S2 E05. William Lane Craig vs Philip Goff: A philosopher's 'slightly heretical' Christian conversion?

The Surprising Rebirth Of Belief In God

Justin Brierley

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 592 Ratings

🗓️ 8 April 2025

⏱️ 115 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Agnostic philosopher Philip Goff has been on a 'surprising rebirth' journey recently. After announcing his embrace of a 'slightly heretical' form of Christianity, he says he has come to believe in a God of limited power. Renowned Christian philosopher William Lane Craig engages Goff in a conversation on the universe, suffering and Christian faith, as they debate whether a 'limited' God makes sense of science, philosophy and the resurrection. After hosting the conversation, Justin Brierley is joined by Peter Byrom for post-debate reflections on what happened during the spirited dialogue between the two philosophers. More info, book & newsletter: https://justinbrierley.com/surprisingrebirth/ Support via Patreon for early access to new episodes and bonus content, including the full-length Philip Goff interview from season one: https://www.patreon.com/justinbrierley/membership Support via Tax-deductible (USA) and get the same perks: https://defendersmedia.com/portfolio/justin-brierley/ Give a one-off gift via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/brierleyjustin Buy the book or get a signed copy: https://justinbrierley.com/the-surprising-rebirth-of-belief-in-god/ Ep 5 show notes, and extra videos on suffering and Philip's Panpsychast event: https://justinbrierley.com/surprisingrebirth/season-2-episode-5-william-lane-craig-vs-philip-goff-a-philosophers-slightly-heretical-christian-conversion Also, check out our show ‘Uncommon Ground’ for discussion and debates: ⁠https://justinbrierley.com/uncommon-ground-podcast/⁠ The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God is a production of Think Faith in partnership with Genexis, and support from The Jerusalem Trust. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Well, we were not prepared for this. The venue is full. However, the mission is bigger than the room. You can still join us. Due to the incredible uptake, our responding to the Rebirth Conference will now be live streamed. Book your online pass now at rebirthconference.net. You may not be in the room, but you can still be part of the
0:22.5	response from anywhere in the world on Saturday the 22nd of November. On the live stream,
0:28.5	you'll get full access to all keynote sessions, panels and interviews with guests, including
0:33.6	John Lennox, Paul Kingsnorth, Elizabeth Oldfield and Al Gordon.
0:39.3	You can take part in the Q&A.
0:42.1	You'll get to take home recordings of all of the sessions and get a front row seat to what God is doing.
0:45.7	A rebirth is happening.
0:47.6	Let's respond together wherever we are.
0:49.8	Book your live stream pass at rebirthconference.net.
0:59.2	I don't have a clear understanding of Philip's concept of God.
1:06.1	The God of limited power.
1:08.1	This can elegantly account both for fine-tuning and for suffering.
1:11.6	These views are philosophically, scientifically and historically untenable.
1:16.6	I have a feeling you don't agree with that account of the resurrection.
1:20.6	There are a fair number of scholars who think the first Christians identified the resurrection center.
1:25.6	This isn't just something I've made up.
1:27.8	You don't understand them.
1:29.3	There is no incoherence in what I just described.
1:32.3	This cosmic panpsychism is what appears to be a devastating objection.
1:37.3	Bill said something that was just false.
1:39.3	Do you think that God is an unembodied mind distinct from the universe? I think it's probably fair to say that we've witnessed a fairly left-hemispheric conversation.
1:49.0	Do you think I'm a Christian?
	...

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