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“The Christian Mind” Project

To hear the podcast (20 min) click here.

Before he died in 2023, Tim Keller recognized the need for what has become The Christian Mind Project. 

He knew that the people who shape culture most significantly are intellectuals and elites.  These individuals and thought leaders teach at institutions like Cornell, Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. 

But in many subject areas, like the social sciences and humanities, Christians are severely under-represented.  One might say that there is anti-Christian bias in those places. 

Christian Askeland is heading up a project to recruit, mentor, and educate the best Christian minds for positions like this.  He stopped by to talk with David Capes on The Stone Chapel Podcast. 

Who Is Christian Askeland? 

Dr. Christian Askeland holds a PhD from Cambridge University and is one of the most consequential Coptic scholars in the world. 

He was with us before on The Stone Chapel Podcast to discuss the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife.  Learn more about him by following the link to that podcast found below.

He is currently Senior Researcher at Museum of the Bible. And he is Director of Education for Inspire, an evangelical outreach that attempts to recruit promising Christian undergrads for careers in the academy.

The Christian Mind Project

Askeland and Capes discuss a major project being launched by Inspire to do something about the disturbing lack of evangelical Christian presence in influential places. 

In April 2024, a weekend symposium of college leaders and foundations will gather at the Lanier Theological Library in order to address the problem.

As you will learn, there is no quick fix.  This is a project that could and should last a century.  The Anti-Christian bigotry in elite institutions will not give way quickly or easily.  A sustained effort is needed.

More Resources

To hear Christian Askeland’s podcast on the so-called “Gospel of Jesus’ Wife,” click here.

For an important article on the subject of the need for The Christian Mind Project by Tim Keller, read this.

You can find a transcript of this podcast here.

Want more Stone Chapel Podcasts on some great topics? Just click here.

You can get information on upcoming lectures at Lanier Theological Library by clicking here.

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The Surprising Rebirth of Belief with Justin Brierley

Justin Brierley, a broadcaster, author, and speaker, will join us September 22, 2023 at 7.00 pm in the Stone Chapel. He will offer a talk on his book, The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God. The subtitle of the book is actually the big idea of the book: Why New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again. 

Who is Justin Brierley? 

Justin lives in London.  For decades he has been hosting conversations between atheists and believers on his popular show, The Unbelieveable Show.  His show has been at the cutting edge of what is happening in culture. 

A few years ago, he had Mark Lanier as a guest on his show, and he recently came into our Houston orbit.  He is an amazing thinker, a gifted communicator, and hospitable host for people with differing worldviews.

To hear the podcast click here.

About Brierley’s first book

After hosting his show for ten years, he wrote his first book: Unbelievable: Why After Ten Years of Talking with Atheists I’m Still a Christian.  He shares some of that story here, in this podcast.

Here is what Philip Yancey has said of Justin’s upcoming book:

“[T]his wide-ranging and stimulating book sounds a hopeful note… a fearless engagement with the most daunting issues of our time.”

And John Lennox:

“Eminently readable… Brierley has done us a huge service… This is a first-rate book: get it, read it, and give it to others.”

The Surprising Rebirth of Belief podcast

This is a great podcast, one you will not want to miss.  He is addressing very pressing issues of our time. 

More Resources including The Surprising Rebirth of Belief book

For a link to his first book click here: Unbelievable: Why After Ten Years of Talking with Atheists I’m Still a Christian.

 For a link to his newest book (2023) click here: The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God: Why New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again.

To hear the podcast click here.

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Capturing Christianity with Cameron Bertuzzi

To hear the podcast click here.

Capturing Christianity is an apologetics ministry directed by Cameron Bertuzzi, assisted ably by his wife Brittany.  Cameron stopped by the Lanier Theological Library to talk with David Capes about his ministry on “The Stone Chapel Podcast.”

Who is Cameron Bertuzzi? 

For years, Cameron made his living through photography and photo-editing.  But when his brother came out as an atheist a few years ago, Cameron began a journey in apologetics that has led to this ministry. He wanted to know whether Christianity could be rationally defended.  He wanted to explore some of objections raised by skeptics about its truth.

Like many people, Cameron had never thought deeply about his faith.  He attended church and performed in the worship band, but he had never considered the rational basis of faith.

Capturing Christianity

Cameron and his wife work together in this ministry.  Along his journey, Cameron began listening to apologists and soon found an intellectual hero in Dr. William Lane Craig. Today, Cameron works consistently with Dr. Craig.  Dr. Craig lectured at the Lanier Library in 2021. For a link to his lecture click here.  

Then watch his panel discussion here.

The ministry started as a blog in 2017. Cameron worked on it in his free time for the first two years.  Now he and Brittany work full time. He hosts dialogues, does interviews, and features what he calls “CC Exchanges.”  At the heart of it all, they focus their conversations around “atheistic apologetics”.

The Capturing Christianity YouTube channel today has 178,000 subscribers.  It has taken off.  About 5000 people a month find his ministry.

CC Exchange

The next CC Exchange will be May 6, 2023 at the Lanier Theological Library.  Cameron will host the exchange with Justin Schieber (atheist) and Eric Hernandez (Christian). Their topic is “Does God Exist?” To learn more about the event or to attend click here.  The event is free and open to the public thanks to the generosity of the Lanier Foundation and the good people at Capturing Christianity. 

If you can’t attend, it will be streamed live and recorded for the Capturing Christianity YouTube Channel.

For the website to Capturing Christianity click here.

For the Capturing Christianity YouTube Channel click here.

More resources

Here’s a transcript of this podcast. Click here.

Want more more Stone Chapel Podcasts on some great topics. Just click here.

What’s more, you can get information on upcoming lectures at Lanier Theological Library. Just click here.