Resources

This page started as a place to keep track of the books I had intended to read over the course of my journey, but has evolved into a repository for links to content that I’ve discovered and feel is worth tracking.

My reading list

I am managing my reading list on goodreads.com. Feel free to browse the listing there.

Blogs I follow

Blogs that are hosted on wordpress.com (as I used to be) can show a ‘Blogs I Follow’ widget that lists the blogs you follow with the WordPress reader. Now that I’m self-hosting, that widget isn’t available, but it should be! I opened an issue with the Jetpack developers to make this possible, so if you’re interested, you can leave a comment there to show that you want to see it made a higher priority.

In the absence of the ‘Blogs I Follow’ widget, I’m occasionally exporting the list to post here (last updated February 12, 2020):

I have also compiled a few category feeds to organize the more academic blogs that I follow (requires WordPress account to view):

Lastly, there are a few inactive blogs which are so well done and worth exploring that I felt compelled to include them in the list here:

Podcasts worth listening to (mostly)

The God Debate
  • Unbelievable – This is by far my favorite active podcast. It is a UK radio show that (usually) brings together believers and unbelievers to openly discuss different views.
  • Reasonable Doubts – No longer active. This was essentially dedicated to counter-apologetics and, though it was sometimes condescending to the religious perspective, it was very well done and very informative. Justin Scheiber went on to create…
  • Real Atheology – Deeply philosophical assessment of religion from an atheistic perspective.
  • Pragmatist Christian – Podcast by a Christian turned ‘pragmatic Christian’, which just means it’s all about the practice and not about the dogma. Lots of philosophical discussion about pragmatism and its role in religion.
  • Conversations from the Pale Blue Dot – No longer active, but was an excellent series produced by Luke Muehlhauser, author of the Common Sense Atheism blog.
  • David C Smalley Podcast (formerly Dogma Debate) – Popular atheist \ secular humanism show, hosted by David Smalley.
  • The Thinking Atheist – Popular atheism focused show, hosted by Seth Andrews
  • The Graceful Atheist – David usually interviews somebody about their deconversion experience, or about the loss of faith in general. He is always very respectful toward believers and maintains a high degree of epistemic humility.
  • Humanize Me – Bart Campolo – exvangelical and son of Tony Campolo – hosts a podcast about “building great relationships, cultivating wonder, and making things better for other people”.
  • When Belief Dies – Explores doubt and deconversion from a real-time, personal perspective.
  • Reenchantment – “Daniel Lev Shkolnik is a Humanist looking for deeper, more meaningful ways to live as an atheist. Each week, he dives into ancient wisdom traditions and modern psychology to find fresh ways of making sense of our place in the universe.”
  • Capturing Christianity Podcast – Typically consists of an interview with an apologist, philosopher or theologian focusing on some apologetic argument or question.
  • A Christian and an Atheist – No longer active. Very interesting, yet informal, philosophical discussions between a Christian and an Atheist.
  • Stand to Reason – Evangelical radio show from Stand to Reason (Greg Koukl). A mix of apologetics, philosophy and theology. I usually skip past his introductory editorial and just listen to everything after, which is more focused and includes Q&A sessions with callers. I also wish he’d spend less time talking about LGBT issues. It’s really becoming annoying. Also see STR Ask, a companion Q&A for written questions.
  • Skeptics and Seekers – Blog and podcast hosting dialogues between Christian and atheist perspectives.
  • Real Seeker Ministries – Apologetics podcast hosted by Dale, previous co-host of Skeptics and Seekers.
  • Robert L White – “An exploration of epistemology, philosophy, warranted(?) Christian belief, and various other topics. If you like the dialogue between faith and skepticism, you found the right place.”
Biblical Criticism
  • Amatuer Exegesis – “A podcast exploring the most read and least understood anthology the world has ever known”. Excellent series that explains what the Biblical author’s really intended with their texts.
  • New Testament Review – Very informative and well done podcast in which two Duke PhD candidates review influential New Testament scholarship.
  • NT Pod – Mark Goodacre’s podcast about the New Testament and Christian origins.
  • Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean – Philip Harland’s podcast, primarily focusing on Christian origins and the relationship between early Christianity and other religions.
  • The ReligionProf Podcast – Podcast by Butler professor and prolific Patheos blogger James McGrath covering “the Bible, science fiction, education, music, and pretty much anything else that happens to grab his surprisingly short attention span”.
  • The Bible for Normal People – Pete Enns’ podcast examining the Bible from a “progressive Christian” perspective.
  • Bart Ehrman Blog Podcast – Weekly readings from Bart Ehrman’s blog.
Science, Philosophy, Psychology, and Critical Thinking
  • Rationally Speaking – “Join hosts Massimo Pigliucci and Julia Galef as they explore the borderlands between reason and nonsense.“
  • You Are Not So Smart – Highlighting findings from the social and psychological sciences.
  • Sean Carroll’s Mindscape – Excellent podcast that interviews scientists and philosophers, exploring the deepest questions about the universe.
  • Making Sense with Sam Harris – I used to avoid Harris, counting him a vitriolic atheist, but after becoming reacquainted with his work I have developed an appreciation for his clear thinking and willingness to engage different opinions. I have also found that either the reputation for vitriol was substantially overstated or his tactics have changed.
  • Brain Science Podcast – Reviews of the latest Neuroscience books and interviews with neuroscience researchers and authors.
  • Brain-Inspired – Discussions with researchers at the intersection of neuroscience and artificial intelligence.
  • Talk Nerdy – Interviews with scientists, or science writers.
  • NPR Hidden Brain – “Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.”
  • BBC Discovery – Explorations in the world of science.
  • Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe – Weekly roundup of science news.
  • Starts with a Bang! – Monthly podcast, usually describing some feature of cosmology.
  • FQXi – “The FQXi podcast brings you the latest ideas in foundational physics and cosmology—and includes interviews with our members and other leading scientists.”
  • The Happiness Lab – “Yale professor Dr Laurie Santos will take you through the latest scientific research and share some surprising and inspiring stories that will forever alter the way you think about happiness.”
  • The Psychology Podcast – “we give you insights into the mind, brain, behavior and creativity. Each episode will feature a guest who will stimulate your mind, and give you a greater understanding of yourself, others, and the world we live in.”
  • Ask Science Mike – Christian turned atheist turned liberal Christian mystic. Very respectful and intelligent discussion about both faith and science topics, typically in a Q&A format using questions submitted by listeners.

Informational resources

The intent here is to list sites that offer information content which informs the God debate without taking sides.

Other sites about the search for truth and rational thought

  • http://www.closertotruth.com/ – Site of the PBS series “Closer to Truth”, which engages with leading scientists and thinkers on the topics of Cosmos, Consciousness and God.
  • http://lesswrong.com/ – Discussing how we can overcome inherent biases in human perception

Sites which defend a Christian worldview

You may notice the absence of dedicated young-earth creationists sites (answers in genesis, institute for creation research, etc…). I’ve chosen to dismiss those on the grounds that they seem to readily reject well founded science. The other Christian sites seem to at least accept the science and try to interpret it within their framework.

Sites which argue against theistic worldviews

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9 thoughts on “Resources”

  3. I have not updated it for a long time, with the exception of outright errors that readers still sometimes bring to my attention. I am still pursuing my interests in early Christian history, but am doing a lot more reading and notetaking than presenting of data on my site.

    Reply

    • Well, I don’t think there’s any better place on the internet for people to clearly see the nature of borrowing in the synoptics. I hope it stays around for a long time, even if little more is ever added. Thanks again.

      Reply

  4. I am happy to say that I have been enjoying your blog posts on editorial fatigue, the Marcionite gospel, and the synoptic problem. You and I share an interest in the work of Alan Garrow; I have his book on the dependence of Matthew on the Didache, and I think he is onto something.

    Reply

    • You’ve confused me with Paul’s isthatinthebible site, which I agree is a great read – though I still lean toward something akin to a Farrer hypothesis, using a pre-nativity proto-Matthew which could very well also explain some of the observations he’s noted.

      Reply

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