Interview on the Side B Podcast: How I Became a Christian

Jana Harmon of The Side B Podcast invited me to share my story about my journey from atheism to Christianity. Feel free to give it a listen. You should consider subscribing to the podcast, as it features many amazing stories from former skeptics and atheists. Erik ManningErik is the creative force behind the YouTube channel Testify, which is an educational channel built to help inspire people’s confidence in the text of the New Testament and the truth of the Christian faith.

GM Skeptic is Wrong About Religious Experience

Before becoming an atheist, Genetically Modified Skeptic believed he had religious experiences. But later, he reasoned that whatever he felt, it was all in his head. According to Drew, arguments from religious experience are about as compelling as the evidence for the healing power of essential oils. Drew provides two main reasons why he rejects the argument from religious experience that I respond to, including the “neurotheology” objection and the conflicting claims objection. I also provide a couple of cases of evidentially compelling religious experiences, including my own testimony. Erik ManningErik is the creative force behind the YouTube channel Testify, which is an educational channel built to help inspire people’s confidence in the text of … Read more

Genetically Modified Skeptic is Wrong About Religious Experience

response to genetically modified skeptic on religious experience

Here’s my unpopular opinion: I actually like the argument from religious experience. As part of a cumulative case for God’s existence, I think it works. Spiritual experience is one of those things that should make people curious, at minimum. However, not everyone is a fan. This includes a lot of Christians, who find it too problematic. There are two common objections that critics raise against this argument that I want to dig into in this post. To help me state these objections, I’m going to refer to a video made by prolific atheist YouTuber Drew McCoy, AKA Genetically Modified Skeptic. In less than 2 years, Drew’s channel has gained over 173K subscribers and over 13 … Read more

The argument from religious experience: Don’t discount the apologetic value of sharing your “God-encounter”

The Bible is full of people who have had experiences of God. Abraham heard a voice that told him his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. (Genesis 12:1-3) Moses heard God’s voice from a burning bush. (Exodus 3:3-14) Isaiah and Ezekiel both had visions of God. (Isaiah 6:1-8, Ezekiel 8:1-3) Jesus had the Spirit of God descend on him like a dove and heard “you are my beloved Son, with whom I’m well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17) The 120 early Christians experienced the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) And Paul had a vision of Jesus on the road to Damascus. (Acts 9:3-6) Not only that, Christians throughout the centuries have testified about these … Read more

If believing in Jesus is such a huge deal, why doesn’t he do whatever it takes to show himself to me?

Back in New Testament times, Jesus supposedly worked miracles. He healed the sick. He raised the dead. He has even resurrected himself. He said he did these things so we might believe. (John 14:10-11) Shouldn’t he do the same for me if it’s so important that I’m persuaded? Have you ever heard questions like these? Philosophers and theologians have a fancy term for this. It’s called the problem of divine hiddenness. The problem goes something like this: If there’s a God, he knows everything. He has all power. And he is all good – meaning he loves everyone. If that’s true, he’d know what it would take to convince me. He’d have the power to … Read more

Is Jesus Alive?