Unbelievable?

Three Christians of different theological persuasion discuss the existence of demons. John Tancock (JT) is involved in Charismatic Church leadership. He believes demons are real. As well as pursuing apologetics, he is involved in deliverance ministry and had regularly prayed for demons to be cast out of people. Will Van Der Hart is a vicar in the Church Of England and a founder of Mind and Soul - helping Churches to understand mental health issues.  He believes in a negative spiritual realm but wants to stop the stigmatisation of people with mental health issues as "demonised". Jonathan Clatworthy is General Secretary of Modern Church - promoting liberal theology. He believes that demons don't exist and modern day deliverance ministry can do more harm than good. John Tancock http://jtsblogspot.blogspot.com/ or http://www.youtube.com/user/reachout/search?query=deliverance Will Van Der Hart http://www.mindandsoul.info/ Jonathan Clatworthy http://www.clatworthy.org/ For more Christian/non-Christian debate visit http://www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable or get the MP3 podcast http://ondemand.premier.org.uk/unbelievable/AudioFeed.aspx or Via Itunes If you enjoyed this programme you may also enjoy: Unbelievable? 10 Jul 2010 - Was Saint Paul mentally ill & the proponent of a hoax religion?'B. Strong' & Christian John Tancock debate Unbelievable? 10 May 2008 The gift of tongues - faith or fake? Gerald Coates, Mark Johnston & Stephen Pilcher discuss. Join the conversation at http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/group/unbelievable and via Facebook and Twitter

Justin Brierley interviews Grace & Mark Driscoll on their book Real Marriage and on Mark's ministry as pastor of Mars Hill Church Seattle.   The interview, which was recorded for Christianity Magazine, was criticised by Driscoll in a blog post http://pastormark.tv/2012/01/12/a-blog-for-the-brits     Justin Brierley responds to Mark's criticisms in the introduction to the interview.   For Christianity Magazine's response see http://www.christianitymagazine.co.uk/markdriscoll   For a free copy of Christianity Magazine http://www.christianitymagazine.co.uk/freesample.aspx   For Justin Brierley's weekly faith debate radio show & podcast Unbelievable? http://www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable

Continuing our Mind, Body and Soul month of programming on Premier, Justin is joined by a Christian and an atheist as they discuss whether people's religious experiences can be explained by brain activity alone. Revd Dr Aladair Coles is an academice neurologist in Cambridge and part of the Faraday Institute's Test of Faith initiative. He says that even though neuroscience has helped us understand the brain activity of religious people, atheist scientists such as Sam Harris have not thereby disproved God. Martyn Frame is a psychological therapist and atheist. He believes that people's brain states fully explain their religious experiences and, in any case, the Christian God would not have given us the brains we have if He existed. For Premier's Mind, Body & Soul resources http://www.premier.org.uk/mind For Alasdair Coles http://www.st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk/faraday/Biography.php?ID=60 For Test of Faith lectures by Alasdair http://www.testoffaith.com/resources/resources.aspx?resourceByTag=true&tagid=24 For Martyn Frame see http://www.freeoffaith.net For more Christian/non-Christian debate visit http://www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable or get the MP3 podcast http://ondemand.premier.org.uk/unbelievable/AudioFeed.aspx or Via Itunes If you enjoyed this programme you may also enjoy: Unbelievable? 24 Jul 2010 - Psychology of Religion "Is religious belief a trick of the mind?" Atheist Martyn Frame & Christian Joanna Collicut McGrath Unbelievable? 24 Jul 2010 - Wired for God? The Biology of Spiritual Experience Join the conversation at http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/group/unbelievable and via Facebook and Twitter

Is our physical brain one and the same with the consciousness, thoughts and perceptions we experience? Is matter all there is ultimately? Keith Ward is a prominent Christian Philosopher & Theologian.  The Former Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford University. He believes in an immaterial mind, as well as the phsical brain. David Papineau is Professor of Philosophy of Science at Kings College London.  As an atheist & physicalist he believes that the mind is one and the same with the brain - there is nothing immaterial about it. For Keith Ward see http://www.keithward.org.uk/ For David Papineau http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/people/staff/academic/papineau/index.aspx For more Christian/non-Christian debate visit http://www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable or get the MP3 podcast http://ondemand.premier.org.uk/unbelievable/AudioFeed.aspx or Via Itunes Unbelievable? 23 Aug 2008 Why there IS a God - Keith Ward  Keith Ward and Robert Stovold Unbelievable? 21 Jun 2008 A Case for theistic evolution - Keith Ward Join the conversation at http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/group/unbelievable and via Facebook and Twitter

A show marking January's Feast of the Epiphany which marks the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus. Various astronomical theories have been put forward for what might have constituted the "Star of Bethlehem" that guided the Magi as recorded in Matthew 2. Christian Astrophysicists Hugh Ross and Jeff Zweerink of Reasons To Believe join Justin. Agnostic Astronomer Mark Kidger who works for the European Space Agency also joins the conversation. The firmly sceptical side is catered for by Norman Bacrac of the Ethical Society. Hugh, Jeff and Mark outline the conclusion their work has drawn on the Star of Bethlehem most likely being a recurring nova, witnessed by other astronomers in 5 BC. Norman expresses scepticism at the idea a celestial object could have led the Magi to a specific location and the astronomers respond. For Reasons to Believe resources on The Star http://www.reasons.org/christmasstar For Mark Kidger's book The Star of Bethlehem http://amzn.to/wNklg2 For the Ethical Society http://www.ethicalsoc.org.uk For more Christian/non-Christian debate visit http://www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable or get the MP3 podcast http://ondemand.premier.org.uk/unbelievable/AudioFeed.aspx or Via Itunes If you enjoyed this show you may also enjoy: Unbelievable? 26 Dec 2009 - Are the two Christmas accounts contradictory? Christian Charles Foster vs. Atheist Robert Stovold Unbelievable? 22 Dec 2007 - Did Christians steal Christmas? Join the conversation at http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/group/unbelievable and via Facebook and Twitter

A festive edition of the show in which we investigate some of the common Old Testament prophecies associated with Christmas. Isaiah 7:14 "The virgin will conceive" and Micah 5:2 "But you Bethlehem..." Do such prophecies supernaturally predict the coming of Christ? Dr Michael Brown is a Messianic Jew who believes there is overwhelming evidence for Jesus fulfiling the prophecies of the Old Testament.  Andrew Hindmarch is an atheist who denies that any kind of prophecy can be show to be valid. Dr Michael Brown http://www.askdrbrown.org/ The Reasonable Faith Tour Video page http://www.premier.org.uk/craig For more Christian/non-Christian debate visit http://www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable or get the MP3 podcast http://ondemand.premier.org.uk/unbelievable/AudioFeed.aspx or Via Itunes If you enjoyed this programme you may also enjoy Unbelievable? 24 May 2008 Jesus & Jewishness Jesus & Jewishness: are they compatible? Rabbi Shmuley Boteach & Michael Brown debate Unbelievable? 20 Dec 2008 The Virgin Birth - for & against The Virgin Birth: Fact or Fiction? Revd Michael Sayward debates Unitarian Sarah Tinker Join the conversation at http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/group/unbelievable and via Facebook and Twitter

A varied New Year's Eve show with contributions from Revd David Robertson on his life-threatening illness. Reflections on the passing away of Christopher Hitchens from listeners and debate oppponent Prof John Lennox.  Humorous "Praxman &..." sketches.  An extract from a forthcoming interview with sometimes controversial US pastor Mark Driscoll. Audio from the Reasonable Faith Tour in Cambridge and more... For Praxman sketches see http://youtu.be/fywHc4M7LdA http://youtu.be/Ki-TdFv7IVE http://youtu.be/LgafS_jfQMc or http://www.premier.tv/sketches For Mark Driscoll interview in Feb edition of Christianity Magazine check back at http://www.christianitymagazine.co.uk/ For Reasonable Faith Tour videos http://www.premier.org.uk/craig For more Christian/non-Christian debate visit http://www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable or get the MP3 podcast http://ondemand.premier.org.uk/unbelievable/AudioFeed.aspx or Via Itunes Join the conversation at http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/group/unbelievable and via Facebook and Twitter

Stephen Law is senior lecturer in philosophy at Heythrop College, London and director of the Centre For Inquiry UK. He joins Justin to reflect on his debate with William Lane Craig during the UK Reasonable Faith Tour where he defended atheism. Glenn Peoples is a Christian Philosopher from New Zealand.  He discusses Stephen's central argument against God - The Evil God Challenge and why he believes that the Moral Argument is the solution to it. For Stephen Law http://stephenlaw.blogspot.com/ For Glenn Peoples http://www.beretta-online.com/ For Unbelievable? the Conference on DVD http://www.premier.org.uk/dvd For more Christian/non-Christian debate visit http://www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable or get the MP3 podcast http://ondemand.premier.org.uk/unbelievable/AudioFeed.aspx or Via Itunes   If you enjoyed this progamme you may also enjoy:   Unbelievable? 18 October 2011 - William Lane Craig vs Stephen Law - Does God Exist?   Unbelievable? 16 Oct 2010 - The Moral argument for God Philosophers Arif Ahmed and Glenn People debate   http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/group/unbelievable and via Facebook and Twitter

Stephen Law is an atheist and Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Heythrop College and director of the Centre for Inquiry UK. His latest book "Believing Bulls**t: how not to get sucked into an intellectual black hole" looks at the reasons people are persuaded into believing irrational things. Jame Orr is a Christian convert studying for a Doctorate in philosophy at Cambridge University. He engages Stephen on whether the criteria for recognising "intellectual black holes" applies to the claims of Christianity, including The Resurrection. For Stephen Law http://stephenlaw.blogspot.com/ Get the Book http://amzn.to/vNX92y For more Christian/non-Christian debate visit http://www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable or get the MP3 podcast http://ondemand.premier.org.uk/unbelievable/AudioFeed.aspx or Via Itunes   If you enjoyed this progamme you may also enjoy: Unbelievable? 5 Feb 2011 - Alister McGrath & Stephen Law - Why Won't God Go Away?   Unbelievable? 13 Nov 2010 - The Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism Alvin Plantinga vs Stephen Law   Join the conversation at http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/group/unbelievable and via Facebook and Twitter

Edgar Andrews is Emeritus Professor of Materials at the University of London and the author of "Who Made God?" He returns to support the view that only God explains the ability of science to make sense of the world around us. Lewis Wolpert is Emeritus Professor of Biology at University College London, he is an atheist and Vice President of the British Humanist Association. He argues tht belief in God is purely a result of evolution. They debate what constitutes "evidence" for God, and whether science is the only admissible type of evidence. For "Who made God?" http://whomadegod.org/ Order the book: http://www.epbooks.org/who-made-god-p-2170.html For Lewis Wolpert http://www.ucl.ac.uk/cdb/research/wolpert For Unbelievable? the Conference on DVD http://www.premier.org.uk/dvd For more Christian/non-Christian debate visit http://www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable or get the MP3 podcast http://ondemand.premier.org.uk/unbelievable/AudioFeed.aspx or Via Itunes   If you enjoyed this progamme you may also enjoy: Unbelievable? 19 Dec 2009 - What does science tell us about God? Atheist scientist Lewis Wolpert debates believing scientist Russell Cowburn   Unbelievable? 1 May 2010 - Test of Faith: Do we need God, now that we have science? Christian Denis Alexander vs Atheist Stephen Law   http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/group/unbelievable and via Facebook and Twitter