eX-skeptic - podcast cover

eX-skeptic

Jana Harmonexskeptic.org
eX-skeptic is a story-driven, conversational podcast that helps listeners understand why people dismiss or believe in God and Christianity. Interviewing one former atheist or skeptic each show, host Jana Harmon encourages both Christians and skeptics to consider what motivates thoughtful, intelligent people to move from disbelief to belief. www.exskeptic.org

Episodes

Out of Darkness – Chris Adam’s Story 

Former atheist Chris Adam experienced a difficult, chaotic childhood and was drawn to witchcraft and demonology to gain control over his life. After being introduced to the Bible, he surrendered his control and his life to Jesus. Chris’s Resources https://www.xbible.com To learn more about CSLI Resources and Events, visit www.cslewisinstitute.org To hear more stories about atheists and skeptics becoming Christians, visit www.sidebstories.com...

Jan 05, 20242 hr 31 min

Glimpses of God – Renee Leonard Kennedy’s Story

Former atheist Renee Leonard Kennedy left the God of her youth behind for what she thought was a more enticing life. After years of atheism, she was surprised to find both intellectual and spiritual reasons to believe. Resources by Renee: Website: https://www.reneeleonardkennedy.com Book: After the Flowers Die - Encouragement for Walking through Life After Loss Podcast: Moral Tea - Spilling the moral tea on culture, taboo topics, and grey areas. A podcast exposing the artificial sweeteners of th...

Dec 22, 20231 hr 4 min

Deconstructing and Reconstructing Faith – Anna Gray Smith’s Story

Former skeptic Anna Gray Smith questioned her childhood faith and sought other avenues of belief to find identity, meaning, and truth. Her search led her back to a more robust, grounded faith in God.  Anna Gray Smith’s Resources: Instagram: @annagraysmithphoto Moral Tea Podcast: Spilling the moral tea on culture, taboo topics, and gray areas. A podcast exposing the artificial sweeteners of the world by multi-gen duo Renee Leonard Kennedy and Anna Gray Smith. Moral Tea Podcast Instagram is: ...

Dec 08, 20231 hr 1 min

God Showed Up – Jon Wilke’s Story

Former atheist Jon Wilke had no desire for God and wanted to go his own way. After years of living on his own terms, he became open to the possibility of God, and his life completely changed. Resources Mentioned by Jon Mark Mittleberg, Courageous Faith For more information on CSLI Events and Resources, visit www.cslewisinstitute.org www.sidebstories.com Episode Transcript Hello and thanks for joining in. I’m Jana Harmon, and you’re listening to Side B Stories , where we see how skept...

Nov 24, 20231 hr 3 min

The Case for Christ – Lee Strobel’s Story

Former atheist Lee Strobel investigated Christianity in order to disprove it, but surprisingly came to believe it was true based on the evidence. Lee' Resources: The Lee Strobel Center for Evangelism and Applied Apologetics: www.strobelcenter.com Books: Is God Real? The Case for Christ The Case for Faith The Case for the Creator The Case for Heaven Spiritual Mismatch with Leslie Strobel The Unexpected Adventure with Mark Mittleberg many others Resources mentioned by Lee: Simon Greenleaf, The Tes...

Nov 10, 20231 hr 18 min

Celebrating Three Years of Side B Stories

Side B Stories is celebrating three years of stories and honest conversations with former atheists and skeptics who are now Christians. Listen and celebrate with us! Side B Stories Instagram @sidebstories Side B Stories Facebook www.facebook.com/sidebstories Side B Stories X/Twtter @sidebstories www.sidebstories.com

Oct 30, 20233 min

Militant Atheist Encounters God – Dave Glander’s Story

Former skeptic Dave Glander grew up in difficult circumstances, pushing him away from God. After years of self-destruction and militant atheism, he challenged God and found himself on the side of belief. Dave’s Resources: Reasons for Hope ministry: www.rforh.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1truthministries.tv/ Book: How Why Where: 3 Questions that must be Answered before You Die Book: Faith Survival Guide (for leaders and students) Resources/authors recommended by Dave: Greg Laurie,...

Oct 27, 20231 hr 2 min

Science, Philosophy, and Reality – Pat Flynn’s Story

Philosopher and former atheist Pat Flynn assumed belief in the naturalistic story of reality but eventually found it lacking. Through further investigation, he found the Christian worldview made most sense of the universe and of himself. Pat's resources: Philosophy for the People website/blog: https://www.philosophyforthepeople.com/ Book: The Best Argument for God, release date 10/17/2023 Resources/authors mentioned by Pat: Alvin Plantinga, Where the Conflict Really Lies Writings of Thomas Aquin...

Oct 13, 20231 hr 9 min

From Secular Humanism to Christianity – Susan Leonard’s Story

Former skeptic Susan Leonard was a secular humanist and worked as a successful professional on Capitol Hill. She saw no need for faith until she encountered Jesus Christ in a way she couldn’t ignore. Resources/authors recommended by Susan: Dr. Jeff Myers, Understanding the Times Josh McDowell, Sean McDowell, Evidence that Demands a Verdict C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, Christian Apologetics Atheists Finding God book by ...

Sep 29, 20231 hr 18 min

A Scientist Searches for More – Dr. Alister McGrath’s Story

Former atheist Dr. Alister McGrath dismissed Christianity and embraced science as the only way to understand the world until he began to see problems with this limiting view. Once he opened the door to alternative views, he found the biblical worldview provided a more comprehensive and grounded view of the world and of himself. Alister’s website: http://alistermcgrath.weebly.com/ For more stories of atheists and skeptics converting to Christianity, visit www.sidebstories.com Episode Transc...

Sep 15, 202357 min

Looking Past Hypocrisy to Christ – Loren Weisman’s Story

Former skeptic Loren Weisman rejected the Jewish beliefs of his youth to embrace atheism. Although he encountered bad examples of Christianity in his search for truth, he looked past those experiences and found Christ. Loren's Resources: https://www.lorenweisman.com Resources/authors recommended by Loren: The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel Cold Case Christianity, J. Warner Wallace I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist Norman L. Geisler, Frank Turek   www.sidebstories.com   As a remi...

Sep 01, 20231 hr 8 min

Chasing Achievement – Dr. Vince Vitale’s Story

A Princeton and Oxford graduate, former skeptic Dr. Vince Vitale valued autonomy and pursued high achievement as the greatest good in life. When investigating Christianity, he found it to be worth his ultimate belief, value, and trust. Vince's Resources: podcast: Unbelievable? https://www.premierunbelievable.com/shows/unbelievable Book: "Non-Identity Theodicy: A Grace-Based Response to the Problem of Evil” https://academic.oup.com/book/32027 Resources/authors recommended by Vince: Blaise Pascal,...

Aug 18, 20231 hr 24 min

Exploring the True Story – Dr. Josephine Thomas’s Story

Archeologist, world traveler, and former skeptic Dr. Josephine Thomas once thought all religions were fictional stories until she finally encountered the 'true myth' of historical Christianity. Resources/authors recommended by Josephine: Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis The Resurrection of the Son of God, N.T. Wright Visit Side B Stories' YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/@sidebstories For more stories of atheist and skeptics' conversions to Christianity, visit www.sidebstories.com...

Aug 04, 20231 hr 21 min

Finding Real Answers to Real Questions – Nigel Goodwin’s Story

English gentleman, actor, and former atheist Nigel Goodwin was raised within a Marxist worldview. He saw church as fabricated theatre until he found the real God. Podcast episode notes: Nigel’s Resources: Biography of Nigel Goodwin written by author David Porter – Arts and Minds: The Story of Nigel Goodwin Resources/authors recommended by Nigel: Francis Schaeffer books The God Who is There Escape from Reason He is There and He is not Silent Atheists Finding God book Rowman.com/Lexing...

Jul 21, 20231 hr 6 min

Searching for Something More – Neil Placer’s Story

Former skeptic Neil Placer was apathetic about the question of God until his own dissatisfaction in life led him to search for something more. Neil's Resources: Podcast: A World in Tension -This podcast explores the universal struggles of life. Externally, we encounter conflict with others. Internally, we engage in a constant debate between our hearts and minds. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-world-in-tension/id1647690656 For more stories of atheist conversions to Christianity, please v...

Jul 07, 20231 hr 1 min

Truth Seeker – Dr. Stefani Ruper’s Story

Former atheist Stefani Ruper was intellectually convinced of secular atheism, but found that it lacked substantive answers for her life. More than 13 years of scholarly pursuit of truth led her to choose belief in God. Stefani's Resources: Youtube Channel: http://youtube.com/stefaniruper Instagram: http://instagram.com/stefani.ruper Website: http://stefaniruper.com Resources/authors recommended by Stefani: Dominion by Tom Holland Works of William James...

Jun 23, 20231 hr 10 min

Atheist to Pastor – Matt Bagwell’s Story

Negative life experiences caused former atheist Matt Bagwell to reject God and Christianity. Change in life circumstances allowed him to find an authentic kind of belief in God that he didn't think possible. YouTube: @marksofmanhood matt.d.bagwell@gmail.com Atheists Finding God book Rowman.com/Lexington Promo Code: LXFANDF30 Women in Apologetics https://womeninapologetics.com/...

Jun 09, 20231 hr 13 min

Reasoning Towards God – Joshua Rasmussen’s story

Former skeptic Joshua Rasmussen left Christianity to pursue truth through reason and philosophy. Over time, his intellectual pursuit led him back to a strong belief in God. Joshua's Resources: Defending the Correspondence Theory of Truth, 2014 Necessary Existence, 2015 How Reason Can Lead to God, 2019 Is God the Best Explanation of Things, 2019 For more stories of atheists and skeptics becoming Christians, visit www.sidebstories.com...

May 26, 202355 min

Finding the Real God – Chris Waghorn’s Story

Former skeptic Chris Waghorn left his belief in the Christian God behind to embrace an Eastern, universal view of god. After several years, he rediscovered the Christian God as the One who is both truth and real. Chris's Resources: Twitter: @CJMindBody The Bible League Australia: https://bl.org.au Resources/authors recommended by Chris for further study on Christianity: William Lane Craig C. S. Lewis Tim Keller John Lennox Atheists Finding God promo code https://Rowman.com/Lexington promo code: ...

May 12, 20231 hr 19 min

Finding Jesus – Mason Jones’s Story

Former atheist Mason Jones thought Christian belief was an overly simplistic view of life and reality until he began to recognize its depth and complexity, its ability to better explain reality. Mason's Campus Outreach Page: https://cocentralil.org/mason-jones Atheists Finding God book promo code LXFANDF30 valid at https://Rowman.com/Lexington Episode Transcript Hello, and thanks for joining in. I'm Jana Harmon, and you're listening to Side B Stories , where we see how skeptics flip the record o...

Apr 28, 20231 hr 14 min

From Millionaire to Minister – Stu Fuhlendorf’s Story

Former atheist Stu Fuhlendorf felt no need for God, achieving high level of success and power in the business world. However, his achievements were tainted by emptiness and addiction which helped him become open to his need for God. Stu's Resources: book: Wall Street to the Well: A Story of Transformation from Fortune to Faith church website: redemptionhills.com Lifeverse website: www.lifeverse.com...

Apr 14, 20231 hr 6 min

From Anti-religion to Faith-driven – Will Witt’s Story

Former atheist Will Witt presumed atheism was true until his beliefs began to fall apart under the weight of scrutiny for grounding of his values. It opened him towards a search for God. Will's Resources: website: theflstandard.com book:  How to Win Friends and Influence Enemies social media: @thewillwitt

Mar 31, 202353 min

Doubting Towards God – Pedro Garcia’s Story

Former atheist Pedro Garcia grew up in a secular culture, making it easy to leave his nominal religion behind. After encountering serious, intelligent Christians, he began to question the possibility of God. website: askandwonder.com translator for Christian organizations: askandwonder.com/translations email: askandwondernashville@gmail.com church: The Donelson Fellowship To learn more and hear more stories of atheists converting to Christianity, visit www.sidebstories.com...

Mar 17, 20231 hr 10 min

Rational Belief – Malia Sienkiewiez’s Story

Former atheist Malia grew up in a religious home but she never personally believed in God. When she followed atheism’s rational end towards nihilism, it led to her to question what was true. For more stories of atheists and skeptics converting to Christianity, visit www.sidebstories.com Episode Transcript Hello, and thanks for joining in. I’m Jana Harmon, and you’re listening to Side B Stories , where we see how skeptics flip the record of their lives. Each podcast, we listen t...

Mar 03, 20231 hr 5 min

Disproving God – Ben Clifton’s Story

Former atheist Ben Clifton thought religious belief was for the weak-minded, for those who didn’t believe in science. His caricatures of Christianity began to break down as he encountered authentic, intelligent Christians who challenged him to consider the reality of God. Ben’s Resources: www.apologeticsonmission.org Resources recommended by Roger: Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis Fingerprints of God, Hugh Ross, https://reasons.org William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith, https://www.reaso...

Feb 17, 20231 hr 8 min

Letters to an Atheist – Nico Tarquinio’s Story

Former atheist Nico Tarquinio rejected a religion he thought was not worthy of belief. As a lawyer, he considered both sides in a search for truth and changed his mind about Christianity. Resources recommended by Nico: Cold Case Christianity, J. Warner Wallace Letters to an Atheist, Peter Kreeft Unbelievable? Podcast with Justin Brierley Reasonable Faith Podcast with William Lane Craig For more stories of atheist and skeptics converting to Christianity, visit www.sidebstories.com Episode Transcr...

Feb 03, 20231 hr 3 min

The Mystery of God – Ken Boa’s Story

Former skeptic Ken Boa put aside his childhood faith and became a secular humanist who tested his philosophy through psychedelic drugs. After an agonizing search for meaning, he came to believe in the reality of God. Ken’s Resources: www.kenboa.org Resources recommended by Mark: Escape from Reason, Francis Schaeffer The God who is There, Francis Schaeffer Works of C.S. Lewis For more stories of atheists and skeptics converting to Christianity, visit www.sidebstories.com Episode Transcript ...

Jan 20, 202347 min

Fighting Against God – Roger Sherrer’s Story

Everyone in his town knew Roger Sherrer as “the community atheist.” He thought belief in God was not only childish but bad and needed to be taken down. His atheism began to break down as he suffered the consequences of his nihilistic worldview. Resources recommended by Roger: Hugh Ross, Reasons to Believe, https://reasons.org William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith, https://www.reasonablefaith.org Cold Case Christianity, J. Warner Wallace Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis Episode Transcript Hello and t...

Jan 06, 20231 hr 3 min

Philosophy Professor Explores Both Sides – John Wise’s Story

Through a serious study of philosophy, Dr. John Wise began to doubt his Christian beliefs. After 25 years of atheism, he began to question his disbelief. John’s Resources: Podcast: ‘The Christian Atheist’: https://pod.link/1553077203 Podcast: No Compromise Podcast: Simple Gifts Website: https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com Resources recommended by Mark: Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis Episode Transcript Hello, and thanks for joining in. I’m Jana Harmon and you&#821...

Dec 23, 20221 hr 1 min

Never Too Far Gone – Mark Goodnight’s Story

Former atheist Mark Goodnight rejected God because of tragic life circumstances. After years of self-destructive living, he became convinced God was real through a series of unexpected events. Mark’s Resources: Blog: https://cyberpenance.wordpress.com/ Twitter: GospelApologist Instagram: @martyrtek Resources recommended by Mark: Tactics, Greg Koukl Forensic Faith, Jim Warner Wallace Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis Episode Transcript Hello, and thanks for joining in. I’m Jana Harmon, an...

Dec 09, 20221 hr 5 min