Jarvis Williams: Redemptive Kingdom Diversity and Why the New Testament Can Be Trusted

For the first time ever, Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast reveals the future! It's the last episode of season 2, and it's quite possible that your mind won't be able to handle everything that takes place in this thrilling season finale. Your intrepid cohosts turn out to be not only pastors and podcasters but also predictors and prognosticators. Before the episode comes to an end, their prophetic prognostications predict

• a book that won't be published until September,
• a new name for the podcast that's not happening until season 3, and
• a giveaway that won't begin until this episode has already been released.

In the first half, New Testament scholar extraordinaire Jarvis Williams joins the podcast to talk about the book that won't be published until September. The title of his book is Redemptive Kingdom Diversity: A Biblical Theology of the People of God, and it's a book that every listener should plan to pre-order. Along the way, Jarvis and Timothy discuss Pearl Jam, Luther Vandross, and how multiethnic diversity in the church provides an apologetic for the gospel.

In the second half, Garrick returns from a trip to Texas and prognosticates a name change for the podcast as well as unveiling the duo's plans for attaining new levels of insanity in season 3. Garrick also tells us about his new job and reveals the classic song from 1963 that best exemplified 2020. Before the episode ends, your intrepid cohosts divulge almost all of their plans for season 3 and, most exciting of all, they tell you how to win a mystery gift in the biggest giveaway ever attempted on this podcast. Also, why hasn't anyone ever named their band "Mystery Gift"?

This Week’s Guest

Dr. Jarvis Williams is associate professor of New Testament interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a preaching pastor at Sojourn Church Midtown in Louisville, Kentucky. He is the author of many scholarly articles and books, including One New Man: The Cross and Racial Reconciliation in Pauline Theology and For Whom Did Christ Die? The Extent of the Atonement in Paul's Theology. Here's a quick video to introduce you to his forthcoming book Redemptive Kingdom Diversity: A Biblical Theology of the People of God:

Links to Click

B and H Academic

Redemptive Kingdom Diversity: book by Jarvis Williams

Removing the Stain of Racism from the Southern Baptist Convention: book edited by Jarvis Williams and Kevin Jones

Ring of Fire: song by Johnny Cash

The Village Church Institute

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How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that: 1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS. 2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show. 3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale. 4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise. 5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Garrick Bailey and Timothy Paul Jones: Good Times with the End Times and Eschatology (Part 2) + “Accelerate” (R.E.M.)

Welcome to the stunning conclusion of this two-part series about the end of time! This episode focuses on four truths about the end times that matter far more than any particular perspective on how God will fulfill his eschatological promises. In the process of exploring these four truths, the dynamic duo considers how different views of the millennium have developed and changed throughout Christian history. In the end, your intrepid cohosts reveal their own views about the end of time, and they spend some time considering how the pains of this past year have awakened a new yearning within them for the return of Jesus.

Warning to parents: Garrick kicks off this episode by attempting to kill a phoenix with a wooden knife. Please do not attempt this at home. Garrick is a trained professional who almost has a Ph.D. Due to Garrick’s gratuitous act of attempted violence in the early moments of the episode, Timothy recommends that parents cover young children's eyes while listening to this portion of the program, unless your children are driving a vehicle or operating heavy machinery while listening to the podcast in which case you're probably not the type of parent who cares about protecting your children from violent images anyway. Thankfully, Garrick's felonious efforts fail, and the episode improves from that point forward. Also, “Murder Phoenix” would be the perfect name for a death metal band.

The new cover art for this season was created by Dani Wallace (daniwallace.myportfolio.com).

In This Episode

Timothy Paul Jones, Ph.D., is C. Edwin Gheens Professor of Christian Ministry at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He teaches in the areas of family ministry and applied apologetics. He has authored or edited more than a dozen books, including Why Should I Trust the Bible?, The God Who Goes Before You, Perspectives on Family Ministry, and Christian History Made Easy. Follow Dr. Jones at @DrTimothyPJones.

Garrick Bailey is a Ph.D. student in systematic theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, studying Herman Bavinck and Roman Catholicism under the supervision of Gregg Allison.

Links to Click

B and H Academic

Eschatological Discipleship: book by Trevin Wax

Rose Guide to End-Times Prophecy: book by Timothy Paul Jones

Jürgen Moltmann: Collected Readings: book edited by Margaret Kohl

Restored to our Destiny: book by Brian G. Mattson

Hope of the Early Church: book edited by Brian E. Daley

It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine): song by R.E.M.

Accelerate: song by R.E.M.

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How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Garrick Bailey and Timothy Paul Jones: Good Times with the End Times and Eschatology (Part 1) + “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” (R.E.M.)

The end is near!

It’s eschatology and R.E.M. in part one of this two-part almost-the-end-of-the-season mega-episode. After discussing some of the greatest apocalyptic tunes in the history of rock and roll, your intrepid cohosts settle on a 1987 hit from R.E.M., “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine).” Along the way, Garrick tries to convince everyone that “The Final Countdown” by Europe is a song about the end of time, but of course it isn’t and Garrick probably already knows that.

Timothy reminisces about the films that terrorized him in his fundamentalist childhood before defining “eschatology” and discussing different views of the end of time.

What Garrick and Timothy discover as they take a look at the end of time is that, in the late modern era, eschatologies shifted from looking forward to looking inward. In many contexts, the result has been a failure to talk about the end of time at all. And yet, an avoidance of this topic is no less harmful than an over-emphasis on it.

The episode ends with a cliffhanger as the dynamic duo begins to list four essential truths about the end of time but then stops after the first one. To discover the rest of these essential truths, be sure to listen to part two of this episode.

This episode’s Toybox Hero Tournament is the most ridiculous encounter yet in a season that has been a veritable fountain of ridiculousness. Garrick puts on a bomber jacket and plays a song on his daughter’s ukulele, hoping to save himself from certain destruction by calming the wrath of an Amazonian superheroine. The superheroine is unimpressed and, now, there is one less ukulele in the world. Also, “Ukulele Wonder Women” would be the perfect name for an all-girl acoustic punk band. The new cover art for this season was created by Dani Wallace (daniwallace.myportfolio.com).

In Today's Episode

Timothy Paul Jones, Ph.D., is C. Edwin Gheens Professor of Christian Ministry at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He teaches in the areas of family ministry and applied apologetics. He has authored or edited more than a dozen books, including Why Should I Trust the Bible?, The God Who Goes Before You, Perspectives on Family Ministry, and Christian History Made Easy. Follow Dr. Jones at @DrTimothyPJones.

Garrick Bailey is a Ph.D. student in systematic theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, studying Herman Bavinck and Roman Catholicism under the supervision of Gregg Allison.

Links to Click

B and H Academic

A Theology for the Church: book edited by Daniel Akin

Rose Guide to End-Times Prophecy: book by Timothy Paul Jones

The Burning Hell: film by Estus Pirkle

All Along the Watchtower: song by Jimi Hendrix

Bad Moon Rising: song by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Fight Fire with Fire: song by Metallica

Four Horsemen: song by Metallica

99 Red Balloons: song by Nena

The Final Countdown: song by Europe

It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine): song by R.E.M.

America's Greatest Band: article by Eric Harvey

R.E.M.'s First Ever Show: article by J. Niimi

Oddfellows Local 151: song by R.E.M.

We Didn't Start the Fire: song by Billy Joel

Murmur: album by R.E.M.

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How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use). Main image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Food Trucks in Babylon: Moral Apologetics, Prayer, and the Impassibility of God

A few months ago, one of our most faithful listeners and favorite supporters Tanner Billson asked a question about apologetics and the impassibility of God. It was a difficult dilemma, so Garrick and Timothy headed to the best place in the world to determine how to deal with difficult dilemmas: superhero comics. That’s because, in superhero comics, the world is always about to be destroyed and there’s no hope of saving it, which most people would classify as a rather difficult dilemma, especially for those of us who live on the earth which is a very high percentage of human beings.

As Garrick and Timothy read their superhero comics, looking for the answer, it occurred to them that—whenever a dilemma is particularly difficult—there is one thing that almost always happens.

Lots of explosions. 

However, pyrotechnics didn’t seem to be a very good way to answer Tanner’s question. 

So, they kept reading. 

Right before Garrick reached the end of his attention span, which typically happens after approximately eight seconds, Garrick and Timothy glimpsed the answer to their dilemma, gleaming gloriously in the darkness just like Bill and Ted’s telephone booth in front of the Circle K.

They needed a team-up. 

That’s right: Like the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy, like DC and Marvel, like Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but not so much like Batman and Superman since they tried to kill each other right before they teamed up, the dynamic duo decided to find some likeminded compatriots and team up with them for a crossover episode. And who better to team up with on a superpowered episode than someone who’s already written a book about superheroes?

And so, they called Stan Lee.

But, since Stan had already passed away, he was regretfully unable to appear on the podcast.

That's when Garrick and Timothy did the next best thing: They called Todd Miles, systematic theologian and acclaimed author of Superheroes Can’t Save You: Epic Examples of Historic Heresies. And so, two years after he first appeared on the podcast, Todd is now back and better than ever. This time, Todd teams up with Garrick and Timothy as cohost of the podcast Food Trucks in Babylon, which means that he also brings with him another systematic theologian, J. Ryan Lister.

The results are nothing short of breathtaking.

Except for that one moment when Ryan looked wistfully at Todd and pleaded with him, “Oh, Batman, please let me be your Robin,” this crossover episode turned out to be one of the least awkward episodes of Three Chords and the Truth that your intrepid cohosts have ever produced.

Not only did Ryan and Todd answer questions about apologetics and the impassibility of God but they also discussed such pressing questions as how ethics should shape twenty-first century apologetics, what instrument Herman Bavinck would have played if he’d joined his fellow Dutchmen Eddie and Alex Van Halen in a band, and how Pearl Jam can help your prayer life. (Also, "Bavinck" would be the perfect name for a theologically-inclined industrial metal band.)

If you listen all the way to the end, you’ll also hear Todd’s personal reflections on the profundity of Christian artist Michael W. Smith’s spiritual gifts. As soon as you finish listening to this episode of Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast, please go to https://foodtrucksinbabylon.simplecast.com and subscribe to Food Trucks in Babylon. Also, take a look at http://www.westernseminary.edu where Todd “Batman” Miles and J. Ryan “Robin” Lister team up to teach theology.

The new cover art for this season was created by Dani Wallace (daniwallace.myportfolio.com).

This Week’s Guests

Todd Miles is Professor of Theology at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon, where he teaches theology, church history, hermeneutics, and ethics. He is the author of Superheroes Can't Save You: Epic Examples of Historic Heresies and the upcoming title Cannabis and the Christian: What the Bible Says About Marijuana.

Ryan Lister received his PhD from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is currently professor of theology at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. He is the author of The Presence of God: Its Place in the Storyline of Scripture and the Story of our Lives and serves as director of doctrine and discipleship for Humble Beast, where he also helped start the Canvas Conference.

Links to Click

B and H Academic

Superheroes Can't Save You: book by Todd Miles

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How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Mary Jo Sharp: A Former Atheist Looks at the Problem of Evil + “One of Us” (Joan Osborne)

Why do atheists see the problem of evil as such a problem for Christians? And is the problem of evil really as problematic as some atheists seem to think? Those are a few of the many questions that Timothy explores in this episode with Mary Jo Sharp. A former atheist who's now a faithful follower of Jesus, Mary Jo Sharp first encountered apologetics in her own spiritual search for truth. Now, Mary Jo is assistant professor of apologetics at Houston Baptist University and the founder of Confident Christianity Apologetics Ministry. She's also a delightful guest and a knowledgeable musician, which cranks up the dial on this episode from "ordinary" to "epic."

In the second half of the episode, the star is a one-hit wonder from 1995. The dynamic duo of Garrick and Timothy delves into "One of Us," a song made popular by a musician who was born and raised about five miles from Timothy's house. Along the way, your intrepid cohosts discuss how nothing less than the incarnation and suffering of God in Christ is able to provide a comprehensive solution to the problem of evil. Before it's over, Garrick and Timothy also take a look at a far superior version of "One of Us" from a Jehovah's Witness who went by the name of Prince (except for those few years when he went by a symbol instead).

Once again, the Toybox Hero Tournament nearly degenerates into total insanity and uncontrollable chaos, as an A-Wing starfighter from Star Wars clashes with an armor-plated coffee pot from Target. This unexpected contest forces Garrick and Timothy to face some of the most crucial and difficult questions that they've ever discussed on this program, questions such as "Is a lightsaber capable of blocking boiling water?" and "Exactly how much coffee would a Star Wars pilot need to stay awake in space?" Also, "One of Us" would actually be a great name for a band—much better than "the Hooters," which also shows up on this episode and which Timothy awkwardly compares to Forrest Gump if you listen all the way to the end.

The new cover art for this season was created by Dani Wallace (daniwallace.myportfolio.com).

THIS WEEK’S GUEST

Mary Jo Sharp is assistant professor of apologetics at Houston Baptist University and the founder and director of the apologetics ministry Confident Christianity. An international speaker on apologetics, Sharp focuses on love and logic to uncover truth. She is also a published author with Kregel, B&H, and Zondervan. Her most recent book is Why I Still Believe.

LINKS TO CLICK

B and H Academic

Why I Still Believe: book by Mary Jo Sharp

One of Us: song by Joan Osborne

One of Us: song by Prince

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HOW TO MAKE THREE CHORDS AND THE TRUTH MORE AMAZING THAN IT ALREADY IS

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

CLOSING CREDITS

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Garrick Bailey and Timothy Paul Jones: Job, Jesus, and the Existential Problem of Evil + “You Found Me” (The Fray)

If you’re a Christian who’s suffering or if you want to help people who are suffering, this episode of Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast is the most important installment in this series on the problem of evil. This time around, the focus is the existential problem of evil. What Garrick and Timothy mean when they talk about “the existential problem of evil” is the personal struggle with the question, “Where is God when I’m suffering?”

“Where Is God When I Suffer?”

This problem of evil is also a pastoral dilemma, because this is the question that people ask us in their times of pain. To equip you to understand the question, “Where is God when it hurts?” your intrepid cohosts present seven simple points to remember about suffering, pain, and God's unsuccessful effort to converse with Job about meteorology. Since seven is the perfect number, these seven points pretty much makes it the perfect episode. Along the way, the dynamic duo looks at a song from The Fray entitled “You Found Me,” which Timothy sees as a twist on the storyline of the biblical book of Job. This episode's Toybox Hero Tournament throws a big-eyed, blue-eared Siberian Husky into the ring to do battle against a sparkly pink wand. In the end, what decides the fate of the Husky is not the power of the wand but the disposition of its owner, which guarantees that no harm will ever come to the Husky.

Also, “Rabid Husky” would be an amazing name for a punk band.

Or a minor-league baseball team.

The new cover art for this season was created by Dani Wallace (daniwallace.myportfolio.com).

Links to Click

B and H Academic

The Problem of Evil: book by Jeremy Evans

"You Found Me": song by The Fray

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How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Garrick Bailey and Timothy Paul Jones: The Evidential Problem of Evil + “God’s Love” (Bad Religion)

In the previous episode, Garrick and Timothy debunked the logical problem of evil. But dealing with the problem of evil requires far more than mere logic! The problem of evil also calls for a close examination whether or not the overwhelming amount of evil in the world might make God's existence unlikely. That brings your intrepid cohosts to the evidential problem of evil.

What Is the Evidential Problem of Evil?

According to the evidential problem of evil, the depth and the degree of evil in this world make the existence of God highly improbable. It makes God’s existence so improbable, in fact, that the very possibility of an all-powerful God can be reasonably dismissed.

Debunking the Evidential Problem of Evil

But does the amount of evil in the world really make God’s existence improbable? And, even if the amount of evil in the world did reduce the probability of God’s existence, would that necessarily mean it’s irrational to believe in God? And how on earth does Jar Jar Binks fit into all of this? Those are a few of the questions that the dynamic duo unpacks throughout this episode.

Along the way, they dig into a song by the only punk band that Timothy likes. The band is Bad Religion, and the song is “God’s Love.” Bad Religion also happens to have produced the one and only Christmas album that Timothy actually enjoys—but that might be because Timothy spends most of the Christmas season yearning for summer, cheering for the Grinch, and fantasizing about moving to Florida.

This week’s Toybox Hero Tournament may be the craziest one yet. Timothy brings an amazing, transforming chunk of pork to this tournament. Garrick responds with a toy that would have caused the Reformers to scorch him at the stake for his recalcitrant rejection of the Second Commandment. The fate of the pig is too horrific to describe in human words, but it’s safe to say the swine flew and did not survive, due to Garrick’s disregard not only for the Second Commandment but also for the Second Council of Nicaea. Also, “Swine-Sink” would be the perfect name for a nu-metal band. The new cover art for this season was created by Dani Wallace (daniwallace.myportfolio.com).

Links to Click

B and H Academic

The Problem of Evil: book by Jeremy Evans

Christmas Songs: album by Bad Religion

God's Love: song by Bad Religion

Live Again: song by Bad Religion

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How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Garrick Bailey and Timothy Paul Jones: The Logical Problem of Evil + Pop (U2)

According to a survey of recent college graduates, the problem of evil is the issue that makes it most difficult for many of these graduates to trust in the truth of Christianity. These students' struggles mirror the struggle that biblical scholar Bart Ehrman describes in his book God's Problem: "I felt compelled to leave Christianity [because] I could no longer explain how there can be a good and all-powerful God actively involved with this world. ... For many people who inhabit this planet, life is a cesspool of misery. ... I came to a point where I simply could not believe that there is a good and kindly disposed Ruler who is in charge.”

Engaging with the Logical Problem of Evil

In this episode, your intrepid cohosts tackle the claim that the existence of evil makes it illogical to believe in the existence of God. To do this, the dynamic duo spends a lot of time simplifying Alvin Plantinga's philosophical work on the problem of evil so that ordinary people can comprehend some of Plantinga’s arguments. Along the way, Garrick and Timothy discuss U2's album Pop, a series of songs that turn out to be an extended reflection on the apparent absence of God in a fallen world.

This week's Toybox Hero Tournament produces one of the most heartwarming moments ever heard on this podcast, which has been a veritable fountain of heartwarming moments over the past couple of years. Timothy reveals his longstanding adoration of red pandas and then discovers that Garrick shares the same love for these cuddly Asian mammals. This teary-eyed conjunction of affections is so touching that two heavily-armed starships from the Star Wars universe pause their attacks and let the red panda run free. Also, "Red Panda" would be an amazing name for a C-pop band. The new cover art for this season was created by Dani Wallace (daniwallace.myportfolio.com).

Links to Click about the Problem of Evil

B and H Academic

The Problem of Evil: Jeremy Evans

Pop: album by U2

God, Freedom, and Evil: book by Alvin Plantinga

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How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones @GarrickBailey @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Three Chords and the Truth Goes to the Movies: Soul

This episode is all about Soul. Garrick and Timothy head to the theaters to watch Soul, a new cinematic feature produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. And by "heading to the theaters," what they mean is that each of them headed downstairs to their respective home theaters, where the screens are far smaller but the seats are much larger and the popcorn is much cheaper. Your intrepid cohosts' goal in watching Soul was to discuss the theological nuances of this film, but Garrick quickly derails that noble intention with his description of a "Giant Bug Zapper in the Sky" (which would, by the way, be an amazing name for a bluegrass punk fusion band).

(Also, by the way, there are a lot of spoilers in this episode, so you may want to listen to this episode later if you haven't seen the movie yet.)

In the end, Timothy manages to wrangle enough focus out of Garrick to discuss how Soul tends toward Greek dualism while simultaneously critiquing the secular notion that happiness is found by discovering your "thing." Along the way, the dynamic duo explores Andrew Root's book The End of Youth Ministry? and considers how Josh Chatraw's Telling a Better Story might help Christians to draw from the storylines of popular movies to make their case for God. In the end, it becomes clear that, despite being packed with pop mysticism and Eastern spirituality, Soul is able to provide viewers with a meaningful resolution only by borrowing from the Christian metanarrative.

Links to Click

B and H Academic

Cultural Intelligence: book by Darrell Bock

Soul: trailer from Pixar Studios

MY N.Y.: album by Jon Batiste & The Stay Human Band

Smokin' at the Half-Note: album by Wes Montgomery

Immortality of the Soul or Resurrection of the Dead?: book by Oscar Cullmann

The End of Youth Ministry?: book by Andrew Root

Telling a Better Story: book by Josh Chatraw

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Urban Ministry Podcast

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones @GarrickBailey   @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Josh Chatraw: Blaise Pascal and Apologetics that Appeals to the Heart + “Superstition” (Stevie Wonder)

Faith happens, and this week’s episode of Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast is all about how faith happens. In the first half, Garrick and Timothy are joined by Josh Chatraw, the apologist extraordinaire who has been freshly forgiven for his many missteps when it comes to being conversant in the art of rock and roll. Josh deftly sidesteps Garrick’s many queries about music and remains focused on the ways that seventeenth-century mathematician and apologist Blaise Pascal aimed people toward faith. In the end, your intrepid cohosts discover that the strongest apologetic is an apologetic that aims not only at the intellect but also at the heart. U2, Jackson Brown, and Kenny Rogers show up as Garrick and Timothy do their best to compensate for Josh’s manifold musical deficiencies.

In the second half, it’s the most Stevie Wonder-full time of the year! That's because the dynamic duo delves into a number-one hit from 1973 entitled “Superstition.” According to Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” people should never have faith in anything they don’t understand. When Garrick and Timothy lay the lyrics of “Superstition” alongside Scripture and the works of Augustine of Hippo, they recognize that Stevie wasn’t completely wrong on this point but he also wasn’t completely right. In some sense, it’s faith that opens the door to understanding. Along the way, Timothy reveals his heretofore untold tale of how Stevie Wonder obtained one of his brothers-in-law for him.

The Toybox Hero Tournament descends into utter madness as Garrick attempts to use his oldest daughter’s spa kit to give a pedicure to a marsupial from the underside of the planet. The aftermath cannot be described in human words; it can only be experienced through the sheer shock and horror of listening to this week's Toybox Hero Tournament. Also, if there’s a bush band from Australia that needs a name, “The Kangaroo Paw Spa Band” is the name you’ve been looking for. The new cover art for this season was created by Dani Wallace (daniwallace.myportfolio.com).

This Week’s Guest

Josh Chatraw is the director of New City Fellows at the Center for Public Christianity and resident theologian at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. His writing and speaking focuses on public theology, apologetics, and culture. His latest book is Telling a Better Story: How to Talk About God in a Skeptical Age.

Links to Click

B and H Academic

Truth Matters: book by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw

Truth in a Culture of Doubt: book by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw

Pensées: book by Blaise Pascal

City of God: book by St. Augustine

Running on Empty: song by Jackson Browne

Superstition: song by Stevie Wonder

Telling a Better Story: book by Josh Chatraw

SBTS Preview Day Urban Ministry Podcast

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones@GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Sean McDowell: Getting the Gospel to Generation Z + “Baba O’Riley” (The Who)

“Generation Z.” “iGen.” “Centennials.” Whatever you happen to call this generation, the children who drew their first breaths in the years between Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic” and Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” are the first generation of digital natives in human history. But how secure is the faith of these teenagers and young adults? And how can current church leaders help them to trust the truth of the Christian faith? That’s what apologetics professor and bestselling author Sean McDowell joins Timothy to talk about this week. Sean also acknowledges his little-known affection for keyboard synthesizers and the music of Depeche Mode. And, as always, Sean talks about superheroes, because he’s Sean McDowell and that’s what Sean McDowell does, because he’s amazing that way.

The focus on teenagers persists into the second half of the episode as Garrick and Timothy look at a song that’s known to most people as “Teenage Wasteland,” mostly because most people only hear the song on classic rock radio stations. The real name of this tune from The Who is “Baba O’Riley.” Even though it’s one of the greatest productions in the history of rock and roll, the song is actually a leftover from an unfinished dystopian science fiction rock and roll opera. The opera was supposed to be called “Lifehouse,” and the story line that Pete Townshend of The Who sketched out for it in 1971 sounds suspiciously like a certain film from 1999 known as The Matrix. After listening to “Baba O’Riley,” your intrepid cohosts analyze the song’s eschatology and unearth the twisted history behind Pete Townshend’s penchant for smashing guitars, which can be traced back to a low ceiling in London and an artist named Gustav Metzger whose lectures were attended by members of Queen, The Rolling Stones, and The Who. Along the way, Garrick and Timothy realize that “going Gustav” is the perfect phrase to describe the smashing of a guitar on stage. Also, someone should totally name their guitar-smashing band “Göïng Güstäv.”

This week’s Toybox Hero Tournament was so brutal that the dynamic duo was almost forced to change the rating of this episode. The contestant from Garrick’s family is a buffalo or a bison or some other sort of furry bovine that’s full of blood and meat and bones and various squishy physiological artifacts. (Garrick and Timothy are theologians not zoologists, folks. When it comes to the nuances that distinguish various mammals, they are basically clueless. They only remember which of their household creatures is a cat and which one is a hamster when the cat eats the hamster. Or the hamster eats the cat, whichever one it was that happened last week. Also, why hasn’t anyone ever named their rock band “Plätÿpüs”?) The other combatant is a lioness which inexplicably has a mane, suggesting that Timothy may need to have a discussion about feline gender roles with one of his children. The result of this sanguinary clash is much bloodletting and general pandemonium related to the toy animals that populate the Jones and Bailey households.

The new cover art for this season was created by Dani Wallace (daniwallace.myportfolio.com).

This Week’s Guest

Sean McDowell earned his PhD in Apologetics and Worldview Studies from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is now professor of Christian Apologetics at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University. Sean is the author, co-author, or editor of over twenty books including The Fate of the Apostles, So The Next Generation Will Know, and Evidence that Demands a Verdict. You can find out more about Sean and his ministry at his apologetics blog, seanmcdowell.org.

Links to Click

B and H Academic

Student Ministry by the Book: book by Ed Newton and R. Scott Pace

So That the Next Generation Will Know: book by Sean McDowell and J. Warner Wallace

Gen Z: study by Barna Group

Chasing Love: book by Sean McDowell (Dec. 2020)

Passionate Conviction: book edited by Paul Copan and William Lane Craig

Who's Next: album by The Who

Baba O'Riley: song by The Who

SBTS Preview Day

Urban Ministry Podcast

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunesto encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Josh Chatraw and Stephen Presley: How to Do Apologetics Like the Early Church

It’s a two-for-the-price-of-one sale this week at Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast! (Or perhaps “two-for-the-price-of-none,” since you don’t actually have to pay to listen to the podcast anyway.) In any case, the festivities begin with church historian extraordinaire Stephen Presley, who joins us to talk about the greatness of U2 and how Christians did apologetics in the second century A.D.

A second-century pastor named Irenaeus of Lyon turns out to be the star of the discussion with Stephen Presley, which gives Timothy an opportunity to recite his favorite lines from Irenaeus’ dismantling of the Gnostic heresy: “Behold, these four powers—the Gourd, the Hollowness, the Cucumber, and the Pumpkin! They have together begotten a crowd of delirious pumpkins.” (No, we’re not joking; Irenaeus actually did include these words in a theological treatise in the second century A.D. Also, “Dëlïrïöüs Pümpkïns” would be an amazing name for a band.) Timothy sees these words as a prophetic foreshadowing of “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” the greatest Halloween program ever produced.

In the second half, theologian and apologist Josh Chatraw joins us to discuss the apologetics of the fifth-century pastor and theologian Augustine of Hippo. But this is not just the story of Augustine. This is also the heartwarming story—soon to be turned into a Hallmark holiday film—of the musical redemption of Josh Chatraw. Josh is a world-class apologist who produces outstanding books but, when it comes to music, his responses tend to fall a bit short. In his first appearance on this program several months ago, Josh mentioned Kenny G, a recording artist whose saxophone playing sounds like an overly-chill choir of flatulent poltergeists. (Also, “Flätülënt Pöltërgëïsts” would be another excellent name for a band.) This could have prevented Josh from ever returning to Three Chords and the Truth, but your intrepid cohosts are more forgiving and gracious than you might have guessed. As a result, they’ve given Josh a second chance. In this program, Josh Chatraw begins his long journey toward redemption and recovery by appealing to the blues. Much hilarity and deep discussion of Augustine takes place along the way.

This week’s Toybox Hero Tournament turns out to be so difficult that Garrick and Timothy are unable to decide who is the winner. The combatants are a weapon from Garrick’s middle child and a superhero from Timothy’s third child. The result is a Toybox Hero Tournament in which the outcome is up to you, the long-suffering listeners who must vote on a winner. Visit Garrick and Timothy on Twitter at Twitter.com/ApologeticsPod to let us know who should win.

The new cover art for this season was created by Dani Wallace (daniwallace.myportfolio.com).

This Week’s Guest

Stephen Presley is associate professor of church history at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He specializes in patristics with an interest in the intersection between the history, theology, and exegesis of the early church. Dr. Presley received his Ph.D. from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, where he carried out his research in patristics.

Josh Chatraw is the director of New City Fellows at the Center for Public Christianity and resident theologian at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. His writing and speaking focuses on public theology, apologetics, and culture. His latest book is Telling a Better Story: How to Talk About God in a Skeptical Age.

Links to Click

B and H Academic

Truth Matters: book by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw

Truth in a Culture of Doubt: book by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw

Liberty in the Things of God: book by Robert Louis Wilken

Against Heresies: book by Irenaeus of Lyons

Confessions: book by Augustine

City of God: book by Augustine

A History of Apologetics: book by Avery Dulles

SBTS Preview Day

Urban Ministry Podcast

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Alisa Childers: The False Gospel of Progressive Christianity + “I Want to Know What Love Is” (Foreigner)

Welcome to the first-ever—and probably the only-ever—Three Chords and the Truth episode that’s all about love! So pull up a chair, strap on your headphones, grab your favorite scissors and your red construction paper, and prepare to cut out some romantic paper hearts. (And, by the way, why hasn’t anyone ever named a heavy metal band “Scïssör”?)

One dominant trend in the past decade has been to assume that loving someone requires affirming their lifestyle. As a result, when Christians point out that certain lifestyles are incompatible with Scripture, these Christians are declared to be unloving. The assumption that love requires affirmation has been one hallmark of a movement known as “progressive Christianity”—and that’s what Alisa Childers joins us to talk about in the first half of this week’s episode. Alisa Childers is the author of a new book entitled Another Gospel? A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity. Alisa is also—Timothy discovers—a fan of one of the many musicians that Garrick has failed to appreciate adequately, Bob Dylan.

In the second half, the dynamic duo digs deeper into love by looking at a song from a band that was once known as “Trigger.” The band is Foreigner, and the song is “I Want to Know What Love Is”—a song that was, according to the initial songwriter, “probably written entirely by a higher force.” In the process of determining what love is (as well as trying to decide whether or not a higher force really wrote the song), Garrick and Timothy explore a book from C.S. Lewis that unpacks four different types of love. Along the way, your intrepid cohosts also discover how Foreigner’s lead vocalist finally found real love after looking for love in all the wrong places.

Another tune from Foreigner—which was apparently written by a lower force instead of a higher force—inspired the Toybox Hero Tournaments at the midpoint of most episodes this season. The song from Foreigner that inspired the Toybox Hero Tournaments was, of course, “Juke Box Hero.” This week’s Toybox Hero Tournament places a Lego version of Galadriel from Timothy’s second child into mortal combat against a ceramic duck named Walter that Garrick has stolen from his oldest daughter. Despite Garrick’s claims to the contrary, Timothy is quite convinced that Walter the Duck is a distant cousin of Howard the Duck—which might have increased Norman’s chances of survival, if Norman had possessed the same Quack-Fu skills as Howard the Duck. Garrick—in a moment of quick thinking in which he inexplicably remembers the theme of this week’s episode—appeals to Galadriel’s love for the creatures of the woodland. Galadriel, thrilled beyond words that love was the theme of this week’s episode, graciously grants Garrick's request and rescues Walter from being roasted by the woodland elves.

The new cover art for this season was created by Dani Wallace (daniwallace.myportfolio.com).

This Week’s Guest

As a lifelong church-goer, follower of Jesus, and former recording artist with the Dove award-winning group ZOEgirl, Alisa Childers experienced a period of profound doubt about her faith in her mid-thirties. Through this season, Alisa began a journey from unreasoned doubt into vibrant, intellectually informed faith. She now engages culture, apologetics, theology, and worship at her blog, https://www.alisachilders.com. Her new book, Another Gospel? A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity, releases October 2020 (Tyndale Momentum).

Links to Click

B and H Academic

Come Let Us Reason: book edited by Paul Copan and William Lane Craig

Another Gospel?: book by Alisa Childers

America's Changing Religious Landscape: demographic study from Pew Research Center (2015)

Tactics: book by Greg Koukl

Alisa Childers

The Alisa Childers Podcast

Agent Provocateur: album by Foreigner

I Want to Know What Love Is: song by Foreigner

The Four Loves: book by C. S. Lewis

SBTS Preview Day

Urban Ministry Podcast

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Russell Moore: The Search for a Satisfying Story + “He Went to Paris” (Jimmy Buffett)

Sometimes, the best defense of the gospel isn’t a better argument but a better story. That’s why the previous episode about Josh Chatraw’s book Telling a Better Story and this episode with Russell Moore both focus on narrative apologetics. Also: after an episode in which your intrepid cohosts dredged the depths of some of the worst music ever produced in the history of humanity, this episode marks a return to aural greatness as Timothy looks at music from Paul McCartney, Petra, and Johnny Cash. The focus of the musical discussion this week is “He Went to Paris,” a 1973 tune from everyone’s favorite margarita-marinated beach strummer, the one and only Jimmy Buffett.

The first few moments of the podcast threaten to devolve into total disaster, as Timothy is shocked to learn that the Pixar film Onward was not actually an adaptation of Russell Moore’s book Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel. (Önwärd would, however, have been a great name for a Christian metal band in the 1980s.) After learning in the previous episode that Josh Chatraw’s “inside out apologetics” has nothing to do with the Pixar film Inside Out, this new revelation from Russell Moore is almost too much for Timothy to handle. But Timothy is far more resilient than you might think, and he recovers from his shock just in time to discuss the narrative apologetics of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia that God utilized to guide a teenaged Russell Moore toward books like Mere Christianity. Along the way, Russ and Timothy end up reminiscing about how the Christian rock band Petra shaped their souls in the 1980s. The discussion then goes full circle with Jimmy Buffett’s “He Went to Paris,” back to the infinite yearning of every human heart for a satisfying story and to the apologetic truth that only the gospel can provide the narrative that humanity needs.

The new cover art for this season was created by Dani Wallace (daniwallace.myportfolio.com).

This Week’s Guest

Russell Moore is president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, the moral and public policy agency of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. Dr. Moore is the author of several books, including Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel and The Storm-Tossed Family: How the Cross Reshapes the Home. You can find out more about Dr. Moore at his personal website, https://www.russellmoore.com.

Links to Click

B and H Academic

A Theology for the Church: book edited by Daniel Akin

Onward: book by Russell Moore

The Chronicles of Narnia: series by C. S. Lewis

Mere Christianity: book by C. S. Lewis

He Went to Paris: song by Jimmy Buffett

Reading Buechner: book by Jeffrey Munroe

Surprised by Joy: book by C. S. Lewis

Why Should I Trust the Bible?: book by Timothy Paul Jones

timothypauljones.com

Three Chords and the Truth

SBTS Preview Day

Urban Ministry Podcast

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Timothy Paul Jones and Garrick Bailey: How to Do Apologetics in a Skeptical Age

Have you ever heard terms like “presuppositionalism,” “evidentialism,” or “classical apologetics”? Have you wondered if there’s an easier way to understand apologetics? Maybe you’ve even wished that people could defend the Christian faith without talking about these terms at all.

If so, this episode is for you. 

(Actually, every episode is for you, because you’re just that special to us. But this one is especially for you.)

In the first half, your intrepid cohosts provide simple explanations of the most popular apologetics methods. Then, in the second half, they take a look at a book that advocates “inside out apologetics”—a simple, conversational approach to defending the Christian faith in a skeptical age.

So how is it that Garrick and Timothy manage to explain presuppositionalism, evidentialism, and classical apologetics in such a short and simple way?  The answer will shake every assumption you’ve ever had about Garrick and Timothy, as the podcast bravely goes where it has never gone before. Instead of discussing the greatest songs in the history of rock and roll, the dynamic duo dares to do something completely different: Garrick and Timothy dredge the depths of musical history and unearth some of the worst music ever produced.

And they do it on purpose.

The musical travesties begin with “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?,” a tune from the first installment of the Frozen franchise that’s been slightly improved by the band Stellar Kart. The music gets worse with a song from the soundtrack of Over the Top, a 1987 film about the sport of semi-professional arm wrestling. (Yes, there actually was such a film, starring Sylvester Stallone. Garrick says you should definitely watch it; Timothy thinks this film is worse than being forced to eat a vegetarian diet while sharing a pup tent with Jar Jar Binks on a month-long camping trip.)

Right when it seems that the tunes can’t get any worse, Garrick and Timothy bravely strain downward to touch the terrible and terrifying nadir of music.

Yes, that’s right: they dredge up a song from those purveyors of aural agony known as the Backstreet Boys, who show up to teach us about Cornelius Van Til and presuppositionalism.

(Also, even though “Over the Top” was an awful movie, it would be a great name for a band.)

In the end, a book from Josh Chatraw shows up to save the day—which makes perfect sense on an episode that’s dedicated to terrible music, since Josh was once nearly kicked off an episode of Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast due to his love for Kenny G, the undisputed most overrated saxophonist on the planet. The title of Josh Chatraw’s book is Telling a Better Story: How Kenny G Saved My Apologetics.

Just kidding!

The title of his book is actually Telling a Better Story: How to Talk about God in a Skeptical Age. In this book, Josh unpacks “inside out” apologetics, a concept that sadly has nothing to do with the Pixar film of the same name. In the end, the book is sufficiently helpful that Garrick and Timothy forgive Josh’s affection for Kenny G and might even invite Josh to come back on the program someday.

The new cover art for this season was created by Dani Wallace (daniwallace.myportfolio.com). 

Links to Click

B and H Academic

Truth Matters: book by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw

Truth In a Culture of Doubt: book by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw

Telling a Better Story: book by Josh Chatraw

Do You Want to Build a Snowman?: song from Disney's Frozen

Thomas Aquinas's Summa Contra Gentiles: a guide and commentary by Brian Davies

Meet Me Halfway: song by Kenny Loggins

The Case for Christ: book by Lee Strobel

Something That I Already Know: song by the Backstreet Boys

Christian Apologetics: book by Cornelius Van Til

A Survey of Christian Epistemology: book by Cornelius Van Til

What's Love Got to Do With It: song by Tina Turner

SBTS Preview Day

Urban Ministry Podcast

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Theme music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson and Kevin MacLeod. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Ted Cabal: Creation, Evolution, and the Age of the Earth + “Let There Be Rock” (AC/DC)

Lisa V. Fields: Apologetics through Eyes of Color + “Crossroads” (Robert Johnson)

The devil, the blues, and The Jackson 5 are the stars of this week's episode of Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast. Lisa V. Fields—popular apologetics speaker and founder of the Jude 3 Project—joins Timothy to discuss a recent apologetics curriculum from Jude 3 Project. Along the way, Lisa reveals her longstanding longing to sing Michael's parts with the Jackson 5. More importantly, Lisa provides valuable insights for defending the faith in conversations with young urban professionals and in historically African-American churches and colleges.

In the second half of this week's episode, your intrepid cohosts bask in the glow of yet another wonder from the year 1986. This time, it's the movie Crossroads, which was basically Karate Kid except with music instead of martial arts. Not only does this film provide Garrick and Timothy with a chance to explore the history of the blues, but it also opens the door to talking about selling your soul to the devil. This devilish discussion takes the dynamic duo back to the sixth century and then from there to sixteenth century, to talk about a man named Faust who—at least according to one legend—traded his soul to the devil for a poodle and twenty-four years of superpowers. In the end, this quest to comprehend the longstanding legend of selling your soul to the devil lands Garrick and Timothy at a crossroads in Mississippi for a stunning finale that you won't want to miss.

Also, "Fäüst" would be the perfect name for a death-metal band.

This week's toybox hero tournament—just like Top Gun, Iron Eagle, Crossroads, the Oprah Winfrey Show, Pee-wee's Playhouse, and ALF—has its beginning in the year 1986. That's when a certain toy from Garrick's childhood first made an appearance. The toy was the amazing, transforming Autobot boombox Blaster. This week, Blaster enters into mortal combat with an action figure from Timothy's youngest child. The result is a sonic boom from Wakanda that reduces Blaster to spare parts.

The new cover art for this season was created by Dani Wallace (daniwallace.myportfolio.com).

This Week’s Guest

Lisa V. Fields is a graduate of Liberty University with a Master of Divinity with a focus in Theology. As founder and president of the Jude 3 Project, Lisa's primary mission is to help the Black Christian community know what they believe and why they believe. Lisa has received several honors, including being recognized by Christianity Today for her work as an apologist in the African American community. She speaks regularly at evangelism, apologetic, and biblical literacy events for various universities and churches across the country.

Links to Click

B and H Academic

For God So Loved the World: book by Dayton Hartman and Walter Strickland

Jude 3 Project

Through Eyes of Color: participant's guide by Lisa Fields and Yana Conner

Through Eyes of Color: leader's guide by Lisa Fields and Yana Conner

The Basics on Blaster: video by Chris McFeely

Crossroads (1986): movie

Cross Road Blues: song by Robert Johnson

Crossroads: song by Cream

SBTS Preview Day

Urban Ministry Podcast

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunesto encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Vocab Malone: Barry versus the Black Hebrew Israelites + “One Vision” (Queen)

Your intrepid cohosts have been watching a lot of films with their families during this season of social distancing, so it’s not surprising that so many movies make appearances in this week’s episode.

The first film that shows up is the 2016 Netflix film Barry, a fictional look at what Barack Obama’s first year at Columbia University might have been like. At one point in this film, a young Barack Obama confronts a band of Black Hebrew Israelites in Harlem. Urban apologist Vocab Malone—author of the book Barack Obama versus the Black Hebrew Israelites—uses this scene as a starting-point to help listeners to understand the rapidly-growing Black Hebrew Israelite movement. Along the way, Vocab Malone reveals his longstanding affection for an early doo-wop group that almost no one else remembers, and he describes how he once danced with the Transformers at Comic-Con.

The second film to make an appearance is the 2018 animated feature Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. This film shows up because Timothy’s thirteen-year-old sends Spider-Gwen into battle against a fireball-breathing platypus that's the property of Garrick’s thirteen-year-old in this week's Toybox Hero Tournament. The result is a spider-person and platypus supergroup that will one day rule the world.

The next film is Iron Eagle, which happens to be one of Garrick’s favorite childhood film. This film also represents the low point of intelligent dialogue in the year 1986 (not including that one time in the autumn of 1986 when thirteen-year-old Timothy attempted to express his feelings for a member of the opposite sex, which consisted mostly of indecipherable grunts punctuated by several hundred repetitions of "um, I really, um"). The reason Iron Eagle shows up is because the movie's soundtrack included the song “One Vision” by Queen, which is the focus of the second half of the episode.

In the process of analyzing “One Vision,” Garrick and Timothy trace the religious journey of Queen’s lead vocalist Freddie Mercury from Zoroastrianism to an apparent fascination with certain aspects of Christianity. What Freddie Mercury's journey reveals is humanity’s inescapable yearning for oneness and harmony—a yearning that can't be fulfilled apart from an embrace of the gospel.

It may also reveal that all humanity can unite around fried chicken.

Also, even though Iron Eagle was a terrible movie, it would make an amazing name for a band.

The high point of this week’s episode takes place while Garrick and Timothy are adulating the four-octave wonder of Freddie Mercury’s voice. That’s when Garrick poses the most mind-blowing question ever uttered on this podcast: What if Steve Perry and Freddie Mercury had formed a supergroup and sang together? Besides ripping the space-time continuum, this combination would have—the dynamic duo realizes—produced the world-saving song that Bill and Ted were tasked with writing in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

The new cover art for this season was created by Dani Wallace (daniwallace.myportfolio.com). 

This Week’s Guest

Vocab Malone was born and raised on the south side of Columbus, Ohio. He holds a master’s degree from Phoenix Seminary and is a doctoral student at Talbot School of Theology. Vocab’s ministry focus is urban apologetics and cultural worldview analysis. Vocab is a member of First Arabic Baptist Church in Arizona, and he's the author of Barack Obama vs the Black Hebrew Israelites: An Introduction to the History and Beliefs of 1West Hebrew Israelism.

Links to Click

B and H Academic

For God So Loved the World: book edited by Dayton Hartman and Walter Strickland

Barack Obama vs the Black Hebrew Israelites: book by Vocab Malone

Black Christians You Should Know: YouTube series by Vocab Malone

I Wonder Why: song by Dion and the Belmonts

What's Up Danger?: song by Blackway and Black Caviar

Fabulous: song by Phineas and Bobby Fabulous

Some Kind of Magic: album by Queen

One Vision: song by Queen

Iron Eagle: movie trailer

Bill and Ted Face the Music: movie trailer 

The Major Political Writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau: book edited and translated by John T. Scott

Essays on Religion, Science, and Society: book by Herman Bavinck

Jesus: song by Queen

The Show Must Go On: song by Queen

SBTS Preview Day

Urban Ministry Podcast

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

J.V. Fesko: Reforming Apologetics + “Freewill” (Rush)

Welcome to the Deeper-Than-Usual Episode! This episode has been named “the Deeper-Than-Usual Episode” mostly because it is a bit deeper than usual. Dr. J.V. Fesko—professor of systematic and historical theology at Reformed Theological Seminary and all-around very deep person—joins Garrick and Timothy to discuss many deep things. Fesko momentarily risks his deep reputation by admitting his longstanding longing to sing like David Lee Roth, who is not a deep person according to certain anonymous reports and to anyone who’s ever seen him in concert. However, Fesko quickly recovers his much-coveted mantle of deepness by deeply discussing presuppositionalism, the Reformation, and historic worldview theory, all of which are very deep topics. Also, "Mantle of Deepness" would be a terrible name for a band. 

In the second half, your intrepid cohosts discuss a song that forces the dynamic duo to wade even deeper than Dr. Fesko’s much-coveted mantle of deepness. The song is “Freewill” by Rush, and the deep topics include determinism, libertarianism, compatibilism, Molinism, and whether or not a fish can become a helicopter. According to Garrick, fish cannot become helicopters; Scott Stapp, lead singer and chief arm-spreader in the band Creed, deeply disagrees and even sings a song entitled “Marlins Will Soar.” This song is apparently about how marlins can turn into helicopters while playing baseball and even fly to the World Series if they are sufficiently optimistic. 

This week’s Toybox Hero Tournament pits a pig against a magical object from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The pig-versus-Potter conflict is so intense that confusion reigns until a song from Cher shows up on the deck of a ship in the deep ocean to render a verdict. The result is bacon. 

The new cover art for this season was created by Dani Wallace (daniwallace.myportfolio.com). 

This Week’s Guest

J. V. Fesko presently serves at Reformed Theological Seminary (Jackson) as Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology.  He is an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and has served in church planting, pastoral ministry, and teaching for more than twenty years. Fesko has authored or edited more than twenty books and written fifty published essays for various journals and books. You can find out more about Fesko at his personal blog, Reformed Theology.

Links to Click

B and H Academic

Theology of the Reformers: book by Timothy George

Reforming Apologetics: book by J. V. Fesko

Nature and Scripture: essay by Cornelius Van Til

Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics: 4-volume work by Richard Muller

Lectures on Calvinism: lectures by Abraham Kuyper

Reformed Theology

The Long Shadow of Racism in America: article by Timothy Paul Jones

The Gospel and the Pursuit of Justice in Your City: article by Jamaal Williams, Timothy Paul Jones, and Jarvis Williams

Permanent Waves: album by Rush

Freewill: song by Rush

Does God Know the Future?: interview with Thomas Flint

True Spirituality: book by Francis Schaeffer

SBTS Preview Day

Urban Ministry Podcast

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Matthew Levering: Why Reason and the Physical Resurrection of Jesus Matter + “Stairway to Heaven” (Led Zeppelin)

Reason, resurrection, and the physical world are the focus of the most action-packed episode of Three Chords and the Truth ever produced. The primary reason why it’s so action packed is because the Toybox Hero Tournament includes a special cohost who is far more exciting than either of your intrepid cohosts.

Renowned theologian Dr. Matthew Levering kicks off the episode by discussing how nature and philosophy point to the presence of God and why the physical resurrection of Jesus matters. Along the way, Dr. Levering highlights the importance of the Old Testament and professes his longstanding longing to impress his children by playing guitar in the band One Direction.

In the second half, Garrick and Timothy tackle a song so amazing that it can’t even be played in music stores: "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin. Timothy makes the case that the central point of the song is a yearning for the spiritual realm that no human soul can quell. This leads to a discussion of how Christians should view material possessions and pleasures, interspersed with digressions that include Wayne's World, the Material Girl, and what Robert Plant meant by "children of the sun." Also "Children of the Sun" would be a great name for a band, especially if the band added umlauts.

But not even "Chïldrën öf thë Sün" can compare to how amazing it would be to name a band “Charizard,” except that The Pokémon Company would probably sue the band even if they added umlauts. That’s because—Timothy learns—Charizard is the most powerful Pokémon owned by Garrick’s nine-year-old son, who shows up to cohost the Toybox Hero Tournament. This week’s tournament pits a battle-hardened zebra from the intensive-care unit against the dynamic duo of Charizard and Reshiram. The result is roasted zebra.

Also, another great name for a band would be “No Stairway Denied.”

The new cover art for this season was created by Dani Wallace (daniwallace.myportfolio.com).

This Week’s Guest

Matthew Levering is James N. and Mary D. Perry Jr. Chair of Theology at Mundelein Seminary, and Co-Director of the Chicago Theological Initiative at Wheaton College. He is the author or editor of over thirty books, and the translator of Gilles Emery’s The Trinity. He co-edits two quarterly journals, Nova et Vetera and International Journal of Systematic Theology. Since 2004, he has been a participant in Evangelicals and Catholics Together, and from 2007-2016 he served as Chair of the Board of the Academy of Catholic Theology.

Links to Click

B and H Academic

Come Let Us Reason: book edited by Paul Copan and William Lane Craig

Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?: book by Matthew Levering

Proofs of God: book by Matthew Levering

The Resurrection of the Son of God: book by N. T. Wright

Stairway to Heaven: song by Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin IV: album by Led Zeppelin

Taurus: song by Spirit

Material Girl: song by Madonna

Uptown Girl: song by Billy Joel

Return of the King (2003): film adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien

The Magic Arts in Celtic Britain: book by Lewis Spence

Confessions: book by Augustine

SBTS Virtual Preview Day

Urban Ministry Podcast

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Robert Plummer: Do the Gospels Tell the Truth? + “Truth, Goodness, and Beauty” (The Cure)

What does it mean to say that the Bible tells the truth? And what should Christians do when they find a claim in the Bible that looks like a contradiction? New Testament scholar and Daily Dose of Greek mastermind Rob Plummer joins Garrick and Timothy to discuss these questions. In the process, Rob also examines the dilemma that once rocked biblical scholar Bart Ehrman’s belief in the inerrancy of the Bible. In Mark 2:26, Jesus linked an event from the life of David to “the high priest Abiathar,” but the event actually took place—according to 1 Samuel 21—during the high priesthood of Abiathar’s father Ahimelech. On the way to exploring this dilemma, Rob reveals his longstanding longing to become the lead vocalist for The Beatles. 

Truth, goodness, and beauty are the focus of the second half. The featured musical group is the post-punk, sometimes goth, sometimes new-wave band The Cure. It’s clear from the song “Truth, Goodness, and Beauty” that Robert Smith of The Cure yearns for transcendent realities, and it’s also apparent that he believes in actual good and evil. The problem is that Smith ascribes to an atheistic worldview, and atheism provides no coherent explanation for the moral realities of good and evil or for the transcendental realities of truth, goodness, and beauty. In the midst of the dynamic duo’s explanation of “the transcendentals,” Bill and Ted—another duo, twice as bodacious as Garrick and Timothy but only half as dynamic—unexpectedly make an appearance to remind listeners how to find “Socrates” in the encyclopedia. Also, why hasn’t anyone created a superhero team called “The Transcendentals”?

It’s mystical magic against Sith weaponry in this week’s Toybox Hero Tournament, as a crimson lightsaber is forced into mortal combat against a one-eared unicorn. The level of violence slips dangerously close to PG-13, so be prepared to cover your children’s eyes as they listen to this week’s tournament. The solution to the conflict seems simple until your intrepid cohosts realize that both lightsabers and unicorns are in the Bible—sort of. Also, “Lightsabers and Unicorns” would be a great name for a band. 

The new cover art for this season was created by Dani Wallace (daniwallace.myportfolio.com).

 This Week’s Guest: Rob Plummer

Rob Plummer is chairman of the New Testament department and professor of New Testament interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Plummer has written, co-written, or edited several books, including Greek for Life: Strategies for Learning, Retaining, and Reviving New Testament Greek (Baker, 2017), Going Deeper with New Testament Greek: An Intermediate Study of the Grammar and Syntax of the New Testament (B&H, 2016), and 40 Questions About Interpreting the Bible (Kregel, 2010). Plummer is perhaps most widely known for his role in founding and hosting the screencast, The Daily Dose of Greek (www.dailydoseofgreek.com).

Links to Click

B and H Academic

Going Deeper With New Testament Greek: book by Andreas Köstenberger, Benjamin Merkle, and Robert Plummer

Beginning with New Testament Greek: book by Benjamin Merkle and Robert Plummer

Daily Dose of Greek

Misquoting Jesus: book by Bart Ehrman

Holy Hour: song by The Cure

Just Like Heaven: song by The Cure

Truth, Goodness, and Beauty: song by The Cure

The Cure: album by The Cure

SBTS Preview Day

Urban Ministry Podcast

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

J. Warner Wallace: A Cold-Case Detective Looks at the Gospels + “Another Brick in the Wall” (Pink Floyd)

What happens when a cold-case detective applies his investigative skills to the New Testament Gospels? Find out as Timothy meets up with award-winning detective and bestselling apologetics author J. Warner Wallace. In addition to being a detective and apologist, Wallace is also a guitarist, bassist, and—Timothy is thrilled beyond words to discover—a fan of Steve Perry and Journey. With great difficulty, Timothy manages to restrain his adoration for Steve Perry just long enough to ask J. Warner Wallace a few questions about apologetics and the New Testament Gospels.

In the second half of the podcast, Garrick and Timothy examine a band that was known at different times as Sigma 6, the Meggadeaths, and the Tea Set. Not surprisingly, the band never took off until they changed their name to Pink Floyd. "Another Brick in the Wall" is the musical focus for this week, but it's difficult for Garrick and Timothy to remain focused when talking about a band that once lost an inflatable pig that was roughly the size of a bus in the skies over London. In the end, however, the dynamic duo suppresses most of their attention deficits and manages to look at Pink Floyd's The Wall from the perspective of a biblical theology of guilt and shame. Also, Pig On the Lam would be a great name for a band.

The first few minutes of the Toy Box Hero Tournament go completely off the rails as Garrick raises a grievance that forces Timothy to make a painful confession about the first episode of this season. In the end, however, your intrepid cohosts put their differences aside long enough to engage in a battle that forces a triad of testudines into mortal combat against Captain Marvel; in the end, the only thing that can possibly save the testudine triad is the hope that Carol Danvers might be an environmentalist. 

This Week’s Guest: J. Warner Wallace

J. Warner Wallace is a cold-case homicide detective, popular national speaker, and best-selling author. Wallace became a Christ-follower at the age of thirty-five after investigating the claims of the New Testament gospels using his skill set as a detective. He continues to consult on cold-case investigations while serving as a Senior Fellow at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. He is also an adjunct professor of apologetics at Talbot School of Theology (Biola University) and Southern Evangelical Seminary, and a faculty member at Summit Ministries. You can find out more about J. Warner Wallace at https://coldcasechristianity.com/.

Links to Click

B and H Academic

Stand Firm: book by Paul Gould, Travis Dickinson, and Keith Loftin

Cold-Case Christianity: book by J. Warner Wallace

Forensic Faith: book by J. Warner Wallace

So the Next Generation Will Know: book by Sean McDowell and J Warner Wallace

Cold-Case Christianity for Kids: book by J. Warner Wallace

Case Makers Academy

The Wall: album by Pink Floyd

Another Brick in the Wall: song by Pink Floyd

Shine on You Crazy Diamond: song by Pink Floyd

Hey You: song by Pink Floyd

Comfortably Numb: song by Pink Floyd

Urban Ministry Podcast

SBTS Preview Day

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Josh Chatraw: Apologetics at the Cross + “Word on a Wing” (David Bowie)

Apologetics scholar Josh Chatraw joins your intrepid cohosts this week to talk about cross-centered apologetics, Augustine of Hippo, and what it takes to hang out with Tim Keller. Josh is the coauthor of several books, including Truth in a Culture of Doubt from B&H Academic. Along the way, Josh makes the mistake of revealing his longstanding affection for pseudo-saxophonist Kenny G, apparently unaware that Kenny G is Timothy’s least favorite musician. The ensuing kerfuffle threatens to eliminate Josh from the podcast. In the end, a reference to the Dave Matthews Band intervenes and saves the day.

Davy Jones—no relation to Timothy, by the way, because British rock stardom is nowhere to be found in any branch of Timothy’s family tree—is the focus of the second half of this week’s podcast. But, of course, you don’t know him as Davy Jones; you know him as David Bowie—and as Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, and the Thin White Duke. Garrick also remembers him as the goblin king in the movie Labyrinth, but Timothy and Garrick end up having very different opinions about this particular film. (Also, why hasn’t there ever been a heavy metal band named “Labyrinth”?) In 1975, while recording his album Station to Station, David Bowie seriously considered Christianity. His song “Word on a Wing” encapsulates some of his spiritual struggles during this time. So what was it, from a human perspective, that kept Bowie from turning to Christ? That’s the question that Garrick and Timothy consider this week. Before the segment is over, you’ll also learn about Garrick’s odd fixation on Portuguese renditions of David Bowie’s songs and Timothy’s surreptitious purchase of stone-washed jeans when he was seventeen.

This week’s Toy Box Hero Tournament is the toughest yet (but, then again, this is only the second one). A Lego AT-AT owned by Garrick’s son levels its blasters at a wizard bearing Hermione Granger’s wand—or, more precisely, an overpriced replica thereof, purchased at Universal Studios because, once in a while, Timothy does actually give in to his children. So which one of these two toys will win? Find out in this week’s episode of Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast!

This Week’s Guest

Joshua Chatraw is the director of New City Fellows at the Center for Public Christianity and resident theologian at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. Some of his books include Apologetics at the Cross (co-authored with Mark Allen) and Truth in a Culture of Doubt (co-authored with Andreas Köstenberger and Darrell Bock). You can find out more about Josh and the Center for Public Christianity at https://centerforpublicchristianity.org/.

Links to Click

B and H Academic

Truth in a Culture of Doubt: book by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw

Apologetics at the Cross: book by Josh Chatraw and Mark Allen

The City of God: book by Augustine

The History of Apologetics (June 2020): book by Benjamin Forrest, Josh Chatraw, and Alister McGrath

Telling a Better Story: book by Josh Chatraw

Labyrinth (1986 Film)

Word on a Wing: song by David Bowie

Ziggy Stardust: song by David Bowie

Space Oddity: song by David Bowie

Bus Stop: song by David Bowie and Tin Machine

God Knows I'm Good: song by David Bowie

Lazarus: song by David Bowie

SBTS Virtual Preview Day

Urban Ministry Podcast

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Timothy Paul Jones and Garrick Bailey: Is the Coronavirus Evil? + “Sympathy for the Devil” (The Rolling Stones)

Many apologies for the poor audio quality in some portions of this week's podcast; when this episode was recorded, Timothy and Garrick were still working on different solutions for recording the podcast while socially distanced.

It's a new season of Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast, and Garrick and Timothy are serious about social distancing.

They are, in fact, so serious about being socially distant that they've installed a mile-wide river to separate them.

In the first half of this earthshaking season premiere, your intrepid cohosts discuss a recent article in Christianity Today entitled "Is the Coronavirus Evil?" The answer given in the article is "no," and the author argues that such calamities and their causes are good. According to Garrick and Timothy and pretty much every theologian in the history of Christianity, however, the answer is "yes," because calamities of this sort are a result of the sin of Adam and Eve. Before it's all over, a battle ensues in which Augustine of Hippo, Herman Bavinck, and Karl Barth unite to defeat not only this errant article but also armchair theologian and wrestler Hulk Hogan. To do this, it becomes necessary for Timothy to explain a philosophical concept known as "surd evil."

Also, "Surd" would be a great name for a band.

The devil himself shows up in the second half of this week's episode. That’s because the dynamic duo tackles the classic hit "Sympathy for the Devil" by the Rolling Stones. In the process of explaining what Mick Jagger got right and wrong in the lyrics of this song, Garrick and Timothy also discuss such pressing dilemmas as why Satan chose to take the form of a serpent instead of a cat in the Garden of Eden.

With the tragic loss of the Infinity Gauntlet at the end of last season—may our treasured friend from Season 1 rest in peace with the fan to whom we sent it—it became necessary to come up with something even more absurd than drawing random questions about fictional universes from a plastic glove. This was difficult, but not too difficult because Garrick and Timothy are veritable experts when it comes to random absurdities. And so, this week represents the inaugural Toy Box Hero Tournament, in which your cohosts steal toys from their children and force these toys into duels that result in the death of one toy or maybe just in a lot of pointless arguments. This week, it's a battle between Captain America's shield and a Lite-Brite, because that somehow made sense at the time.

The new cover art for this season was created by Dani Wallace (daniwallace.myportfolio.com), and Garrick and Timothy are giving away notebooks with this logo on them. Listen to the episode to discover how to win.

Many apologies for the poor audio quality in some portions of this week's podcast; when this episode was recorded, Timothy was still working on different solutions for recording the podcast while socially distanced.

Links to Click

B and H Academic

The Problem of Evil: book by Jeremy Evans

Is the Coronavirus Evil?: article by Daniel Harrell

The City of God: book by Augustine of Hippo

How Can a Good God Allow Evil in the World?: podcast episode with Eric Johnson

Sympathy for the Devil: song by The Rolling Stones

Yer Blues (Remastered 2009): song by The Beatles

Rollin' Stone: song by Muddy Waters

The Prodigal Son: song by Robert Wilkins

SBTS Virtual Preview Day

The Urban Ministry Podcast

ThreeChordsApologetics.com

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Contact us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod  

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Theme music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use). 

Timothy Paul Jones and Garrick Bailey: Were the Stories of Jesus Borrowed from Pagan Sources? + “We Didn’t Start the Fire” (Billy Joel)

Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

In this Episode

Timothy Paul Jones, Ph.D., is C. Edwin Gheens Professor of Christian Family Ministry at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He teaches in the areas of family ministry and applied apologetics. He has authored or edited more than a dozen books, including Why Should I Trust the Bible?; The God Who Goes Before You; Perspectives on Family Ministry; and Christian History Made Easy. Follow Dr. Jones at @DrTimothyPJones.

Questions to Discuss

1. Skeptics claim that the story of Jesus is not only false; it is actually borrowed from earlier pagan beliefs. What do we mean when we say that the pagan parallels aren't really parallel?

2. What about the parallel of Mithras? Are there other supposed parallels between Jesus and Mithras?

3. In what ways do pagan parallels sometimes confuse the historical claims of the New Testament with later Christian practices?

4. Let’s suppose for a moment that some patterns that were present in the life of Jesus could be found in some previous religion. Would this weaken the historical foundations of the Christian faith, as critics claim?

5. Why shouldn't we worry that the date of Christmas may have pagan origins?

Links to Click

If you want to learn more about pursuing kingdom diversity and racial reconciliation, one great place to start is For God So Loved the World: A Blueprint for Kingdom Diversity, written by Walter Strickland and Dayton Hartman. To download a sample chapter, visit http://www.bhacademic.com

B and H Academic

The Religion of the Mithras Cult in the Roman Empire: book by Roger Beck

The Roman Cult of Mithras: book by Manfred Clauss

God in the Dock: book by C. S. Lewis

Contra Celsum: book by Origen of Alexandria

"We Didn't Start the Fire": song by Billy Joel

"She's Got a Way": song by Billy Joel

"Piano Man": song by Billy Joel

"Smells Like Teen Spirit": song by Nirvana

"Celebration at the Berlin Wall": clip from ABC News

ThreeChordsApologetics.com

If you are interested in earning a master’s degree online or on campus that will equip you with the most comprehensive apologetics training available anywhere, go to http://www.sbts.edu/bgs/degree-programs/mdiv/apologetics/

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship.

Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by the band Vegan Friendly—even though neither Garrick nor Timothy has ever been vegan friendly.

Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. "The fair use of a copyrighted work ... for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, ... scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright" (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Three Chords and the Truth Goes to the Movies: Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

On May 25, 1977, a young filmmaker named George Lucas released a space fantasy that he had simply titled Star Wars. Three years later, Lucas expanded the title to Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope and it became clear that this movie was one small segment of a far larger story. Over the past four decades, this story has developed into one of the most influential cultural phenomena of the modern era. Now, with the release of Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, the saga that began In 1977 has drawn to a end—and what an ending it is!

In this special episode of Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast, Garrick Bailey and Timothy Paul Jones take a theological look at the latest and the last installment in the Skywalker saga that George Lucas launched more than four decades ago.

Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

Questions to Discuss about Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

1. How does redemption take place within the worldview of Star Wars?

2. Characters in Star Wars frequently describe their ideal as “balance” between the dark and light sides of the Force. Yet, in the end, victory is not achieved through balance but through a victory of light over darkness. What does this tell you about the inadequacy of Eastern views of salvation?

3. What does the change in Rey’s perception of her own identity reveal about humanity’s awareness of our need for redemption through adoption? 

4. Why do stormtroopers aim their blasters so poorly? How could sandpeople possibly be worse shots than stormtroopers?

Links to Click

B and H Academic

Finding God in a Galaxy Far Far Away: book by Timothy Paul Jones

Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary: visual guide to Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

Star Wars: The Complete Saga: movie series originally by George Lucas

Star Wars Party: album by Meco

ThreeChordsApologetics.com

If you are interested in earning a master’s degree online or on campus that will equip you with the most comprehensive apologetics training available anywhere, go here.

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast (Apple / Android / RSS).

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned on Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones @GarrickBailey @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by the band Vegan Friendly—even though neither Garrick nor Timothy has ever been vegan friendly. Brief excerpts of music played in this program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. "The fair use of a copyrighted work ... for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, ... scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright" (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Robert Plummer: The Perplexing Problem of When Quirinius Governed Syria + “The Living Years” (Mike + the Mechanics)

This week’s episode covers the birth of Jesus, death, resurrection, and everything in between! It’s only a few days until Christmas 2019—a celebration which, this year, Timothy has very helpfully renamed “The Star Wars: Episode IX After Party.” At some point between now and Christmas Day, millions of people throughout the world will hear these words from the New Testament: “It came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. And this taxing was first made when Quirinius was governor of Syria” (Luke 2). But there’s a problem with these words: According to records from Roman history, it seems that Quirinius didn’t become governor of Syria until almost ten years after Jesus was born.

Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

In this Episode

Robert Plummer, Ph.D., is professor of New Testament interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and host of the Daily Dose of Greek screencast. He is the author or co-author of several books, including Going Deeper with New Testament Greek (B&H, 2016) and 40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible (Kregel, 2010). Follow Dr. Plummer on Twitter at @dailygreek.

Questions to Discuss about Quirinius

1. Quirinius became the governor of Syria around the year 6 A.D. During that time, there was a well-known census that resulted in a revolt, but Jesus wasn’t born during that time. Jesus was born around the year 4 B.C., when King Herod was still alive. How was Jesus Christ born around four years B.C.—“Before Christ”?

2. How should a Christian respond when history outside the Bible seems to contradict the Bible?

3. One possibility suggested by scholars is that Luke made a mistake. What are the strengths and weaknesses of this possibility?

4. Another possibility suggested by scholars that the word translated “first” should be translated “before.” So, this text should be translated: “And this was the census before the census when Quirinius was governor of Syria.” What are the strengths and weaknesses of this possibility?

5. What solution do you find most compelling?

Links to Click

If you want to learn more about New Testament Greek, one great place to start is Going Deeper with New Testament Greek, co-authored by Robert L Plummer. To download a sample chapter, visit http://www.bhacademic.com

B and H Academic

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back: movie by George Lucas

Star Wars: Episode VIII: The Last Jedi: movie by Rian Johnson

Die Hard: movie by John McTiernan

Elf: movie by Jon Favreau

Immortality of the soul; Or, Resurrection of the Dead?: book by Oscar Cullman

"In The Air Tonight": song by Phil Collins

"All I Need is A Miracle": song by Mike + The Mechanics

"The Living Years": song by Mike + The Mechanics

Bill and Ted Philosophize with Socrates: clip from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

ThreeChordsApologetics.com

If you are interested in earning a master’s degree online or on campus that will equip you with the most comprehensive apologetics training available anywhere, go to http://www.sbts.edu/bgs/degree-programs/mdiv/apologetics/

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by the band Vegan Friendly—even though neither Garrick nor Timothy has ever been vegan friendly. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. "The fair use of a copyrighted work ... for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, ... scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright" (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Dan DeWitt: Why Do the Apologetics of C.S. Lewis Matter? + “All Along the Watchtower” (U2)

Welcome to the illegal episode of Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast! This episode commemorates two illegal acts, both of which were captured on tape and involved live rock and roll.

The first of these two acts happened in 1987 when Paul “Bono” Hewson vandalized a public sculpture with spray-paint during U2’s Save the Yuppies concert in San Francisco.

The second illegal act took place six years later, in 1993, when Timothy Paul “Definitely Not Bono” Jones rehearsed and recorded music in a condemned house on Fairchild Avenue in Manhattan, Kansas. One of the cassettes that Timothy’s band recorded there has been unearthed to provide the closing song for this week’s episode.

Despite the flagrant illegalities in the second half of this week’s program, the first half manages to remain completely licit, lawful, and full of C.S. Lewis. That’s due solely to the heroic efforts of Dr. Dan DeWitt, director of the Center for Biblical Apologetics and Public Christianity at Cedarville University. Dr. DeWitt—artist, author, and all-around very legal person—helps us to understand why the apologetics methods employed by C.S. Lewis still matter today. The question that Dr. DeWitt faces from the Infinity Gauntlet is a DC and Marvel mashup that throws the most righteous superhero in each universe into a battle that will shatter one of them forever or until the next reboot.

But then we get to the second half of the program, and everything pretty much goes to heck in a herd of hand-baskets. Bono’s illegal act in San Francisco triggers not only a citation for violating California Penal Code 594PC but also an exploration of the eschatology of U2’s cover of “All Along the Watchtower,” the very song that gave this podcast its name. But, even though it was Bono who added the words “three chords and the truth” to Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower,” it wasn’t Bono who coined this phrase in the first place. “Three chords and the truth” can be traced back to one of the greatest composers in the history of country and western music, Harlan Howard. This excursion into music history leads to some unexpected links to soul artist Curtis Mayfield and to Ms. “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” herself, Cyndi Lauper. After an exploration of the differences between the eschatologies of Bono and Bob Dylan, the sordid story of Timothy’s illegal rehearsals emerges and forever besmirches his previously-pristine reputation.

Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

In this Episode

Dan DeWitt, Ph.D., is associate professor of applied theology and apologetics and the director of the Center for Biblical Apologetics and Public Christianity at Cedarville University. Before joining the faculty of Cedarville University, Dr. Dan DeWitt served in academic and pastoral roles as Lead Pastor of the Campus Church of Highview Baptist Church, and as Dean of Boyce College. He is the author of several books, including Why God?, Life in the Wild, and Christ or Chaos. Follow Dr. DeWitt at @DanDeWitt.

Questions to Discuss

1. Who was C.S. Lewis?

2. How has C.S. Lewis influenced your life?

3. What are some of C.S. Lewis' strongest apologetic arguments?

Links to Click

If you want to learn more about apologetics, one great place to start is Passionate Conviction, edited by William Lane Craig. To download a sample chapter, visit http://www.bhacademic.com

B and H Academic

"C.S. Lewis": website by HarperCollins Publishers

Surprised by Joy: book by C.S. Lewis 

The Problem of Pain: book by C.S. Lewis

The Screwtape Letters: book by C.S. Lewis

Miracles: book by C.S. Lewis

"Sixty Seconds in Kingdom Come": song by U2

"All Along the Watch Tower": song by Bob Dylan

"All Along the Watch Tower": song by U2

"Pride (In the Name of Love)": song by U2

"Heartaches by the Number": song by Cyndi Lauper

"People Get Ready": song by Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions

ThreeChordsApologetics.com

If you are interested in earning a master’s degree online or on campus that will equip you with the most comprehensive apologetics training available anywhere, go to http://www.sbts.edu/bgs/degree-programs/mdiv/apologetics/

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship.

Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by the band Vegan Friendly—even though neither Garrick nor Timothy has ever been vegan friendly.

Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. "The fair use of a copyrighted work ... for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, ... scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright" (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Timothy Paul Jones and Garrick Bailey: Why Everyone Needs Creeds + “Where the Streets Have No Name” (U2)

Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

In this Episode

Timothy Paul Jones, Ph.D., is C. Edwin Gheens Professor of Christian Family Ministry at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He teaches in the areas of family ministry and applied apologetics. He has authored or edited more than a dozen books, including Why Should I Trust the Bible?; The God Who Goes Before You; Perspectives on Family Ministry; and Christian History Made Easy. Follow Dr. Jones at @DrTimothyPJones.

Questions to Discuss

1. What do creeds have to do with apologetics?

2. What does "holy catholic church" mean in the Apostles' Creed?

3. Why do people create creeds, even if they don’t believe in God?

Links to Click

If you want to learn more about confessions of faith, one great place to start is Baptist Confessions, Covenants, and Catechisms by Timothy & Denise George. To download a sample chapter, visit http://www.bhacademic.com

B and H Academic

Creeds of Christendom: book by Philip Schaff

When Children Became People: book by Odd Magne Bakke

Scientism and Secularism: book by J.P. Moreland

Where the Conflict Really Lies: book by Alvin Plantinga

Let the Trumpet Sound: book by Stephen B. Oates

Commentary on Romans: book by John Calvin

"The Earliest Christian Confession about the Resurrection": podcast episode by Timothy Paul Jones and Garrick Bailey

The Joshua Tree: album by U2

"What's This Life For": song by Creed

"Creed": song by Third Day

"Where the Streets Have No Name": song by U2

"Out of Control": song by U2

"Sunday Bloody Sunday": song by U2

"Bullet the Blue Sky": song by U2

“Where the Streets Have No Name (Live)”: song by U2 from U2360 Tour

ThreeChordsApologetics.com

If you are interested in earning a master’s degree online or on campus that will equip you with the most comprehensive apologetics training available anywhere, go to http://www.sbts.edu/bgs/degree-programs/mdiv/apologetics/

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship.

Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by the band Vegan Friendly—even though neither Garrick nor Timothy has ever been vegan friendly.

Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. "The fair use of a copyrighted work ... for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, ... scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright" (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Eric Johnson: How Can a Good God Allow Evil in the World? + “Free” (Stryper)

Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

In this Episode

Eric L. Johnson, Ph.D., is professor of Christian Psychology at Houston Baptist University. He has taught for almost 30 years and published more than 50 articles and two books on Christian psychology, Foundations for Soul Care and God and Soul Care. The founding director of the Society for Christian Psychology, he is the director of the Gideon Center of Christian Psychology and Counseling, a new Houston Baptist University program. Follow Dr. Johnson at @DrELJohnson.

Questions to Discuss

1. Does the Epicurean Trilemma present a logical problem of evil?

2. In some sense, there are three problems of evil: logical, evidential, and existential. Alvin Plantinga’s book God, Freedom, and Evil dealt a death blow to the logical problem of evil. Our focus is the existential/pastoral problem of evil. What is most important to remember when someone is facing this?

3. In what sense can we say that God understands our struggles?

Links to Click

If you want to dig deeper into apologetics after listening to this podcast, one great place to start is Reasons for Our Hope by H. Wayne House and Dennis Jowers. To download a sample chapter, visit http://www.bhacademic.com

B and H Academic

Foundations for Soul Care: book by Eric Johnson

God and Soul Care: book by Eric Johnson

God, Freedom, and Evil: book by Alvin Plantinga

"Sing-Along Song": song by Stryper

"Cliffs of Dover Live": song by Eric Johnson

"No Rain": song by Blind Melon

"Here We Go!": song by Roger Wood

"Don't Stop Believin'": song by Journey

"More Than A Man": song by Stryper

"Stairway to Heaven": song by Led Zeppelin

"Love In An Elevator": song by Aerosmith

"Free": song by Stryper

To Hell with the Devil: album by Stryper

ThreeChordsApologetics.com

If you are interested in earning a master’s degree online or on campus that will equip you with the most comprehensive apologetics training available anywhere, go to http://www.sbts.edu/bgs/degree-programs/mdiv/apologetics/

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship.

Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by the band Vegan Friendly—even though neither Garrick nor Timothy has ever been vegan friendly.

Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. "The fair use of a copyrighted work ... for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, ... scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright" (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Peter Gurry and Elijah Hixson: Mistakes Apologists Make About Textual Criticism + “Learning to See” (Van Halen)

In this Episode

Peter Gurry, Ph.D., is assistant professor of New Testament at Phoenix Seminary where he teaches courses in Greek Language and New Testament literature. His research interests range across Greek grammar, the history and formation of the Bible, and the history of New Testament scholarship. Gurry is the author of A Critical Examination of the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method in New Testament Textual Criticism and A New Approach to Textual Criticism: An Introduction to the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method (co-authored with Tommy Wasserman). Follow Dr. Gurry on Twitter at @pjgurry.

Elijah Hixson, Ph.D., is research associate in New Testament Text and Language at Tyndale House, Cambridge, where he is working with Dirk Jongkind to produce a textual commentary on the Greek New Testament. Hixson is the author of Scribal Habits in Sixth-Century Greek Purple Codices and editor of Myths and Mistakes in New Testament Textual Criticism (co-edited with Peter Gurry). He has served as a tutor in biblical studies at the University of Edinburgh and has written articles for Journal of Theological Studies, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, and Lexham Bible Dictionary.

Questions to Discuss

1. What’s the primary point of this new book, Myths and Mistakes in New Testament Textual Criticism?

2. Here’s a claim that appears in one popular apologetics books: “Two factors are most important in determining the reliability of a historical document: the number of manuscript copies in existence, and the time between when it was first written and the oldest existing copy. When it comes to the New Testament, there are more than five thousand seven hundred Ancient Greek manuscripts in existence from as early as the second century A.D.” What about this statement is right, and what is wrong?

3. Here’s another common claim: “A fragment of John’s Gospel survives from 125 A.D., only three decades from the time the Gospel was written.” What is right and wrong about this claim?

4. What would you say to the apologist who is excited by all of this and who thinks they might want to become a textual critic?

Links to Click

If you want to dig deeper into the historical integrity of the New Testament, one great place to start is In Defense of the Bible, edited by Terry Wilder and Steven Cowan. To download a sample chapter, visit http://www.bhacademic.com

B and H Academic

Reformed Dogmatics, volume 4: book by Herman Bavinck

The Institutes of the Christian Religion: book by John Calvin

Myths and Mistakes in New Testament Textual Criticism: book edited by Peter Gurry and Elijah Hixson

Evidence That Demands a Verdict: book by Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell

Reinventing Jesus: book by J. Ed Komoszewski, M. James Sawyer, and Daniel Wallace

How We Got the Bible: book by Timothy Paul Jones

Misquoting Truth: book by Timothy Paul Jones

5150: album by Van Halen

The Best of Both Worlds: album by Van Halen

Balance: album by Van Halen

"Eruption": song by Van Halen

"Running with the Devil": song by Van Halen

"Love Walks In": song by Van Halen

"I Can't Drive 55": song by Sammy Hagar

"Give to Live": song by Sammy Hagar

"When It's Love": song by Van Halen

"Judgment Day": song by Van Halen

"Learning to See": song by Van Halen

"Affirmation": song by Sammy Hagar & The Circle

ThreeChordsApologetics.com

If you are interested in earning a master’s degree online or on campus that will equip you with the most comprehensive apologetics training available anywhere, click here.

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship.

Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by the band Vegan Friendly—even though neither Garrick nor Timothy has ever been vegan friendly.

Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. "The fair use of a copyrighted work ... for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, ... scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright" (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Peter Gurry and Elijah Hixson: Was the Bible Copied Accurately? + “You Belong to the City” (Glenn Frey)

Has the Bible been copied accurately? Skeptics such as biblical scholar Dr. Bart Ehrman have suggested that it wasn’t. According to Bart Ehrman's book Misquoting Jesus, it makes no sense for Christians to refer to the Bible as God's inspired Word "because we no longer possess the words that God supposedly inspired. ... All that we have are error-ridden copies" far removed from the original texts. In the first half of this episode, two scholars in the field of textual criticism join Garrick and Timothy to talk about the reliability of the text of the New Testament. Peter Gurry is assistant professor of New Testament and co-director of the Text and Canon Institute at Phoenix Seminary; Elijah Hixson is a research assistant at Tyndale House in Cambridge. During the interview, Elijah shares the amazing story of how he discovered a lost snippet of Greek text in the fifth-century manuscript Codex Bezae.

A biblical theology of the city is the theme of the second half of this episode. While setting the stage for a theology of the city, your intrepid cohosts recognize that 1986 was the greatest year ever for rock and roll, and they explore the very first tune that Timothy heard when he went searching for rock and roll. That song was "You Belong to the City," written and recorded in 1985 for the soundtrack of Miami Vice. In the process of exploring the meaning and purpose of the city, Garrick and Timothy also define "fundamentalism" and discover that—despite Timothy's best efforts—rock and roll music is incapable of boiling an egg. More seriously and far more importantly, Garrick and Timothy discuss the impact of the crack epidemic and disproportionate incarceration on African-American communities in the inner city.

This episode is also a wild and reckless celebration of the lost art of mispronunciation! Before the episode was recorded, Timothy said to Garrick, "When this song was on the radio in Kansas in the 1980s, I'm pretty sure that the disc jockey pronounced the artist's last name like 'fry.'" After the recording was over, it was discovered that Timothy was slightly right but mostly wrong. That is indeed the way the name was being pronounced in the corn and soybean kingdom of Kansas in 1986, but it's not the correct pronunciation of Glenn Frey's latter nomen, which is in fact pronounced "fray"---less like a fried strip of tuber that you dip in catsup and more like what happens to the hemline of Garrick's cargo slacks when he spends too much time practicing the moonwalk on the front porch of the chapel at Southern Seminary. This week's question from the Infinity Gauntlet erupts into a deadly duel between Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter, and we deal with a deep and difficult dilemma of vital importance for the daily life of every listener: Can a non-magical weapon block a magical curse? The results of our discussion leave Luke Skywalker lying on the floor of the Death Star with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead, whining about how he never got to go to Tosche Station with Ron and Hermione even though he finished his chores and saved the galaxy. Also "Tosche Station" would be a great name for a band.

Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

In this Episode

Peter Gurry, Ph.D., is assistant professor of New Testament at Phoenix Seminary where he teaches courses in Greek Language and New Testament literature. His research interests range across Greek grammar, the history and formation of the Bible, and the history of New Testament scholarship. Gurry is the author of A Critical Examination of the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method in New Testament Textual Criticism and A New Approach to Textual Criticism: An Introduction to the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method (co-authored with Tommy Wasserman). Follow Dr. Gurry on Twitter at @pjgurry.

Elijah Hixson, Ph.D., is research associate in New Testament Text and Language at Tyndale House, Cambridge, where he is working with Dirk Jongkind to produce a textual commentary on the Greek New Testament. Hixson is the author of Scribal Habits in Sixth-Century Greek Purple Codices and coeditor with Peter Gurry of Myths and Mistakes in New Testament Textual Criticism. He has served as a tutor in biblical studies at the University of Edinburgh and has written articles for Journal of Theological Studies, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, and Lexham Bible Dictionary.

Questions to Discuss

1. What is textual criticism? 

2. One of the questions that Bart Ehrman asks in Misquoting Jesus is, “How does it help us to say that the Bible is the inerrant word of God if in fact we don’t have the words that God inerrantly inspired but only the words copied by the scribes—sometimes correctly but sometimes (many times!) incorrectly?” How would you respond to that question?

3. Bart Ehrman also makes the claim that “there are more variations among our manuscripts than there are words in the New Testament.” Is Ehrman’s claim true and, if it is, should it worry us?

Links to Click

If you want to dig deeper into the historical integrity of the New Testament, one great place to start is In Defense of the Bible, edited by Terry Wilder and Steven Cowan. To download a sample chapter, visit http://www.bhacademic.com

B and H Academic

Misquoting Jesus: book by Bart Ehrman

"A Lost Page of Codex Bezae": article by Elijah Hixson

"The Digital Recovery of a Lost Page of Codex Bezae": article by Elijah Hixson

"A Theology of Cities": article by Tim Keller

Shelby Park: neighborhood in Louisville 

Sojourn Church Midtown: church in Shelby Park

The Color of Law: book by Richard Rothstein

The New Jim Crow: book by Michelle Alexander

The City of God: book by Augustine of Hippo

"Miami Vice Theme": soundtrack by Jan Hammer

"You Belong to the City": song by Glenn Frey

"Livin' On A Prayer": song by Bon Jovi

"Danger Zone": song by Kenny Loggins

"Don't Stop Believin'": song by Journey

"Hotel California": song by the Eagles

"Take It Easy": song by the Eagles

"Tequila Sunrise": song by the Eagles

"Crooked Ways": song by Propaganda

"It's Not Working": song by Propaganda

ThreeChordsApologetics.com

If you are interested in earning a master’s degree online or on campus that will equip you with the most comprehensive apologetics training available anywhere, click here.

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by the band Vegan Friendly—even though neither Garrick nor Timothy has ever been vegan friendly. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. "The fair use of a copyrighted work ... for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, ... scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright" (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Jonathan Pennington: What Are the New Testament Gospels and Why Should We Trust Them? + “We Are the World” (USA for Africa)

According to bestselling religious scholar Reza Aslan, the New Testament Gospels “are not, nor were they ever meant to be, a historical documentation of Jesus’s life." The Gospels are, Aslan claims, fictional compositions from early Christians who re-imagined a Jewish revolutionary named Jesus as an ethereal Christ of faith.

But is it really reasonable to read the New Testament Gospels as fiction? And, if the Gospels aren't fiction, what genre are they?

In the first half of this week’s program, New Testament scholar Jonathan Pennington joins Garrick Bailey and Timothy Paul Jones to explore these crucial questions: What literary genre best describes the New Testament Gospels? And are these compositions believable as history?

Michael Jackson, the king of pop, is the star of the second half of this week’s program as Garrick and Timothy go looking for signs of grace the bestselling single of the 1980s, “We Are the World” by U.S.A. For Africa. Along the way, Timothy reveals how he would still be single if it weren’t for REO Speedwagon, Garrick divulges his deep childhood fixation on Michael Jackson’s jacket, and Jonathan Pennington just can’t fight the feeling that he belongs in the band Pink Floyd.

The dilemma drawn from the bowels of the Infinity Gauntlet this week leads to a showdown between Wakanda and Hogwarts that threatens to rend the space-time continuum. The resulting clash of ideas nearly leads to a breaking of the fellowship that binds Garrick, Timothy, and Jonathan together. In the end, a reference to REO Speedwagon becomes the potion that saves their friendship.

Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

In this Episode

Jonathan T. Pennington, Ph.D., is associate professor of New Testament Interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he is also director of the Ph.D. program. Pennington is the author of The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing, Reading the Gospels Wisely, and Heaven and Earth In the Gospel of Matthew. He is also on the preaching staff at Sojourn East in Louisville, Kentucky and the host of the YouTube show, "Cars, Coffee, Theology". Follow Dr. Pennington on Twitter at @DrJTPennington.

Questions to Discuss

1.  What is the genre of a particular piece of literature?

2. What does the genre of books in Bible matter? Why should Christians care about their genre?

3. What genre are the New Testament Gospels? How do we know?

4. Were works in the bios genre always nonfiction or were they sometimes fictional? Why do we think that the New Testament Gospels aren't fictional?

5. Suppose someone listening to this program has a friend who is a skeptic and completely rejects the truth of the Gospels. What should a Christian do to help a skeptic see the truth of the Gospels?

6. Can you think of a particular time when God worked through the Gospels to convince you of the truth of his promises and his Word?

Links to Click

If you want to dig deeper into the historical integrity of the New Testament, one great place to start is In Defense of the Bible, edited by Terry Wilder and Steven Cowan. To download a sample chapter, visit http://www.bhacademic.com

B and H Academic

Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth: book by Reza Aslan

What Are the Gospels?: book by Richard Burridge

The Four Gospels and the One Gospel of Jesus Christ: book by Martin Hengel

Reading the Gospels Wisely: book by Jonathan Pennington

"Cars, Coffee, Theology": YouTube show by Jonathan Pennington

"Can't Fight This Feeling": song by REO Speedwagon

"We Are the World": song by U.S.A for Africa

"Do They Know It's Christmas": song by Band Aid 20

"Thriller": song by Michael Jackson

"The Fly": song by U2

ThreeChordsApologetics.com

If you are interested in earning a master’s degree online or on campus that will equip you with the most comprehensive apologetics training available anywhere, go to http://www.sbts.edu/bgs/degree-programs/mdiv/apologetics/

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship.

Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by the band Vegan Friendly—even though neither Garrick nor Timothy has ever been vegan friendly.

Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. "The fair use of a copyrighted work ... for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, ... scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright" (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Doug Blount: What’s the Relationship Between Evidence and Faith? + “Jack and Diane” (John Cougar Mellencamp)

It's the hotly-anticipated Hoosier Edition of Three Chords and the Truth!

In this episode, we celebrate the moderately-great state of Indiana. Timothy Paul Jones, a committed Louisvillian who dusts off his feet each time he returns from Indiana, is joined by Doug Blount and Garrick Bailey—two residents of Indiana who were transplanted into the Midwest after being uprooted from the kingdom of Texas—to discuss why so many New Atheists assume that faith and evidence stand in opposition to each other. Atheist writer Richard Dawkins has defined faith, for example, as “a state of mind that leads people to believe something—it doesn’t matter what—in the total absence of supporting evidence.” Bestselling biologist Jerry Coyne echoes this understanding and describes faith as “the acceptance of things for which there is no strong evidence.” “Faith is,” according to Christopher Hitchens, “the surrender of reason.” But is faith actually the antithesis of reason and evidence? That's the question Garrick and Timothy explore in the first half of this week's episode with Doug Blount, who completed master's and doctoral degrees in philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, an institution that may be found—according to some reports—within the borders of Indiana.

In the second half, Timothy and Garrick take a look at John Mellencamp and James Dean, two Indiana natives who are almost as popular among Hoosiers as Garrick Bailey and Doug Blount. Along the way, we analyze the hit song "Jack and Diane," solve the mystery of John Mellencamp's many names—Johnny Cougar? John Cougar? John J. Mellencamp?—and discover how psychology, economics, and the rise of the New Left created what we know today as the "teenager." Then, we consider what all of this means for student ministries in local churches today. This week's question from the Infinity Gauntlet forces a choice between Captain America's shield and one of the three Deathly Hallows. As we discuss this difficult question, we are shocked to discover that—if Garrick ever obtains a vibranium shield—his children will need invisibility cloaks to have any hope of surviving into adulthood.

Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

In this Episode

Douglas K. Blount, Ph.D., is professor of Christian Apologetics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and previously served on the executive committee of the Evangelical Philosophical Society. He is currently working on a book manuscript entitled Apologetics and the Death of Modernity. Follow Dr. Blount on Twitter at @dougblount.

Questions to Discuss

1. “Faith is,” Christopher Hitchens once declared, “the surrender of the mind; it’s the surrender of reason.” According to Oxford University biologist Richard Dawkins, “faith is a state of mind that leads people to believe something—it doesn’t matter what—in the total absence of supporting evidence.” Bestselling biologist Jerry Coyne echoes this understanding and describes faith as “the acceptance of things for which there is no strong evidence.” What is the basis for claims like this?

2. What is the relationship between faith and evidence?

3. In his bestselling book Faith Versus Fact, Jerry Coyne—professor emeritus at the University of Chicago—makes this further claim about faith and evidence: “Religious claims are empirical claims, and although some may be hard to test, they must, like all claims about reality, be defended with a combination of evidence and reason.” What’s the problem with his declaration that religious claims are empirical claims that must be empirically tested?

4. In 2007, Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Dennett, and Sam Harris gathered at Christopher Hitchens’ home in Washington, DC, for a two-hour discussion. These four atheists became known as The Four Horsemen of the Non-Apocalypse and as representatives of a New Atheism. What impact do you think that this New Atheism has had on the culture and on apologetics?

Links to Click

If you're interested in learning more about how to help children and college students keep their faith, one great place to start is Perspectives on Family Ministry, edited by Timothy Paul Jones. To learn more about this book, visit https://www.bhacademic.com/product/perspectives-on-family-ministry-2/

B and H Academic

Faith Versus Fact: book by Jerry Coyne

Adolescence: book by Granville Stanley Hall

One-Dimensional Man: book by Herbert Marcuse

Soul Searching: book by Christian Smith

Sweet Bird of Youth: play by Tennessee Williams

What is a Hoosier?: article by the State of Indiana

The Four Horsemen Hour 1: documentary by Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science

The Four Horsemen Hour 2: documentary by Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science

"Summer of '69": song by Bryan Adams

"Jack & Diane": song by John Mellencamp

"Money for Nothing": song by Dire Straits

"Glory Days": song by Bruce Springsteen

"Eden is Burning": album by John Mellencamp

”Faith”: song by George Michael

John Mellencamp: album by John Mellencamp

Rebel Without a Cause: movie by Nicholas Ray

ThreeChordsApologetics.com

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship.

Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by the band Vegan Friendly—even though neither Garrick nor Timothy has ever been vegan friendly.

Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. "The fair use of a copyrighted work ... for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, ... scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright" (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Joshua Swindall and Grady Adkins: What Christian Beliefs Do College Students Struggle to Defend? + “Don’t Stop Believin’” (Journey)

Over the past few weeks, hundreds of thousands of Christian students have started their first semester of college. But how strong will these students' Christian faith be when they leave college? Or will they still see themselves as Christians at all? Even if these students' faith remains intact, what beliefs will be the hardest for them to believe and to defend? In this special back-to-school episode, Garrick Bailey and Timothy Paul Jones are joined by Dr. Grady Adkins and Dr. Joshua Swindall, two researchers who have spent the past year exploring which specific Christian beliefs are the most difficult for college students to believe and to defend. Now, Grady and Joshua are broadcasting the results of their research for the first time in the first half of this week's program. In the second half of the program, Garrick and Timothy dig deeper into the nature of faith by looking at biblical faith through the lens of one of the greatest rock hits of all time, "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey. Along the way, your intrepid hosts search unsuccessfully for south Detroit, contemplate what sort of people “streetlight people” might be, and discover a strange and mysterious link between the band Journey and prosperity preacher Paula White. As if this week's back-to-school episode wasn't strange enough already, the Infinity Gauntlet pits midichlorians against mutant powers, forcing a showdown between the Jedi and the X-Men that you won't soon forget.

Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

In this Episode

Grady Adkins, Ed.D., is Executive Pastor of Coram Deo Bible Church in Davenport, Iowa. Grady has been married to Alissa since 1998 and they have four lively, red-headed children: Landon, Reagan, Griffin, and Rowen. Joshua Swindall, Ed.D., is the headmaster at Cullman Christian School in Cullman, Alabama. Joshua and his family attend Crosshaven Church, where he serves as the student minister.

Questions to Discuss

1. What Christian beliefs do college students struggle most to believe and to defend?

2. Why does college seem to have a corrosive effect on students' faith?

3. How can churches prepare children and students to persist in their faith in college, in light of what you have learned in this episode?

Links to Click

If you're interested in learning more about how to help children and college students keep their faith, one great place to start is Perspectives on Family Ministry, edited by Timothy Paul Jones. To learn more about this book, visit http://www.bhacademic.com

B and H Academic

The Institutes of the Christian Religion: book by John Calvin

Soul Searching: book by Christian Smith

"Don't Stop Believin'": song by Journey

"Like a Rolling Stone": song by Bob Dylan

"All Along the Watchtower": song by Jimi Hendrix

"Sweet Child O'Mine": song by Guns N' Roses

"Highway to Hell": song by AC/DC

Trial by Fire: album by Journey

ThreeChordsApologetics.com

If you are interested in earning a master’s degree online or on campus that will equip you with the most comprehensive apologetics training available anywhere, go to http://www.sbts.edu/bgs/degree-programs/mdiv/apologetics/

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by the band Vegan Friendly—even though neither Garrick nor Timothy has ever been vegan friendly. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. "The fair use of a copyrighted work ... for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, ... scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright" (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Three Chords and the Truth Live: Questions and Answers about Creation, Resurrection, the Canon of Scripture, and the Problem of Evil

In this special episode of Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast, Timothy Paul Jones and Garrick Bailey join the student ministry at Five Oaks Church, which gathers near the metropolis of Minneapolis in the wild and crazy land of Minnesota. Students from Five Oaks ask questions about how God created the cosmos, how Moses found out about the creation of the world, whether Jesus was really raised from the dead, how the books of the Bible were selected, and how a good God can allow evil. Timothy allows one question from someone who may not be a Minnesotan, which leads to a heated debate over the popularity of the name “Agnes” in the vast tracts of trees, tundra, and lakes that constitute America’s Great North. Along the way, the student minister from Five Oaks answers a question from the Infinity Gauntlet, and the students are shocked to discover that their leader likes Superman, "Baba O'Riley," and "Bohemian Rhapsody" but can't stand America.

A new giveaway in partnership with Kyser Musical Products provides you with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win one of four limited-edition capos---unless you're not a guitar player, in which case these are not capos but the most amazing clips for your family-sized bags of tortilla chips that you could ever imagine. Whether you choose to use them as capos, chip clips, hair clips, or computer cable organizers, you'll need to listen to this episode to find out how to win one. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS. 

Questions to Consider and Discuss

1. What is apologetics and why does it matter?

2. Is the creation story metaphorical or did Moses describe it exactly the way it happened? How do we know the Bible's creation story is true if it is written by someone who did not witness it?

3. How can we know that Jesus actually died on the cross and rose from the dead? What about the hallucination hypothesis?

4. How is Christianity different from other religions?

5. Who chose which books and letters that would comprise the Bible? Why is it that the Roman Catholic Old Testament is different from the Old Testament in Protestant Bibles?

6. How can we still believe that God is a loving God when tragedies occur?

Links to Click

If you’re interested in learning more about how to engage people who are skeptical about the truth of the Bible, one great place to start is Truth in a Culture of Doubt by Josh Chatraw and Darrell Bock. To learn more about this book, visit http://www.bhacademic.com

B and H Academic

"Baba O'Riley": song by The Who

"Bohemian Rhapsody": song by Queen

"The Star Spangled Banner": song by Jimi Hendrix

"My Passion": song by Hollis Berry and Timothy Paul Jones, performed by Encomia and Smudge

Reformed Dogmatics : Volume 1: Prolegomena: book by Herman Bavinck

The City of God: book by Augustine of Hippo

Annals: book by Publius Cornelius Tacitus

Homilies on Joshua: book by Origen of Alexandria

"Biblical Reasons to Doubt the Creation Days Were 24-Hour Periods": article by Justin Taylor

Kyser Musical Products

ThreeChordsApologetics.com

If you are interested in earning a master’s degree online or on campus that will equip you with the most comprehensive apologetics training available anywhere, go to http://www.sbts.edu/bgs/degree-programs/mdiv/apologetics/

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B and H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by the band Vegan Friendly—even though neither Garrick nor Timothy has ever been vegan friendly. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. "The fair use of a copyrighted work ... for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, ... scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright" (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use). 

Sean McDowell: Did the Apostles Really Die for Their Faith? + “Dust in the Wind” (Kansas)

One of the strongest evidences for the truth of the resurrection of Jesus is the martyrdom of his apostles in the decades that followed his death---or at least that's what many Christian apologists have claimed. But is this claim sustainable on the basis of historical evidence? Did nearly all of the first followers of Jesus really give their lives rather than turn away from what they professed and proclaimed? The answer to this question is complicated, but it's crucial for every Christian to know the facts. In the first half of today's program, Garrick Bailey and Timothy Paul Jones explore this difficult question with Sean McDowell---apologist, professor, and author of the book The Fate of the Apostles. In the second half, Garrick and Timothy go searching for divine truth in the classic hit from Kansas "Dust in the Wind." Along the way, Garrick and Timothy talk about the book of Ecclesiastes, the best and the worst high school graduation songs ever, and how Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure introduced Garrick to Kansas and Socrates. As always, your intrepid hosts dare to plunge a fist into the Infinity Gauntlet to draw forth one of humanity's most perplexing dilemmas; this week's challenge forces Obi-Wan Kenobi to face Albus Dumbledore in a duel that only one white-bearded warrior can survive. The battle also reveals a shocking gap in Sean McDowell's knowledge that could irreparably undermine his geek credibility.

Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

In this Episode

Sean McDowell, Ph.D., is associate professor in the Christian apologetics program at Biola University and the resident scholar for Summit California. He earned his doctorate in apologetics from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. McDowell is the author, co-author, or editor of many books including So The Next Generation Will Know (David C. Cook, 2019); Sharing the Good News with Mormons (Harvest House, 2018); and, Evidence that Demands a Verdict (Harper Collins, 2017). Follow Dr. McDowell on Twitter at @Sean_McDowell

Questions to Discuss about the Fate of the Apostles

1. What was the fate of the apostles?

2. What are some stories related to the deaths of the apostles that Christians might sometimes believe without adequate evidence?

3. Why does it matter that some people who walked and talked with Jesus may have died for their faith in him?

Links to Click

If you’re interested in learning more about how to engage people who are skeptical about the truth of the Bible, one great place to start is Truth in a Culture of Doubt by Josh Chatraw and Darrell Bock. To learn more about this book, visit http://www.bhacademic.com

B and H Academic

The Fate of the Apostles: book by Sean McDowell

So The Next Generation Will Know: book by Sean McDowell and J. Warner Wallace

Moral Letters (101:14): epistle by Seneca the Younger

To Marcia on Consolation (20:3): composition by Seneca the Younger

Martyrdom of Polycarp (8—9): epistle from the church in Smyrna

“Summer of ‘69”: song by Bryan Adams

"Unwritten": song by Natasha Bedingfield

"I Hope You Dance": song by Lee Ann Womack

"Right Now": song by Van Halen

"Firework": song by Katy Perry

"Photograph": song by Nickelback

"What's This Life For": song by Creed

"Good Riddance": song by Green Day

"My Last Semester": song by The Wonder Years

"Friends": song by Michael W. Smith

"Dust in the Wind": song by Kansas

"Sweet Child O' Mine": song by Guns N' Roses

"Carry On Wayward Son": song by Kansas

“I Believe I Can Fly”: song by R. Kelly

“One”: song by U2

"Vinyl Confessions": album by Kansas

Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure: movie from 1989

“The Search for the Shining Face”: exposition of Ecclesiastes 7 by Timothy Paul Jones

ThreeChordsApologetics.com

If you are interested in earning a master’s degree online or on campus that will equip you with the most comprehensive apologetics training available anywhere, go to http://www.sbts.edu/bgs/degree-programs/mdiv/apologetics/

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by the band Vegan Friendly—even though neither Garrick nor Timothy has ever been vegan friendly. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. "The fair use of a copyrighted work ... for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, ... scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright" (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Sean McDowell: Resurrection, Sacrifice, and Why Sean McDowell Didn’t Love Avengers: Endgame + “Hotel California” (The Eagles)

Avengers: Endgame has now passed James Cameron's Avatar and claimed second place on the list of highest-grossing films of all time in North America. In the previous episode of Three Chords and the Truth, Garrick Bailey and Timothy Paul Jones focused on the metanarrative and the ethical foundations of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In this episode, apologetics professor and superhero super-fan extraordinaire Sean McDowell joins Garrick and Timothy to talk about love, sacrifice, superheroes, and resurrection. In the process, Sean McDowell reveals why he didn't love Avengers: Endgame and why Garrick and Timothy might both be wrong about what would happen if Batman went to war against Iron Man. In the second half of the program, Garrick and Timothy go looking for transcendent truth in the Grammy Award-winning classic "Hotel California." Along the way, they talk about Sehnsucht, plagiarism, and that one time when Timothy was looking for the founder of the Church of Satan but couldn't find him.

Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

In this Episode with Sean McDowell

Sean McDowell, Ph.D., is associate professor in the Christian apologetics program at Biola University and the resident scholar for Summit California. He earned his doctorate in apologetics from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. McDowell is the author, co-author, or editor of nearly twenty books including So The Next Generation Will Know (David C. Cook, 2019), Sharing the Good News with Mormons (Harvest House, 2018), and Evidence that Demands a Verdict (Harper Collins, 2017). Follow Dr. McDowell on Twitter at @Sean_McDowell.

Questions to Discuss

1. Why does the theme of sacrifice and resurrection recur in so many superhero films?

2. What has been the most significant moment from the perspective of the themes of sacrifice and resurrection in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

3. What was the most significant moment from the perspective of the themes of sacrifice and resurrection in the film Avengers: Endgame?

4. How will the rise of secularity shape the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Links to Click

B and H Academic

Superheroes Can’t Save You: book by Todd Miles

So The Next Generation Will Know: book by Sean McDowell and J. Warner Wallace

The Weight of Glory: book by C. S. Lewis

Confessions: book by Augustine of Hippo

The Magus: novel by John Fowles

"Hotel California": song by the Eagles

"We Used to Know": song by Jethro Tull

"Desperado": song by the Eagles

"Life's Been Good": song by Joe Walsh

"Running on Empty": song by Jackson Browne

"Tumbleweed": song by Joan Baez

"Comfortably Numb": song by Pink Floyd

"Spider-Man": song covered by the Ramones

ThreeChordsApologetics.com

If you are interested in earning a master’s degree online or on campus that will equip you with the most comprehensive apologetics training available anywhere, go to http://www.sbts.edu/bgs/degree-programs/mdiv/apologetics/

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by the band Vegan Friendly—even though neither Garrick nor Timothy has ever been vegan friendly. Brief excerpts of music played in the second half of each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. "The fair use of a copyrighted work ... for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, ... scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright" (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use). 

Three Chords and the Truth Goes to the Movies: Avengers: Endgame

In the 1960s, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby began creating comic book storylines that were interconnected in a shared universe and told a single story through many individual stories. In the early twenty-first century, that's what Marvel Studios decided to do through the films that became the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The first of these films was released in 2008. Now—eleven years and twenty-two films later—all of these storylines have culminated in a single film, Avengers: Endgame. In this special episode of Three Chords and the Truth, Garrick Bailey and Timothy Paul Jones take a careful look at Avengers: Endgame. The resulting discussion covers everything from humanity's inescapable yearning for a metanarrative to the philosophical foundations that undergird the ethics of Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor. A bizarre link between the Infinity Gauntlet and the bones of the sixteenth-century nun Teresa de Jesus also makes an appearance. This week's question from the Infinity Gauntlet pits Sting—the elven blade borne by Bilbo and Frodo—against Mjolnir, the mythical hammer carried by Thor.

Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

Questions to Discuss

1. What does the popularity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe tell us about ourselves and about the stories we tell?

2. How specifically does Avengers: Endgame elicit an awareness of the goodness of God’s creation?

3. In this film, what is it that’s broken and fallen that the heroes are seeking to repair? 

4. How does Avengers: Endgame intersect with a biblical understanding of redemption?

5. Are there any places in Avengers: Endgame that we glimpse fragments of God’s truth about the end of time?

Links to Click

B and H Academic

"Spidey Meets the Prankster": from the 1974-1977 feature on the PBS program The Electric Company

Superheroes Can’t Save You: book by Todd Miles

After Virtue: book by Alasdair MacIntyre

The Inklings: book by Humphrey Carpenter

A Secular Age: book by Charles Taylor

Reformed Dogmatics: Volume 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation: book by Herman Bavinck

How (Not) to Be Secular: book by James K.A. Smith

Our Secular Age: book edited by Collin Hansen

"A Super Group Takes the Screen": article by Tom Russo

"Kissing the Hand of Saint Teresa in Ronda": article with photographs about the reliquary for the hand of Teresa of Avila

"Comic-Book Superheroes in a Christian Worldview": article by Timothy Paul Jones

Avengers: Endgame: music by Alan Silvestri

Encomia: song by Encomia

ThreeChordsApologetics.com

If you are interested in earning a master’s degree online or on campus that will equip you with the most comprehensive apologetics training available anywhere, go to http://www.sbts.edu/bgs/degree-programs/mdiv/apologetics/

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast (Apple / Android / RSS).

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned on Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones @GarrickBailey @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by the band Vegan Friendly—even though neither Garrick nor Timothy has ever been vegan friendly. Brief excerpts of music played in this program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. "The fair use of a copyrighted work ... for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, ... scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright" (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Robert Plummer: How Did Judas Iscariot Really Die? + “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” (Blue Öyster Cult)

Welcome to the Death and Cowbells episode of Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast! One of the most difficult dilemmas in the entire Bible has to do with how Judas Iscariot actually died. According to Matthew’s Gospel, Judas hanged himself, and priests purchased the field where he died for thirty pieces of silver. But, according to the book of Acts, Judas fell headfirst in a field that he had acquired and his intestines burst out. So which is it? And what does this mean for how we read the New Testament? Today, in the Three Chords segment of the program, Dr. Robert Plummer joins Timothy and Garrick to discuss the fate of Judas Iscariot. In the Truth segment, your intrepid cohosts discuss a Christian theology of death by examining “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” by the Blue Öyster Cult--which ends up leading to discussions about the Milford Oyster Festival and whether Eddie Money is still alive. This week’s question from the Infinity Gauntlet places the two greatest comic-book movie trilogies ever—DC’s Dark Knight trilogy and MCU’s Captain America trilogy—in the ring to face each other in a battle to the death. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

In this Episode

Robert Plummer, Ph.D., is professor of New Testament interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and host of the Daily Dose of Greek screencast. He is the author or editor of several books, including Going Deeper with New Testament Greek (B&H, 2016) and 40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible (Kregel, 2010). Follow Dr. Plummer on Twitter at @dailygreek.

Questions to Discuss

1. According to Matthew 27, Judas hanged himself; according to Acts 1, he fell headfirst and his intestines burst out. How did Judas actually die, by falling or by hanging?

2. According to Matthew, it was the priests who bought the field where Judas bought the farm; according to Acts, Judas bought it himself. Who actually purchased the Field of Blood?

3. There is another account of the death of Judas that comes from an individual named Papias, who was a leader in the second-century. According to his account, Judas was cut down after trying to hang himself, and he was later run over by a wagon. Should these words from Papias have any impact on the way we approach this apparent discrepancy?

Links to Click

If you want to dig deeper into the historical integrity of the New Testament, one great place to start is In Defense of the Bible, edited by Terry Wilder and Steven Cowan. To download a sample chapter, visit http://www.bhacademic.com

B&H Academic

40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible: book by Robert Plummer

Daily Dose of Greek: resource by Robert Plummer

Remember Death: book by Matthew McCullough

The Pornography of Death: article by Matthew McCullough

Swimming in a Sea of Death: book by David Rieff

The Myth of Sisyphus: novel by Albert Camus

Unanswered Prayers and the Love of God: article by Eduardo Echeverria

(Don't Fear) The Reaper: song by Blue Öyster Cult

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald: song by Gordon Lightfoot

Black Sabbath: song by Black Sabbath

I Wanna Go Back: song by Eddie Money

Milford Oyster Festival: community event in Milford, Connecticut

ThreeChordsApologetics.com

If you are interested in earning a master’s degree online or on campus that will equip you with the most comprehensive apologetics training available anywhere, go to http://www.sbts.edu/bgs/degree-programs/mdiv/apologetics/

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast (Apple / Android / RSS).

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by the band Vegan Friendly—even though neither Garrick nor Timothy has ever been vegan friendly. Brief excerpts of music played in the second half of each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. "The fair use of a copyrighted work ... for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, ... scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright" (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Tom Schreiner: The Earliest Christian Confession about the Resurrection + “Cat’s in the Cradle” (Harry Chapin)

Was Jesus really raised from the dead? Every aspect of the Christian faith hinges on this single claim. On this Holy Week episode of Three Chords and the Truth, New Testament scholar Dr. Thomas Schreiner joins Garrick and Timothy to talk about what Paul says about the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15. Then, in the second half of the program, Garrick and Timothy review a song that’s almost always ascribed to the wrong artists. The dilemma drawn from the Infinity Gauntlet this week forces a painful choice between the Jedi Temple and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Dr. Schreiner chooses an option that's completely different from Timothy's or Garrick's, which almost certainly means that Timothy and Garrick were wrong.

Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

In this Episode

Thomas Schreiner, Ph.D., is James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation and Professor of Biblical Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary where he also serves as Associate Dean of the School of Theology. Dr. Schreiner is the author or editor of many books including, Romans (Baker: 2018); The Race Set Before Us (IVP Academic: 2001); and Spiritual Gifts (B&H: 2018). Follow Dr. Schreiner on Twitter at @DrTomSchreiner

Questions to Discuss

1. What is the context of 1 Corinthians 15:3-7, one of the earliest surviving Christian confessions about the resurrection?

2. What are the specific implications of the words "passed on" and "received" in 1 Corinthians 15:3?

3. What would you say to someone who is struggling to believe that Jesus was actually raised from the dead?

Links to Click

If you want to dig deeper into the historical integrity of the New Testament, one great place to start is In Defense of the Bible, edited by Terry Wilder and Steven Cowan. To download a sample chapter, visit http://www.bhacademic.com

* B&H Academic

* 1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary: book by Thomas Schreiner

* Interpreting the Pauline Epistles: book by Thomas Schreiner

* Paul, Apostle of God's Glory in Christ: book by Thomas Schreiner

* Interview with Thomas R. Schreiner: an author interview from Books At a Glance

* Cars, Coffee, Theology 1:1: dialogue between Thomas Schreiner and Jonathan Pennington

* Father and Son: song by Cat Stevens

* Cat's In the Cradle: song by Ugly Kid Joe

* Cat's In the Cradle: song by Harry Chapin

* It'll Come Back: song by Red Sovine

* ThreeChordsApologetics.com

If you are interested in earning a master’s degree online or on campus that will equip you with the most comprehensive apologetics training available anywhere, go to http://www.sbts.edu/bgs/degree-programs/mdiv/apologetics/

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by the band Vegan Friendly—even though neither Garrick nor Timothy has ever been vegan friendly. Brief excerpts of music played in the second half of each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. "The fair use of a copyrighted work ... for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, ... scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright" (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use). 

Robert Plummer: Historical Evidence for Supernatural Signs at the Death of Jesus + “American Pie” (Don McLean)

According to the New Testament Gospels, the death of Jesus was accompanied by all sorts of signs and wonders, including supernatural happenings connected with the temple in Jerusalem. But is there any evidence outside the New Testament that any of these events really happened? As it turns out, there could be. That’s what Garrick and Timothy explore in this episode with renowned New Testament scholar Dr. Rob Plummer. In the second half, Garrick and Timothy go looking for God’s truth in Don McLean’s classic song “American Pie.”

In this Episode

Robert Plummer, Ph.D., is professor of New Testament interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and host of the Daily Dose of Greek screencast. He is the author or editor of several books, including Going Deeper with New Testament Greek (B&H, 2016) and 40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible (Kregel, 2010). Follow Dr. Plummer on Twitter at @dailygreek.

Questions to Discuss

1. When it comes to the events that accompanied the death of Jesus, the Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—claim that the sun was darkened, the earth shook, and the veil in the temple was torn in two. What was this curtain and why can’t we go see it today?

2. Is there any evidence in Jewish rabbinic writings that any of these miraculous events really happened?

3. What about other sources outside the New Testament? Do they say anything about extraordinary events around the time of the death of Jesus?

Links to Click

B&H Academic

Josephus: The Essential Works: book by Josephus

NIV Archaeological Study Bible: study Bible by Zondervan

Something Awry in the Temple?: article by Robert Plummer

The Veil of the Temple in History and Legend: article by Daniel Gurtner

American Pie: song by Don McLean

That’ll Be the Day: song by Buddy Holly

'American Pie' Lyrics Sell for $1.2 Million: news by CNN

Under My Thumb: song by The Rolling Stones at Altamont '69

ThreeChordsApologetics.com

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast (Apple Podcasts / Android / RSS)

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by the band Vegan Friendly—even though neither Garrick nor Timothy has ever been vegan friendly. Brief excerpts of music played in the second half of each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. "The fair use of a copyrighted work ... for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, ... scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright" (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Todd Miles: Jesus, Superman, Captain America, and Other Resurrected Superheroes + “The Great American Novel” (Larry Norman)

So what do Superman, Captain America, Professor X, and Jesus Christ all have in common? According to the canonical accounts of their lives, each one has been raised from the dead. So why is it that, even in fiction, humans yearn for heroes who die and return to life? That’s one of the questions that apologist and bestselling author Timothy Paul Jones explores in this episode with cohost Garrick Bailey and guest Todd Miles. In the second half, Garrick and Timothy go digging for God’s truth in the music of Larry Norman, the father of Christian rock--and, as it turns out, someone that Garrick had never even heard about until recently. This week's dilemma from the Infinity Gauntlet leads to a deadly duel between Jedi Master Yoda and Gandalf the White.

In this Episode

Todd Miles, Ph.D. is professor of theology at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. He is the author of the B&H Academic titles Superheroes Can’t Save You (2018) and A God of Many Understandings? (2010).

Questions to Discuss

1. In Infinity War, Rocket Raccoon asks Thor about his brother Loki who has just died. Thor’s reply is, “Well, he’s been dead before” which is a reminder of how frequently death is temporary in comic-book universes. What are some of the best comic-book resurrection stories?

2. Why is there a recurrent theme of sacrifice, death, and resurrection in the comic books?

3. How might the rise of secularity reshape superhero stories now and in the future?

Links to Click

B&H Academic

Superheroes Can’t Save You: book by Todd Miles

A God of Many Understandings?: book by Todd Miles

The Gospel According to Superheroes: book with foreword by Stan Lee (Google Preview)

Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?: book by Greg Thornbury

The Great American Novel: song by Larry Norman

Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?: song by Larry Norman

Why Don't You Look Into Jesus?: song by Larry Norman

Jesus Sound Explosion: vinyl LP recorded at Explo '72

ThreeChordsApologetics.com

How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is

Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast (Apple Podcasts / Android / RSS)

2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.

3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.

4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones  @GarrickBailey  @ApologeticsPod 

The Closing Credits

Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship.

Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by the band Vegan Friendly—even though neither Garrick nor Timothy has ever been vegan friendly.

Brief excerpts of music played in the second half of each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. "The fair use of a copyrighted work ... for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, ... scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright" (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Timothy Paul Jones: Is There Enough Historical Evidence to Believe Jesus Was Raised from the Dead? + “Spirit in the Sky” (Norman Greenbaum)

Atheist Richard Dawkins has defined faith as “a state of mind that leads people to believe something—it doesn’t matter what—in the total absence of supporting evidence.” But is the evidence for Christian faith really that weak? On this week's episode of Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast, Timothy and Garrick explore historical evidences for the resurrection of Jesus Christ; then, in the second half of the show, they take a look at the theology of “Spirit in the Sky” by Norman Greenbaum. This week's question from the Infinity Gauntlet pits J.K. Rowling's Elder Wand in a battle to the death against J.R.R.Tolkien's One Ring.

What Questions Do We Discuss in this Episode about Historical Evidences for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ?

1. How is it that Richard Dawkins can claim there is a “total absence of supporting evidence” for faith?

2. What are some of the ways that historians determine what claims about the past are most plausible?

3. What are the results when we apply these approaches to historical evidence that relates to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus?

What Resources Do We Recommend?

If you want to dig deeper into apologetics, one great place to start is Reasons for Our Hope by H. Wayne House and Dennis Jowers. To download a sample chapter, visit http://www.bhacademic.com 

* N.T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God

* Michael R. Licona, The Resurrection of Jesus

* The Bible Project, "Heaven and Earth"

* Jonathan T. Pennington, Heaven and Earth in the Gospel of Matthew

If you are interested in earning a master's degree online or on campus that will equip you with the most comprehensive apologetics training available anywhere, go to http://www.sbts.edu/bgs/degree-programs/mdiv/apologetics/

What Are We Discussing in the Next Episode?

So what do Superman, Captain America, Professor X, and Jesus Christ all have in common? According to the canonical accounts of their lives, each one has been raised from the dead. So why is it that, even in fiction, humans yearn for heroes who die and return to life? In the next episode, Timothy explores these questions with cohost Garrick Bailey and Western Seminary professor Todd Miles. In the second half of the program, Garrick and Timothy go digging for God’s truth in the music of Larry Norman, the father of Christian rock. This week's dilemma from the Infinity Gauntlet leads to a deadly duel between Jedi Master Yoda and Gandalf the White.

Do You Have Any Questions?

If you have a question or a suggestion for a future episode, ask us on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/ApologeticsPod. If you want to subscribe to the podcast, click here. If you’re interested in supporting this podcast, in suggesting future songs or topics, or in ordering Three Chords and the Truth merchandise, visit https://www.patreon.com/ThreeChordsandtheTruth.

What Else Do You Need to Know?

Music for the podcast has been licensed through ArtList.io and performed by the band Vegan Friendly---even though neither Garrick nor Timothy has ever been vegan friendly. Music identified as having been composed by Timothy Paul Jones may not be reproduced, used, adapted, or performed in any other context without his express written permission, except for the purposes of review with acknowledgment of the source. Brief excerpts of music played in the second half of each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. "The fair use of a copyrighted work ... for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, ... scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright" (17 U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use). 

Timothy Paul Jones: The Cross and the Lynching Tree + “The Star-Spangled Banner” (Jimi Hendrix)

So what happened to the body of Jesus after his death on the cross? According to the New Testament Gospels, his body was buried in a tomb and raised on the third day. And yet, according to some scholars, the body of Jesus was abandoned and consumed by wild beasts. How can we know that Jesus was actually buried? What was the meaning of the cross in the ancient world? And what does this mean for the ways that Christians understand the crucifixion today?

In the second half, Timothy and Garrick go searching for truth in a song that Jimi Hendrix played at Woodstock and discover a yearning for justice that God has placed in every human heart. Then, we'll reach inside the Infinity Gauntlet and pit Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters against Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

What Questions Do We Discuss in this Episode?

1. How did people in the ancient world perceive the practice of crucifixion?

2. Pastors and Bible teachers sometimes compare crucifixion in the ancient world to the electric chair today. What works in this analogy and what doesn’t?

3. According to the New Testament Gospels, the body of Jesus was buried in a tomb and raised on the third day. And yet, John Dominic Crossan and some other scholars claim that the body of Jesus was left on the cross or thrown in a communal grave to be consumed by animals. What is the evidence for Crossan's claim?

4. How do the perceptions and practices of crucifixion in the ancient world support what we read in the New Testament Gospels?

What Resources Do We Recommend?

If you want to dig deeper, one great place to start is Reasons for Our Hope by H. Wayne House and Dennis Jowers. To download a sample chapter, visit http://www.bhacademic.com 

* James Cone, The Cross and the Lynching Tree. For an evenhanded review of the strengths of this book and of the problems with Cone's understanding of the death of Christ in relation to the gospel, see "When He Died Upon the Tree" by Bruce Fields.

* Martin Hengel, Crucifixion.

If you are interested in earning a master's degree online or on campus that will equip you with the most comprehensive apologetics training available anywhere, go to http://www.sbts.edu/bgs/degree-programs/mdiv/apologetics/

What Are We Discussing in the Next Episode?

Atheist Richard Dawkins has defined faith as “a state of mind that leads people to believe something—it doesn’t matter what—in the total absence of supporting evidence.” But is the evidence for Christian faith really that weak? In the next episode, Timothy and Garrick explore historical evidences for the resurrection of Jesus Christ; then, in the second half of the show, they take a look at the theology of “Spirit in the Sky” by Norman Greenbaum.

Do You Have Any Questions?

If you have a question or a suggestion for a future episode, ask us on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/ApologeticsPod. If you want to subscribe to the podcast, click here. If you’re interested in supporting this podcast, in suggesting future songs or topics, or in ordering Three Chords and the Truth merchandise, visit https://www.patreon.com/ThreeChordsandtheTruth.

What Else Do You Need to Know?

Music for the podcast has been licensed through ArtList.io and performed by the band Vegan Friendly—even though neither Garrick nor Timothy has ever been vegan friendly. Music identified as having been composed by Timothy Paul Jones may not be reproduced, used, adapted, or performed in any other context without his express written permission, except for the purposes of review with acknowledgment of the source. Brief excerpts of music played in the second half of each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. "The fair use of a copyrighted work ... for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, ... scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright" (17 U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use). 

Jonathan Pennington: Truth and Testimony in the New Testament Gospels + “All Along the Watchtower” (Jimi Hendrix)

According to bestselling biblical scholar Bart Ehrman, the New Testament Gospels “were not written … by people who were eyewitnesses, but by people living later.” Many of the stories about Jesus were—as Ehrman sees it—fabricated in the context of early Christian communities. Ehrman goes on to say that “sometimes Christian apologists say there are only three options to who Jesus was: a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord. But there could be a fourth option—legend.” And legend is the possibility for which Ehrman argues.

But is it true that the circulation of stories by word of mouth necessarily results in changes that turn testimony into legend?

That’s the dilemma that Timothy Paul Jones and Garrick Bailey discuss with New Testament scholar Jonathan Pennington on the Three Chords segment of the show.

Then, in the second half of the program, Garrick and Timothy go looking for God’s truth in Jimi Hendrix’s cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower.” This week’s encounter with the ever-dangerous Infinity Gauntlet pits Thanos with the Infinity Stones against Sauron with the One Ring.

What Questions Do We Discuss in this Episode?

1. What is eyewitness testimony and why does it matter to Christians?

2. How much does it really matter whether any of the claims in the Gospels can be traced back to eyewitness testimonies of truth?

3. According to Richard Bauckham, the Jesus traditions that we find in the New Testament Gospels originated with known and named witnesses that Christians in the first century knew personally. How should this shape the way that we read and receive the Gospels?

What Resources Do We Recommend?

If you want to dig deeper, one great place to start is Reasons for Our Hope by H. Wayne House and Dennis Jowers. To download a sample chapter, visit http://www.bhacademic.com 

* Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses.

* Armin Baum, “Content and Form,” Journal of Biblical Literature.

If you are interested in earning a master’s degree online or on campus that will equip you with the most comprehensive apologetics training available anywhere, go to http://www.sbts.edu/bgs/degree-programs/mdiv/apologetics/

What Are We Discussing in the Next Episode?

What happened to the body of Jesus after his death on the cross? How do we know that Jesus was actually buried? Timothy and Garrick explore these questions in the first half of the program. In the second half, they search for truth in a song that Jimi Hendrix played at Woodstock and discover a yearning for justice that God has placed in every human heart that leads us to protest injustice. Then, they reach inside the Infinity Gauntlet and pit Charles Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters against Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Do You Have Any Questions?

If you have a question or a suggestion for a future episode, ask us on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/ApologeticsPod.

If you want to subscribe to the podcast, go to https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/three-chords-and-the-truth-the-apologetics-podcast/id1454538161?mt=2&i=1000432573465.

If you’re interested in supporting this podcast, in suggesting future songs or topics, or in ordering Three Chords and the Truth merchandise, visit https://www.patreon.com/ThreeChordsandtheTruth.

What Else Do You Need to Know?

Music for the podcast has been licensed through ArtList.io and performed by the band Vegan Friendly—even though neither Garrick nor Timothy has ever been vegan friendly. 

Music identified as having been composed by Timothy Paul Jones may not be reproduced, used, adapted, or performed in any other context without his express written permission, except for the purposes of review with acknowledgment of the source.

Brief excerpts of music played in the second half of each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (17 U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Timothy Paul Jones: God, Humanity, and Gender in Captain Marvel + “All Along the Watchtower” (Bob Dylan)

At first, Vers seems like an ordinary alien with an extraordinary power. But, in her dreams, she remembers that she was once something different---and perhaps even something greater. That's how Captain Marvel, the newest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe begins. In this special episode of Three Chords and the Truth, Garrick and Timothy take a look at Captain Marvel and the larger metanarrative of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Then, in the second half, Garrick reveals his wrong opinions about Bob Dylan as he and Timothy examine the song that inspired this podcast in the first place, "All Along the Watchtower." This week, the Infinity Gauntlet throws the webslinging wonder Peter Parker into the ring against the mighty Shazam.

What Apologetics Questions Do We Discuss in this Episode?

1. What is the view of God in Captain Marvel?

2. What view of humanity does the movie portray?

3. What is the overarching metanarrative of the Bible?

 What Resources Do We Recommend?

If you want to dig deeper, one great place to start is Reasons for Our Hope by H. Wayne House and Dennis Jowers. To download a sample chapter, visit http://www.bhacademic.com 

* Superheroes Can't Save You by Todd Miles

* ”Repressive Tolerance” by Herbert Marcuse. This primary-source document will help you to understand the ideology that accompanied the rise of the New Left.

If you are interested in earning a master's degree online or on campus that will equip you with the most comprehensive training available anywhere, go to http://www.sbts.edu/bgs/degree-programs/mdiv/apologetics/

What Are We Discussing in the Next Episode?

In the Three Chords segment, Timothy and Garrick discuss with New Testament scholar Jonathan Pennington on the nature of the New Testament Gospels. In the second half of the program, Garrick and Timothy go looking for God's truth in Jimi Hendrix's cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower."

Do You Have Any Questions?

If you have a question or a suggestion for a future episode, ask us on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/ApologeticsPod

Subscribe to the podcast here.

Visit https://www.patreon.com/ThreeChordsandtheTruth if you’re interested in supporting this podcast financially, suggesting future songs or topics, or ordering Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.

Timothy Paul Jones: What Is Apologetics? + “Age of Aquarius” (Fifth Dimension)

What is “apologetics” and why should Christians care about this topic at all? That’s the issue that bestselling author Timothy Paul Jones and theologian Garrick Bailey tackle in this episode of Three Chords and the Truth—but that’s not all! No episode is ever complete until we draw a mystery question from the Infinity Gauntlet and talk about the the history of rock and roll. This week, the mystery question pits DC against Marvel, and we go searching for divine truth in an almost-forgotten song entitled “The Age of Aquarius” and in the early decades of rock and roll.

What Apologetics Questions Do We Discuss in this Episode?

1. What is apologetics?

2. What will look different in a church when the people begin to value apologetics?

3. Is it possible for a church to focus so much on apologetics that apologetics becomes a distraction from the gospel?

What Resources Do We Recommend?

If you want to dig deeper, one great place to start is Reasons for Our Hope by H. Wayne House and Dennis Jowers. To download a sample chapter, visit http://www.bhacademic.com 

* Urban Apologetics by Chris Brooks

* Apologetics at the Cross by Mark Allen and Josh Chatraw

If you are interested in earning a master's degree online or on campus that will equip you with the most comprehensive training available anywhere, go to http://www.sbts.edu/bgs/degree-programs/mdiv/apologetics/

What Are We Discussing in the Next Episode?

In the Three Chords segment, Timothy and Garrick take a look at Captain Marvel and the larger metanarrative of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Then, in the second half, Garrick reveals his wrong opinions about Bob Dylan as he and Timothy examine the song that inspired this podcast in the first place, "All Along the Watchtower."

Do You Have Any Questions?

If you have a question or a suggestion for a future episode, ask us on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/ApologeticsPod

Subscribe to the podcast at http://ThreeChordsApologetics.PodBean.com

If you want to support the podcast, recommend songs for the podcast, or receive exclusive Three Chords and the Truth merchandise, go to http://www.patreon.com/ThreeChordsandtheTruth

Timothy Paul Jones: Why Apologetics Matters + “God Gave Rock and Roll to You” (KISS)

Welcome to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast, the new podcast that brings together apologetics, theology, and the history of rock and roll. In the Three Chords segment of this week’s program, Garrick Bailey and I talk about why apologetics matters to us; then, in the Truth segment, we learn about the doctrine of common grace as we consider Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey and the classic hit by Argent and KISS “God Gave Rock and Roll to You.” 

What Apologetics Questions Do We Discuss in this Episode?

1. Why does apologetics matter?

2. What are the primary apologetics dilemmas that every believer must face as their faith matures?

3. What is the doctrine of common grace?

4. How does the doctrine of common grace strengthen and support apologetics?

What Resources Do We Recommend?

If you want to dig deeper into apologetics, one great place to start is Reasons for Our Hope by H. Wayne House and Dennis Jowers. To download a sample chapter, visit http://www.bhacademic.com. A special thank you to B&H Academic for their support.

* Urban Apologetics by Chris Brooks

* Apologetics at the Cross by Mark Allen and Josh Chatraw

What Are We Discussing in the Next Episode?

In the Three Chords segment, Timothy and Garrick explore the question, "What is apologetics?" Then, in the Truth segment, they go digging for divine truth in "Age of Aquarius" and the early history of rock and roll. 

Do You Have Any Questions?

If you have a question or a suggestion for a future episode, ask us on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/ApologeticsPod

Subscribe to the podcast at http://ThreeChordsApologetics.PodBean.com

If you want to support the podcast, recommend songs for the podcast, or receive exclusive Three Chords and the Truth merchandise, go to http://www.patreon.com/ThreeChordsandtheTruth

Three Chords and the Truth Trailer

Welcome to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast! In each episode of this engaging new podcast, bestselling apologetics author Timothy Paul Jones joins with cohost Garrick Bailey and top biblical scholars to wrestle with questions related to evidence for the truth of Christianity. Then, in the second half of the show, Garrick and Timothy take a theological look at a classic hit from the history of American rock and roll.