Reasonable Faith Podcast

Francis Collins and N.T. Wright recently fielded audience questions after a public conversation, several of which centered on the historicity of Adam and Eve. Collins argues that population genetics rules out a single ancestral couple, and lays out the model he finds most plausible: a couple selected out of an existing population and given something new. Wright suggests Genesis 2–3 might work the way Genesis 12 does, with Adam and Eve chosen out of a larger population the way Abraham and Sarah were chosen out of everyone else. Dr. William Lane Craig addresses both claims, including recent population-genetics research on ancient human bottlenecks, the Apostle Paul's treatment of Adam in Romans 5, and how Collins's view compares to the argument Craig makes in his own book, In Quest of the Historical Adam.

A listener from Morocco argues that beauty is like an emotion and not a property of objects, but says that doesn't make it subjective, since he considers emotions like fear objective too. Dr. William Lane Craig agrees aesthetic properties don't inhere in physical things (a chair isn't beautiful viewed from below; a piece of music's beauty isn't in the notes on a page), but rejects the "emotion in the mind" comparison itself. For Dr. Craig, fear actually is subjective, so equating beauty with it would make beauty subjective too. Instead, he holds aesthetic value is objective the same way moral value is: apprehended, not a property we find in things.

A new school year means a new round of hard questions for your kids about evolution, evil, supposed contradictions in the Bible, whether Jesus really rose from the dead, and why there are so many religions in the world. Kevin and Dr. William Lane Craig talk through ten questions students run into most, in class and out, and share some practical advice for parents who want their kids ready to think it through, not just get through it. 

A listener asks Dr. William Lane Craig how Christianity's dependence on a historical resurrection (unlike Hinduism's Krishna) can be defended, then raises three questions that arise in evangelism: that "eternal life" can't be historically verified, that the NT accounts were written too late to trust, and that no clear OT prophecy points to a risen Messiah. Dr. Craig affirms Anil's core insight, that Christianity's rootedness in history is a strength, not a weakness, while showing that the empty tomb, appearances, and disciples' transformation are historically well-attested, that historians still trust ancient biographies (like those of Alexander the Great) written centuries after their subjects' deaths, and that the disciples' unexpected belief in the resurrection is itself evidence for it, precisely because it ran against Jewish expectations.

A viral graphic accuses Dr. Craig of seven heresies. From Neo-Apollinarian Christology, his rejection of limited atonement and Calvinism, to his defense of Molinism. Dr. Craig and Kevin go through the list charge by charge, separating genuine ancient heresies from disagreements, and explain what actually crosses the line into heresy versus faithful, if debated, Christian doctrine.

Reasonable Faith marks a milestone with its 1,000th Question of the Week and it lands right alongside the ministry's 20th anniversary. This time, William Lane Craig turns the question on himself: what does two decades of Reasonable Faith look like in hindsight? He reflects on explosive growth (70+ million engagements a year), the unexpected power of video and social media in reaching closed countries, an AI chatbot quoting his work back to students, and the expansion of Reasonable Faith chapters past 270 worldwide. He also gives an update on his five-volume Systematic Philosophical Theology, including a preview of what he's uncovered writing on the intermediate state between death and resurrection, plus a look ahead to a high-profile debate with Michael Shermer on the resurrection and the Trotter Lecture with Brian Greene. A candid, personal look back at where Reasonable Faith has been and where it's headed.

A listener asks whether annihilation is even a coherent punishment for sin, given that Jesus's atonement on the cross required him to bear that same punishment—and as the eternal Son, he cannot cease to exist. Could God instead offer annihilation as an optional alternative to eternal separation? Dr. William Lane Craig agrees the objection is a serious problem for annihilationism: if Christ can't be annihilated, he can't satisfy the punishment annihilationists say sin deserves. He also rejects the "optional alternative" fix, arguing that annihilation and eternal conscious suffering aren't equivalent penalties, so offering a choice between them would undermine divine justice rather than satisfy it.

Dr. William Lane Craig continues his response to Paul Davies and Emily Qureshi-Hurst by examining some of today's most ambitious attempts to explain the universe without God. He critiques Wheeler's participatory universe, the multiverse, Boltzmann brains, and the search for a mysterious "Option X," arguing that classical theism already provides the explanatory foundation these theories lack. The conversation concludes with Qureshi-Hurst's candid admission that the real obstacle to belief isn't cosmology—it's the problem of evil.

A listener asks whether the eschatological renewal of creation might be delayed billions of years if God's redemptive purposes extend to alien civilizations that haven't yet evolved. Dr. Craig affirms that any extraterrestrial life would indeed be included in God's eschatological plans, but argues the consummation isn't tied to the natural history of all possible intelligent life—God will bring history to a close whenever he deems fit, encompassing only the intelligent life that actually exists at that time.

A listener pushes back on Dr. Craig's claim that neither Jesus nor Paul expected the second coming within their own generation. Pointing to Matthew 24:36 and Jesus' words to the disciples about "this generation," and argues that Jesus was predicting a coming in judgment on Jerusalem in A.D. 70, not his final return.Dr. Craig agrees with partial preterism as far as it goes, but explains why he stops short of full preterism. Working through the Greek text of Mark 13, he distinguishes between what "these things" (tauta panta) refers to and the coming of the Son of Man itself, then raises three objections to the full preterist reading: (1) the coming of the Son of Man predicted by Jesus is a visible coming to Earth; (2) the Son of Man need not wait until A.D. 70 to be enthroned; and (3) the full preterist view cannot make good sense of the resurrection of the dead, which Paul ties to Christ's coming but which plainly did not occur in A.D. 70.

Can the universe have purpose without a purposive mind? Dr. William Lane Craig responds to physicist Paul Davies and philosopher Emily Qureshi-Hurst as they wrestle with whether purpose is something real or merely something we invent. Along the way he discusses intentionality ("aboutness"), the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics, and why subjective meaning ultimately fails to account for objective purpose. Craig argues that wherever genuine purpose exists, it points beyond the universe to a personal mind.

A listener argues that 200 mg of propofol extinguishes the mind and not just consciousness. He believes this to be empirical evidence that undercuts belief in surviving death. Dr. Craig rejects the premise that mind equals consciousness, invokes Eccles' pianist analogy to explain why an impaired brain produces impaired mental function without the mind ceasing to exist, and points to dualist-interactionist arguments—alongside Scripture—for why the mind can outlast the brain it's currently tied to.

A listener from Canada asks Dr. Craig to sort out three often-conflated terms: nonbelief, disbelief, and belief regarding God's existence. Dr. Craig explains the three doxastic attitudes one can hold toward any proposition, and argues that "disbelief" isn't mere absence of belief but a positive truth claim requiring justification—meaning atheists who disbelieve in God can't escape the burden of proof by hiding behind "I just lack a belief."

Can Christians interpret Genesis figuratively without compromising biblical authority? Dr. Craig answers questions about the historical evidence for Jesus' resurrection, the literary genre of Genesis 1–11, and how Scripture, science, and philosophy work together in the pursuit of truth.

A listener named Chris pushes back on Dr. Craig's video "What About Baptism?", where Craig said baptism "is not a cardinal doctrine that need divide us." Chris argues that Galatians teaches only one true gospel — so if baptismal regeneration (the belief that baptism is necessary for salvation) is wrong, its proponents are preaching a false gospel, making fellowship with them untenable. Dr. Craig responds that Chris has misread the sacramentalist position: those who hold to baptismal regeneration don't see baptism as a meritorious work, but as one more means of grace, like preaching or Scripture reading. Craig explains why he can disagree with fellow baptized Christians on this point without treating them as false brethren.

A viewer named Stephen poses a hard question: if a repentant abortionist can be saved on his deathbed and never "pay" for his crimes, doesn't that make God's promise of vengeance and justice a lie? Dr. William Lane Craig responds that the listener has confused justice with grace — the gospel was never about earning salvation through works, but about a mercy that saves sinners who turn to God in genuine repentance and faith. Craig explains how penal substitutionary atonement satisfies both God's justice and His mercy without compromise, argues that "Vengeance is Mine" is being read out of context, and challenges Stephen to examine why grace toward a repentant sinner feels unjust rather than something to rejoice in.

Philip Goff is a philosopher best known for defending panpsychism — the view that consciousness is a fundamental feature of reality. He's also, by his own description, a "mildly heretical Christian." In this conversation, Goff and William Lane Craig find surprising common ground on fine-tuning before turning to the questions that still divide them: the nature of the atonement, whether God is all-powerful, and what the resurrection appearances actually were. A friendly but substantive dialogue between two thinkers who disagree on a lot and yet continue the conversation.About Dr. William Lane CraigWilliam Lane Craig is a philosopher and theologian and the founder of Reasonable Faith. His work spans the existence of God, the Kalam Cosmological Argument, the fine-tuning of the universe, and the historicity of the resurrection.Dr. Craig's books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001IOH3GQReasonableFaith.org: https://www.reasonablefaith.orgYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ReasonableFaithOrgX: https://x.com/RFupdatesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Reasonable-Faith/31578213228Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reasonablefaithorg/About Dr. Philip GoffPhilip Goff is a Professor of Philosophy at Durham University and one of the leading defenders of panpsychism. He has written extensively on God, fine-tuning, and the purpose of the universe.Philip's book Why? The Purpose of the Universe: https://www.amazon.com/Why-Purpose-Universe-Philip-Goff/dp/0198883765/Philip's book Galileo's Error: https://www.amazon.com/Galileos-Error-Foundations-Science-Consciousness/dp/1524747963YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@philipgoffphilosophySubstack: https://philipgoff.substack.com/X: https://x.com/Philip_GoffWebsite: https://philipgoffphilosophy.com/

The Hellgate discussion hosted by Kirk Cameron in January 2026 brought together several respected Christian thinkers to wrestle with one of the Bible's most difficult doctrines. It included Gavin Ortlund, Dan Paterson, Chris Date, and Paul Copan. In this episode, Dr. William Lane Craig evaluates the panel's discussion, considers the biblical arguments that were presented, and offers his own assessment of what Scripture teaches about hell, eternal punishment, and final judgment.About Dr. William Lane CraigWilliam Lane Craig is a philosopher and theologian and the founder of Reasonable Faith. His work spans the existence of God, the Kalam Cosmological Argument, the fine-tuning of the universe, and the historicity of the resurrection.Dr. Craig's books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001IOH3GQReasonableFaith.org: https://www.reasonablefaith.orgYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ReasonableFaithOrgX: https://x.com/RFupdatesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Reasonable-Faith/31578213228Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reasonablefaithorg/

Dr. Craig continues his conversation with Dr. David Baggett about their new book Reasonable Moral Faith.About Dr. William Lane CraigWilliam Lane Craig is a philosopher and theologian and the founder of Reasonable Faith. His work spans the existence of God, the Kalam Cosmological Argument, the fine-tuning of the universe, and the historicity of the resurrection.Dr. Craig's books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001IOH3GQReasonableFaith.org: https://www.reasonablefaith.orgYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ReasonableFaithOrgX: https://x.com/RFupdatesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Reasonable-Faith/31578213228Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reasonablefaithorg/About Dr. David BaggettDavid Baggett is a philosopher and one of the foremost experts on the moral argument for God's existence. He is the author or editor of more than fifteen books, including a three-volume series with Jerry Walls published by Oxford University Press — Good God (2011), God and Cosmos (2016), and The Moral Argument: A History (2019) — and is a two-time Christianity Today Book Award winner. He is the founder of MoralApologetics.com.Website: https://www.moralapologetics.com

Dr. Craig answers variations on the common question of the fate of the unevangelized, and also a question on whether the 'new earth' will be too crowded!

Read this Question of the Week Here: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/will-there-be-a-millennium

Dr. Craig answers questions on hearing from God, the long lifespans in the Old Testament, and whether God can ever lie.

Read this Question of the Week Here: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/formulating-the-argument-from-fine-tuning

The leading expert on the Moral Argument for God, Dr. David Baggett, joins Dr. Craig to discuss their new book Reasonable Moral Faith.

Read this Question of the Week Here: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/a-moral-but-unbelieving-son

All that and a question about morality too!

Read this Question of the Week Here: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/can-frankenstein-be-saved

Dr. Craig continues evaluating the debate between Dr. Stephen Meyer and Phil Halper on whether the universe is fine-tuned.

Read this Question of the Week Here: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/intellectual-insecurity

Dr. Craig interacts with a rousing debate between a Christian theist and an atheist regarding the beginning of the universe and evidence for God.

Read this Question of the Week Here: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/is-existence-when-predicated-of-god-univocal

Dr. Craig answers questions about topics covered in his Systematic Philosophical Theology.

Read this Question of the Week Here: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/why-cant-i-just-die

What is the connection between what C.S. Lewis called 'Bulverism' and today's Critical Race Theory?

Read this Question of the Week Here: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/picturing-jesus

Dr. Craig critiques the moral philosophy of Dr. Bart Ehrman.

Read this Question of the Week Here: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/doubts-about-the-incarnation

Dr. Craig responds to a discussion with John Piper on what it means for God to be 'grieved,' and whether God's will is always accomplished.

Dr. Craig is satirized for his rejection of young earth creationism and his uncanny resemblance to David Lee Roth!

Read this Question of the Week Here: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/reconciliation-in-the-eschaton

A young student's faith is tested by questions about nothingness and he can't seem to move past it.

Read this Question of the Week Here: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/molinist-views-of-sin

Can some of Dr. Craig's logic also be used by gender identity theorists?

Read this Question of the Week Here: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/advice-for-an-exhausted-student

Dr. Craig responds to an interview with Dr. Paula Fredrickson in which she suggests overturning much of what is believed about the Apostle Paul.

Read this Question of the Week Here: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/the-soul-of-the-incarnate-christ-and-the-trinity

The Skeptic tweets an atheistic challenge. Dr. Craig is not impressed!

Read this Question of the Week Here: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/am-i-a-deist

Dr. Craig answers hard questions. Including one from a teenage girl who wants to be a male.

Read this Question of the Week Here: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/how-to-handle-gods-plan-for-your-life