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The Faith of Christ, with Kevin Grasso

A key Greek phrase, πίστις Χριστοῦ (with variations), has been hotly debated as to its meaning and translation: “Christ’s faith(fulness)”? “Faith in Christ?” Maybe, however, the sense is closer to: “the Christ faith.” Dr. Kevin Grasso (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) is co-founder and CEO of Biblingo, which exists “to advance God’s Word in the world by making the biblical languages more accessible and easier to learn through technology.” He is currently working on a revision of his dissertation on verbs of judgment in Biblical Hebrew as well as linguistic introductions to both Biblical Hebrew and Biblical Greek. Check out their podcast.

“Exegetically Speaking” is a weekly podcast of the friends and faculty of Wheaton College, IL and The Lanier Theological Library. Hosted by Dr. David Capes, it features language experts who discuss the importance of learning the biblical languages—Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek—and show how reading the Bible in the original languages “pays off.” Each podcast lasts between seven and eleven minutes and covers a different topic for those who want to read the Bible for all it is worth.

If you’re interested in going deeper, learn more about Wheaton’s undergraduate degree in Classical Languages (Greek, Hebrew, and Latin) and our MA in Biblical Exegesis. 

You can hear Exegetically Speaking on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. If you have questions or comments, please contact us at exegetically.speaking@wheaton.edu. And keep listening. 

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Am I Just My Brain? with Sharon Dirckx

To hear the podcast (22 minutes), click here.

Am I Just My Brain? (2019) is a book by Sharon Dirckx dealing with an ancient and modern question.  Are we more than our brains? 

Are humans self-aware only because of neuro-chemical reactions or electrical activity or are we something more?

Dr. Dirckx lives in Oxford with her husband and two children.  She is a speaker, author, and adjunct lecturer for OCCA (The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics). 

She earned her PhD in brain imaging at Cambridge University and spent more than a decade researching brain function. 

She joins David Capes on “The Stone Chapel Podcasts” to talk about her book and to summarize her upcoming lecture.

To see and hear the lecture that took place in fall 2022, click here. 

The question of human identity is an ancient one, but it is one that fascinates modern minds as well. 

At the heart of it is a question: what exactly is a human being?  Are we advanced apes? Are we machines?  Are we brains on sticks?

In fact, we can address those questions without having to leave the realm of neuroscience.  But we are more than our brains.


We have a brain.  But we also have a mind.  We have thoughts, feelings, and memories and a sense of self that appears unique in the world. 

Human consciousness remains a mystery but there are aspects of it that neuroscience can address. 

Dr. Capes and Dr. Dirckx talk about human experience, functional MRIs, data analysis, the question of soul and consciousness among animals, and the data sets from near death experiences.  

If you want more information about Dr. Sharon Dirckx as a speaker and author follow her on Twitter @sharondirckx or you can email her at sharon@dirckx.org. 

In an earlier book, Why?, she addressed the question of evil and suffering.  Her next book, entitled Broken Planet, deals with  natural disasters and finding a way through them.

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Why I Trust the Bible with Bill Mounce

Bill Mounce

Dr. William D. “Bill” Mounce  joins David Capes on the Stone Chapel to talk about his new book, Why Should I Trust the Bible? Answers to Real Questions and Doubts People Have about the Bible (Zondervan, 2021).  In this podcast he talks about his book which is for 17 year olds and their parents. 

Unfortunately, church often teaches people that they  should not ask certain questions.  But Bill insists that we should have freedom to ask all questions in the church.  This book is to help equip parents and church leaders to answer those questions.  

When people say the Bible is full of errors, Bill asks: “show me one.” He knows that they are just parroting what they heard in class or on cable channels.  

For Bill doubt is not the opposite of faith; instead doubt helps us to learn. Faith often grows and succeeds through genuine doubts.  

Bill is president of BiblicalTraining.org, a non-profit organization offering excellent educational resources to local churches. 

 Dr. Mounce has been an educator, a pastor, a writer, a Bible translator (English Standard Version and New International Version) and is affectionately known as “Mr. Greek” to hundreds of thousands of his students who have used his Greek textbook, Basics of Biblical Greek.  

In his lecture at the Lanier Library in April 2022) he met head on the challenges people often face when thinking about whether they should trust the Bible.   

 To read more about Bill, go to his website: BillMounce.com  

To hear the podcast (20 minutes) click here.

Bill Mounce appeared on “Exegetically Speaking,” a podcast of the friends and faculty of Wheaton College, to talk about BiblicalTraining.org.  To hear that podcast (8 minutes) click here.

To watch Dr. Mounce’s lecture at the Stone Chapel click here. 

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Thirsting for Living Water, Mike Mantel

Mike Mantel, CEO of Living Water International

Dr. Michael (Mike) Mantel serves as the CEO and president of Living Water International, a global organization involved in integral mission in 18 countries. He is also the author of a new book entitled, Thirsting for Living Water (InterVarsity Press, 2021). The book details Mike’s own story of faith and how he experienced the “dark night of the soul” a few years ago and found his way back into the arms of a faithful God.  Mike’s story is not unique.  Many have experienced the absence of God during key trials of life.  But Mike’s story is one that gives hope.  In fact, Mike hopes to publish the stories of any and all who are willing to share them on his special website:www.thirstingforlivingwater.com.  To learn more about Living Water International go to www.water.cc.

To hear the podcast (20 minutes) click here.

The Stone Chapel is a podcast of the friends and staff of the Lanier Theological Library in Houston, Texas.  It is hosted by Dr. David Capes, Director of the library and former faculty member at Houston Baptist University and Wheaton College.  The purpose of the podcast is to bring to our audience great conversations from the world’s leading experts in theology, biblical studies, archaeology, Church history, the Dead Sea Scrolls, ethics, ministry, and a host of other topics close to the mission of the library.

The Lanier Theological Library is a magnet for scholars, church leaders and influencers.  For the last ten years, it has welcomed hundreds of academics and church leaders from across the globe for public lectures, study, panel discussions, consultations, and encouragement.

These podcasts as well as the Lanier library and the Stone Chapel are generously underwritten by Mark and Becky Lanier and the Lanier Theological Library Foundation.  If you have questions or comments, please be in touch: Email david.capes@lanierlibrary.org

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After Doubt

Dr. A. J. Swoboda

Dr. A. J. Swoboda (PhD University of Birmingham), assistant professor of Bible, theology, and world Christianity, has written a terrific book for everyone who struggles with doubt.  It is called After Doubt: How to Question Your Faith without Losing It(Brazos Press, 2021).  He joins David Capes on “The Stone Chapel” to discuss what motivated him to write the book and what he has learned by walking with people who wrestle with doubt for the last twenty years.  Doubt and deconstruction are normal parts of the theological journey, he believes.  But ultimately, the journey does not have to end in “shipwreck.”  With the right guides and right disciplines, it is possible to stay on the journey with a stronger, more resilient  faith.  But there are no quick fixes or easy rides.  

To hear the podcast (22 min.) click here.

The Stone Chapel is a podcast of the friends and staff of the Lanier Theological Library in Houston, Texas.  It is hosted by Dr. David Capes, Senior Research Fellow at the library and former faculty member at Houston Baptist University and Wheaton College.  The purpose of the podcast is to bring to our audience great conversations from the world’s leading experts in theology, biblical studies, archaeology, Church history, the Dead Sea Scrolls, ethics, ministry, and a host of other topics close to the mission of the library.

The Lanier Theological Library is a magnet for scholars, church leaders and influencers.  For the last ten years, it has welcomed hundreds of academics and church leaders from across the globe for public lectures, study, panel discussions, consultations, and encouragement.

These podcasts as well as the Lanier library and the Stone Chapel are generously underwritten by Mark and Becky Lanier and the Lanier Theological Library Foundation.  If you have questions or comments, please be in touch: Email david.capes@lanierlibrary.org