Podcasts

Don’t Try This at Home

Don and Brandon discuss

An atheist’s attempt to defend religion.
The Episcopal Church’s attempt to attract more young people.
A pastor’s attempt to connect Barack Obama and the Antichrist. (Here is John Mark Reynold’s excellent piece on this topic.)

September 21, 2009

Addressing Possible Contradictions in the Gospels

Don and Brandon answer a listener email about a possible contradiction in the gospels. They also discuss the proper way to frame the discussion when talking about this type of issue with atheists.
Other topics include a listener question about Darwinian ethics, a Newsweek article about whether or not belief in God is “hard-wired” and author Dan Brown’s take on science and religion.

September 14, 2009

Why it is not in Government We Trust and More

Don clarifies some points from last week about Christian political theory and explains why we don’t want government running our lives. He illustrates his points with several examples from the news, including stories about Big Brother in England and a California lawmaker who has affairs with lobbyists. Don and Brandon also the nature of education and the government’s role in forming out kids, referencing stories about Barack Obama’s speech to schoolchildren, and recent decisions to force one student into public school for being too “rigidly” Christian and another to apologize for talking about Jesus.
Don and Brandon answer a listener email about how to know which scriptures are truly the “Word of God” by discussing the nature of God’s revelation to man. Don argues that God reveals much more than just words about himself and that we should understand the “Word of God” as more than just a text.

August 31, 2009

On Free Speech, the Theology of the Health Care Debate, Harvesting Organs from Babies and Biblical Interpretation

Don and Brandon start by attempting to answer a listener email about what he should do to prepare for his year at a secular university. The resulting conversation is wide ranging, touching on everything from politics to bioethics to Biblical hermeneutics. Don references several articles along the way, including Jonah Goldberg’s piece on President Obama’s faith, two stories that advocate harvesting organs from aborted babies, and a report from Florida about clothing that doesn’t align with the local school district’s worldview.

August 3, 2009

Debate with Aaron the Agnostic about The Problem of Evil

Don and Brandon talk again with caller Aaron, this time about what the existence of evil in the world tells us about whether or not God exists and what he is like if he does.

August 3, 2009

On How to Gather Knowledge and Understand the Trinity

Don and Brandon discuss listener comments and emails about the difference between data and criteria in worldview epistemology and whether or not the trinity is self refuting nonsense.

July 6, 2009

Rick Warren, Unanswered Prayer and the Problem of Evil

Brandon flies solo and talks about

Rick Warren’s speech at a Muslim gathering.
More weak arguments against the existence of God at whywontgodhealamputees.com.
New Age epistemology with a caller.
The problem of evil in answer to a chat room question.

June 15, 2009

Sound Hermeneutics, New Age Nonsense and Mean Canadians

Don and Brandon comment briefly on last weeks conversation and discuss some of the different presuppositions Christians hold about the nature of the Biblical text and how that affects interpretation. They also address a listener question about whether or not it is possible to “lose your salvation.”
A new-age daily meditation offers more self-refuting nonsense.
An atheist video maker explains what would cause him to believe in God. Don and Brandon explain why his approach to the topic is all wrong.
Are Canadians becoming less nice?

June 8, 2009

Do Don and Brandon Advocate a “Works” Salvation

Pete calls in and suggests that Don and Brandon have faulty soteriology.

May 26, 2009

Analyzing Historical Critics, Abortion Apologists and False Prophets

Don and Brandon discuss the Historical Critical philosophy of history, and how it was exhibited in last week’s discussion with Aaron as well as the debate with Dr. Price.
Is abortion like drinking? A commenter on this story thinks so, and wins this week’s Jonathan Swift Award.
Listener Joshua asked us to discuss whether or not it was right to say that the preacher in this video was wrong to kick a guy in the stomach.

May 18, 2009

Discussion with Aaron the Agnostic

Don and Brandon talk to caller Aaron about whether or not you can approach a topic like the resurrection without some presuppositions about the nature of reality.

May 11, 2009

Discussion with a Caller who Would Like to Import Ideas from Other Worldviews into Christianity

Don and Brandon talk with David, who wishes more Christians would look to the New Age movement (among other places) for spiritual guidance.

May 4, 2009

Discussion with Atheist Caller Gabriel

Don and Brandon compare worldviews with Gabriel, an atheist listener who had some questions about their use of the moral argument.

April 27, 2009

The Large Amount of Hypocrisy, Irony and Self Refuting Nonsense in Public Discourse

Perez Hilton can’t tolerate Miss California’s “intolerant” views and decides to exclude her from being Miss USA for not being inclusive enough.
A former Miss California refers to the Bible to support her views while deriding the current Miss California for referring to the Bible to support hers.
Karen Armstrong thinks the people of Pakistan should abandon whatever religion they currently practice and turn to Sufism because Sufism accepts that whatever religion people currently practice is just fine.
Why would an atheist want to be officially de-baptised?
Is there a balance between Arminianism and Calvinism? Don and Brandon discuss a listener email.

April 13, 2009

Answered Prayer and Experiences of the Holy Spirit

A listener believes god answered his prayer regarding getting a car but is friend objected to his claim, saying it was ridiculous to believe in a God who would answer that silly prayer but not end famine.
Another listener asks Don and Brandon about whether or not they experience the Holy Spirit in their lives and what that means. During this talk, Don references books by J.P. Moreland and Michael Novak.

March 30, 2009

YouTube Messages

Don and Brandon discuss the message of a couple of YouTube videos, including one of their own.

The maker of this funny video asks, ” If people claim to have a personal relationship with Jesus, shouldn’t they all believe basically the same things about him?”
In The Fire, a video written and produced by Don, a guy tries to save people from a burning building but meets with no success. Some have objected to the message of the video, claiming that comparing a religious truth claim to one about a fire is improper because a fire is verifiable and religions are not. Don and Brandon don’t agree.

March 23, 2009

Living in an Idiocracy and Being Ready for the End of the World

In response to some listener comments, Don and Brandon try to clarify how they use the moral argument.
Citing Thoms Bertonneau, Janie B. Cheaney and the crew at whywontgodhealamputees.com, Don suggests that we are descending into an age of idiocy and barbarism.
If that descent is one harbinger (among many) of the end of the world, are you ready for Jesus’ return? On what are you basing your confidence? Don and Brandon talk about what the Bible says about being ready.

March 16, 2009

Developing Evolutionary Morality, Keeping the Letter of the Law and Playing Language Games

A listener asks about how morality might have developed in a world without God.
The state of Minnesota is selling special “interest-free” loans to Muslims in order to meet the requirements of Sharia law.
Playing language games with science and bio-ethics.
A U.N. proposal would criminalize “defamation of Islam”.

March 9, 2009

Not Taking Eternity Seriously, Sleeping with Your Girlfriend and More

If most Americans believe that Heaven and Hell are real places, why are they not more serious about making sure they get to the right place? Since one’s eternal destination is easily the most important topic in reality, ensuring one is on the right road should be our obsession, according to Don.
Does Don think Augustine and Calvin are simpletons? Don and Brandon respond to a listener charge.
Frank Turek explains that many people reject God because they want to sleep with their girlfriends.
William Lobdell has a new book out documenting how he lost his religion.
A listener asks for some advice on how to reach people who don’t care about God and don’t see their need for him.

March 2, 2009

Discussion with “Wolfinator” about Tolerance and the Road to Heaven

Don and Brandon spend most of this show talking with caller “Wolfinator” about whether or not all spiritual paths lead to Heaven, among a few other things.

February 23, 2009

Thoughts on God and Ethics from the Devil, Penn Jillette and Nancy Pelosi

A listener wanted our thoughts on a clip from The Devil’s Advocate. The movie makers got the devil right, including the fact that he lies about the nature of God. (warning: profanity in clip)
Penn Jillette presents his reasons for believing there is no God.
Don and Brandon address a listener question: “If God knew that most people would go to Hell, how can we say that creating people was good?”
Can the pro-life position be defeated with just one question?
A baby is murdered at an abortion clinic. How is this a shock to people?
Our Jonathan Swift Award for the week goes to Nancy Pelosi, for arguing that a decreased population will be good for the economy.

February 16, 2009

Should We Listen to Our Conscience?

Don and Brandon address listener emails regarding the two previous shows as well as a question about whether or not they actually believe that we should listen to our conscience. Listener Tomer suggests that they hold to a double standard on the subject.

February 9, 2009

Is Life Fatalistic?

Don and Brandon continue a discussion Brandon started on the last show. They talk about whether or not life is fatalistic and some of the practical consequences of believing that it is.

January 26, 2009

Does God have a Purpose for Everything that Happens?

Brandon discusses whether it is right to say that God has a purpose for everything that happens. He argues that it is not and gives some strong biblical evidence in support of his position.

January 19, 2009

Theology and Martin Luther King Jr.

Don and Brandon discuss whether it is possible to separate theology from social action, as Leora Tananbaum seems to desire. The conversation also includes references to an article about Martin Luther King Jr. by Diane Cameron, a survey of American theological beliefs by the Barna Group, a report about Barack Obama’s theology, and Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” Speech.

January 12, 2009

Discussion with “Boredom” about the Evidence Supporting Our Respective Worldviews

“BoredomConsumesEverything” calls into the Don Johnson Show because he doesn’t think there is any evidence to support a theistic worldview.

January 12, 2009

Should We Love Fantasy Stories and Pray About Football?

Richard Dawkins has taken leave of his position at Oxford to study the effects of fantasy stories on children. He suspects they may be producing a irrational mindset in people that disposes them to more readily fall prey to religion.
Kurt Steeter speaks for God and tells us to quit praying about football because he has more important things to worry about.

January 9, 2009

Why the Financial Crisis Could Be the Best Thing that Ever Happened to You

Don presents Jesus’ take on the financial crisis. He explains that, according to Jesus, losing the American dream might just be the best thing that ever happened to you.

January 8, 2009

Bigots, Pro-Christian Atheists and More

Christopher Hitchens thinks Christians are bigots for believing some people go to hell. Heather Mac Donald doesn’t think they are, because they must not really believe that whole hell thing.
ABC News doesn’t know the difference between an political evangelical and an evangelist. Unfortunately, neither do many evangelicals.
Atheist Matthew Parris thinks Africa desperately needs God. (Don brings up this news story about a stoning death in Somalia during the discussion.)

November 13, 2008

More Fascist Tendencies and Irrational Atheist Bus Advertising

The intolerant, hateful bigots who opposed Proposition 8.
Pondering the rights of plants in Switzerland.
Atheist advertising in London and Washington D.C. is supposed to cause people to think. Brandon and Don take a shot at it.
We address a listener comment on the debate with Dr. Price.

November 7, 2008

Debate with Dr.Robert Price, Part 6

This is Part 6 of a debate hosted by OpposingViews.net between Don and Dr. Robert Price on the resurrection.

After an introduction by Paul Arends, Don and Brandon discuss the debate to this point and address some of the points brought up by Paul and Dr. Price last week.

October 31, 2008

On the Way to the New Dark Ages

How Alan Greenspan’s worldview helped lead to the economic crisis.
Is the Bible Illuminated another signpost on the way to a new dark ages?

October 30, 2008

Debate with Dr.Robert Price, Part 5

This is Part 5 of a debate hosted by OpposingViews.net between Don and Dr. Robert Price on the resurrection.

This episode includes an interview with Dr. Price followed by a commentary by host Paul Arends about where he thinks the debate stands.

October 23, 2008

Gay Marriage, Money and Politics

Don and Brandon discuss California’s Proposition 8, the world financial crisis, and why it is unwise to put your faith in money or politics.

October 15, 2008

Debate with Dr. Robert Price, Part 4

This is Part 4 of a debate hosted by OpposingViews.net between Don and Dr. Robert Price on the resurrection.

This was supposed to be Dr. Price’s chance to respond, but debate host Paul Arends wanted some clarification of some of Don’s positions before proceeding. This show, then, is Paul’s presentation of some of the problems he has with Don’s argument, followed by an interview with Don to get his response. Brandon Ridley also joins Don in that part of the broadcast.

October 3, 2008

Debate with Dr. Robert Price, Part 3

This is Part 3 of a debate hosted by OpposingViews.net between Don and Dr. Robert Price on the resurrection.

In this episode Paul Arnends interviews Don and gets his response to last weeks discussion with Dr. Price.

September 30, 2008

Just War Theory and Abortion; Salvation, Relationship and Experiencing God; What About People Who have Never Heard about Jesus?

Don hands out a Jonathan Swift Award to Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite for classifying preborn babies as enemy combatants.
Don and Brandon discuss some listener emails. Topics include the fate of those people who have never heard about Jesus and the nature of salvation, especially as it relates to one experiencing God in relationship.

September 26, 2008

Debate with Dr. Robert Price, Part 2

This is Part 2 of a debate hosted by OpposingViews.net between Don and Dr. Robert Price on the resurrection.

In this episode Paul Arnends interviews Dr. Price and gets his response to Don’s argument in Part 1 of the debate.

September 26, 2008

How the West is Embracing Fascism. Does the Bible Say You Should Be True to Yourself? Can the Bible Be Reconciled with Evolution?

Sarah Palin’s rise to fame has highlighted the fact that over 90% of preborn babies with Down’s Syndrome are killed. Camille Paglia thinks we should call abortion what it is, murder, and embrace it. In the Netherlands, infanticide is celebrated. Don and Brandon continue to catalog the West’s embrace of fascism.
Christian celebrities Ray Boltz and Clay Aiken recently came out as gay, claiming that they needed to be true to who they were. Does the Bible teach this? (Don reads part of a blog post by Tony Woodleaf.)
Listener Phil asks if the Bible can be reconciled with evolution.

September 19, 2008

Debate with Dr. Robert Price, Part 1

Don is interviewed by Paul Arnends of OpposingViews.net.

This is part 1 of a debate in which Paul will alternate between interviewing Don and Dr. Robert Price on the subject of the historicity of the resurrection.

Dr. Price is Professor of Theology and Scriptural Studies at Johnnie Colemon Theological Seminary, the founder and editor of The Journal of Higher Criticism, and a Fellow of the Jesus Seminar. He holds a PhD in Systematic Theology from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary and another PhD in New Testament from Drew University. He is the author of many books including Jesus Is Dead.

September 11, 2008

Pluralism the Religion, More on the Prophecy of Jesus’ Return, and Other Listener Email

Eboo Patell wants us to join the religion of pluralism.
Don and Brandon continue to interact with a listener about the New Testament writers and the return of Christ.
More listener emails.

August 15, 2008

The Trustworthiness of NT Authors, The Difficulty of Paranormal Research, and the Arrogance of the “Many Ways to Heaven” Crowd

Don and Brandon answer answer some listener questions, including:
- “If the New Testament writers were wrong about when Jesus was going to return, why should we trust them about anything else?”
- “Shouldn’t Christians be leading the charge to investigate paranormal activity? They seem to be leaving that realm to pagans.”
According to a recent study, 70% of religious believers think there is more than one path to eternal life. While at least one expert thinks this position is a sign of humility, Don and Brandon argue that it is actually incredibly arrogant. This discussion veers into the political realm and includes references to an article by Pat Buchanan.

August 8, 2008

Listener Emails on the Relationship Between Experience, Evidence and Faith

Don and Brandon answer listener email and live chat room questions.

June 5, 2008

Irrational Mormons and Neural Buddhists

Don and Brandon respond to a Mormon listener who argues that is is wrong to demand rationality and reasonableness from religion.
Sharon Stone blamed the Chinese earthquakes on karma. Why are people so upset?
David Brooks thinks the evidence being discovered by neurobiology doesn’t bode well for Christianity.

May 21, 2008

Why Does the God of the Old Testament Kill Kids? and More

A listener asks what to do with the Old Testament accounts of God destroying entire populations.
The church of green.
Homosexuality and race.
Were two fliers who prayed, then landed safely next to a huge “Jesus is Lord” sign after their engine quit just lucky, or did God rescue them?

May 16, 2008

Atheism and Child Murder, Christianity without Christ and More

Don and Brandon respond to a listener email asking about people who are not interested in reason and evidence when choosing a worldview as well as those who honestly think the reason and evidence point elsewhere than Christianity.
A discussion of the recent debate between Dinesh D’Souza and Peter Singer.
Christianity without Christ?

May 8, 2008

Apatheism, Pandering Pastors, Pluralism Sunday, and Atheists Who Raise Christian Kids

Jonathan Rauch argues that the greatest development in modern religion is “apatheism.”
The pastor who built his church on telling people what they want to hear, and other signs of a weak American evangelicalism.
The silliness of Pluralism Sunday.
The atheist who finds it necessary to teach her kid to be a Christian.

May 1, 2008

Trusting in Money but Not Ben Stein

A new study suggests that conservative Protestants have less wealth than most people. But are they really less secure?
Within our current cultural framework, what exactly is the case against polygamy?
Some Darwinists don’t like Ben Stein’s Expelled because he links the ideology to Hitler. But if Darwinism is true, isn’t it linked to everything?
Richard Dawkins admits that he thinks tribalism, not religion, is the cause of evil. And the cause of tribalism? Evolution. We try to figure it out.
Oprah Winfrey has “opened her mind” to irrationality.

April 24, 2008

Converting to Islam Because it Feels Good and More

A U.K. Christian converted to Islam, but doesn’t seem to have any good reasons for having done so.
According to Professor Daniel Dennett, religion is the greatest threat to rationality and science. Don argues that he is actually, and rightly, concerned about fideism, not religion.
It is fine for environmentalists to use scripture to support there position, but as Patrick McIlerhan notes, they might want to avoid making it up or taking it out of context when they do.
Senators Clinton and Obama admit they don’t know when life begins. Shouldn’t that make them anti-abortion?

April 17, 2008

Islamic Arguments against Christianity, Leaving Scientology and Abortion for Art’s Sake

A discussion of some topics that were raised in last week’s interview with Stephen Gibson.
Don and Brandon answer some Muslim arguments against Christianity that were sent in by a listener.
A T.V. star is mad at Scientology for not delivering on its promises.
This week’s Jonathan Swift award goes to Aliza Shvarts, who allegedly had abortions in order to produce an art project.

April 10, 2008

Interview with Stephen Gibson

Our guest is Stephen Gibson, founder of Truth Driven Thinking and author of A Secret of the Universe. Mr. Gibson rejected his Christianity due to higher biblical criticism, but has he found a worldview that is better supported by evidence? Don and Brandon try to find out.

April 3, 2008

Atheist Sunday School and Crazy Bishops

Don responds to a listener email questioning last weeks winner of the Jonathan Swift award.
The Episcopal Bishop of Washington claims the if Islam is false, so is Christianity and Judaism. Don disagrees.
Atheist Sunday School?
Is working for the conversion of Muslims the same as the crusades?
A listener suggests that since cultural relativism is a fact, perhaps moral relativism is too.

March 27, 2008

The God Particle and More

In Search of the God Particle: Physicist Steven Weinburg hopes to find a naturalistic explanation for everything.
Can naturalistic philosophy explain why mediation can change the brain?
The fallacy of religion?
The debate over whether or not we should debate about God.
Atheist Sara Kuhlman is right about bumper sticker religion.
Our Jonathan Swift Award for this week goes to the opponents of perinatal hospices.

March 20, 2008

The Easter Bunny, Jeremiah Wright, Margaret Sanger and More

The disturbing trend among preachers to consult their DVD collection for sermon ideas before going to the Bible.
Hot-cross buns and reincarnation milk: taking a look at Danny Katz’s critique of religion.
Does one have to believe the resurrection actually happened to get something out of Easter? Don, Brandon and Greg discuss a Daily Telegraph article that claims Easter goes beyond religion.
The Jeremiah Wright story has brought Black liberation theology into the news. The group talk about where it fits within the three main historical views of the kingdom of God.
As exposed by The Advocate, Planned Parenthood is doing a great job of fulfilling their founder’s racist, eugenic vision.
Don, Greg and Brandon get into a brief debate about pacifism.

March 13, 2008

Religion and Ignorance, Virtue and Freedom

Is American ignorance and anti-intellectualism due to religion, as Susan Jacoby argues, or is it actually due to a rejection of God, as Don and Brandon argue.
- San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom offers an example of irrationality.
Recycle or go to hell?
Going green for lent?
More examples of what not to look for when “shopping for God.”
Who does the evidence suggest is right about the Elliot Spitzer adultery case: Cal Thomas or Mary Carmichael?
The relationship between virtue and freedom.

March 6, 2008

How Not to Read the Bible

After discussing the proposition that Moses was often high on drugs, Don and Brandon offer several examples of what not to do with biblical writings.

Barack Obama’s faulty hermeneutics.
How rejecting the Bible killed mainline Protestantism.
The Peace and Justice Bible takes biblical “helps” to a new level of silliness.

February 28, 2008

Are Americans Really Losing their Religion? Or Just Becoming Less Rational About It?

The American populace is turning away from organized religion, but staying religious nonetheless. Don and Brandon talk about this phenomenon and use Geraldine Brooks’ testimony, and the religious fervor surrounding Barack Obama as examples.
Listener Tomer says that if there is a chance his children are going to end up in hell, it is not worth having kids. Don and Brandon talk about the nature of relationships and the difference between going to hell and getting captured by terrorists.
Two Orange county cities have posted “In God We Trust” in their municipal buildings. Don finds himself agreeing with Christopher Hitchens on this subject.

February 21, 2008

On Deepak Chopra’s New Book, Sex Education, and Outlawing Piglet, Among Other Things

Why Deepak Chopra’s call for a “new” Jesus is unsupportable.
The faulty presuppositions of the researchers who are investigating why people believe in religion.
How the irrationality of the Anti-Defamation League and the British Government is causing them to embrace evil.
Why Keith Olbermann and some members of Congress are completely wrong on sex education and AIDS relief.

January 24, 2008

Fred Phelps, Will Smith, the New Math, and a Jonathan Swift Award Winner

Fred Phelps’ crazy theology.
Will Smith’s defense of Tom Cruise’s beliefs.
The relationship between philosophy, morality, and America’s poor math scores.
Alison Piepmeier wins our Jonathan Swift Award for Ridiculous Pro-abortion Argument with her explanation of the relational benefits of killing her pre-born baby.

November 21, 2007

Is Beauty Really in the Eye of the Beholder? and More

Don talks with a caller about whether an materialistic, atheistic worldview supports morality and whether some art is objectively better than others.
He also discusses some topics with chat room listeners, including the morality of birth control and capital punishment.

November 15, 2007

Pascal’s Wager, Maniacal Monkeys and other Listener Questions

Don answers listener questions about:
- Pascal’s wager.
- Whether a woman’s decision is the deciding moral factor in abortion.
- Why, if God is supposed to dwell within them, so many Christians seem to have ordinary inner lives.
What can we learn about religion from the roving bands of monkeys causing havoc in India?

November 1, 2007

Supernaturalism, Grilled Cheese, Beer and Yoga

Newsweek sets up the “Grilled Cheese” straw man to explain away belief in the supernatural.
Beer and the Seeker Sensitive Church Movement. An Australian church sets up shop in a bar and the leader of Willow Creek admits their mistakes.
Mandatory yoga in high school?

October 25, 2007

Are we Training our Kids to be Irrational? and Listener Questions

What not to do if your child becomes a Christian.
Don answers questions from the listener chat room, touching on a wide range of topics, including Harry Potter and politics.

October 18, 2007

The Theology of Ann Coulter and the Dalai Lama, Among Other Things

Topics include:

Ann Coulter’s desire to see Jews convert to Christianity.
The relationship between Judaism and Christianity.
The Dalai Lama’s comments about all religions having the same moral teaching.
Tomer’s email about sex education and morality without God.

October 11, 2007

The Theology of George Bush, Barack Obama, and Whoopi Goldberg, Among Other Things

Topics include:

A short review of last week’s show with Sigfried, comparing the different approaches to epistemology.
George W. Bush’s assertion that Christians and Muslims worship the same god.
Don answers some questions from caller Daniel. They discuss, among other things, what is required for life to have meaning and Barack Obama’s desire to build the kingdom of God through politics.
Whoopi Goldberg’s call for everyone to revere women who have had abortions.

October 4, 2007

Debate with Sigfried the Naturalist

Caller Sigfried defends his naturalistic worldview against Don’s claims that it cannot account for rationality or morality. Later in the conversation, Don makes a case for the historicity of the resurrection of Christ and answers some of Sigfried’s questions about the Bible.

September 20, 2007

Proper Discrimination, Conception Day, Madonna, Sarah Silverman and More

Topics include:

Caller Daniel talks about atheist arguments for morality.
Some priests in Britain are facing charges of discrimination for saying Hinduism is false.
Madonna, the “ambassador for Judaism.”
Conception day in Russia
Sarah Silverman’s revealing comedy sketch about abortion.

September 13, 2007

Faith, Evidence, Rewards and Ala

Don discusses some misconceptions about he Christian definition of faith and talks with a couple of callers, including Ala, who is convinced that two people can believe contradictory propositions about the nature of reality and both be right. If you just want to hear the discussion with Ala, click here.

August 14, 2007

On Global Warmism, Among Other Things

A reader of the Cincinnati Inquirer is astonished that the pope is Catholic.
Who is to blame for America’s religious illiteracy. Stephen Prothero thinks it is the church.
Universities are enacting anti-proselytizing laws that prohibit tearing down another person’s belief. Is this rational and should we really care so much about not offending anyone?
Is Global Warmism the world’s newest religion? The Live Earth event and Al Gore’s writings suggest that it might be.

August 9, 2007

The Religion Reporter Who Lost His Faith and More

Don and Brandon talk about:

The L.A. Times religion reporter who gave up on faith after covering too many scandalous stories.
The flaw in Christopher Hitchens’ argument against religion.
The World’s “blame the victim” response towards the kidnapping and killing of Korean aid workers by the Taliban.
The irrationality of the pro-abortion position and how it often demeans women. In this discussion we reference an article by Anna Quindlen about how much jail time women should get under pro-life laws and the story of Christy Freeman, who apparently murdered 4 of her pre-born children.

July 18, 2007

On “Helpful” Sins, Hell and God’s Purpose for Your Life

Listener Tomer didn’t like the way we responded to his email on the air a few shows back, so we got him on the line to talk about it. The conversation touched on a wide range of topics, including:

There are certain sins that seem to be very beneficial. Shouldn’t we practice those in order to achieve a greater good?
If our good works outweigh our bad, shouldn’t that be enough to get into Heaven?
Why does God seem like such a harsh taskmaster? He gives us desires and then punishes us for trying to fulfill them? And is it really a relationship if he holds hell over our heads as punishment if we don’t submit to his rules?

July 17, 2007

Examining the Worldview of The Secret:

An Interview with Kathleen Graham

Don and Brandon interview personal success coach Kathleen Graham, founder and president of Success In U. Kathleen teaches people how to appropriate the teachings of The Secret using techniques explained in her written guide, The Law of Attraction Toolkit.

Kathleen graciously explains her beliefs and candidly answers some questions from Don and Brandon regarding some of the more troubling worldview teachings of The Secret, such as:

Victims of genocide are guilty, at some level, of bringing it upon themselves.
There is no objective right and wrong in the universe, so Hitler cannot be morally condemned. We can only point out that the Allies knew how to harness the power of The Secret better than he did.

They also discuss the compatibly of the teachings of The Secret with those of Jesus (Don and Brandon see them as antithetical, Kathleen doesn’t) and talk about about whether or not the worldview of The Secret is self-refuting and incoherent. It turns out to be a very interesting conversation.

July 5, 2007

So What if He is God? Why Should I Obey Him?

Don and Brandon answer some listener questions regarding obeying God.

They talk with John about whether or not we obey God because it is in our best interest or just because God is God.
They discuss Tomer’s email about the fact that, practically speaking, “sinning” sometimes seems the most helpful thing to do.

June 29, 2007

Questioning the Atheism of The Infidel Guy

A discussion with Reginald Vaughn Finley, Sr, otherwise known as “The Infidel Guy.“ Mr. Finley is a graduate of the Atlanta Broadcast Institute and the founder of freethoughtmedia.com , atheistforums.com, faithandfreethought.com and many other websites. He is also co-founder of The Atheist Network, another site dedicated to fostering the community of atheists.We ask Reggie usual questions: “What do you believe about reality and why? Is there any good reason to be an naturalistic atheist? Does that worldview best account for the data?” He has some interesting answers.

June 22, 2007

The Priest and Paris Hilton

Don and Brandon offer their take on the Paris Hilton story, including:

Why is it that Paris thinks that a trip to jail has been good for her? What was wrong with her life before?
Paris took three books with her: The Bible, The Secret and a book by Ekhart Tolle. How should she approach her spiritual journey? Hopefully she will not follow the example of the Episcopal priest who now claims to be a Muslim as well as a Christian.

August 14, 2006

What is Unique About the Jews?

Why does everyone hate the Jews? From Hezbollah to Mel Gibson to the Muslim murderer who shot up a Jewish center in Seattle, there has been a lot of anti-Semitism in the news lately. Don and Brandon examine some of the professed reasons for this and offer their own take on the subject. Along the way they discuss articles by Michael Medved, Paul Johnson, Joel Stein and the Boston Globe editorial staff.

May 11, 2006

On The Da Vinci Code, Da Vinci’s Art and Santa Claus Religion, Among Other Things

Don and Brandon discourse on a variety of subjects, including:

According to reports, many people are actually believing The Da Vinci Code. Do we have to debunk the existence of Darth Vader next?
Unbelieving parents are sending their kids to church to find moral guidance and solace, even though they don’t think any of it is true.
Do Muslims and Christians and Jews worship the same God?
Strange theology in USA Today.
Some listeners have decided that since there is no God, there is no such thing as objective morality. We examine their arguments.

April 17, 2006

Why Did God Create People He Knew Would End Up in Hell? and More Answers to Tough Questions

We address some more topics requested by listeners, including:

Is God beyond good and evil? That is to say, is God good because He does good things, or is something good simply because He says it is?
Why would God create someone he knows will end up in Hell? Wouldn’t it have been better for those people never to be born at all?
If God loved me, He would provide me with more evidence.

April 7, 2006

On Jesus the Ice Walker and Parakeets That Lay Golden Eggs

Don and Brandon discuss the research released this week that suggests Jesus may have walked on ice instead of water.
Responses to listener email include:
- a discussion of parakeets that lay golden eggs
- a refutation of the notion that an absolute standard for right and wrong can exist without God.

March 23, 2006

Debate with Scientologist David Barrington

From South Park to Rolling Stone, Scientology is prominent in the news these days. I debate the merits of Scientology’s beliefs with dianetics expert David Barrington. Mr Barrington actually studied under L. Ron Hubbard and writes the website infocenter2.org.

March 16, 2006

Responses to Listener Email

Don and Brandon address listener emails from around the world. Topics include:

Is God an egomaniac? Why does the Christian God require worship?
How could a loving God only save a portion of humanity?
Why doesn’t God give us more evidence for His existence?
Does talking about hell make Don and Brandon racist, intolerant hatemongers?
How is the fact that the original followers of Jesus were martyred for their beliefs an evidence for the truthfulness of Christianity?

March 9, 2006

Is There Any Good Reason to Be a Mormon?: A Discussion with LDS Scholar Alma Allred

I write often on my blog about how I think Mormonism is a religion that offers no good reasons to support its truth claims. Most recently I noted an example of this: recent DNA findings that suggested some historical inaccuracies in the Book of Mormon have been deemed largely irrelevant within Mormon Church circles. Alma Allred commented on that post, disagreeing with my assessment. I contacted him and he agreed to chat with me about this topic on my radio show.

Mr. Allred is a university administrator at the University of Utah and an LDS Historian. He teaches LDS Church History at the LDS Institute of Religion located near the University of Utah. He is a published author and has provided book reviews for the Mormon History Association and the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies. Most recently, he was one of the essayists in a book published by the University of Illinois Press, “Black and Mormon” edited by Newell Bringhurst and Darron Smith. (2004)

September 24, 2005

Supernaturalism and the Occult in Pop Culture

We analyze pop culture’s current fascination with the supernatural and the occult.

September 3, 2005

The Problem of Pain: Why Does God Allow Suffering?

In the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, we discuss how a supposedly all powerful and good God could allow such suffering.
Also, we talk about the the new guidelines issued by the Air Force regarding public prayer.

August 27, 2005

Does Jesus Want You To Be Rich?

According to Newsweek and other sources, the trend in American spirituality is towards love of money and ecstatic experiences. We analyze this development.

August 20, 2005

Debate with Muslim Apologist Nadir Ahmed

We talk about why Islam is one of the world’s fastest growing religions and whether there are any good reasons to believe it is true with Muslim apologist Nadir Ahmed of ExamineTheTruth.com.

August 13, 2005

Faith vs. Science? A Discussion with Skeptic Dave Thomas

Dave Thomas is a physicist, contributing author of Skeptical Odysseys and the president of New Mexicans for Science and Reason. You may have seen him quoted in this week’s Time Magazine cover story on the Intelligent Design Movement or on national TV recently with Lee Strobel on Faith Under Fire. We discuss the relationship between religion and science.

August 6, 2005

Are Religious People Morons?

The prevailing take on such current events as the Intelligent Design Movement, Muslim terrorism and stem-cell research is that the battle is between faith and reason. On one side you supposedly have intelligent rational folks and on the other you have unthinking boobs. I examine this alleged dichotomy.
This weeks Jonathan Swift Award goes to Dick Durbin, who explains why he decided to stop being pro-life.

July 30, 2005

The Rise of Religious Totalitarianism in the West

Stories from England, Australia and Canada show how governments are primed to take over control and banish free exercise of religion.
Our Jonathan Swift Award goes to Michael Read, who argues that he caused his mother to be made fun of, so would have been better off dead.

July 23, 2005

“At Least the Terrorists Have Meaning in their Lives” and More

We analyze Tim Lott’s assertion that the suicide bombers are to be admired in some ways because they have something that the West simply can’t offer: meaning in life.
This weeks Jonathan Swift Award for Ridiculous Pro-Abortion argument goes to David Barash, who writes that since we can’t pinpoint the moment of “ensoulment”, abortion is OK.
Michael McGough attempted to explain proper Biblical interpretation methods in the LA Times this week and we explain what a poor attempt it was.

July 16, 2005

The Legacy and Future of Crusade Evangelism

With three major evangelistic events occurring at the same time this weekend in Southern California along with Billy Graham’s announcement that his crusade in New York a few weeks back would be his last, we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of “altar-call” evangelism.

July 2 and 9, 2005

On these dates we broadcast “The Best of The Don Johnson Show”, including debates and discussion previously heard on May 21, April 30 and February 26.

June 25, 2005

The Suppression of Religious Free Speech and Rise of Propaganda in the West, The Killing of Babies to get a “Baby-Smooth” Face and Some Advice for Tom Cruise on How to Evangelize on Behalf of Scientology

From ridiculous “hate-crime” laws in Australia and Britain, to fake documentaries in America, truth seeking and open debate are on the way out.
This week’s Jonathan Swift Award goes to the Russians who are extracting stem cells from the bodies of aborted babies and injecting them into their own to reduce wrinkles.
Tom Cruise ran into trouble with The Today Show’s Matt Lauer over Scientology and we are here to offer Tom some advice on how to better make his case.

June 18, 2005

On Fatherhood, Celebrity Worship and Preventing Holocausts through the Mass Killing of Children

These statistics show just how important fathers really are. We discuss how this supports a Christian worldview.
We tackle the argument that the Christian view of a loving father God is just a wish-fulfillment fantasy made up by humans who don’t have one.
We hand out this week’s “Jonathan Swift Award for Most Ridiculous Abortion Rights Argument” to Henry Morgentaler, who claimed that abortions reduce violent crime. We then offer a “modest proposal” of our own to make an even safer society.
We discuss the cult of celebrity and evaluate why our culture worships people like Michael Jackson and Tom Cruise.

June 11, 2005

The Myth of “Religion Free” Education

The Bible Literacy Project is attempting to have the Bible brought back into public schools not as a religious or sacred document but simply as literature. We debate this idea and point out the weakness in our culture’s current philosophy of public education.

June 4, 2005

The Idiocy of Judgment Free Spirituality and More

Howard Dean claims to be a “Christian” but then denies that that label means anything that can be objectively characterized (judged). We show how ridiculous this approach to religion is.
Judith Christ and the “Make up your own Scriptures” crowd
Is the Church too Obsessed with the State?
The Real Pro-Abortion Mindset

May 28, 2005

On Tom Cruise, T.D. Jakes and Wiccans, Among Other Things

From Tom Cruise’s Scientology to T.D. Jakes’ Mega-church Evangelicalism, people are turning spiritual for no good reasons.

May 21, 2005

A Debate with a Zen-Master

Our in-studio guest this week is Audrey Carr, co-author of “The Gospel According to Zen” and editor of “The Zen Game” website and newsletter. We debate her New Age views, including her beliefs about Jesus, the resurrection, historical Christianity and the nature of reality. Audrey and I have been having a email debate in the comments section of previous programs. The resurrection discussion is interesting in light of last night’s 20/20 program which dealt with this issue. (You can get a summary of that program here.) Audrey’s original email was a response to the February 12, 2005 program and my written responses to that email is here.) UPDATE: Also, I have since posted reasons to believe the resurrection here.

May 14, 2005

Do All Roads Lead to Heaven?

According to this article, beliefs about Heaven are changing. In the name of tolerance, people now accept that there are many as many paths to Heaven as there are beliefs. We examine this trend.

May 7, 2005

Can You be Good or Have Meaning in Life Without God?

According to this survey, college students overwhelmingly believe that you can be good without God. We address this question.

April 30, 2005

Why You Shouldn’t Respect the Spiritual Values of People Whose Spiritual Values are False

The Air Force is requiring their staff to go through an RSVP (Respecting the Spiritual Values of Others) program to make that branch of the armed services more “sensitive.” We explain why this approach to religion is ridiculous and have an lengthy debate with a nice caller who disagrees.

(Comments)

April 23, 2005

Relativism and the Search for Truth in Religion

The reaction to the election of Pope Benedict has exposed the “dictatorship of relativism” that he disdains for what it is. Most people judge his positions based on their personal preferences rather than whether or not what he believes is true. We interview atheist Mark Thomas (who holds to relativistic principles) to debate this trend.

April 16, 2005

The Religious Right’s Quest to Reclaim America

Last week we talked about Christians who aren’t concerned with following the rules of their faith. This week we talk about the other extreme – those who are overly focused on the rules. We discuss the goal of many Christians to create a “Christian nation” by getting people to adopt Judeo-Christian values.

April 9, 2005

The Sorry State of American Christianity

One of the major stories surrounding the Pope’s death was the fact that a large percentage of American Catholics don’t follow the churches teachings. This trend isn’t confined to Catholics, as a large percentage of Protestants don’t live out the dictates of their faith either. We evaluate this trend and suggest reasons for it.

April 2, 2005

The Pope and George Felos

On the day the Pope died, we discuss how his theologically conservative worldview formed the basis for two major areas of his legacy – his hatred of communism and fascism, and his battle against the “culture of death” – and how that worldview compares with that of the man who was at media center stage earlier in the week, Michael Schiavo’s lawyer George Felos.

March 26, 2005

What Motivates Cultural Warriors

The Terry Schiavo case has brought the foundational issues in the culture war to the forefront. We examine those issues as well as the motivations driving each side.

March 19, 2005

A Debate with a National Atheist Leader

A debate with atheist leader Edwin Kagin. We covered topics ranging from Terry Schiavo to the Intelligent Design movement.

March 12, 2005

What does it mean that suicide, infanticide and other forms of killing are becoming trendy?
The real issue with religious extremism.

March 5, 2005

Thoughts about the demise of atheism around the world and the “spirituality” that has taken its place.
The Supreme Court and the Ten Commandments: What are the real issues?

February 26, 2005

Is the current increased interest in spirituality a good thing? Is it a an “awakening” in the traditional sense?

This topic includes a conversation with a self-professed pantheist who objected to our handling of the topic from last week’s show and thought we were “intolerant” of other religious views.

February 19, 2005

Listener email: a response to pantheism from last weeks comments section.
What acceptance of euthanasia says about our culture’s view of the meaning of life.

February 12, 2005

Is homosexuality a civil rights issue? Is it a sin?
Do all religions lead to God? Are Christians intolerant and arrogant for thinking they have the one way, the one truth?
What abortion advocates really think.

February 5, 2005

Does the Republican party have the corner on God? Can a good Christian vote Democrat?

Democrats are trying to woo religious voters by framing their issues in moral terms. But are topics like caring for the environment and helping the poor really on the same theological plane as homosexuality and abortion?

January 29, 2005

Addressing objections to Christianity, including

Christians are hypocrites
The Bible doesn’t offer good moral teaching
Jesus said He was coming back soon and didn’t
The Bible is not historically accurate

January 22, 2005