2019-12
2019-12
Monday Dec 23, 2019
Monday Dec 23, 2019
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).
Monday Dec 16, 2019
Monday Dec 16, 2019
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.
So what do we do with this apparent discrepancy in the governorship of Quirinius? In the first half of this episode, esteemed New Testament scholar Robert Plummer joins Garrick and Timothy to put an end to this perplexing problem once and for all. Along the way, Dr. Plummer also displays the multifaceted nature of his knowledge by delivering a death blow to the dilemma that bursts from the bowels of the Infinity Gauntlet this week: Which is more powerful, Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber or Captain America’s shield? In the end, a scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail provides the answer that we’ve all been waiting for. In the second half of the program, your intrepid cohosts go back to Genesis—the band from the 1980s, not the book in the Bible. In the first chapter of Genesis, they find Mike Rutherford, a genius who was involved in the genesis not only of Genesis but also of Mike + the Mechanics. After listening to “The Living Years” by Mike + the Mechanics, Garrick and Timothy explore what’s right and what’s wrong with some of the most popular perspectives on death, resurrection, and the afterlife. Nearly all of the dynamic duo’s favorite theologians manage to show up along the way: Augustine of Hippo, Herman Bavinck, C.S. Lewis, and—of course—the most excellent time-traveling rock’n’roll philosopher-theologians of the 1980s, Bill and Ted.
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).
Friday Dec 13, 2019
Friday Dec 13, 2019
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).
Tuesday Dec 10, 2019
Tuesday Dec 10, 2019
Welcome to the creed episode of Three Chords and the Truth!
But don’t worry: we are not talking about the band Creed. (In case you’ve forgotten, Creed was the 1990s band whose videos were filled with embarrassingly-bad CGI and scenes in which the lead vocalist apparently couldn’t keep himself from flailing his arms wide open for most of the song.) Despite Garrick’s best efforts to focus the entire episode on the band Creed, Timothy manages to maintain sufficient focus to discuss both the Apostles’ Creed and a new secular creed. You’ve probably seen this new secular creed on a yard sign somewhere in your city: “In this house, we believe that black lives matter, women’s rights are human rights, no human is illegal, science is real, love is love, and kindness is everything.” Garrick and Timothy explore what’s wrong, what’s right, and what doesn’t make sense at all about this secular creed. In the process, they discover that even secular people will always create creeds because every human being is created for creeds.
Not only are we created for creeds as human beings, but we’re also wired for worship. Worship is the theme of the music segment this week, and U2 is the star—which is fortunate because, if this week’s song hadn’t been from a band as great as U2, Garrick would have insisted on spending the entire hour talking about Creed. Along the way, Garrick and Timothy reveal the origins of the name “U2” and discover a band called “the Virgin Prunes” that was nearly renamed “the Deuteronomy Prunes.” Your intrepid cohosts unanimously conclude that “Virgin Prunes” and “Deuteronomy Prunes” are two of the worst possible names for a band—although, if the name had been re-styled as “Deütërönömÿ Prünës” so that it had more umlauts than Mötley Crüe it might actually have worked in the 1980s. John Calvin, Friedrich Schleiermacher, and Herman Bavinck all make appearances as the dynamic duo tries to determine why U2’s song “Where the Streets Have No Name” triggers a sense of transcendence and worship within us.
This week’s question from the Infinity Gauntlet pits one superhero who communicates with insects against another who’s been infected by a radioactive arachnid. In the end, no nip from an arachnid is sufficient to stand against the capacity to shrink and expand exponentially.
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).