The Cold-Case Christianity Podcast
by J. Warner Wallace
The Cold-Case Christianity Podcast is hosted by J. Warner Wallace. J. Warner is a Dateline featured cold-case homicide detective, Senior Fellow at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, adjunct professor of apologetics at Biola University and a faculty member at Summit Ministries. The Cold-Case Christianity podcast explores the evidence for God's existence, the reliability of the Bible and the truth of the Christian worldview. Please visit our website at www.ColdCaseChristianity.com.
Episodes
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Your Faith Feels Strong—Until It Costs You Something. My Interview with Cissie Graham Lynch
What does it take to stand for Christ when your convictions become unpopular—and how can you tell whether you're defending your faith or simply defending your side? In this episode of the Cold Case Christianity Podcast, J. Warner Wallace welcomes Cissie Graham Lynch to discuss her new book, Stand...
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They Invented the Resurrection Story… So Why Choose Women as the First Witnesses?
Why would the Gospel writers place women at the center of the Resurrection story if they were inventing the account? In this episode of the Cold-Case Christianity Podcast, J. Warner Wallace investigates the historical significance of the women at the tomb through the lens of a cold-case homicide...
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Pontius Pilate Was Real—And the Evidence Makes the Gospels Harder to Dismiss
Was Pontius Pilate real? And if the Gospels accurately describe Pilate, his Roman authority, and the execution of Jesus, what does that tell us about the historical reliability of the Gospel accounts? In this episode of the Cold-Case Christianity Podcast, J. Warner Wallace investigates Pontius...
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Why Jesus Changed the Way We Pray
Prayer is often treated as a spiritual reflex—something we do before meals, during emergencies, or in public moments where religious language seems expected. But when we examine the biblical evidence, prayer is far more than a routine, performance, or attempt to give God information He does not...
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The Cross as a Crime Scene: Building the Penal Substitution Case from the Gospels (Podcast)
Is penal substitution a later theological invention—or does the Gospel testimony itself reveal that Jesus died in the place of guilty people? In this episode of the Cold-Case Christianity Podcast, J. Warner Wallace investigates the case from the Gospels alone. Rather than beginning with a…
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The Hidden Family Tree of Jesus' Disciples: Were More of the Twelve Brothers Than We Realize?
Were more of Jesus' twelve disciples connected than we realize? In Matthew 10:2–4, the Gospel writer does more than list the names of the apostles. He appears to arrange the Twelve in pairs. Peter and Andrew are brothers. James and John are brothers. But what about the other pairings? Were Philip...
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Were Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea Actually Saved? The Shocking Truth Behind Jesus' Burial
When Jesus was arrested, condemned, crucified, and buried, His most visible followers had scattered. Yet two unexpected men stepped forward to care for His body: Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy and respected member of the Jewish council, and Nicodemus, the Pharisee who first came to Jesus under...
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The Hidden Moses Code in the Gospels: What Most Readers Miss About Jesus
Jesus is repeatedly portrayed in the Gospels through the lens of Moses and the Exodus—but the comparison is easy to miss if you are reading quickly. In this episode of the Cold-Case Christianity Podcast, J. Warner Wallace investigates the many ways Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John present Jesus as…
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Did Mary Really Remain a Virgin? The Evidence Nobody Wants to Discuss
Did Mary remain a perpetual virgin after Jesus was born? Or does the cumulative evidence of the New Testament indicate that Mary and Joseph later had a normal marriage and additional children? In this episode of the Cold-Case Christianity Podcast, J. Warner Wallace examines this important—but...
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Who Wrote Hebrews? The Bible's Greatest Cold Case
Who wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews? The author never identifies himself—yet the letter leaves behind a compelling trail of internal clues, manuscript evidence, and early-church testimony. 📜 In this episode of the Cold-Case Christianity Podcast, J. Warner Wallace investigates one of the New...
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Who Decided What's In Your Bible? (And Were They Right?)
How did 27 specific books end up in your New Testament out of hundreds of early Christian writings—and how can you be confident the church didn't just invent the Bible? In this episode of the Cold-Case Christianity Podcast, J. Warner Wallace applies his cold case detective experience to the canon...
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The Overlooked Factor That Shaped All of Christianity
What if one overlooked factor quietly shaped all of Christian history—and still shapes the way you see Jesus today? 🤔 In this episode of the Cold-Case Christianity Podcast, J. Warner Wallace explores the timing, culture, and communication realities that made biblical Christianity possible in the...
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This Is NOT How Lambs Work: The Shocking Old Testament Clue Everyone Misses About Jesus
In this episode, J. Warner Wallace takes you into the forensic details of the Bible's sacrificial system to examine a stunning claim: when John the Baptist called Jesus "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world," he was doing something that flatly breaks the Old Testament lamb pattern....
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Unmasking the Gospels: Is Mark the Original Jesus Report?
If Mark really preserves Peter's eyewitness testimony, what does that mean for the other Gospels—and for skeptical claims that the New Testament is late, legendary, and contradictory? In this follow‑up episode, we build on the case from Part 1 and argue that Mark is not only rooted in Peter's...
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Eyewitness or Legend? The Truth About Mark's Gospel
Was the Gospel of Mark built on real eyewitness testimony—or is it just another religious legend? In this episode, cold‑case detective and Christian apologist J. Warner Wallace (you) walks through the historical and forensic evidence that Mark's Gospel is rooted in the firsthand experiences of…
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Deconstructing Judas: Saved, Lost, or Something Far Worse?
In this episode, cold-case detective and Christian apologist J. Warner Wallace reopens "the Judas file" and asks a blunt question: Was Judas ever truly saved, or was he an unsaved insider from the start? Drawing on a detective's methodology, J. Warner walks verse by verse through every major…
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Can ANYONE Close the Missing Centuries of the Shroud of Turin?
How do you investigate the "missing centuries" of the Shroud of Turin like a real cold-case detective? In this third episode on the Shroud of Turin, J. Warner Wallace walks through the most popular claims about pre‑Turin relics—sudariums, veils, and rival "shrouds"—and explains why none of them...
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Why Jesus Kept 'Poking the Bear' on the Sabbath—and What It Proves
In this extended episode, cold-case detective and Christian apologist J. Warner Wallace investigates every one of Jesus' Sabbath miracles and controversies as if they were crime scenes on a case board. Instead of treating these passages as isolated "nice healings," J. Warner stacks them side by...
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21 Clues Everyone Misses About Jesus' Deity in John's Gospel
Is Jesus really God, or did the church just make that up later? In this episode of Cold-Case Christianity, homicide detective and Christian apologist J. Warner Wallace works through the Gospel of John like a case file, pulling one key piece of evidence from each chapter (John 2–21) to test the...
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How Should Christians Respond When The World Is On Fire?
In this episode, J. Warner Wallace joins The Bill Arnold Show to discuss how followers of Jesus can thoughtfully respond to the recent events in Minneapolis. Drawing on his background as a cold-case detective and Christian apologist, J. Warner explores how to separate facts from headlines, think...
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What 1,300 Years of SILENCE Says About the Shroud of Turin
Is the Shroud of Turin a genuine relic of Jesus, a medieval hoax, or something else entirely? In this second episode on the Shroud of Turin, cold-case detective and Christian apologist J. Warner Wallace examines the shroud the way he would any piece of evidence in a homicide trial, focusing on...
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Did We Make Up God… or Superheroes? A Cold-Case Detective Investigates
Are our favorite superheroes just modern myths—or are they clues that we were made for something more? In this episode, cold-case detective and Christian apologist J. Warner Wallace takes you on a deep dive into the "theology of superheroes." Drawing from Marvel, DC, and other comic-book…
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If the Gospel Is So Powerful, Why Bother Persuading Anyone?
Many Christians say, "Just preach the gospel—God will do the rest." But Scripture paints a richer picture: the gospel is the power of God for salvation, and God still calls us to reason, explain, and persuade. In this episode, J. Warner Wallace walks through key passages—from Romans and Proverbs…
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Deconstruction vs. Truth: A Detective Looks at the New Doubt Movement
In this conversation, J. Warner Wallace joins Janelle Wood from Finding Something Real to examine the case for Christianity through the lens of a cold-case detective. Together they explore evidence, doubt, and the reliability of the Gospels, offering practical help for anyone wrestling with…
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Does God Exist? A Cold‑Case Detective Reacts to TikTok Atheists
In this episode, J. Warner Wallace — cold-case detective, Christian apologist, and author of God's Crime Scene — reacts to the most viral atheist claims circulating on TikTok right now and runs them through the same forensic framework he used to solve decades-old murders. The central question…
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Jesus on Trial: Investigating 5 Difficult Verses in the Gospels
In this episode, I put five of Jesus' hardest sayings under the investigative spotlight. As a cold-case homicide detective, I've spent my career testing witness statements, examining context, and following the evidence wherever it leads. In this "case file," I apply that same approach to some of...
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The Most Dangerous Kind of Faith in the Church Today
Faith is not supposed to be blind, reckless, or detached from reality. In this episode, J. Warner Wallace (cold-case detective and Christian apologist) takes a hard look at the way many Christians think about "faith" and shows why some popular versions of faith are not just weak—they're dangerous...
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What If Jesus Is Just One More Myth? Inside a Homicide Detective's Spiritual Crime Scene
In this episode, cold-case homicide detective and Christian apologist J. Warner Wallace walks through the "spiritual crime scene" of his own journey from skeptical naturalist to follower of Jesus. Drawing on decades of investigative experience, he explains why the usual reasons people give for...
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My Most Requested Case Ever: Investigating the Shroud of Turin
In this episode, cold-case homicide detective and Christian apologist J. Warner Wallace finally turns his investigative lens on one of the most talked-about religious artifacts in history: the Shroud of Turin. Is it a medieval forgery created for profit, or a powerful piece of physical evidence...
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The Trinity Is NOT a Problem… It's the Solution
In this episode of the Cold-Case Christianity podcast, J. Warner Wallace tackles one of the most controversial and misunderstood doctrines in the Christian worldview: the Trinity. Drawing on his experience as a cold-case homicide detective, J. Warner treats the identity of God like a crime scene,...
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Cops, Christians, and a Culture on Edge
In this episode of the Cold-Case Christianity podcast, J. Warner Wallace takes you inside the current crisis of confidence in American law enforcement—from the perspective of someone who actually wore the badge. Drawing on decades of experience as a gang officer, undercover cop, SWAT operator…
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Jesus Is NOT God – Or Is He?
Jesus is NOT God…or is He? In this episode, I walk through the claim that "Jesus is NOT God" and treat it like a case file—testing it against Scripture, the beliefs of the earliest Christians, and the logical consequences if this claim were actually true. We'll look at key passages often used to...
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Global Flood or Ancient Myth? What the Evidence Really Shows
Is the story of Noah's flood just another ancient myth, borrowed from earlier pagan texts, or a record of a real historical catastrophe? In this episode of the Cold-Case Christianity podcast, J. Warner Wallace applies his investigative experience as a cold-case homicide detective to examine the...
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Is Jesus REALLY God? The 3 Chapters That Settle It
In this episode of the Cold-Case Christianity Podcast, J. Warner Wallace tackles one of the most important questions in the Christian faith: Is Jesus truly God, or just a created agent of God? Limiting the "evidence" to three key passages—John 1, Colossians 1, and Hebrews 1—he works through the...
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Alien Shock: Would First Century Christians Even Recognize Our Churches?
Would first‑century Christians even recognize what we call "church" today? In this episode, J. Warner Wallace uses a simple "alien thought experiment" to examine how closely (or how poorly) our modern church models resemble the church described in the book of Acts. Drawing from his own…
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John 1 Destroyed My 'Just-a-Prophet' Jesus: A Cold-Case Detective Makes the Deity Case
This episode walks through John 1 verse by verse to show why the apostle John leaves no room for a "just-a-prophet" Jesus and instead presents Him clearly as the eternal, divine Word of God. Drawing on cold-case investigative principles and the cumulative-case approach he used in homicide trials,...
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Rethinking Love: Why Covenants, Not Contracts, Change Every Relationship (Married or Single)
This episode reframes how we think about love and relationships by contrasting fragile, contract-style arrangements with the resilient, biblical model of covenant. Drawing from marriage research, Scripture, and decades of walking with couples in crisis, J. Warner Wallace explains why seeing...
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Trauma, Murder, and God's Plan: Why Your Worldview Determines Your Wounds
This episode wrestles with trauma, murder, and suffering, and explains why the way you see the world—your worldview—largely determines how deeply you are wounded and how you process life's most painful events. Drawing from real cold-case homicides and personal conversations with victims'…
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Stop Chasing Platforms: Why Real Christian Service Isn't About Ministries, Money, or Fame
This episode challenges the modern obsession with platforms and "ministry success" and asks whether followers of Jesus have quietly replaced real service with a pursuit of visibility, funding, and fame. Drawing from years of case work, tentmaking ministry, and mentoring aspiring apologists, J....
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The One Trait That Destroys Celebrity Culture (And Could Save Your Soul)
This episode looks at why humility is the one trait that can quietly destroy our obsession with celebrity, platform, and approval—and why it may be the key to saving your soul in a culture built on self-promotion. Drawing from cold-case investigations, Scripture, and decades in ministry, J.…
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You're Not Who You Think You Are: Exposing the Lies That Steal Your True Identity in Christ
This episode explores why your identity is the most important thing about you and how Scripture calls followers of Jesus to root who they are in Christ rather than in changing roles, emotions, or cultural labels. Drawing from social research, biblical theology, and real-life examples from law...
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How to Be A Good Christian Case Maker in Our Noisy Culture
J. Warner Wallace is interviewed by Pastor David Fleming of Champion Forest Baptist Church and talks about the importance of becoming a good Christian Case Maker and a specific strategy for selecting those with whom we share what we believe. This excerpt is from a longer interview with apologist...
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Is It Unbiblical to Examine Evidence to Confirm the Reliability of the Bible?
In this episode of the Cold-Case Christianity Broadcast, J. Warner Wallace responds to two emails from viewers of the show. (1) Is it unbiblical to examine evidence to confirm the reliability of the Bible? Shouldn't we just trust what the Bible says since it is the Word of God? (2) Do the varied...
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How to Investigate the Case for Christianity
J. Warner Wallace joins Pastor David Fleming of Champion Forest Baptist Church and trial attorney Mark Lanier (author of Christianity on Trial) to discuss the evidential case for Christianity and the importance of Christian Case Making.
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The Divinely Unifying Message That Spans the Old and New Testament
J. Warner discusses the reliability of the Bible as he examines the unifying theme of the Bible. How does the Bible answer the three most important questions related to "worldview"? Is there a single message that spans the Old and New Testament? Does the unity of the Biblical message provide us...
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What Would Happen If We Investigated the Universe Like A Crime Scene?
J. Warner Wallace discusses the unique investigative approach he took to examining the evidence in the universe. Can scientists account for the evidence in the universe with purely "natural" explanations? If not, what is the best explanation for this evidence? For more information about Meg…
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What Would Happen If You Investigated the Bible Like a Detective?
J. Warner Wallace discusses the approach he took with the Gospels when he first began to investigate the case for Jesus. How do we know the gospels can be trusted? Do they contain eyewitness records related to the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus? For more information about Meg...
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Could the Creation of Artificial Life in a Lab Prove There Is No God?
J. Warner Wallace examines the creation of artificial life in the laboratory. Would the creation of such life demonstrate that naturalism is true? Do artificial life experiments prove atheism or theism? For more information, refer to J. Warner's book, God's Crime Scene: A Cold-Case Detective...
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A Key Reason Some People Still Reject the Resurrection
J. Warner Wallace examines the case for the Resurrection of Jesus using "abductive reasoning" to determine the most reasonable explanation for the first century evidence described in the New Testament. Is the Resurrection reasonable, and if so, what keeps everyone from accepting the claims of the...
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Do The Gospels Disagree About the Easter Account?
J. Warner Wallace interviews Steven Kingsley, author of "The Easter Answer". As a layperson, Kingsley provides a response to atheist Dan Barker's "Easter Challenge". Are there inherent internal contradictions in the Easter accounts found in the Gospels? Are these contradictions a proof that the...
About this show
The Cold-Case Christianity Podcast is hosted by J. Warner Wallace. J. Warner is a Dateline featured cold-case homicide detective, Senior Fellow at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, adjunct professor of apologetics at Biola University and a faculty member at Summit Ministries. The Cold-Case Christianity podcast explores the evidence for God's existence, the reliability of the Bible and the truth of the Christian worldview. Please visit our website at www.ColdCaseChristianity.com.
Hosted by
J. Warner Wallace
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