Is Christianity true? Answering the hardest questions about God, Jesus, and the Bible

In this episode of Faith & Clarity, Dr. Mark Turman is joined by Ryan Denison and Dr. Jim Denison for a wide-ranging conversation about the hard questions of faith and how Christians can engage a skeptical culture with confidence and grace. Jim opens up about the spiritual questions that have shaped his life—from his father's WWII trauma and early doubts in the church pew to the transformative influence of C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity. Together, they unpack the difference between proof and evidence, making the case that faith is less like a math equation and more like a relationship, assessed by the weight of what we know to be true. The conversation explores why belief in God is so often questioned in prosperous cultures, how to distinguish deism from theism, and four compelling tests for the Bible's trustworthiness: manuscripts, fulfilled prophecy, internal consistency, and archaeology. They also take on some of the bigger cultural challenges to faith such as Jesus' claims to deity, the logic of the atonement, and whether dinosaurs or extraterrestrial life pose any real threat to Christian belief before turning to the question suffering raises that reason alone cannot fully answer, and why God's presence with us in pain matters more than any explanation.Topics(0:00) Introduction(2:02) Jim Denison's early doubts(4:48) Church culture and C.S. Lewis(7:40) War trauma and faith(19:34) Does God exist today(28:48) Is the Bible trustworthy(31:54) Four tests for Scripture(35:14) Faith as relationship(37:00) Jesus claims divinity(49:37) Dinosaurs and aliens(53:53) Why God allows suffering(59:16) God with us in pain(1:04:47) Cancer and "help my unbelief"(1:06:45) ConclusionResourcesCamp mystic director breaks down in tears during trialWrestling with God bookAsk Us Anything: [email protected] for a Denison Forum newsletter: DenisonForum.org/subscribeAbout Dr. Jim DenisonJim Denison, PhD, is a cultural theologian and the founder and CEO of Denison Ministries. He speaks biblically into significant cultural issues at Denison Forum. He is the chief author of The Daily Article and has written more than 30 books, including The Coming Tsunami, the Biblical Insight to Tough Questions series, and The Fifth Great Awakening.About Dr. Ryan DenisonDr. Ryan Denison is the Senior Editor for Theology at Denison Forum and the author of The Focus newsletter, contributing writing and research to many of the ministry’s productions. He holds a PhD in church history from B. H. Carroll Theological Institute and an MDiv from Truett Seminary. Ryan has also taught at B. H. Carroll and Dallas Baptist University.He and his wife, Candice, live in East Texas and have two children.About Dr. Mark TurmanDr. Mark Turman serves as the Executive Director of Denison Forum, where he leads with a passion for equipping believers to navigate today’s complex culture with biblical truth. He is best known as the host of the Faith & Clarity podcast and the lead pastor of the Possum Kingdom Lake Chapel, the in-person congregation of Denison Ministries.Dr. Turman is the coauthor of Sacred Sexuality: Reclaiming God’s Design and Who Am I? What the Bible Says About Identity and Why it Matters. He earned his undergraduate degree from Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas, and received his Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. He later completed his Doctor of Ministry degree at George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University in Waco.Before joining Denison Forum, Mark served as a pastor for thirty-five years, including twenty-five years as the founding pastor of Crosspoint Church in McKinney, Texas. Mark and his high school sweetheart, Judi, married in 1986. They are proud parents of two adult children and grandparents to three grandchildren.About Denison ForumDenison Forum exists to thoughtfully engage the issues of our day from a biblical perspective, helping believers discern today’s news and culture through the lens of faith. Led by Dr. Jim Denison and a team of contributing writers, we offer trusted insight through The Daily Article, a daily email newsletter and podcast, along with articles, podcasts, interviews, books, and other resources. Together, these form a growing ecosystem of Christ-centered content that equips readers to respond to current events not with fear or partisanship, but with clarity, conviction, and hope. To learn more visit DenisonForum.org.All episodes are produced by Sound of a Rose. For more information, you can visit soundofarose.com.