Skeptics and Seekers Sunday Sermon (4S): Recent Episodes
David Johnson
Does the religion actually exist if less than 1% of the adherents buy into the teachings?
Freedom of speech means freedom to fall in line with the demands of conservative religion.
An evangelical solution to homelessness might lead a sane person to conclude that the unhoused are better off homeless.
If you are suffering from depression and thinking about suicide, call 988 in the US. Get medical help now.
Everything that could go wrong with production did go wrong. Still, it was a heck of a show and I commend everyone for their participation.
I simply didn’t record the first 10 minutes of the show so I picked up in the middle of a monologue and kept right on going. No worries, Nothing was lost of importance.
If we grant that Jesus rose from the dead, why is Christianity still losing members? Why does it not have the power to persuade?
Indeed, the mentally disabled are still expected to tithe to the church. What could possibly go wrong?
Another Christian is the victim of cancel culture, that is to say, the victim of being canceled by other Christians
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How should Christians address the claim that the Bible is a work of fiction? Listen to the short and find out...
If being persecuted for Jesus is a good thing, why do so many Christians complain when it happens?
Pray that god doesn't have a revival in your neck of the woods.
You won't believe what was a part of his plan!
Another organization is pushing for freedom of conservative religious speech using public resources.
Do you think it is okay for elementary schools to sponsor prayers in school over the intercom for all to hear?
Surely Christians aren't being hypocritical about their stance on indoctrinating children.
Please pray for the woman in this short. Then come back and tell me how prayer is supposed to work. Thanks.
Once again, they get caught trying to illegally give away taxpayer money to a religious institution.
If a lunch you bought from a vendor came with the message, "God is..." written on the box, how would you finish the sentence?
Christians claim to be no longer of this world but having a citizenship of another kingdom. The initiation into that kingdom is bathed in blood.
When are Christians going to get fed up with this obvious miracle BS? Apparently, not today.
Here is another example of what happens when Christians take the Bible literally and seriously.
Here's how you can know if your relationships are abusive. Hint, it also applies to your relationship with god.
This is another example of why you can't trust Christians with your kids. See for yourself:
https://www.friendlyatheist.com/p/lawsuit-louisiana-students-were-tricked
This is the first part of a series on the gifts of the Holy Spirit
. Clint and I break it down one sermon at a time.
Did you know that some Christians still believe that illness and birth defects are indwelled demons?
There are few things that piss me off about the evangelistic spirit. Andrew helps me sort them out.
When school boards publicly ask for Christ-centered members, what could possibly go wrong?
Oh look, another preacher who thinks he knows why people walk away from their faith. This should be fun.
Daren and I tackle a Still Unbelievable episode where the Christian tries to falsify physicalism.
What Christians see as a miracle god I see as an evil god. They would be so much better off by never mentioning miracles again.
Greg Laurie gives 3 reasons why the US is not mentioned in revelation. See if you can guess what they are?
We just wrapped up. a 3 and a half hours show where math was involved. What did we do to blow off some steam? We did another 2 hours. Enjoy.
Did you know there was a program that allowed for students to get bible instruction during school hours? Check it out.
Dale and I team up to work out my subjective credence of my proposition that the god of the text is not an omni god at all. Listen to see what we came up with.
Would Christian Republicans really mine buoys with saw blades to severely injure and even kill refugees? Would they? Actually...
Can you gain faith in Jesus by using math? Dale believes you can. There is a big panel of great guests. The show was way too long and way too good to miss.
It is always a tragedy when anyone feels they need to take their own life. Help is available and it is not your fault.
What does it take to get a fundamentalist Christian to pull for Sweden over the USA team?
Dale joined us in discussing whether it makes sense to believe in a god when you walk away from religion.
Would we have anything like the Christianity we know today if not for Paul? Let's find out.
Now that I have given my thoughts on revival, feel free to share yours at https://skepticsandseekers.squarespace.com/blog-1/4s-s2e10-revival
The Asbury revival leaves us with more questions than answers. The questions were more interesting.
Did you know that god would F*** you up just to get you to pray so he can have some quality time with you? Tony Evans explains...
Bryan and I work through a long sermon from John Macarthur on the role of women and why they should never have any type of leadership role even in society.
Is the Church of Christ the only church that will be saved? Clint and I try to figure out what a Church of Christ preacher is trying to say.
These are four mistakes Christians commonly make when someone in their lives comes out as atheist.
We failed to get dwelt by a demon last year. Perhaps our attempt to be dwelt by a more Holy Spirit will be better.
WLC is not merely wrong. He is all the way to the cult extreme of wrong. Check it out for yourself.
Does anyone even bother to wonder what the point of worshipping god is? Let's find out:
This episode is free to all. Be sure to join the Red Letters Patreon community and be ready for season 2 starting in January.
www.patreon.com/redletters
You should know that god is really, really mad at you, and... Let's just hear it from Piper.
It is fun debunking Christian apologetics. But the fact is that there is no good reason to even care if this god exists. Here is my case.
These are some of the topics at the top of mind. Tell me what I should be thinking and talking about.
This sermon is kind of about family values, but really covers a lot more territory. It's worth listening to.
This sermon is full of tropes and triggers. He spends the back half of his time trying to frighten you into the kingdom.
Tom was an awesome guest with a wide breadth of experience when it comes to talking to people with whom he doesn't agree. Both Christians and atheists include poison pills in the conversation, making them less productive. We examine the issues and possible solutions. Enjoy.
Do you have a stronghold? Listen to Tony Evans tell you how to rid yourself of them. See if any of it makes sense to you.
This is street preaching at its finest, and its worst. Once I started laughing, I couldn't stop. See if you can do better.
There is a lot to like in the sermon regardless of whether you are a skeptic or seeker or something else entirely. That doesn’t stop me from blowing a fuse. Enjoy.
Still think the doctrine about demons is harmless? This story should inform you of why it matters.
Weep!
I gathered a few friends to talk about what we were taught about demons, and to see if we could make the doctrine more coherent. Hilarity ensued.
There is no sermon this week. I took the opportunity to reflect on some of the sermons we have recently heard. Enjoy.
These folks aren't particularly out there. But they still have to deal with demons. Here's how they do it. Enjoy.
I will be doing a deep dive on this subject in a Red Letters supplemental in a few days. It will be free to all at:
patreon.com/redletters
In this sermon, look out for the double standards and special pleading.
Graham was a towering figure of religious power and influence in his day. Revisiting a sermon from his younger days shows how poorly that brand of Christianity has aged. It simply doesn't hold up unless you are already a believer, or already accept the fundamental assumptions of Christianity. He simply wouldn't have gotten away with the BSC he routinely spouted were he faced with counter-apologists and counter-theologians of today. This will give you some idea of just how much unchallenged influence Christians had on society in his time. Enjoy.
Jeff is a good speaker who has no trouble holding your interest. This is a piece of a longer sermon which is a piece of a longer series on Calvinism. This one is on god's sovereignty.
If you are not getting the miracle god let you to expect, it's probably your fault according to this week's sermon.
This one is from my old denominational stomping grounds: Church of Christ. They are just as regressive as I remember. Andrew and I did a supplemental on this one that I will air later this week. Enjoy:
For more of my work, visit patreon.com/redletters and get a free copy of my latest book when you sign up.
Do you want to know what average Christians in the pews are hearing about giving? Here is a popular preacher telling it like it is. Enjoy.
Both sides get this wrong. That's because it is complicated and unclear. I have a unique theory about prayer that I spend the first hour unfolding. Let me know what you think. Enjoy.
Andrew joins me in the pew to discuss this week's sermon. It's isn't really a sermon. But that's okay because it isn't really the first episode. Enjoy.
The podcast this week is the same one presented to patreon members at patreon.com/redletters. it is free through the month of January. After that, it is a $1 per member podcast. Don’t worry. There will be a free podcast right here called 4S which stands for Skeptics and Seekers Sunday sermon. Check out last weeks show for the complete lowdown.
This seems like an easy set of questions until you really start to interact with them. The problem is that most Christians really haven't. They either have no answers, or too many contradictory answers. You'll get my longer writeup in the newsletter. See you in the comments…
The first show is the skeptic response to the Christians' take on Satan. The second show is an irreverent and potentially offensive stunt to summon a demon. Hint: It didn't work. At least, we don't think it did.
Despite the harsh bickering, Teddi and David are friends who share mutual respect. We frequently communicate behind the scenes.
This was supposed to be at the end of the next podcast. But I decided to move it up to be a separate show to start off the broader conversation with the panel.
We found a lot of agreement at the end. You will have to listen to see how it turned out.
This was an excellent finish to a fun series. Bryan showed up for only a moment. But his contribution was much appreciated. Enjoy.
Sarah was on her second beer when the podcast started. I went through 2 tissues laughing disgracefully. And somewhere along the way, worship was defined as kacking one's pants. I disavow any responsibility for the recording you are about to hear.
This is the first one on one conversation Matthew and I have ever had. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Expect more.
David and David do a classic show where David is trounced. You will have to decide which David that was.
If you get through the real discussion, there is some bonus BSC at the end where Teddi, Darren, and I are the only ones left standing. By that point, we tossed out all pretenses of decorum. A good time had by all.
This is a chance to hear a group of Christians and atheists talk about something other than religion. This is the one where we let our geek flags fly. Enjoy.
We had a great panel of Christians to take apart what the skeptics had to say. Find out how they did.
Last-minute change of plans. 4 Skeptics came together to show how we do epistemology. The Christians are up next week.
This is the show we kept referring to. We had to bail on it because of technical difficulties. You can hear all of it we were able to salvage.
This is just an introduction intended to open the can of worms known as epistemology. Enjoy
Bryan and David dive into the comments to find the best discussions from the past few weeks.
We were expecting a bloodbath. Instead, we ended up having a very reasonable conversation. We'll try to do better next time. :)
After lengthy introductions, we break up into teams no one expected to be on, debating a side they didn't know they were going to debate. We take on the concept of vigilantism. Only you can decide which team won.
I was a guest on Russell's show: PoA. We had a nice 2 on 2 formal debate and a good discussion.
The usual skeptic suspects come together to kibitz about current events. What do they say about packing the courts, and other hot-button topics? Find out.
David, Matt, Darren, and Andrew deep dive into their favorite and least favorite universes, and what we can learn from them.
The Davids pick up a couple of allies. Titus returns to side with Johnson while Teddi teams up with Russell. Enjoy.
One David says Christianity is not fiction. The other David says it's not useful. You will have to tune in to see what Erin has to say.
The Davids find themselves on different sides of the political battle. Shocker! We didn't actually talk about current politics. We discussed the theology of politics. Enjoy.
This is a heated conversation between 4 type A-hole personalities. We were rude, noisy, and talked over each other constantly. None of us covered ourselves in glory. And we apologize for nothing. Yep, it was that kind of show. Enjoy.
Much apologies for my audio issues. Hopefully, they will be ironed out for the next show. Also, much thanks to Randal for answering some tough questions about his latest book. Finally, big welcome to the new Christian cohost, David Russell.
Thanks to all for their participation. This is just the first half of the conversation. It is continued in Part 2.
This might well be the best of the series so far. You decide. We haven't heard the last from Daniel on S&S
Welcome to Marvin. We tackled an issue so big, we didn't even try to cover all the basis. We will come back to discuss it more, next time, with friends.
A big welcome back to Dale and an even bigger congratulations on his being accepted into the master's program.
This is the second part of a conversation already in progress. Pleas look for part 1 and listen to that one first. Enjoy.
This is a long conversation broken up in two parts. There were no losers in this conversation. But I win anyway. :) This thing might be rigged.
Mark does not call himself a progressive. But when you here him talk, you will see why he is the embodiment of the progressive revolution.
We did all the skeptics together in one go. We will be doing interviews with the Christian authors one at a time. Enjoy.
David P wanted to have a purely scientific conversation and forgo theology. David J wanted to have a theological conversation and forgo the science. Something had to give.
Bryan and David deconstruct David's conversation with Jonathan McLatchie on Unbelievable.
The band gets back together to do one of the toughest jobs an atheist can do: We came up with practical ideas for how the church can keep more of its members from leaving. It was a rather emotional journey. Enjoy!
Four former Christians talk about why they left. They also speculate on why so many others are leaving. Christians will want to pay close attention to this one. Look for part 2 coming soon...
Among other things, Robert and David discuss single-issue dealbreakers that make Christianity untenable. Being a Christian, Robert naturally disagrees. He also goes into detail about his epistemology underpinning his beliefs. Enjoy.
After this show, are you ready to wager? Bryan, Teddi, Robert, and David roll the dice.
The first half of the show explains why many atheists don't care for the Christian heaven. But can we do better? Let's find out:
Given the best gloss one can put on the bible, it comes out unclear, at best. Dale disagrees, I think. Perhaps you will hear it differently.
What happens when three skeptics try to grant that the Christian god is real? Probably not what you think. Check it out.
What does our new Christian host sound like? I don't know. But it might sound a lot like Titus. We'll see.
Darren and David have a surprisingly thoughtful and thought provoking discussion about evidence, reason, and faith.
This is the second part of a discussion already in progress. Please go back and listen to part 1 if you have not already.
Everyone join in welcoming Bryan to the podcast. He went from commenter to microphone. And you can too. All are welcome to the conversation.
This Sat Dec 21st will be the ultimate show down on Miracles of God. That said, that is David's show and so I will mostly be a reactive puppet to his plans for the show and won't have time to give my full case. Thus, I wanted to provide my opening case in my own words in a solo show- How does one go about Identifying and Evaluating Miracles of God in general. I argue that the Specified Complexity" criteria of Intelligent Design proponent Dr. William Dembski is the key.
Plus, I give my brief take on modern Miracle Healings specifically as requested by the Skeptic.
Dale had to cut out early. So Andrew and I chatted for an hour and a half after the show. Don't miss it.
Dale believes that Skeptics are wrong for dismissing the possibility of miracles out of hand. Dale has to make that case against three skeptics on the show. Who said life was fair?
Both David and Dale make separate arguments about the reasonableness of disbelief. Who had the most compelling argument? You decide.
Randal and I both agree that the universe is really old. However, that presents a real theological problem from which Christianity cannot recover. That is what we don't agree on.
Doc Brown talks Jewish redemption, human sexuality, and spiritual workings of the miraculous. This couldn't possibly end well.
Dale and David have to scramble as their scheduled guest had a last-minute cancelation, leaving them to wing it.
Dale and David discuss whether sharing Christian doctrine and truth with non-believers is "Hate Speech" or simply "Tough Love".
Kicking things off for Season 2 of S&S, David (the skeptic) makes the claim that there is no such thing as a real "Orthodox Christianity".
Robert Stanley of the Right to Reason Podcast hosts both Dale (Christian/Jesus Historicist)and Kevin Francis (atheist/Jesus Mythicist from the Left at the Valley Podcast) to discuss the subject of Jesus Mythicism- did Jesus really exist or not? Listen and find out!
Dale and his philosophy professor Paul Bali guest star on the Ask an Atheist Anything Podcast (4A) with Andrew and Matt to discuss freedom of expression, philosophy, science and religion. Its a must listen folks!
Here is a bonus episode during our summer hiatus- David and Dale discuss what it means to have "faith" in a Christian context.
In Part 1 of this series on Jesus Mythicism, I evaluate the evidence from 4-5 ancient historians; Thallus & Phlegon, Cornelius Tacitus, Suetonius and Flavius Josephus to see if they can provide positive proof that an historical Jesus probably did exist. Do any of them accomplish this aim?- Based on at least 2/5 of these ancient historians, the answer is a resounding "Yes"!
Dale Glover (Christian) guest stars on Robert Stanley's atheist show, the Right to Reason Podcast. We discuss the moral foundation and justification for God ordering Abraham being willing to sacrifice his son and God's Flooding the Earth. There were some interesting twists and turns that came up with some of our thought-experiments and real life examples each of us used in making our case but at the end of the day, it was a great convo all around :)
Scientist, immunologist and fellow Christian Dr. Kelly Kearse, joins the show to discuss the nature of the Shroud's bloodstains in relation to its authenticity and possible image-formation mechanisms (supernatural vs. natural). As a Shroud agnostic, I think Kelly offers something interesting and informative no matter what side of the debate you stand on.
David and Dale slip their leashes and go on and on and on and.... This is going to take a while. Enjoy.
Listen to the 4th installment of the Shroud Wars debates series with Hugh Farey (Shroud skeptic) vs. Joe Marino (Pro-Shroud)- topics include the invisible reweave theory against the 1988 C-14, the Shroud as an artistic object and discussion on the medical/forensics evidences from the Shroud.
In the third installment of our Shroud Wars debate series, two Shroud experts, Bob Rucker (Pro-Shroud) and Hugh Farey (Shroud Skeptic) go head to head to battle it out on the 1988 C-14 dating and how the images may or may not have been formed artistically.
Special guest Luis Dizon went from being one of the leading Protestant preachers to a member of the Catholic church. Find out what else is interesting about him.
Dale is a guest on the "Ask an Atheist Anything" Podcast with hosts Andrew and Matt to probe when does the Atheist bear the burden of proof; topics range from discussing Bayes Theorem to the shifting of the burden of proof and the nature of defeaters (includes back and forth on Dale's critically acclaimed Molinistic Defeater).
Consider this a preview to our upcoming shows on biblical violence which upcoming guests.
Lydia McGrew stops by to school us on why she thinks the gospels were historical accounts. Class is in session.
This is the final part of my lecture series on Substance Dualism (i.e. the existence of the soul). Here we look at 4 skeptical arguments against the existence of the soul and evaluate 4 main physicalist theories of what the conscious subject entails.
This is Part 3 of series on Substance Dualism- here we address the second issue of contention of the Mind-Body Problem- proving the existence of a non-physical conscious subject.
David is all alone at S&S headquarters. And he goes completely off the chain for over an hour. Some people were never meant to go solo.
David makes his second case for why he stopped caring about the bible, and why you should too. He tries to make the case that no one can really understand it.
This is the second part of the series on substance dualism- here we assess the nature of mental properties and states (the first issue of contention of the Mind-Body Problem).
This is the first of 4 supplemental episodes on the nature and existence of the human soul (i.e. substance dualism); this will be an general introduction to the series and provide an explanation as to what the Christian position of substance dualism is about.
Sarah, Andrew, and David take Justin and his guests to task on the subject of gender roles.
Dale makes his final case on the basis of Daniel 9. David obliterates it in 15 minutes as promised. Or does he? Enjoy.
Well folks, its finally here! Round 1 of the big showdown between Dale (Pro-Shroud) and his nemesis Alan (the Shroud skeptic). Quite obviously, Alan and I are not actually nemeses, we both have strong views on the evidence from the Shroud of Turin and we both passionately believe each other is wrong about it...
Barrie Schwortz if the foremost expert on the shroud. And we have him for an interview. Dale and Andrew pepper him with audience questions. Barrie is gracious and informative. David even pops in for a question of his own. No matter what you think about the shroud, you will want to listen to this one.
Dale attempts to make a non-standard case for the prophetic claims of the birth of Jesus. This is just Part 1. So it will take a couple of weeks to develop.
In Parts 9 & 10 of our Shroud series, we shall be assessing the second major “Ordinary Artistic” mechanism- the Powder-Rubbing and/or Dusting technique.
In this episode, we turn the tables and ask Dale the Questions, along with questions from the audience.
David makes the case that there are key things about the spiritual war the Christian can never prove in a way that convinces a rational non-believer.
In Part 8, we finish our analysis of the traditional “Painting Hypothesis” as the image-forming mechanism of the Shroud of Turin (as advocated by Dr. Walter McCrone). I want you up front, this episode was not my favorite to do as it can get very technical at times (as is necessitated by the specific subject matter), so be aware this is heavier episode content wise and hence why I chose to separate this issue from Part 7 to be in a show by itself.
Dale expresses real concern about how he and other Christians come across to nonbelievers. David explains how nonbelievers tend to hear Christians.
David argues that there is no way for an outsider to identify a Christian. Find out if Dale can prove him wrong.
In Part 7 we will take a look at the very first Shroud skeptical image-forming mechanism; the “Painting Hypothesis” as advocated for by Dr. Walter McCrone.
Dale tries to argue that a prophecy of a miraculous event should be counted as double warrant for the G-belief event. Find out what that means, and if he is successful.
David calls Dale a moral monster. Dale calls David a moral monster. Listen to discover why.
In Part 6 we will spend the first half of the show to lay out and describe what it means for an event (i.e. the formation of the Shroud’s images and their associated Minimal Relevant Features or MRF’s) to be “Extraordinary” (aka. fulfill Criterion B.) as part of my case for the Shroud evidence constituting a “G-Belief Authenticating Event”. Instead of moving on to assess the first image-forming mechanism (The “Painting Hypothesis”) we shall turn to address some of the listener Feedback that I’ve gotten on my Shroud series thus far and my response to some of that.
In Part 5 of our Shroud study, we will finish off discussion of the final two “Minimal Relevant Features” (MRF’s) which will be used in evaluating the various image-forming mechanisms in Criterion B (upcoming Podcasts). This episode, we look at some of the various anatomical accuracies and bloodstain features present on the Shroud Man’s images, while also surveying 7 Additional “MRF’s”. In addition, we tackle various Skeptical Counter-features related to these features as well as overall Counter-facts.
David makes a case for Jesus Mythicism. But it is not necessarily the case you are expecting. Does he have a point? Let's find out.
Dale shifts his focus from the book to the show, asking questions that came up in the appearance un Unbelievable. We also take questions from the audience.
This one is going to go long, really long.
Lisa kicks us off with thoughts about African-American agnosticism. I wasn't really trying to spend 30 minutes talking about it. It just happened.
We got this amazing video from listener Even Davids:
Even points out the incongruity of evolution and Christianity. Sure, I spent an hour debating this with Dale. But Evan made his point and dropped the mic in 4 minutes. I'm not feeling inadequate or anything. But, DANG!
We had a couple more comments and a few new follows. Here is a link to some of the websites of those who follow this one:
Travis R
A Measure of Faith
anansi2050
limey
Confessions Of A YEC
Haden Clark
Help Me Believe
David Johnson
Beyond Religion
This week, David dives into the mail bag. He finds an interesting set of missives from Joyce and Dale as they converse about the remaking of the doctrine of original sin. There is a surprise or two in there. You are going to want to listen to this one. Here are a couple of links mentioned in the podcast:
Dale continues the series with more dating evidence. Be sure to check out part 1 first.
Dale explains the Shroud of Turin, and why it is an important part of his belief. This is part one. Part two has either already been posted, or is soon to follow. See the blog for extensive notes at skepticsandseekers.wordpress.com
This kicks off a week of bonus material as a way of saying thank you to the listeners.
Andrew, Matthew, David, and Dale get together to talk about David and Andrew’s appearance on Unbelievable. Matthew is one of the authors of the response book, “Still Unbelievable: why after listening to Christian arguments, we remain skeptics”
reasonpress.net
Dale agreed to be the official cat herder. As the resident (though not quite tamed) Christian, he had a few questions for the grilling. We rambled, we joked, we gave him a hard time. Then, we hit record. And it went downhill from there. Enjoy.
This week, Randal and I were a part of a panel discussing two books, one of which was coauthored by yours truly.
https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable/Episodes/Unbelievable-Can-Justin-defend-his-own-book-feat.-David-Johnson-Andrew-Knight-Randal-Rauser
We got together since then and had a round two on a different topic. This is that conversation.
David makes a case that the Fall fails as a doctrine, bringing with it other sacred doctrines like original sin and redemption. Under any form of theistic evolution, there is no room for the Fall. Dale calls for Christian participation on this one.
Dale thinks the resurrection can prove Christianity, and only Christianity. Dale also thinks Christianity can borrow from Judaism in ways that other religions can't borrow from Christianity. Does he make his case?
What should the Christian advise the skeptic to do if the skeptic comes to a conclusion that god is real, but evil? Let's find out.
Dale rehabilitates his argument from last time (but not really). David is gracious (but not really). Even so, they both shook hands and agreed to disagree (but not really).
No more Mr. nice guys. Dave and Dale argue for the best of their side and the worst of the other's. The discussion was so good, it couldn't be contained in one episode. So when you are done with this one, you can jump right into part 2. Enjoy.
Both the skeptic and the seeker reveal the weakness in their own position, and the strengths in the other's.