The Shawn Ryan Show – Episode 279: Wes Huff

February 12, 2026

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode features Wes Huff, Vice President of Apologetics Canada, exploring in depth the reliability and historical preservation of the Bible, the impact of the Dead Sea Scrolls, life’s toughest spiritual questions, navigating personal doubts, his miraculous recovery from paralysis, and the intersection of modern morality with ancient biblical principles. Through candid dialogue with host Shawn Ryan, the episode untangles questions about faith, Christian living, miracles, the copying and canon of scripture, and the implications of groundbreaking biblical discoveries.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Wes Huff’s Background and Life Story

• Introduction & Gifts:
  • [03:39] Born in Pakistan to missionary parents, childhood in the Middle East.
  • Overcame a rare, unexplained paralysis as a child ("I call that a miracle" – Shawn, 01:53).
  • Huff currently equips believers to answer tough questions about scripture, history, and faith.
• Life-altering Illness and Miracle:
  • [78:57] At age 11, diagnosed with acute transverse myelitis and expected paralysis.
  • [80:35] One month later, spontaneously regained ability to walk.

    "The doctors that first used the word miracle. I think my parents were hesitant to use that word, but the medical professionals... we really don't have an explanation.” – Wes, [81:44]

  • Quote:

    "I ran upstairs and got my parents." – Wes, [81:18]

2. Facing Evil, Suffering, and the “Problem of Pain”

• Host’s Candid Pain & Faith Struggles:
  • [06:39] Shawn discloses deep personal distress from interviews covering abuse and suffering, questions why devastating evil happens, and wonders why Christian living matters if "belief at the last moment" is enough for salvation.

    "It's hard to live as a Christian... if you can go through life a shitbag, ... and then you die and... do you accept me as Lord and Savior? Yes. Then what is the point?" – Shawn, [10:31]

• Wes’s Theological Framing:
  • [11:15] Argues Christian worldview provides objective moral grounding for evil/good, unlike atheism.
  • God as uniquely compassionate (Exodus 34:6); divine empathy via Christ’s suffering.
  • The "now but not yet" reality: Christ’s resurrection defeats death, yet suffering persists until all is made new.

    "God actually steps off his throne in eternity and into humanity and experiences brokenness...the God of the Bible is not distanced or aloof..." – Wes, [12:56]

• Meaning in Suffering and Life:
  • Life matters because we are relational beings created for relationship with God ([19:09]).
  • Christian transformation is about purpose, not just "getting to heaven."
  • Jesus’s grief over Lazarus demonstrates God’s emotional engagement ([20:09]).

3. Christian Living: Works, Faith, and the Afterlife

• Faith vs. Works Debate:
  • [33:27] Wes affirms traditional Protestant view:

    "We're not saved by our works, but we're saved for works." – Wes, [34:39]

  • Works are the evidence ("outpouring") of true faith, not the cause of salvation.
• Practical Struggles: Guilt, Joy, Anxiety:
  • Host shares (24:24–26:14) that post-conversion, he feels more worry and anxiety—not less, contrary to popular expectation.
  • Wes attributes this to growth in responsibility, maturity, and deeper love (for children, spouse, others).

    "Love is actually about sacrifice... that's what we see... in the person of Jesus Christ." – Wes, [31:05]

• What Happens When We Die:
  • [33:15] Judgment before God; two possibilities: found in Christ ("covered" by his work) or in Adam (bearing own sin).
  • Faith leads to life change:

    "There's a changing of mind in the mindset... it grieves us and we want to change." – Wes, [43:24]

4. Dealing with Unanswered Prayer and Anxiety

• Handing Problems to God:
  • Shawn struggles with the idea of "handing over" anxieties to God ([48:10]).
  • Wes points to biblical laments (Psalm 22), normalizing both confidence and cries of abandonment.

    "God wants us to come to him. He wants us to be transparent... when we are in those seasons of 'my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'" – Wes, [52:24]

  • Christianity dignifies lament and wrestling—not just triumph or resignation.

5. Wes’s Spiritual Journey & Intellectual Inquiry

• Investigating Other Faiths (esp. Islam):
  • Huff is deeply familiar with Islam, has read the Quran multiple times, and explains its deviations from Christian scripture, especially the denial of Christ’s crucifixion ([64:23–71:38]).
  • Explains how the Quran adapts apocryphal Christian stories (e.g., Infancy Gospel of Thomas).

    "Muslims believe in Jesus... He's mentioned 25 times in the Quran, far more than even Muhammad." – Wes, [65:21]

• Struggles with Pain and God’s Mystery:
  • Discusses personal suffering—his daughter's seizure, near fatal accident—and the persistent mystery of “why some are healed and others aren't” ([93:26]).

    "To wrestle with, okay, I believe you healed me, but what about that guy? ... I think that's a hard one to reconcile..." – Wes, [96:08]

6. Canon, Manuscripts, and the Dead Sea Scrolls

• Protestant Reformation and Scripture:
  • [104:07–115:24] Recounts the Reformation’s drive to return to biblical foundations ("sola scriptura", "faith alone").
  • The church’s errors stemmed from elevating tradition over scripture; Reformation meant returning to earliest Christian intent.
• Dead Sea Scrolls: The Greatest Biblical Discovery?
  • [148:18] Dead Sea Scrolls discovered 1947–1956, mostly predating Jesus. Every Old Testament book but Esther is represented.

    "These are probably the most important archaeological discovery of the 20th century." – Wes, [150:30]

  • Show fidelity of Hebrew Old Testament text—thousand-year gap in copies proves careful preservation ([152:29]).
• Other Ancient Jewish texts:
  • [161:37] Discusses Enoch, the War Scroll, Jewish demonology, and how these illuminate Second Temple period beliefs and New Testament context.

    "The Dead Sea Scrolls...shed so much light on ancient Judaism leading up to the time of Jesus." – Wes, [150:30]

• Canon formation:
  • The early church’s process of selecting canonical books sought close apostolic connection and careful sifting of possible forgeries ([171:09–174:00]).
• Importance of Place (“Being There”):
  • Wes says visiting archaeological sites grounds faith in real, tangible history ([183:08]).

    "For me personally, there's something really amazing about standing and visualizing where this happened." – Wes, [183:08]

7. Modern Moral Dilemmas and Technology

• Applying Ancient Scripture to Modern Life (AI, In Vitro):
  • [119:36] Acknowledges complex issues like AI, in vitro fertilization, defense tech, can’t be answered with proof texts.
  • Argues ancient moral principles guide wisdom, even for “gray zones.”
• On War and Violence:
  • Explains Augustine’s “just war” theory and the need for Christians both to resist pacifist distortions and to hold authorities accountable for justice ([124:45–135:19]).

Notable Quotes / Memorable Moments

• On Suffering and Evil:

  "If you subjectivize evil, then ...to say that we need to stop them, that these are objectively evil, is actually admitting that there's some sort of moral law. And a moral law needs a moral lawgiver." – Wes, [12:30]

• On Miraculous Healing:

  "I ran upstairs and got my parents." – Wes, [81:18]

• On Faith and Works:

  "We're not saved by our works, but we're saved for works." – Wes, [34:39]

• On Personal Doubt:

  "The human condition is that we're fickle and nobody is bulletproof...I think we're supposed to feel that brokenness, like that lump that's in my throat—I believe God put that there." – Wes, [97:49]

• On the Dead Sea Scrolls:

  "We discovered them in the late 1940s...and they pushed back our understanding of the text of the Bible close to a thousand years...and they're surprisingly similar. Shockingly similar..." – Wes, [151:10, 152:29]

• On Jesus and History:

  "When you look at the claims of Christianity...there are so many crossover, interlocking areas of inquiry and evidence." – Wes, [187:20]

• On Fulfillment vs. Fleeting Happiness:

  "Fulfillment goes beyond simple happiness in the same way that love is far more than an emotional feeling...love is actually about sacrifice." – Wes, [31:05]

Important Timestamps

• Wes’s Background & Introduction: [01:35-06:01]
• Host’s Existential Faith Crisis: [06:39–11:15]
• Wes on the Problem of Evil: [11:15–16:16]
• The “Miracle” Recovery: [78:57–88:44]
• Exploration of Islam vs. Christianity: [64:23–78:04]
• Faith, Works, Salvation: [33:15–43:24]
• Dead Sea Scrolls Discussion: [148:18–174:00]
• Canon and Noncanonical Texts: [171:09–178:38]
• Modern Moral Questions (AI, Tech, War): [119:36–135:19]
• Prayer & Closing: [200:51–201:54]

Tone & Language

Both Shawn and Wes are direct, introspective, and remarkably candid. The conversation is earnest, respectful, and occasionally humorous—anchored by Wes’s scholarly, approachable explanations and Shawn’s willingness to voice hard, messy questions.

Conclusion

Wes Huff powerfully weaves together biography, scholarship, and personal reflection to address some of the hardest questions about faith, scripture, pain, and truth. His expertise illuminates why the Dead Sea Scrolls are foundational, why Christianity stands up to scrutiny, and how faith is forged through both research and lived, vulnerable experience. The episode stands as a robust, real exploration of religious truth for seekers, skeptics, and believers alike.

For further information:

• Apologetics Canada video series: Can I Trust the Bible?
• Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Museum of the Bible, Washington DC – guided tour by Wes Huff (March 28, 2026).