Podcast Summary: "A Reasoned Defense of the Faith"

Thinking Fellows Podcast | 1517 Podcasts | February 18, 2026

Hosts: Caleb Keith, Bruce Hillman, Adam Francisco, Scott Keith
Main Focus: The purpose and practice of Christian apologetics, exploring Adam Francisco’s new book, A Reasoned Defense of the Faith: Collected Essays in Christian Apologetics. Discussion centers on positive apologetics, defending the resurrection, engaging with nominal belief, and grounding faith claims in scripture and history.

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the release of Adam Francisco's book, A Reasoned Defense of the Faith, which compiles his essays on Christian apologetics. The conversation explores the changing landscape of apologetics in modern America—where atheism is a minority view and alternative spiritualities abound. Key attention is given to the book’s focus on Islam, the Lutheran and 1517 approach to apologetics, and the foundational importance of the resurrection and scriptural authority in defending the faith.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Genesis and Nature of the Book (00:55–03:47)

• Adam Francisco’s book is a collection of essays, some obscure or previously unpublished, aiming to provide short, accessible chapters for use in classes or personal study.
• The book leans toward “classic, traditional apologetics” rather than avant-garde or hyper-technical approaches.
• Notably, it includes multiple chapters on Islam, reflecting both Francisco’s expertise and the growing need for Christians to address this “global number one competitor” (03:12).

"If you travel to Europe, you’ll get a glimpse into the future... demographically." — Adam Francisco (03:12)

2. Why Emphasize Islam in Apologetics? (02:20–05:38)

• Islam is underrepresented in many popular apologetics works, which tend to give it only cursory treatment.
• Adam emphasizes a positive, gospel-focused approach to engaging Muslims, rather than simply critiquing or deconstructing Islam.

"My approach to Islam is more of the historical approach, the history of Christian-Muslim conversation." — Adam Francisco (04:21)

3. Defining Positive Apologetics (05:38–15:50)

a. What is Positive Apologetics? (05:38–09:10)

• Positive apologetics = making a constructive case for the Christian faith, focusing especially on Jesus’ death and resurrection.
• It differs from “negative apologetics,” which is primarily concerned with critiquing other worldviews.

b. New Testament Model (09:10–13:44)

• Biblical examples: Paul in Acts 17 and Acts 26, where he argues for Jesus as the Messiah based on the resurrection as public, historical fact.
• The method isn’t about “owning” or trolling opponents but inviting people to reckon with the hope within Christians (see 1 Peter 3:15).

c. Why Some Christians Resist Positive Apologetics (13:44–15:50)

• Some theological traditions fear this approach leans too “decision-oriented” or minimizes the need for the Holy Spirit's work.

"Whether somebody believes or not... that's not even the task of the apologist. That's the work of the Holy Spirit. But what the apologist does, can do, and ought to do... is to show and demonstrate to the unbeliever... that the crucifixion, and also the resurrection, are brute historic facts." — Adam Francisco (15:23)

4. The “1517 Method”: Evangelize, Defend, Evangelize, Defend (15:50–20:11)

• Discussion on the Lutheran/1517 approach: Preaching (the gospel announcement) is always central; apologetics serves to address honest questions or obstacles.
• The two should never be disconnected; apologetics supports, clarifies, or removes obstacles to the gospel.

"The evangelical process... is never disconnected and is always ongoing... the preaching is paramount and the apologetics is supportive." — Scott Keith (18:49)

5. Shifting Landscape: Apologetics in a Post-Atheist, Religious-but-Not-Christian World (23:18–26:00)

• Most Americans are not atheists; many are "spiritual but not religious" or nominally Christian.
• Much of apologetics literature still focuses on refuting atheism/naturalism, while the greater need may be for engaging lapsed or nominal Christians and alternative spiritualities.
• Discussion on the importance of linking apologetics to the authority of scripture and addressing why scripture matters, especially when nominal Christians may not regularly read or attend church.

6. The Resurrection as the Apologetic Center (26:00–34:38)

• The resurrection is the strongest historical claim and the most pressing challenge for skeptics and nominal Christians alike.
• Arguments for the resurrection (e.g., the empty tomb) remain persuasive even among secular historians—Bart Ehrman is cited as acknowledging the tomb was empty, though he dismisses supernatural explanations (27:12).
• The resurrection’s implications: if Jesus truly rose, then his claims and teachings—esp. about his divinity and authority—demand serious consideration.

"If Jesus actually rose from the dead, there are serious implications... Now you avail yourself of the Word, you avail yourself of the sacraments, you become part of a community of faith." — Scott Keith (31:07)

Notable Quote (33:52)

"If the Bible speaks to something as the Word of God, that settles it. I mean that might sound kind of fundamentalisty, but that is the case." — Adam Francisco

7. The Role of the Bible’s Authority (32:12–34:42)

• Apologetics ultimately grounds the authority of scripture in the person and resurrection of Jesus: “If Jesus rose from the dead, he’s the best person to ask about reality... and he treats the Old Testament as the final authority.”

8. Objections and the Limits of Apologetics (34:42–43:04)

• Raising from the dead, alone, isn’t enough for some to accept all Christian doctrine (“value judgments”); apologetics can clear away intellectual objections, but faith itself is the work of the Holy Spirit.
• Jesus himself acknowledges (Luke 16:31, John 6:44) that some will not believe even if someone rises from the dead.

"It is not a matter of evidence all the time on why people come to faith... it comes down to the Holy Spirit. But of course, that Holy Spirit comes through the preached word." — Bruce Hillman (42:20)

9. The Case of Antony Flew – From Atheist to Theist (43:04–47:46)

• Philosophical heavyweight Antony Flew—once the intellectual face of atheism—shifted toward belief in God through design arguments, then was most persuaded by N.T. Wright’s historical resurrection arguments, even referencing the need for a “clear revelation” as in Christianity.
• Still, intellectual conviction is not sufficient without the Spirit.

10. Apologetics Equips Christians, Too (47:46–end)

• Apologetics isn’t just for “outsiders”—it strengthens Christians, aids catechesis, and grounds confidence in the historicity of the gospel.
• All worldviews, even atheism, have some form of apologetic; Christians need to be consciously rooted, like the apostles, in scripture and the resurrection.

"Everybody has a theology... and everybody does apologetics as well, whether you like it or not." — Caleb Keith (48:14)

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• On Islam as an apologetic focus:
  "Globally speaking, it's our number one competitor." — Adam Francisco (03:12)
• On Positive vs. Negative Apologetics:
  "Positive apologetics is a persuasive approach to the exhortation in 1 Peter 3... Negative apologetics is simply like a critique of the other person's viewpoint." — Adam Francisco (12:40)
• On apologetics and faith:
  "That's not even the task of the apologist. That's the work of the Holy Spirit." — Adam Francisco (15:29)
• On preaching and apologetics together:
  "The preaching is paramount and the apologetics is supportive." — Scott Keith (18:49)
• Resurrection as historical event:
  "If Jesus actually rose from the dead, there are serious implications with that." — Scott Keith (31:07)
• On historic and saving faith:
  “I don’t know an apologist out there who would say that you can strong-arm somebody intellectually into... saving Christian faith.” — Adam Francisco (46:57)
• On universal apologetic necessity:
  “Everybody has a theology... Everybody does apologetics as well, whether you like it or not.” — Caleb Keith (48:14)

Important Timestamps & Segments

• Introduction, Book Rationale: 00:00–05:38
• Positive Apologetics Explained: 05:38–15:50
• The "1517 Method": 15:50–20:11
• Resurrection as Apologetic Center: 26:00–34:38
• Authority of Scripture: 32:12–34:42
• The Role/Limits of Evidence and Faith: 34:42–43:04
• Antony Flew Discussion: 43:04–47:46
• Catechesis and Apologetics for Christians: 47:46–end

Takeaways

• Positive apologetics is an accessible, historically rooted persuasion pointing toward the public, historic reality of the resurrection.
• The resurrection is both the crux and strongest defense of Christianity and the foundational apologetic for emerging generations and religious “nones.”
• Apologetics must always be paired with preaching, allowing for questions and objections but centering on the gospel.
• Christians must be ready to ground their faith and defense in both scripture and history; this is both an outward witness and inward strengthening.
• Salvation remains a work of the Holy Spirit, beyond the reach of logic alone.

For further study, listeners are encouraged to pick up Adam Francisco’s A Reasoned Defense of the Faith, available at shop.1517.org or Amazon.