Search — Theology Explorer

A Manual for Creating Atheists Peter Boghossian Faith

Boghossian's multi-page substitution chart trains readers to mentally replace every use of "faith" with "pretending to know things you don't know"

Mike shows and reads from the chart in Boghossian's book

Peter Boghossian Portland State University Socratic method

Peter Boghossian's academic credentials: philosopher and assistant professor at Portland State University

Mike provides background on who Boghossian is

Atheism Peter Boghossian Redefinition of terms

Boghossian redefines agnosticism so that it is absorbed into atheism, eliminating it as an independent category

Mike covers Boghossian's third major redefinition

Atheism A Manual for Creating Atheists Peter Boghossian

Summary of chapter 2: Boghossian redefines faith, atheism, and agnosticism to rig the intellectual playing field

Mike synthesizes his analysis of chapter 2

Stand to Reason Tim Barnett Peter Boghossian

Boghossian claims faith is an epistemology — a way of coming to know things — which Mike and his guests argue is fundamentally wrong

Mike identifies the second major pillar-error in the book

Mark 2 William Lane Craig Stand to Reason Tim Barnett

Tim Barnett (Stand to Reason): faith is not an epistemology but a way of trusting; knowledge and trust are distinct categories

Video clip from Tim Barnett responding to Boghossian

Peter Boghossian Street Epistemology Faith

The two foundational false pillars of Street Epistemology: (1) faith = belief without evidence, (2) faith is an epistemology

Mike synthesizes the two central errors he has identified

Circular reasoning A Manual for Creating Atheists Peter Boghossian

Page 30: Boghossian's principal argument against faith is circular — it presupposes his false definition

Mike analyzes Boghossian's core argument structure

A Manual for Creating Atheists Peter Boghossian Street Epistemology

Pages 44-45: Boghossian romanticizes the Street Epistemologist as a hero rescuing people from the faith "virus"

Mike reads from pages 44-45

Apologetics A Manual for Creating Atheists Peter Boghossian

The book assumes religious people have not thought through their beliefs — which Mike says is demonstrably false

Mike identifies a core assumption embedded in the book

Peter Boghossian Street Epistemology Socratic method

The SE tactic in practice: be friendly, don't disclose your agenda, and ask "how do you know that?" repeatedly

Mike describes the practical method of Street Epistemology

Greg Koukl Stand to Reason A Manual for Creating Atheists

Greg Koukl contrasts his book "Tactics" with Boghossian's book: both use questions, but Koukl cares about truth and intellectual virtue while Boghossian cares only about instilling doubt

Video clip from Greg Koukl (Stand to Reason)

Salvation Age of accountability Mental illness and salvation

Q&A: What about those who cannot understand the gospel due to severe mental illness? God holds people accountable for what they can know

Audience question about severely mentally ill people and salvation

Salvation Age of accountability Children and salvation

Q&A: What to tell a toddler who asks if they are a child of God — children below the age of accountability are covered by Christ

Question from "wholesome home" about young children and salvation

Faith Faith and knowledge Faith as trust

Q&A: Does faith by nature seek understanding? Mike says faith is simply trust and the seeking of understanding is optional

Question from JMD Apologetics about faith and knowledge

early Christian persecution first-century Christianity

Establishing premise: general persecution was the normal reality for first-century Christians from the very beginning

Mike lays foundational context before presenting specific apostolic martyrdom evidence

John 15:18-20 early Christian persecution Jesus' predictions John 15:18-20

John 15:18-20 — Jesus warns disciples the world will hate them as it hated him, anticipating they will suffer as he suffered (including death)

Additional biblical attestation of anticipated persecution

John 13:36-38 apostolic martyrdom Peter the Apostle John 13:36-38

John 13:36-38 — Jesus tells Peter he cannot follow now but will follow later; Peter's boast and denial as literary and historical backdrop for his ultimate martyrdom

John 13 passage linking Peter's discipleship trajectory to eventual death

2 Peter 1:12-14 Bart Ehrman apostolic martyrdom Peter the Apostle

2 Peter 1:12-14 — Peter's awareness of his impending death and intent to leave a written legacy; response to Bart Ehrman's pseudonymity argument

Third biblical source for Peter's martyrdom awareness, with engagement with the Ehrman pseudonymity objection

Paul the Apostle apostolic martyrdom Peter the Apostle

1 Clement 5 (c. 95-97 AD) — non-apologetic, community-memory reference to Peter and Paul both suffering and dying for their faith

First extra-biblical source for Peter's (and Paul's) martyrdom

Philippians Paul the Apostle apostolic martyrdom apostle sincerity

Philippians — Paul's pastoral management of his congregation's grief over his suffering as evidence that his persecution was a given, publicly known reality

Paul's suffering was so consistent and well-known that he had to repeatedly address the pastoral fallout from it

James the brother of Jesus James the Just apostolic martyrdom Hegesippus legendary development

Hegesippus's account of James the Just's martyrdom — legendary elements identified and evaluated; the historical core extraction methodology applied

Primary patristic source for the martyrdom of James, with critical methodology

James the brother of Jesus James the Just Luke 23:34 apostolic martyrdom Hegesippus James the brother of Jesus

Hegesippus account continued: James thrown from Temple pinnacle, stoned, and killed by a fuller's club; "forgive them for they know not what they do" echo; his burial near the Temple

The detailed narrative of James's death in Hegesippus

James the brother of Jesus Josephus apostolic martyrdom non-Christian attestation

Josephus, Antiquities 20: The death of James, brother of Jesus who was called Christ, under High Priest Ananus — a non-Christian, undisputed historical source

The strongest external confirmation of James's martyrdom — from a non-Christian Jewish historian

James the brother of Jesus James son of Zebedee Clement of Alexandria apostolic martyrdom Eusebius

Clement of Alexandria (c. 150-250 AD, preserved in Eusebius) on two men named James: one thrown from the Temple pinnacle and beaten to death with a fuller's club, one beheaded

Additional patristic attestation of James's death, clarifying the two men named James

eyewitness testimony apostle sincerity sincerity objection

Q&A: How to respond to the argument that members of non-Christian religions also die for their beliefs — eyewitness distinction restated

Viewer question on comparative religious martyrdom

Revelation 6:11 eschatology martyrdom Revelation 6:11

Revelation 6:11 — question about whether the passage refers to martyrs specifically or all believers; Mike declines to give a definitive answer

Viewer Q&A on an eschatological passage

John 14:2-3 Revelation 21 eschatology new heaven and new earth intermediate state

Q&A on John 14:2-3 "I go to prepare a place for you" — Mike's understanding of the intermediate state and the new heaven and new earth

Viewer question on the afterlife and the meaning of Jesus preparing a place

faith belief without evidence double standard in faith definitions

Non-believer "Snoopit" acknowledges double standard: uses "trust" for human faith but "belief without evidence" for Christian faith

Examining skeptic responses to the poll

belief without evidence Richard Dawkins atheist rhetoric on faith

Mike attributes the pejorative definition of faith among atheists to a deliberate campaign, specifically naming Richard Dawkins

Analyzing origin of atheist definition of faith

definition of faith Seth Andrews faith as wish thinking

Seth Andrews (The Thinking Atheist) defines faith as "wish thinking" and surrender to unreality

Examining a prominent atheist's definition of faith

former Christian atheists faith as denial of evidence

Charles Moss (former Christian) defines faith as active denial of observation to preserve belief

Examining former Christians' definitions of faith

Matt Dillahunty resurrection of Jesus inference to the best explanation

Upcoming debate with Matt Dillahunty on whether belief in the resurrection is reasonable; science is not the only method of knowing

Announcing the Dillahunty debate and defending historical methodology

A Manual for Creating Atheists Peter Boghossian Street Epistemology

Peter Boghossian's "A Manual for Creating Atheists" teaches that "I believe in God" secretly means "I pretend to know things I don't know"

Critique of Boghossian's framing of religious belief

Matt Dillahunty definition of faith faith as excuse

Matt Dillahunty's shifting definitions of faith: "excuse without good reason," "believing things you know aren't true," and "belief with evidence"

Critique of Dillahunty's inconsistency on faith

faith and knowledge epistemology of faith trust and allegiance

Shannon's question: if faith is trust with evidence, isn't it knowledge? Mike argues knowledge and faith can coexist

Q&A on the epistemology of faith

Romans 4 Genesis 15:6 justification by faith Abraham salvation by faith

How Old Testament believers were saved by faith before Christ — Romans 4 and Genesis 15:6

Q&A: JoseCJ asks how OT believers were saved before Christ's work on the cross

Romans 4 Genesis 15:6 David Abraham Romans 4

Abraham and David in Romans 4 as Old Testament examples of justification apart from works

Exegesis of Romans 4 on OT salvation

mustard seed faith disciples casting out demons little faith (oligopistia)

Disciples' failure to cast out demons vs. faith as a mustard seed — two distinct teachings not to conflate

Q&A: Haggar Vid asks about the disciples having little faith and the mustard-seed faith saying

personal testimony experiential evidence for faith conversion experience

Mike's personal conversion testimony: depression before faith, joy and relationship with God after — and subsequent evidential verification

Q&A: Benjamin Acompo (skeptic) asks what evidence a 12-year-old Mike had at conversion beyond feelings

Matt Dillahunty evidential apologetics resurrection of Jesus

Debate with Matt Dillahunty on the reasonableness of believing in the resurrection — hosted on Capturing Christianity

Final announcement about the upcoming debate

youth ministry apologetics J. Warner Wallace

Book: "The Next Generation Will Know" co-authored with J. Warner Wallace

McDowell introduces his new book releasing May 1

youth ministry Greg Koukl apologetics

The book is motivated by McDowell's own children and 20 years of ministry focus on the next generation

McDowell explains the need driving the book project

apologetics truth discipleship

Holistic discipleship: the false dichotomy between relationships and truth must be rejected

McDowell and Mike discuss the thesis of the book

apologetics fact-checking trust

Gen Z fact-checks in real time — credibility and truth-telling are now more important than ever for teachers and pastors

McDowell describes speaking at Berkeley and observing real-time fact-checking

youth ministry apologetics Josh McDowell

Apologetic questions are being asked at younger and younger ages due to technology — Josh McDowell's observation about shifting ages of questioning

McDowell references his father Josh McDowell's observation from 55 years of ministry

truth Generation Z worldview

Gen Z's underlying worldview challenge: a consumer culture that conditions them to expect reality to conform to their desires rather than conform to external reality

McDowell identifies the deeper worldview issue beneath Gen Z's post-truth tendencies

evangelism Jesus apologetics methodology

The habit of assuming you know the question and answering it before truly listening — a common apologetics failure

McDowell reflects honestly on his own failures in apologetic conversations