2019-10
2019-10
Tuesday Oct 15, 2019
Tuesday Oct 15, 2019
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).
Friday Oct 04, 2019
Friday Oct 04, 2019
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).