Episode Details

Matthew hosts a conversation between returning guests Brian Blais and Jonathan McLatchie to further the conversation on why Jonathan is confident that the resurrection of Jesus can be accepted as an historical event. The conversation goes beyond that and touches on the question of should we be accepting of personal testimony for strange single occurrence events as well as a bit of biology.

See below for links to items by Brian and Jonathan, as well as the two peer reviewed accounts of recovery following prayer that Jonathan mentions.

Peer Reviewed studies mentioned by Jonathan:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229918313116 and https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550830720300926

Jonathan's six part series responding to Richard Carrier on the ur-source theory explanation of undesigned coincidences.

Part 1: http://www.answeringmuslims.com/2020/03/yes-richard-carrier-there-are.html

Part 2: http://www.answeringmuslims.com/2020/03/can-scribal-errors-account-for.html

Part 3: http://www.answeringmuslims.com/2020/03/who-has-fabricated-data-lydia-mcgrew-or.html

Part 4: http://www.answeringmuslims.com/2020/03/is-redaction-usually-better-hypothesis.html

Part 5: http://www.answeringmuslims.com/2020/03/external-coincidences-and-acts-of.html

Part 6: http://www.answeringmuslims.com/2020/04/rounding-off-my-response-to-richard.html

Brian has written on the subject of faith and probability, in the “Measure of Faith” available here: https://bblais.github.io/posts/2019/Jul/15/a-measure-of-faith-probability-in-religious-thought/

Other articles by Brian on the subject of faith and miracles:

https://bblais.github.io/posts/2015/May/13/on-miracles/

https://bblais.github.io/posts/2013/May/21/a-little-about-miracles/

https://bblais.github.io/posts/2019/Sep/03/probability-of-the-resurrection/

https://bblais.github.io/posts/2013/Jul/27/what-would-it-take-for-me-to-believe-the-resurrection/

Our theme music is by Holly: https://soundcloud.com/holly-bishop