Unbelievable? When You Pray and Hear Nothing: Does God Exist?
12 snips
Feb 12, 2026 
Joe Schmid, an agnostic philosopher and Princeton doctoral researcher, and Dan Paterson, founder of Questioning Christianity and Christian apologist, debate divine hiddenness. They tackle Schellenberg’s argument, evidential versus deductive approaches, religious demographics, silence in suffering, moral‑growth defenses, inclusivism, and why God might delay revelation. Quick, lively, and provocative dialogue.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Car Accident That Shaped Doubt
- Dan recounts his childhood car accident that caused doubt about a loving God.
- He says encountering Jesus later restored his trust despite earlier doubts.
Surprise Of Natural Nonbelievers
- Joe finds sincere seekers and 'natural non-believers' surprising if God perfectly wills relational flourishing.
- He argues it's odd that those lacking theistic concepts miss their deepest good under theism.
Use Scripture To Frame Hiddenness
- Dan recommends reading scripture's resources on presence and absence to understand hiddenness.
- He urges engaging Christian narrative elements like conscience and image-bearing.
