Every Believer Confident
33 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 days ago - ★★★★★ - 12 ratingsThis podcasts explores apologetics and evangelism in practical terms in short form episodes. It is aimed at the ordinary Christian who wants to effectively reach unbelievers in an indirect, conversational and relational manner. The podcast is led by Dr. Mark Farnham (PhD, Westminster), the Founder and Director of Apologetics for the Church, a local church training ministry. Mark is also Director of the Master of Arts in Christian Apologetics at Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary in Lancaster, PA.
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Episodes
Deconstruction Pt. 2
July 15, 2024 15:00 - 16 minutes - 11.3 MBMark and Jeff continue their discussion of deconstruction and the need for Christians to be grounded in their faith. They also talk about the difference between questions that search for answers and those that are seeking an exit from the faith. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my website at: https://apologeticsforthechurch.org/
Deconstruction Pt. 1
July 01, 2024 19:00 - 16 minutes - 11.5 MBMark and Jeff introduce the topic of deconstruction and talk about a recent New York Times article recounting one couple’s deconstruction from Christianity that began with a rejection of God’s law regarding sexual fidelity. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my website at: https://apologeticsforthechurch.org/
Evangelism is NOT the Most Important Thing
June 24, 2024 13:00 - 16 minutes - 11 MBFor many years I believed (because I was taught this, either overtly or by implication) that the most important thing a Christian and a church could do is to reach the lost with the gospel. Everything else paled in comparison and was secondary to the reason God left believers on earth after their salvation. Only when I rejected this idea did I begin to witness to unbelievers with more confidence and frequency. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my website ...
Was Eve an Evidentialist?
June 18, 2024 16:00 - 10 minutes - 7.33 MBThe most common approach to apologetics is the evidentialist approach, which argues that what the unbeliever needs most is evidence of the truth of Christianity. Once there is enough evidence, belief is sure to follow. By looking at the case of Eve in the Garden of Eden, we can see that there is a more fundamental problem–our rebellion against God. Even when we have all the evidence we could want, apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, genuine belief will not happen. Want to reach out, ask...
Common Questions
June 10, 2024 20:00 - 12 minutes - 8.53 MBCan we get past the taboo of talking about religion and politics to share Christ? Mark's guest, Zack Armstrong, presents some practical ideas for encouraging people to talk about spiritual matters. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my website at: https://apologeticsforthechurch.org/
The Intellectual Strength of Christianity
June 03, 2024 15:00 - 10 minutes - 7.55 MBHave you ever wondered if the Christian faith can hold up to the scrutiny of leading scholarship? In today's episode, we will explore how Christianity is both personally edifying AND intellectually satisfying. Christianity can hold its own in the world of scholarship and you can be confident that your faith is grounded in good truth. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my website at: https://apologeticsforthechurch.org/
Starting Conversations
May 30, 2024 23:00 - 10 minutes - 7.46 MBHave you every wanted to start a conversation with someone about the gospel but didn't know how? Today we will go over some simple and practical skills you can use to start engaging the unbelievers in your life with the gospel. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my website at: https://apologeticsforthechurch.org/
Two Ways to Move to the Next Level When Engaging Unbelievers
May 31, 2019 10:00 - 6 minutes - 3.03 MBSo you have begun to make efforts to talk with your unsaved neighbors, friends, coworkers, family, and classmates about spiritual matters. You've asked some strategic questions and conversations are going further than they ever have before. What next? This episode moves beyond questions to understanding as fully as possible what the other person believes, and in the process, continues the conversation on toward the gospel. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visi...
Three Powerful Effects of Asking Good Questions
May 24, 2019 10:00 - 8 minutes - 4.03 MBDoes asking strategic questions really work when engaging unbelievers in conversation about spiritual matters? Yes! In this episode we explore three powerful effects well-asked strategic questions can have in a conversation about the gospel. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my website at: https://apologeticsforthechurch.org/
Asking Strategic Questions
May 17, 2019 15:00 - 7 minutes - 3.69 MBWhat do you do if you don't know how to answer an objection to the Christian faith? Many people freeze and walk away or alternately abandon reason and claim to simply believe "by faith," by which they mean apart from reason. What they don't often consider is a question to challenge the objection. Since most objections to the Christian faith are based on false or unproven assumptions, a good question can reveal the weakness of the objection. This episode explores the way Christians can use st...
Turning the Conversation Toward Spiritual Matters
May 10, 2019 15:00 - 7 minutes - 3.53 MBHave you ever been talking with an unbeliever, and you find yourself trying to figure out how to steer the conversation toward spiritual matters so you can share the gospel with her? Sometimes that transition is the hardest part about sharing the good news. In this episode we explore ways to turn the conversation toward spiritual matters naturally and effectively. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my website at: https://apologeticsforthechurch.org/
Reducing Fear by Asking Questions
May 01, 2019 17:00 - 7 minutes - 3.32 MBDoes engaging unbelievers with the gospel bring you overwhelming fear? A major cause for fear is the feeling that we don't know what to say once the conversation turns to spiritual matters. In this episode we begin to learn how to ask strategic questions that challenge the unbeliever's worldview. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my website at: https://apologeticsforthechurch.org/
How My First Apologetic Encounter Lasted Two Hours
April 25, 2019 17:00 - 7 minutes - 3.6 MBNow that we have learned the basics of apologetics and have understood what is going on in the heart of unbelievers, how do we effectively engage them with the gospel? How do we practically challenge unbelief and defend the faith while sharing it in a winsome and persuasive fashion? This episode shares the story of my first attempt to utilize apologetics and how powerful it proved to be. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my website at: https://apologetics...
When God Hands People Over to Their Desires
April 18, 2019 20:00 - 7 minutes - 3.5 MBWhen unbelievers suppress the truth long enough and with great enough insistence, God hands them over to be enslaved to their desires. The freedom from God they demanded becomes slavery to sin. This episode explores how people who suppress the truth of God become slaves to their desires. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my website at: https://apologeticsforthechurch.org/
The Exchange of God's Natural Design for the Unnatural
April 10, 2019 04:00 - 6 minutes - 2.83 MBSuppressing the truth of God causes unbelievers to exchange the glory of God for an image, the truth of God for a lie, and the natural design of the sexes for homosexuality. Paul's point in Romans 1 is that the most obvious example of people trying to deny the truth is when they practice sexual immorality in a way that clearly denies the physiology of the human body as male and female. In this episode we look at the ultimate exchange of God's natural design for that which violates nature. W...
Why People Believe Lies
April 03, 2019 04:00 - 6 minutes - 2.98 MBIf every person knows God and truth about him, as Romans 1 says, why do so many either deny the existence of God or believe things about God that are not true? The answer is found in the human ability to make a mental and spiritual exchange of the truth for a lie. In this episode we look at the common tendency of people who know the truth of God to reject it in favor of falsehood. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my website at: https://apologeticsforthec...
Why We Would Rather Worship God's Creation Than God
March 26, 2019 04:00 - 7 minutes - 3.49 MBWhen a person rejects God to worship something else, that thing will be at best a dull reflection of the full glory of God for which we were made, and at best, a twisted and distorted substitute. God wants us to worship him in truth, but if we will not, then a created thing, like us, will be our master. This episode explores the way unbelievers would rather have something that is merely created than having the Creator himself. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? ...
Everybody Worships Something
March 22, 2019 04:00 - 7 minutes - 3.63 MBThe atheist writer, David Foster Wallace said, "There is no such thing as atheism because everybody worships something. You can't not worship." When a person. suppresses the truth of God, he doesn't worship nothing, he just worships something else. In this episode we explore the way suppressing the truth of God leads inevitably to idolatry. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my website at: https://apologeticsforthechurch.org/
The Irrationality of Unbelief
March 19, 2019 04:00 - 6 minutes - 3.06 MBWhy do those who suppress the truth of God think that they are rational and that those who believe in God through Christ are irrational? The fundamental problem is that the unbeliever makes reason his god and source of authority, when reason was never meant to be such. Rather, reason is a tool given by God to rightly know what he has revealed. In this episode, we explore the ways that unbelievers become irrational when they reject the truth of God. Want to reach out, ask a question, or requ...
The Consequences of Suppressing the Knowledge of God, Part 1
March 09, 2019 05:00 - 7 minutes - 3.51 MBEvery unbeliever suppresses the knowledge of God in one way or another to one degree or another. Suppression has devastating consequences to the heart and mind. By denying the truth they know, unbelievers seriously injure their ability to see the truth clearly. In this episode we explore the first consequence of suppressing the knowledge of God: self-deception. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my website at: https://apologeticsforthechurch.org/
Prove God Exists!
March 05, 2019 05:00 - 7 minutes - 3.39 MBHave someone ever asked you to prove God's existence? Or maybe they have issued a challenge: prove God exists and I will believe in him! What do you say? What can you say? In this episode we examine the challenge of proving God's existence and how best to answer it. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my website at: https://apologeticsforthechurch.org/
Suppressing the Truth through Distraction, Addiction, and Denial
February 26, 2019 05:00 - 7 minutes - 3.35 MBWhy don't many people give themselves any time to face the pain of life or the guilt in their hearts? It is simply too painful. As a result, many fill their lives with distractions or dull the pain in their hearts with addictive substances. Others simply deny that there is any evidence for God. This episode explores three ways people suppress the truth of their guilt before a holy God. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my website at: https://apologeticsfo...
Why Are There So Many Religions in the World?
February 22, 2019 05:00 - 7 minutes - 3.72 MBOne of the most common objections raised against the Christian faith is the existence of so many religions in the world. How can Jesus be the only way when there are so many other religions that people sincerely follow? Where did all these religions come from anyway? This episode shows that one of the ways unbelievers suppress the truth of God they know is to create or turn to other religions. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my website at: https://apolo...
Understanding Unbelievers: Why You Don't Have to Prove God Exists
February 19, 2019 05:00 - 7 minutes - 3.59 MBThe thought of having to prove God exists keeps many people from engaging in evangelism, as this objection is a favorite tactic of skeptics. But it doesn't need to be. In Romans 1:18-32 God shows us what is happening in the heart and mind of every unbeliever. When we come to see that the unbeliever already knows God and some things about him, it will relieve our stress about engaging him with the gospel. This episode begins to unpack the truth of Romans 1 that every unbeliever already knows ...
How to Argue Without Being Argumentative
February 12, 2019 05:00 - 7 minutes - 3.52 MBSome people are turned off to apologetics because they don't like to argue with others. They imagine that if we engage people with the gospel, we will necessarily have to be antagonistic and contentious. In reality, apologetics presents arguments for the truth without becoming argumentative. In this episode we look at the difference between arguing for the truth and being argumentative. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my website at: https://apologeticsf...
What Role Does the Holy Spirit and Prayer Play in Apologetics?
February 07, 2019 05:00 - 7 minutes - 3.3 MBIt would be easy to gain so much confidence in our ability to defend and share the faith that we forget that the Holy Spirit is the only one who can regenerate a lost soul. So what part does the Holy Spirit play in apologetics and evangelism? And how does prayer fit into that equation? Good questions! In this episode we explore the roles of the Holy Spirit and prayer in the task of apologetics. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my website at: https://apol...
Is Apologetics Even Biblical?
February 05, 2019 05:00 - 7 minutes - 3.48 MBSome people resist the idea of apologetics because they do not believe it appears in the Bible. Since the fall of man into sin, however, God has been defending his glory and he calls his followers to defend it also. In this episode we explore the biblical warrant for doing apologetics to expose unbelief and answer objections. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my website at: https://apologeticsforthechurch.org/
A Better Way to Do Apologetics:The Power of the Presuppositional Approach
January 31, 2019 05:00 - 7 minutes - 3.36 MBMany people are intimidated by apologetics because what they have heard of it requires learning massive amounts of very intellectual arguments that include philosophy and scientific design. While academic apologetics has its place, the average Christian will not be able to fulfill the command to always be ready to give an answer (1 Peter 3:15) this way. This episode explores the idea of a more practical way to do apologetics--the presuppositional way. Want to reach out, ask a question, or r...
Wait, what? There are Different Approaches to Apologetics?
January 28, 2019 05:00 - 7 minutes - 3.42 MBThe number of Christians that know what the word apologetics means is growing, thanks primarily to technology. But many don't understand that there are different approaches to defending your faith. While some of these approaches overlap, some have important distinctions that affect the way we should defend and commend the faith. This episode explores the differences between various approaches to apologetics. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my website at...
We Don't Need No Stinkin' Apologetics! Why Apologetics is Vital to Evangelism
January 24, 2019 05:00 - 6 minutes - 3.05 MBSome people reject apologetics and think it is unnecessary to reaching unbelievers with the good news of the gospel. They argue that we should just proclaim the truth and leave it at that. However, if you cannot answer objections and provide an answer, as 1 Peter 3:15-16 commands, we weaken the message, as God has provided us many resources to defend the faith. In this episode we show the relationship between the two. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my ...
Say Something Nice: Commending the Christian Faith
January 21, 2019 05:00 - 5 minutes - 2.8 MBApologetics is about more than defending the Christian faith against objections raised against it. It is also concerned with the positive presentation of the gospel in words that are compelling and attractive. In this episode we learn how to positively portray the gospel in all its glory. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my website at: https://apologeticsforthechurch.org/
What, Me Defend My Faith? How?
January 17, 2019 05:00 - 7 minutes - 3.48 MBMost Christians feel completely inadequate to defend their faith and share Christ effectively. Yet, 1 Peter 3:15-16 commands every Christian to be prepared to give an answer when challenged about their belief in Christ. If God commands us, he will also equip us. In this episode we discover more about our responsibility and the power and plan of God to carry it out. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my website at: https://apologeticsforthechurch.org/
What Is Apologetics and Why Does Every Christian Need to Learn It???
January 14, 2019 05:00 - 7 minutes - 3.56 MBMany Christians think that apologetics is the domain of professors and scholars, but 1 Peter 3:15 calls every Christian to know how to give an answer when the faith is challenged. Want to reach out, ask a question, or request a speaking event? Visit my website at: https://apologeticsforthechurch.org/