On the Journey

On the Journey with Matt and Ken, Episode 74: Wizard of Oz Apologetics, Part IX

Matt Swaim and Ken Hensley continue their series looking into ways to reframe conversations about faith with people who doubt or deny the existence of God.

In a purely material universe, facts most certainly exist. But can our knowledge of them exist, if knowledge is not made of matter? And if our very thoughts are nothing more than deterministic processes taking place in the brain, by what measure can we call certain ideas "true" or "false?"

Matt Swaim and Ken Hensley unpack the question of the existence of knowledge in their ongoing discussion about how to reframe conversations about God when talking to atheists.

For more episodes, visit chnetwork.org/onthejourney.

On the Journey with Matt and Ken, Episode 73: Wizard of Oz Apologetics, Part VIII

Matt Swaim and Ken Hensley continue their series looking into ways to reframe conversations about faith with people who doubt or deny the existence of God.

If our universe is governed purely by the laws of physics and biology and chemistry, and actions producing reactions in a world without meaning, does free will even exist? Is our perceived ability to make free choices only an illusion that we've adapted along with everything else?

Matt Swaim and Ken Hensley unpack the question of the existence of free will in their ongoing discussion about how to reframe conversations about God when talking to atheists.

For more episodes, visit chnetwork.org/onthejourney.

On the Journey with Matt and Ken, Episode 72: Wizard of Oz Apologetics, Part VII

Matt Swaim and Ken Hensley continue their series looking into ways to reframe conversations about faith with people who doubt or deny the existence of God.

Does consciousness exist, or is it merely an illusion? If scientific materialism is true, then how do we account for not just conscience, but consciousness? Is the idea that we are aware of our own sense of self something that scientific materialism can account for, or is it a question that goes beyond the realm of what the natural sciences are competent to pronounce upon?

Matt Swaim and Ken Hensley unpack these questions in their ongoing discussion about how to reframe conversations about God when talking to atheists.

For more episodes, visit chnetwork.org/onthejourney.

On the Journey with Matt and Ken, Episode 71: Wizard of Oz Apologetics, Part VI

Matt Swaim and Ken Hensley continue their series looking into ways to reframe conversations about faith with people who doubt or deny the existence of God.

If God is dead, as some atheist materialists claim, or if at the very least, our idea of Him is dead, then what next? If there is no God, then what is the basis for attaching meaning to anything at all?

Or are we left with Neitszche, asking, "Has it not become colder? Is not night and more night coming on all the time?"

Matt and Ken look at the difficulty that atheism has in establishing a basis for meaning and purpose in life.

For more episodes, visit chnetwork.org/onthejourney.

On the Journey with Matt and Ken, Episode 70: Wizard of Oz Apologetics, Part V

Matt Swaim and Ken Hensley continue their series looking into ways to reframe conversations about faith with people who doubt or deny the existence of God.

In a purely scientific materialist view of the world, how can anyone assert that human beings have any more value than any other species? And in a worldview that only takes evolutionary priorities into account, how can an argument be made for defending the "weaker" members of the species?

Matt and Ken look at the difficulty that a purely scientific materialist worldview has in establishing a basis for human rights.

For more episodes, visit chnetwork.org/onthejourney.

On the Journey with Matt and Ken, Episode 69: Wizard of Oz Apologetics, Part IV

Matt Swaim and Ken Hensley continue their series looking into ways to reframe conversations about faith with people who doubt or deny the existence of God.

Atheism that relies on pure scientific materialism has a morality problem.

That's not to say that atheists have a problem being moral; in fact, many atheists have an extremely well developed moral sense and care deeply about right and wrong. The problem is that pure atheistic materialism itself doesn't provide any kind of satisfying foundation for establishing moral categories.

Matt and Ken discuss how the tension caused by this dilemma can serve as a way to open deeper conversations about the basis for understanding morality, and the intrinsic value of the human person.

For more episodes, visit chnetwork.org/onthejourney.

On the Journey with Matt and Ken, Episode 68: Wizard of Oz Apologetics, Part III

Matt Swaim and Ken Hensley continue their series looking into ways to reframe conversations about faith with people who doubt or deny the existence of God.

If there is no God, and there are no moral absolutes, then any attempt to say that one take on morality is better than another take is more of a statement of preference than a statement of value.

Matt and Ken look at how, though it might seem appealing on its surface, the idea of people living as true moral relativists is a terrifying prospect.

For more episodes, visit chnetwork.org/onthejourney.

On the Journey with Matt and Ken, Ep. 67: Wizard of Oz Apologetics, Part II

Matt Swaim and Ken Hensley continue their series looking into ways to reframe conversations about faith with people who doubt or deny the existence of God.

Atheists and Theists alike believe that some moral sense should govern the way we interact with one another. But if humans are no different than any other species on the planet, then who's to say that the needs of humans in any area of life should come ahead of the needs of any other creature?

Matt and Ken discuss how an inherent sense of human dignity is necessary in order to have a moral framework for a just society.

For more episodes, visit chnetwork.org/onthejourney.

On the Journey with Matt and Ken, Ep. 66: Wizard of Oz Apologetics, Part I

Matt Swaim and Ken Hensley begin a new series looking into ways to reframe conversations about faith with people who doubt or deny the existence of God. 

There are plenty of people who hold various philosophical perspectives that deny the supernatural, or the existence of purpose or meaning in the universe, and argue that human beings are merely biological machines living out deterministic evolutionary processes.

But as Matt and Ken discuss, even people who make those arguments still tend to live, work, love, and interact with fellow human beings as though there *is* meaning and purpose in the universe.

For more episodes, visit chnetwork.org/onthejourney

On the Journey with Matt and Ken, Ep. 65: What Was the Reformation, And Why Did It Happen? Part IV

Matt Swaim and Ken Hensley conclude their series on the Reformation by looking at how the movements and ideas that took root then have influenced the way the modern world looks today. In many ways, the factors that drove the Reformation -- technology, individualism, a plurality of ideas -- are the same factors that characterize contemporary culture.

For more episodes, visit chnetwork.org/onthejourney.