In this episode of the PleaseConvinceMe Podcast, Jim reflects on his trip to UC Berkeley with Sean McDowell and Brett Kunkle. 30 Christian highschoolers considered the most pressing objections of atheists, talked with students on the campus and dialogued with atheist groups in Berkeley. Jim examines a few of the positions that were held by three speakers who addressed the group. Also, Jim reads listener email related to Adam and Eve and the difficulty one can have taking an ancient earth position.

Unbelievers sometimes point to the story of Adam and Eve as just another example of Christian mythmaking. Without evidence for the ancient existence of Adam and Eve, the idea that all humanity emerged from a single pair of humans is primitive and preposterous. But does the emerging science of “evolutionary genetics” contradict or support the Biblical claim? Also, Jim discusses Harold Camping’s “end of the world” predictions, the early models of church leadership, and the importance of ‘character’ in apologetics.

Skeptics often argue that the Christian claim related to the “Virgin Conception” is so patently irrational and scientifically impossible that it disqualifies Christianity from any intelligent discourse. Is this true, or is there something else at the heart of the discussion that is contaminating a fair analysis to begin with?  Jim addresses this objection to Christianity and answers listener email related to the relationship between faith and “works” and related to the “inerrancy” of Scripture.

Skeptics argue that Christians believe Christianity is true simply because they were raised in a Christian culture. If believers were raised in a Muslim culture (according to the skeptics), they would believe that Islam is true with the same passion and certainty they have for Christianity. Jim responds to this common objection and answers listener email related to the “hidden” nature of God, the pre-requisites of creation and dualism, and the evidence for a young earth.

All the supposed eyewitnesses of the life of Jesus were Christians. Why should we trust them when they were clearly biased? Jim answers this atheist objection, discusses a tactic to energize the teaching of apologetics in the Church and responds once again to listener email about young earth creationism.