Unbelievable

Justin is joined by Palestinian Christian Salim Munayer and Jewish Christian believer Lisa Loden, authors of 'Through My Enemy's Eyes', as they discuss the prospects for peace in Israel. They are also joined by Andrew Sibley author of 'Understanding Israel'. For Through My Enemy's Eyes http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00J25R7E6 For Andrew Sibley http://zions-new-name.blogspot.co.uk/ For more faith debates http://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable Join the conversation: Facebook and Twitter Get the MP3 Podcast of Unbelievable? Via RSS or Via Itunes

Perry Marshall is an online marketing strategist with a background in computer engineering. His new book 'Evolution 2.0: Breaking the deadlock between Darwin and Design' claims to show a 'third way' which proves evolutionary changes are neither random not accidental but are targeted, adaptive and aware. PZ Myers is well known as an evolutionary biologist and strident atheist blogger. He believes Marshall's book is flawed. They debate the mechanics of the cell, how information arises and whether Marshall's analogies from computer engineering are suitable in the field of biology. For Perry Marshall http://cosmicfingerprints.com For PZ Myers http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/ For more faith debates http://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable Join the conversation: Facebook and Twitter Get the MP3 Podcast of Unbelievable? Via RSS or Via Itunes

Justin is joined by a glittering array of guests for a Boxing Day edition of the show. Colin Nicholl author of 'The Great Christ Comet' discusses why he believes the Bethlehem star was a comet. Phil Vischer (creator of VeggieTales) and Ruth Jackson of Premier Childrenswork magazine debate whether we should encourage children's belief in Father Christmas. Agnostic radio host Nick Pandolfi explains why he loves church at Christmas even though he's not a believer. And Justin speaks to David Suchet (TV's Poirot) about his mammoth audio Bible project and Christmas as an adult convert to Christianity. For 'The Great Christ Comet' http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Great-Christ-Comet-Revealing/dp/1433542137 For Phil Vischer http://www.philvischer.com For Premier ChildrensWork magazine http://www.premierchildrenswork.com For Nick Pandolfi http://www.nicholaspandolfi.co.uk For more faith debates http://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable Join the conversation: Facebook and Twitter Get the MP3 Podcast of Unbelievable? Via RSS or Via Itunes

A recent report on faith and public life in the UK recommended cutting back the role of Christianity to make space for other faiths and humanist points of view. Mail on Sunday columnist Peter Hitchens says the report's recommendations further undercut the Christian heritage that has allowed the UK to flourish. Terry Sanderson says the report does not go far enough in banishing religious privilege. They debate whether the UK should hold on to its Christian heritage. For Peter Hitchens http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2015/12/goodbye-christianity-hello-multicultural-wasteland.html For Terry Sanderson http://www.secularism.org.uk/ For more faith debates http://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable Join the conversation: Facebook and Twitter Get the MP3 Podcast of Unbelievable? Via RSS or Via Itunes

Christian author and cultural critic Os Guinness' new book called "Fools Talk: Recovering the art of Christian persuasion" is aimed at helping Christians develop a confident and winsome approach to engaging those who are closed to faith. He engages with ex-evangelical Rodney Wilson who has researched the reasons why evangelical Christians lose their faith in his book "Killing God" as they discuss the cultural and doctrinal barriers to embracing Christian faith. For 'Fool's Talk' http://www.amazon.com/Killing-God-Christian-Fundamentalism-Atheism/dp/1492165298 For 'Killing God' http://www.amazon.com/Killing-God-Christian-Fundamentalism-Atheism/dp/1492165298 For more faith debates http://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable Join the conversation: Facebook and Twitter Get the MP3 Podcast of Unbelievable? Via RSS or Via Itunes

Unbelievable? has turned 10 years old! Justin answers a ton of questions send in by listeners about the show, the guests and his own beliefs. We also hear some memorable moments from shows over the years, Birthday greetings form selected friends and audio form the very first edition of the programme. For more faith debates from ten year of Unbelievable! http://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable Join the conversation: Facebook and Twitter Get the MP3 Podcast of Unbelievable? Via RSS or Via Itunes

This week’s episode is a podcast-only special featuring the audio of a recent debate between David Robertson of the Solas Centre for Public Christianity and Michael Nugent of Atheist Ireland. Around 400 people filled Belfast’s Stormont Hotel ballroom to hear them debate the question ‘Is Christianity holding Northern Ireland back?’ moderated by BBC presenter William Crawley. For more from the debate http://alaninbelfast.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/is-christianity-holding-northern.html For David Robertson: http://www.solas-cpc.org/ For Michael Nugent: http://atheist.ie/ For more faith debates visit http://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable Join the conversation: Facebook and Twitter Get the MP3 Podcast of Unbelievable? Via RSS or Via Itunes

Following the terror attacks in Paris, Justin is joined by Christians and Muslims to debate whether Islamic State represents a true interpretation of Islam. Jeremiah J Johnston and Craig A Evans, authors of 'Jesus and the Jihadis' argue that the terror and violence of ISIS springs directly from the pages of the Koran. Adnan Rashid and Inayat Bunglawala argue that it is aninvalid extremist sect. For 'Jesus and the Jihadis: confronting the rage of ISIS' http://jesusandthejihadis.com For Jeremiah J Johnston: http://christianthinkers.com For Craig A Evans: http://craigaevans.com/ For Adnan Rashid: http://hittininstitute.org/publications/ For Inayat Bunglawala: https://inayatscorner.wordpress.com For more faith debates visit http://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable Join the conversation: Facebook and Twitter Get the MP3 Podcast of Unbelievable? Via RSS or Via Itunes

Some atheists say that, as scientific explanations for the natural world multiply, God has become unnecessary as an explanation. David Glass who is researching the objection says this is not the case. God can act as an explanation alongside scientific ones. Interacting with David are two atheists: Oxford scientist Peter Atkins and humanist celebrant James Croft. They say that science has pushed God out of the equation. For David Glass' research on "Explaining and Explaining Away" http://scm.ulster.ac.uk/explainingaway For Peter Atkins: https://humanism.org.uk/about/our-people/patrons/peter-atkins/ For James Croft: http://ethicalstl.org/ For more faith debates visit http://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable Join the conversation: Facebook and Twitter Get the MP3 Podcast of Unbelievable? Via RSS or Via Itunes

Alex Gabriel is an atheist and Rich Park is a Christian. They enjoyed lengthy conversations in the pub while they were students at Oxford University. In this edition of the show we swap the pub for the studio and address the question of whether it’s possible to build a flourishing society in the absence of a Christian or theistic framework. Who determines what flourishing means? And why should we aim for that anyway? For Rich Park: http://www.apologetics.com For Alex Gabriel: http://freethoughtblogs.com/godlessness/ For more faith debates visit http://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable Join the conversation: Facebook and Twitter Get the MP3 Podcast of Unbelievable? Via RSS or Via Itunes

Is suffering planned as part of God’s sovereign will? Or is God not to blame, as suffering is the result of an ongoing cosmic spiritual battle? Ken Brownell is a Calvinist pastor and seminary teacher believes the ‘blueprint’ model – that both good and evil are ordained by God as part of his eternal purposes. He discusses the issue with theologian Kurt Jaros who defends a ‘warfare’ model, popularised by bible teachers such as Greg Boyd, that suffering is not ordained by God but is a result of an ongoing cosmic spiritual battle between free creatures. For Ken Brownell: http://www.eltbaptistchurch.org/ For Kurt Jaros: http://apologetics.com/blog/category/blogs/kurt-jaros/ For more faith debates visit http://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable Join the conversation: Facebook and Twitter Get the MP3 Podcast of Unbelievable? Via RSS or Via Itunes

Jonathan McLatchie is a Christian currently studying cell biology at PhD level and an advocate of Intelligent Design (ID). Cory Markum is an atheist and a blogger at the Atheist Republic website. Cory critiques whether design and God are a good explanation in biology, while Jonathan defends ID. For Jonathan Mclatchie: http://crossexamined.org/author/jonathan-m/ http://www.evolutionnews.org/2015/10/is_intelligent_3100281.html For Cory Markum on Atheist Republic : http://www.atheistrepublic.com/blogs/cory-markum For more faith debates visit http://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable Join the conversation: Facebook and Twitter Get the MP3 Podcast of Unbelievable? Via RSS or Via Itunes

Ex-Christian Ed Atkinson has been investigating the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus following the "Summer of Scripture" debate between James Crossley and Gary Habermas. He revisits the "minimal facts" argument for the resurrection and debates with Canadian apologist Tony Costa on whether the evidence for the empty tomb is better explained by hallucination or urban myth. For the original Habermas/Crossley debate: http://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable/Episodes/Unbelievable-Do-the-minimal-facts-support-the-resurrection-Gary-Habermas-James-Crossley For Tony Costa: http://www.freewebs.com/tonycosta For Ed Atkinson's Unbelievable? discussion group : http://www.meetup.com/Unbelievable-Christian-and-Skeptic-Discussion-Group-London/ For more faith debates visit http://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable Join the conversation: Facebook and Twitter Get the MP3 Podcast of Unbelievable? Via RSS or Via Itunes

Theologian Alister McGrath's new book 'Inventing The Universe' weaves his own story of conversion from atheism to Christianity while studying science as a student, into the questions that modern science continues to provoke around God, atheism and meaning. Physicist and radio presenter Jim Al-Khalili is the president of the British Humanist Association. Jim interacts with Alister on whether science excludes God, whether theism makes most sense of the nature of our universe and what it would take for him to abandon his atheism and believe. For Inventing the Universe: https://www.hodder.co.uk/books/detail.page?isbn=9781444798470 For Alister McGrath: http://alistermcgrath.weebly.com/ For Jim Al-Khalili: http://www.jimal-khalili.com/ For more faith debates visit http://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable Join the conversation: Facebook and Twitter Get the MP3 Podcast of Unbelievable? Via RSS or Via Itunes

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormonism) differs from mainstream Christianity in various ways. Some Christians, including Bill McKeever of Mormonism Research Ministry, say that LDS believers have an unbiblical view of Grace - the free gift of forgiveness by Christ. James Holt, a UK Mormon involved in academic research with the LDS Church, responds to Bill on questions such as whether verses in the Book of Mormon requires believers to do 'works' for salvation and Bill's challenge that the Mormons he meets don't have assurance of salvation. For Mormonism Research Ministry: http://www.mrm.org/ For The LDS Church: https://www.lds.org/ For more faith debates visit http://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable Join the conversation: Facebook and Twitter Get the MP3 Podcast of Unbelievable? Via RSS or Via Itunes