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The Bible is filled with oddities and hard things to understand. Oftentimes, the Bible itself can be a stumbling block to belief in God and the Christian faith, and many former Christians report leaving the faith because of problems they see in the Bible. Our guest today is John Marriott (Ph.D.) and he has co-authored Is It Really the Good Book?, a book that aims to help people understand and appreciate the Bible as the Word of God and as a wise guide for life. John speaks with Tim and Mike about the assumptions we pick up in our culture that influence our expectations and appreciation when it comes to the Bible.  Show notes and a full transcript are available.

There are two levels of communication - the content level, which involves arguments and reasons, and the relational level, which involves the amount of respect, curiosity, and friendliness between individuals. Our guest today, Dr. John Lennox, models communicating at both levels in prominent debates, and we would do well to learn from his example. Tim and Rick reflect with Dr. Lennox on these two levels of communication in two of his previous debates that have left a lasting impact: one with the late Christopher Hitchens and another with Princeton ethicist Peter Singer. Show notes and a full transcript are available.

Oxford University mathematician and Christian apologist Dr. John Lennox is no stranger to intense debate, and he’s exchanged ideas with some of the foremost atheists including Dr. Richard Dawkins. Yet, he characteristically demonstrates friendliness, kindness, and care with his disagreers. On today’s episode, Tim and Rick speak with Dr. Lennox about why bother engaging in debate, the importance of balancing thoughtfulness and friendliness in debate, and the influence of spiritual battle during times of debate. Show notes and a full transcript are available.

One of our favorite segments involves stories of “people who are doing it right” - people who are demonstrating winsome conviction in their local communities. On today’s episode, Brandon Pasion, a worship leader in the Bay Area, speaks with Tim and Rick about his experience doing bridge-building work between the church and a local school to help bless families at the school. While the partnership is unique and involves a depth of personal connection, these efforts have also involved painstaking discussions around holding differing convictions on matters of gender and sexuality. Show notes and a full transcript are available.

Although dissent has long been a part of our country, in today’s “argument culture” we approach people who hold different views as combatants. Have things gotten worse in the culture? Have things gotten worse in the Church? On today’s episode, Tim and Rick speak with Dr. Crawford Loritts about a biblical posture Christians ought to reclaim for handling disagreement faithfully and well. They reflect on the Civil Rights Movement, discuss contemporary issues around “being woke,” and they draw from the Apostle Peter on what to do when someone disagrees with mean intentions. Show notes and a full transcript are available.

What kinds of stuff do Tim and Rick read? Some of our listeners would like to know. So on today’s episode they discuss an article on “winsomeness” and whether being winsome in public engagement and public controversies is biblical. Some would disagree with the heart of this project and say that all this talk today about winsomeness is merely a philosophy based in a fear of man. How might we engage with such thinking? What is there to commend? What is up for a charitable critique? If you’ve ever wondered how Tim and Rick understand what it means to be winsome, you’ll benefit from listening to this episode. Show notes and a full transcript are available.

On today’s episode, Tim and Mike speak with special guest Lucas Miles, a pastor, New York Times best-selling author, and the Vice President of Turning Point USA and the head of TPUSA Faith. They discuss the mission of Turning Point USA and TPUSA Faith; doctrinal matters that influence unity and disagreement among churches; and whether ministries who disagree on theological issues can work side by side on projects that demonstrate neighbor love to others. Show notes and a full transcript are available.

Jesus tells his followers that the two great commandments are to love God and to love neighbor, and it is difficult to do both. Yet, as we learn to be loved by God and to love from God’s perspective, we may learn anew what it means to love our neighbors. On today’s episode, Tim and Rick speak with author and Bible teacher Jada Edwards about her book, A New Way to Love Your Neighbor. They discuss the difference between “liking” and “loving” one’s neighbor; whether the Christian perspective on love offers something unique in ways of loving one’s neighbor; the differences between divine and cultural perspectives on love; and love’s closely related virtues such as patience. Show notes and a full transcript are available.

Can you demonstrate intellectual humility while maintaining deep conviction? Or does holding to one preclude holding the other? In fact, holding these together is essential. On today’s episode, Tim and Rick speak with Biola Provost Matthew Hall (Ph.D.) on ways that intellectual humility in its truest sense depends upon conviction. They explore the difference between tolerance and intellectual humility, the relationship between conviction, courage, and intellectual humility, and they work through some positive examples of intellectual humility. Show notes and a full transcript are available.

Small talk can be a good ice breaker and a helpful, natural way to start a conversation, but it can also become shallow, impersonal and prevent us from really getting to know people. When does small talk undermine an opportunity to foster a meaningful relationship? On today’s episode, Tim and Rick speak with Beth Booram, a spiritual director, on small talk. They discuss how cultivating spirited, substantial conversations can lead to meaningful relationships with depth. Show notes and a full transcript are available.

There is a need for students to learn good models for handling difficult conversations. So on today’s episode, Tim and Dr. Andrew Reed (Ph.D.) from Brigham Young University (BYU) take up this call and continue the conversation by bringing together students from both universities, Biola and BYU, for civil discourse on religion, theology, and social issues. They debrief their experience in a course Tim and Andrew are co-teaching, and they discuss the importance of understanding your neighbor’s perspective as a way to love your neighbor, Aristotle’s method of the dialectic, and the difference between emphatic vs. phatic communication. Show notes and a full transcript are available.

Part of the mission statement of Biola University is to engage culture, and we take this seriously. So when Brigham Young University (BYU) reached out to see if Biola students would be open to beginning an interfaith dialogue, we jumped at the opportunity. Tim, on behalf of Biola, and professor Andrew Reed (Ph.D.), on behalf of BYU, are helping to lead this initiative, which includes co-teaching a class on civility, communication skills, and interfaith dialogue. On today’s episode, Tim and Andrew invite three students - one from Biola and two from BYU - to discuss their experience dialoguing with one another on points of agreement and disagreement between Evangelical Christianity and Mormonism. Show notes and a full transcript are available.

"Praxis" is when you put theory into practice, and this is something we try to do at The Winsome Conviction Project. On today’s episode, Tim and Rick talk about a recent praxis experience involving two religious universities. This spring, Biola University hosted faculty and students from Brigham Young University for a series of constructive dialogues on points of agreement and disagreement between Christianity and Mormonism. Tim and Rick discuss three ways the dialogues were impactful, and they also discuss points for application for listeners. Show notes and a full transcript are available.

The spiritual disciplines have long been a vital activity in the life of Christians for growing into Christlikeness. It is also a significant challenge to practice these disciplines in the everyday hustle and bustle of life. And yet the disciplines can serve as a helpful method of training for learning to depend on the indwelling Holy Spirit who helps us to abide and grow in our relationship with God and with others. Rev. Dr. Todd Pickett (Ph.D.) is back on the podcast to speak with Tim and Rick about the disciplines and three conversations we can practice to embed the disciplines in relationships in our everyday lives.  Show notes and a full transcript are available.

Friend and New Testament scholar Doug Huffman (Ph.D.) joins today’s episode to speak with Tim and Rick about his work as a consultant on a wildly popular television series, The Chosen. They discuss the fictive portions of the series and consider these in light of the historical gospel accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry. They reflect on questions including, What does the television series portray really well? Why does The Chosen stir up agitation and anger among some Christians? Do controversies in documented in the gospels and depicted in the television series speak to our controversies today? And can fictitious stories show truth things? Show notes and a full transcript are available.