Does the Bible really mean what it says, or is something else going on?  Does “kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child” literally mean to kill them, or does it mean something else? How can one reconcile the literal interpretation of the Word of God with a conceptual interpretation? Is this a dangerous practice?

We had an excellent dialog among very different world views, even highlighting significant differences between followers of Jesus.  We talk about all these things and more between an atheist and three Christians.

TOUGH QUESTION OF THE WEEK

What’s the deal with the Nephilim?

Robert (Bob) O’Connell, is an award winning playwright and the author of Flash Mob, Cruise Mob, Campus Mob, The Day I Dressed Better Than My Wife and The Death of Comedy. Bob is a regular contributor to The Triangle Review. He has had dozens of plays performed throughout the world. He is an educator and humorist, and most closely relates to the atheist worldview.

Bob lives with his wife here in Cary, NC.  He wanted to be on the podcast because he says that good people have much more in common than not, and he would like to focus on those commonalities to promote positivity rather than argue or tear down.  

Representing the Christian worldview today is Aaron Chappell.  Aaron grew up in Apex, NC, and attended a Southern Baptist Church. At one point he aspired to become a pastor, and he double majored in Business Management and Religious Studies at North Carolina State University.  He’s always loved history, so the academic study of Christianity has been something he really gravitated towards.  Aaron wanted to be on the podcast to dialogue with people about religion. He says it’s important that people be able to share varying points of view and respect each other, while not necessarily agreeing. 

Enjoy this presentation of The Miracles & Atheists Podcast and…don’t be soft!

SHOW NOTES

  • Why the BONUS episode? [2:07]
  • Welcome Bob O’Connell and Aaron Chappell [7:00]
  • What do you want to accomplish on the show today? [14:00]
  • There’s an element of faith for all world views [16:30]
  • Why is Bob an atheist? [17:38]
  • God commanding genocide? [21:09]
  • Aaron’s church story [22:30]
  • What makes Aaron’s take on faith weird? [25:15]
  • What if we’re looking at the Bible wrong? [30:40]
  • How does your lens on Scripture inform your life? [37:00]
  • Justifiable homicide [38:36]
  • I can be an atheist without taking the place of God [41:58]
  • Is God concerned about the meaning of words? [45:00]
  • What’s the posture of your heart? [53:30]
  • What causes the biggest wedges between people? [55:51]
  • Do you take the tumor out? [56:40]
  • Religion and Christianity as a control mechanism [1:05:10]
  • What is the fundamental message of the Critical Race Theory? [1:08:08]
  • Does the Church influence society with an immoral agenda? [1:11:30]
  • Teaser: Who were the Nephilim? [1:18:00]
  • Nick’s biggest takeaways [1:19:26]
  • MP’s final Words of Wisdom (WOW) [1:22:45]
  • Bloopers [1:23:04]

MENTIONS

 

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *