Brian Seagraves's Blog, page 11
February 28, 2018
Episode 150 - Do Moral Obligations Require the Existence of God?
This is a milestone today. This is the 150th episode of the Unapologetic podcast. For those who have been along for 150 episodes, thank you very much. I hope it's been helpful, and I appreciate your support. If you've joined recently, there's a lot of great content back on the archive on unapologeticpodcast.com or on iTunes or wherever you subscribe to the podcast.
So, we've done a lot, we've got a lot to do and a lot to cover in the future. And today we're actually going to...
February 21, 2018
Episode 149 - Who Created the Canon?
Have you ever had to defend how we got our Bible and why the books we have are the right books, or who chose them or determined them, and that sort of thing? Well there's a lot there, and we've talked about some of it in the past. We've talked about the transmission of the text. ���How did we go from the original manuscript, for instance, that Paul wrote, to what's in our Bible today?��� But there's a parallel question, and it's: How did we get the books that are in our Bible?...
February 14, 2018
Episode 148 - Is a Person's Problem That They Are Messy and Broken?
Last week we talked about rights and how we often don't define our terms. So, we end up talking about different things. This happens in so many areas of life. It happens in the home, it happens in friendships, it happens in the workplace, where we end up talking past each other because we're using words in different ways, but using the same words.
This week, I want to talk a little more about words. I know that probably sounds boring, but I think these will be words that you...
February 7, 2018
Episode 147 - What's the Right View of Rights?
Have you ever heard someone say "I have a right to ..." Or ���It's my right to have this certain thing.��� Or, perhaps that healthcare is a right, or as has been said in recent years, even internet access is deemed a right. Of course, there are those that would say that abortion is a right. This really should raise the question of, well, what is a right and how do I get one? Where do rights come from? So, today, we're going to talk about rights.
That may seem a little odd for...
January 31, 2018
Episode 146 - The [Not So Soft] Prosperity Gospel
Today we're going to talk about the prosperity gospel, but the new flavor of it, what some have called the soft prosperity gospel, though I'm not sure it's any less of a false gospel and less of a false prosperity gospel than the original, more traditional version.
Now, what am I talking about when I talk about the traditional prosperity gospel? The first thing would be that God wants you to be healthy and wealthy and successful. On its face, it comes right out and says that...
January 24, 2018
Episode 145 - Is there Eyewitness Testimony Outside of the Bible?
This week we're going to address the question: Is there eyewitness testimony outside of the Bible? In other words, "Do we just have to believe what scripture says?" the non-Christian may ask. ���Or, are there other people who are saying the same things?��� On the face of it, this might sound reasonable, but here's the question I'm going to immediately follow this up with: Do you believe miracles are possible? They ask, "Is there eyewitness testimony outside of the Bible?" and...
January 17, 2018
Episode 144 - Two Bad Reasons for Apologetics (and One Good One)
It's been a while since we've actually talked about the name of this podcast, which is actually the name of a book I've also written too, Unapologetic: A Guide for Defending Your Christian Convictions. Apologetics is an area of Christian study that aims to give answers for why we believe the things we believe.
Why do you believe what you believe you believe? What are the reasons behind the things we teach and affirm as Christians? That's what apologetics does. It simply aims t...
January 10, 2018
Episode 143 - How Should We Respond to Doubt?
Today we're going to talk about doubt. Now in the little bubble that is Twitter and the internet, in parts of it there has been a conversation occurring about doubt and how we should talk about it. Should we say that it's a sin? Should we comfort the doubters? All these things. I think in part, oftentimes we've been seeing half of the truth, half of the full response that's needed. Really what I want to try to do today is look at this from multiple angles.
I'm not someone who...
January 2, 2018
Episode 142 - Let���s Care Both More and Less About How We Communicate
I'm someone who thinks about communication a fair amount. Now you might be unsurprised by that. I write, I speak, but I often sit in church and I think, "How are the words that are being said from the pulpit or the stage right now, how are they connecting with someone who's been a Christian for 30 years, not been a Christian at all, or is a new Christian?"
When I talk with other people I try to reflect on those conversations and say, "Now how did they seem to understand this...
December 30, 2017
Build a Bible Reading Plan that Fits You
With the new year about to start, many of us will evaluate our lives and routines to see what works and doesn't. For the Christian, hopefully this will include considering how we're doing with our spiritual disciplines (Prayer, Bible Reading, Scripture Reflection, Worship, etc.). I don't know about you, but I struggle to find a good rhythm for reading the Bible. Many of the pre-made plans available on the internet require reading multiple chapters a day, with the goal of reading the entire Bi...
