www.amazon.com/Grace-Faith-Fr...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UrwF...
youtube.com/watch?v=Wh5u40jnYrU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpQgI...
Jones Stanford - Wesleyan Arminianism
http://evangelicalarminians.org/brian...
http://evangelicalarminians.org/rober...
https://www.amazon.com/Life-Son-Rober...
Evan Minton - Can/Won’t
https://www.amazon.com/Salvation-Sove...
https://cerebralfaith.net/the-canwont...
https://cerebralfaith.net/the-canwont...
https://cerebralfaith.net/the-canwont...
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjVe...
Dr. Stephen Boyce joins Dave and Dave to answer Genetically Modified Skeptic's four questions that he says might make you an atheist. Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE-P6...
Recommended resources answering objections to Christianity:
https://www.amazon.com/God-Great-Good...
https://www.amazon.com/Problem-Animal...
https://www.amazon.com/Problem-Evil-P...
To engage some, to equip some. PORA is an apologetics-based show that reaches out to believers and unbelievers to discuss and debate the big questions. We exist to engage not only, unbelievers but believers of various faiths and worldviews. We also aim to equip believers with sound arguments that demonstrate the truth of Christianity.
At the end of the day, you choose!
To engage some, to equip some. PORA is an apologetics-based show that reaches out to believers and unbelievers to discuss and debate the big questions. We exist to engage not only, unbelievers but believers of various faiths and worldviews. We also aim to equip believers with sound arguments that demonstrate the truth of Christianity. At the end of the day, you choose! In today's episode, Jordan Karim of Reason2Doubt battles Suan Sonna of Intellectual Conservatism over God and morality. Does the reality of objective morality point to the existence of God?
Check out Jordan's work here: https://reason2doubt.podbean.com/
Check out Suan's work here: https://www.facebook.com/intellectual...
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCNj...
More from Travis:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5nij...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk3gn...
Check out Michael's channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKHi...
Today we had the honor of enjoying David Johnson of skeptics and seekers and Evan Minton of Cerebral faith. You can find them here.
https://skepticsandseekers.squarespace.com/
https://cerebralfaith.net/
Sorry it's been so long since we dropped an episode, I've been trying to get one of the Davids to take over the podcast feed, and I think they are procastinating :). They drop all of the new content on YouTube, so that might be a good place to go until they take over this feed. Here is the link for the channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOaSz_olYnkqL2OhjiJSy_g
Enjoy this interview with Dr. Hugh Ross!
Chris Fisher, author of "God is Open," squares off with Calvinist Daniel Madden to debate whether or not the author of Isaiah 40 - 48 was an open theist.
Christopher Witmer and Titus jump on to defend Christian nonviolence against the two Davids.
Chris' podcast: https://www.thethirdwaypodcast.com/
Titus new podcast: thatjesuspodcast.com ...iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/that-jesus-podcast/id1487348559?fbclid=IwAR18kRE_M6CRcajTZtSNSQf93zVwtsHFrMyPQpFBESf1_o7QcVzJL3jVGIg
The Russell and David Interview Suan about Genesis.
Check out Suan's page: https://www.facebook.com/intellectualconservatism/
In this debate, Kyle Alander squares off against Jacob Brunton on the topic of libertarian free will.
Kyle's YouTube channel: Christian Idealism
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnKs...
Jacob's ministry: For the New Christian Intellectual
christianintellectual.com
NOTE: The first time this episode was uploaded, it cut out half way through. Here is the full conversation.
In this episode, David Pallman makes the case for the validity of intelligent design. Jared McComb challenges these claims, insisting that the idea of irreducible complexity is fallacious. We get hung up on bacterial flagellum and other nerdy topics.
Jared's mentioned source: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(07)01338-3?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982207013383%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
David's YouTube channel: Faith Because or Reason
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8sT...
Jared's podcast: Reason2Doubt
https://reason2doubt.podbean.com/?fbc...
Jare
David and I got the chance to interview Michael Jones, an apologist and YouTuber who has over a hundred thousand subscribers on his channel Inspiring Philosophy. We talk about the canonization of the Bible, violence in the Old Testament, and the problem of bias.
I have had the opportunity to introduce visiting scholars at the University of Virginia to the teachings of Jesus through English classes in Charlottesville. Four of my students have entered the kingdom of God this year! One of them, Sang from South Korea, joins me on the show to share about his spiritual journey that led him to become a disciple of Jesus. We are also joined by an unconvinced Chinese scholar, Thomas, who is quite close to taking the plunge but hasn't quite got there yet.
Did Jesus really give his apostles the authority to write what would become the New Testament? Where did the early church fathers get the idea that they could recognize these letters as Scripture? In this episode, David responds to these questions and more.
I (Titus) have been privileged to be part of new podcast called The Third Way, which explores the political implications of a Jesus-centered theology, particularly through an Anabaptist approach to power and violence. We decided to stream the inaugural episode on this podcast as well.
Subscribe to The Third Way!
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/…/po…/the-third-way/id1465272497…
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0BAkvAB77ASAQej1VqlwyD
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/…
We return to the topic of the resurrection with the "Psych Apologist" Jay Medenwaldt and Jordan Karim from the Reason2Doubt podcast.
Christian Aid Ministries, the world's largest conservative Mennonite non-profit organization, has been involved in a sexual abuse scandal involving one of its workers. Jeriah Mast sexually abused over 30 young boys in the United States and Haiti. Some of the top leaders of CAM failed to fire Mast even after becoming aware of the situation. In this episode, we talk to Trudi Metzger, a blogger, writer, and outspoken advocate for victims of sexual abuse. Asher Witmer also joins us to discuss the situation.
Like us on Facebook! facebook.com/proselytizeorapostatize
Follow us on Twitter! @PorAPodcast
Asher's blog: asherwitmer.com
Trudi's blog: splash4ripples.com
Virginia law requiring the reporting of sexual abuse:
https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?191+sum+SB1257
David and I were thrilled to have the opportunity to talk to Justin Brierley, who hosts a weekly podcast and radio show called Unbelievable? that is very similar to our show. David asks him a few questions about his show, and I grill him on his opinion of Donald Trump, nonviolence, and the problem of bias.
Drew Sokol preached to hundreds at Redeemer Presbyterian Church before a faith crisis led him to resign. In this episode, he challenges Barnabas Piper with the idea that God's Spirit does not seem to be evident in the lives of followers of Jesus. Barnabas responds by suggesting that the American church is simply not open to the movement of God's Spirit. They go on to discuss conservative vs progressive Christianity and the future of the church.
Thomas Newman decided to try out Christianity for a while as an unbeliever and chronicled his journey in a documentary-style podcast series called "Hiding in Plain Sight." Although he never converted to faith, Tom found a lot of value within the Jesus movement. We ask him questions about his experiences and David presses him with some evidence that Christianity might actually be literally true.
There is no guest this week! I give a sermon, David declines the opportunity to respond to the altar call, and we go on to talk about apologetics and politics.
David's pagan coworker, Brandon, joins us to talk about paganism, politics, polytheism, and some more topics that may start with 'p'.
We are joined by Virginia St Clare to talk about her belief that all of the Abrahamic religions are essentially the same. Our conversation meanders into topics such as absolute truth, canonization, and the resurrection.
Jordan Karim joins us again to debate the merits of the Kalam Cosmological Argument for the existence of God. You are going to want to put your thinking cap on as Jordan and David nerd out about a lot of crazy physics & philosophy.
Jordan's sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h1Z-p0LPx8CZTf4A2htVOeyhu5dsasr0jbOiQNq_-tE/edit?usp=sharing
Titus grew up in a very conservative Mennonite church. Obviously, our upbringing continues to influence our worldview no matter how old we get. In this episode, we invite popular blogger Asher Witmer onto the show to take a deep dive into some of the sticky issues that Mennonite young people often wrestle with. David jumps in with a question or two and gets a bit of an education this peculiar denomination.
In this episode, David and Titus catch up on a few current events and Titus talks about his trip to India.
In this episode I am joined by Matthew Milioni from Followers of the Way, a network of house churches who emphasize the kingdom of God. Matthew shares about how he and his wife left a skinhead gang to become disciples of Jesus. We go on to discuss the early church, the proper role of Scripture, and the ransom theory of Jesus' atonement. My co-host David comes on at the end to discuss the interview.
On the 46th anniversary of the landmark US ruling that made abortion legal, New York state signed into law a new abortion rights bill.
The most controversial part of the bill is the provision allowing abortions after 24 weeks in cases where there is an "absence of fetal viability, or the abortion is necessary to protect the patient's life or health".
My home state, Virginia, is currently considering a similar bill.
We thought it would be a good time to invite a pro-choice advocate onto the show. This conversation gets a bit feisty, as abortion debates often do, but at the end we parted ways as friends.
Our Jewish friend, Sam Richardson, joins us again for an important discussion on the historic reliability of the Gospels, Jesus' divine claims, and the resurrection. Rob makes the claim that these three factors make a strong case for Christianity, and Sam responds.
Rob, David, and I have an in-house discussion about the age of the earth. Rob believes in an old universe and a young earth for scientific reasons. David holds to old earth creationism, which accepts an old earth but still rejects macro-evolution. We talk about dating methods and the Scripture that states that Adam was created on the sixth day.
In this episode of the show, we talk about whether or not Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the Hebrew Scriptures for the Jewish Messiah. We begin by discussing if the Messiah is a person or an age. Rob and David then lay out the case that Jesus fulfilled various prophecies, and Sam responds.
In this conversation with Sam, we hear about why he left Christianity to become Jewish.
Titus will be taking more of a host/moderator role in the future and leaving the dialogue and debate to more qualified individuals. David Russell and Rob Lundberg are Christian thinkers and apologists who will be helping out on the show in the future. In this episode, we get to know them a bit.
Did Jesus actually rise from the dead, or is this just wishful thinking? Jordan and I end our series of conversations by discussing the historical evidence, or lack thereof, for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Jordan tells me about his military training and we make fun of a few silly Charlottesville conspiracy theories. The conversation then turns into another long, intense discussion on the general reliability of oral tradition, especially as it pertains to the Gospels.
Jordan and I had a little over a week to prepare for this conversation about the historical reliability of the Gospels. I begin by contending that the Gospels meet various criteria for reliability. Jordan challenges their traditional authorship, which I somewhat concede, and then the conversations turns into a heated debate about oral tradition!
This the first of a series of conversations between Jordan, an agnostic atheist, and myself. We hear about how he lost his faith and set the stage for our future discussions.
I got the big fish to come on the show! After messaging the Atheist Community of Charlottesville, I was pleasantly surprised to have the founder agree to have a discussion with me. Jared is a smart guy, and we had a lot of fun talking about the problem of suffering, the possibility of the supernatural, and much more! We hope to do an entire season with him at some point.
After enjoying an amazing dinner prepared by my chef friend Kevin O'Meara, we hash out a few of his objections to Christianity.