The AK47 Podcast Season 1: Episode 24

Today, I interview Dr. Lydia McGrew on undesigned coincidences as evidence for the reliability of the Bible.  We also talk about a concerning trend in New Testament studies that Lydia calls "Literary Device" theory and the problems with it.

Listen to the episode here.

For more from Lydia, check out her writings on What's Wrong With the World and her personal blog.

For more on the topic we discussed, get her book, Hidden in Plain View.

The AK47 Podcast Season 1: Episode 23

Adrian Urias returns to talk about a feminist philosophy class that he took in college.  What is feminism?  What are the philosophical presuppositions of feminism?  How do we engage with feminists?  What about feminism is compatible with Christianity?  What parts aren't compatible?  All that and more here.

Listen to the episode here.

Listen to my first interview with Adrian here.

For more from Adrian, check out his blog.

The AK47 Podcast Season 1: Episode 7

Aaron, the 'A' of the 'AK', was not able to join us for his podcast, but in this episode I interview Dr. Neil Shenvi on the apparent conflict between Christianity and science.  We discuss whether or not secularism is rampant among scientists and the scientific "culture," the different conflicts between science and Christianity, and how a Christian can respond to those apparent conflicts.  Issues like evolution and the age of the earth are also brought up.

I'm still learning how to edit things, so the intro music still ends very suddenly, making it so that the transition from intro music to the actual discussion isn't very clean, but it's not a big problem and I'll learn.

Listen to the interview here on Anchor.

For more of Dr. Shenvi's materials, check out his website.

Apologist Recommendation: Neil Shenvi

In this series, I will recommend certain scholars and apologists to our readers and listeners.  These are people that I believe are worth listening to because they are informed and give good arguments and insights into the subjects that they study, which helps intellectually equip Christians so that they can grow in their own faith and their outreach towards non-Christians.  I am not claiming that these scholars and apologists have everything correct, but I think they are intellectual powerhouses that we can learn much from.

Neil Shenvi

Neil Shenvi has his Ph.D in theoretical chemistry from UC-Berkeley and was a research scientist at Yale and Duke University before becoming a homeschooler for his kids.  When we look at most of the scientifically trained critics of Christianity like Dawkins, Krauss, Stenger, and others, Christians often rightly notice that their knowledge and credentials as scientists does not make them intellectual heavyweights when it comes to philosophy, ethics, religion, history, theology, or any other subject that connects to apologetics.  Scientists who are critics of Christianity often make very elementary blunders because they are simply not well educated or well read in philosophy, theology, biblical studies, or history.  Dr. Shenvi, however, is an exception when it comes to scientists.  Having read his articles and seen his extensive interactions on Facebook, I can say firsthand that this guy is well versed in philosophy, ethics, and biblical studies.  His intelligence, thoughtfulness, winsomeness, and his ability to engage in multiple subjects of inquiry make him a valuable resource to Christians.

His Website

His website is, of course, the best place to look at his content.  Neil Shenvi-Apologetics is where you can find his essays, book reviews, talks, notes, and more.

The Resurrection and the Bible

As I've stated, he is well read in subjects outside of science.  He has material on evidence for the resurrection of Jesus in multiple places.

Christianity and Science

Being a scientist, he is well qualified to talk about sciences connection with Christianity.  He has talks on quantum mechanics and miracles and science and religion that you can check out.

Social Justice

Lately, Dr. Shenvi has been putting most of his time into learning about critical theory and intersectionality and how they have become part of the modern social justice movement.  This is an important topic in cultural apologetics.  His conclusion is that critical theory is a worldview that, while getting some things right and having some usefulness, has significant incompatibilities with the Christian worldview.  These two articles are where you can get his introduction to the ideas of social justice and critical theory and their compatibility with Christianity.  You can find his reviews and analysis of the books, Race, Class, and Gender, and Readings for Diversity and Social Justice, as a good start, but he also has other book reviews on the subject to look at.  You can also check out his interview on the subject if you would rather listen.

This should get you started on his material.  My understanding is that he is also in the process of writing a book defending Christianity, but it is not out yet.  I think this guy should have more recognition for his contribution, so I hope this post contributes to that.

Racial Reconciliation in the Church and the Methods and Worldviews Involved

This article was originally featured on ResistanceTV.

We live in a somewhat heated racial climate in America right now.  Because of perceived injustices towards racial minorities in America, people are more loudly and fervently calling for racial reconciliation, relational healing between races.  As Christians, we should be in full support of racial reconciliation because we are all made in the image of God and our faith in Christ brings us together into God’s family.  There are, however, a lot of bumps in the road.  What we often don’t realize is that people adopt different methods of racial reconciliation and that these methods are often based on different worldviews.  When a person who wants racial reconciliation doesn’t adopt a particularmethod of racial reconciliation or does not see the world in the exact way that some activists see it, that person is often condemned as a racist.  While I believe we as Christians should care about racial reconciliation, we need to be clear on what methods are being espoused and the underlying worldviews that influence those methods, otherwise we may unwittingly adopt beliefs that are incompatible with the faith and cause damage.  In the next section, I will give two different resources for Christians to read and explain them.  Christians need to be aware of the methods of racial reconciliation that are proposed and the worldviews that often influence those methods.

Methods

Dr. George Yancey, a sociologist at the University of North Texas, gives a speech at a church on four different methods of racial reconciliation, their pros and cons, and his own method of relational healing between races.  This talk is a condensed version of his book.  Dr. Yancey makes it clear that there are different methods of racial reconciliation that we see espoused in the West (colorblindness, white guilt, multiculturalism, etc.) and that, despite each of them having some positive aspects, they have some major problems too.  He suggests a method that he calls Mutual Responsibility.  When wanting to achieve a great good, it is good to realize that not all ways of achieving that great good are created equal.  We need to think clearly about the methods we are adopting and ought to adopt.

Thinking deeply and critically about methods is one thing, but the methods we adopt are often influenced by our worldviews.  That is where this next resource comes in.

Worldview

Dr. Neil Shenvi, a scientist at Duke University, in his post, A Long Review of Race, Class, and Gender, reviews a book about the inequalities found in society.  He gives the pros and cons of the book, but the most important thing is that he analyzes the philosophy that underlies the viewpoints of all the authors.  Neil reveals that the underlying viewpoint of all the authors in this anthology is critical theory and that critical theory is a worldview.  Neil says that critical theory “often functions as a worldview (that is, as a comprehensive, interpretive framework for understanding reality),” and that the beliefs expressed by the authors are “not a random assortment of disconnected beliefs. Instead, they form a unified, coherent framework for viewing everything about our lives, from our identity, to our fundamental problem (oppression), to our fundamental moral duty (fighting for liberation), to the basis for unity between individuals (common oppression/solidarity).”  The problem with the worldview of critical theory, argues Neil, is that it is incompatible with Christianity in very important and fundamental ways. Many Christians do not realize that some or all of their viewpoints on race and racial reconciliation are based on a worldview that is not compatible with their Christianity.  It is important for Christians to think deeply about their worldview and the worldviews of others so that they can see how they are being affected by the world.  Racial reconciliation is important, but if Neil is right, we should not unwittingly adopt beliefs about racial reconciliation that are based on an incompatible worldview, or at the very least, we shouldn’t adopt those beliefs for the same reasons.  It can affect our faith and our actions.

I hope and pray that these two resources will help people think clearly about this issue and that clear thinking can aid us in finding a good, biblical solution.