Welcome to the true crime episode of The Apologetics Podcast—an episode so good it’s almost criminal!

Cold-case detective J. Warner Wallace joins your intrepid cohosts to teach them how true crime points to the truth of God. Wallace’s latest book The Truth in True Crime: What Investigating Death Teaches Us About the Meaning of Life takes a look at fifteen rules for life that he learned from homicide investigations. While talking about this outstanding book, Wallace makes the case that everything in all of creation is evidence and that every human being is a born killer. He also reveals his recent proclivities for the music of Old Dominion and Zach Williams.

This episode’s edition of Raiders of Church History involves three cats and an ancient sponge. Garrick and Timothy discuss an almost-criminal habit described by professor C.S. Lewis that involved lifting a cat by its tail, and the dynamic duo concludes there should be a C.S. Lewis fan band called “Clïvë änd thë Cäts.”

J. Warner Wallace is a Dateline-featured homicide detective, popular national speaker, and best-selling author. Relying on over two decades of investigative experience, Wallace provides the tools needed to investigate the claims of Christianity and make a convincing case for the truth of the Christian worldview.

Timothy Paul Jones, Ph.D., is C. Edwin Gheens Professor of Christian Family Ministry at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has authored or edited more than a dozen books, including Why Should I Trust the Bible?, The God Who Goes Before You, Perspectives on Family Ministry, In Church as It Is in Heaven, andChristian History Made Easy.

Garrick Bailey is lead pastor of Substance Church in Ashland, Ohio. Garrick was born in the frozen lands of Wisconsin but spent most of his life as a Texan. Before coming to Substance, he served as the director of adult discipleship and home groups at The Village Church. He and his wife Bethany have three children.

Cold-Case Christianity

Casemakers Academy

The Thin Blue Life

Theme music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Cunningham Manor. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

What is a "Christian nationalist" and how do you know if you might be one?

That's the question Garrick Bailey and Timothy Paul Jones ask distinguished American historian Thomas Kidd. Along the way, Garrick and Timothy discover that the answer isn't nearly as scary as some people seem to think. Garrick does, however, suggest a rather scary image that involves Jesus, a bald eagle, and an American flag.* In the end, Dr. Kidd refuses to be distracted by Garrick’s bizarre suggestion and instead takes your intrepid cohosts to a place where few people seem to go: a calm and rational discussion of Christian nationalism and proper patriotism. Garrick and Timothy also manage to unearth a long-lost truth about Dr. Kidd's past predilections for Led Zeppelin.

During the Raiders of Church History segment, a deluge of dad jokes threatens to drown the dynamic duo, as a dead hand from Hungary slaps a live duck from Great Britain. Also, "Cüddïë Dück" would be a great name for an English emo punk band.

* ... which Garrick and Timothy would probably turn into a really hilarious image using an AI image generator and send to subscribers if Timothy wasn't so Reformed that he rejects the Seventh Ecumenical Council and steadfastly refuses to acknowledge images of Jesus.

Timothy Paul Jones, Ph.D., is C. Edwin Gheens Professor of Christian Ministry at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He teaches in the areas of family ministry and applied apologetics. He has authored or edited more than a dozen books, including Why Should I Trust the Bible?, The God Who Goes Before You, Perspectives on Family Ministry, In Church as It Is in Heaven, and Christian History Made Easy.

Garrick Bailey is lead pastor of Substance Church in Ashland, Ohio. Garrick was born in the frozen lands of Wisconsin but spent most of his life as a Texan. Before coming to Substance, he served as the director of adult discipleship and home groups at The Village Church. He and his wife Bethany have three children.

The Jefferson Bible (article by Erin Blakemore, 2019)

Thomas Jefferson: A Biography of Spirit and Flesh (book by Thomas Kidd, 2022)

Who Is an Evangelical?: The History of a Movement in Crisis (book by Thomas Kidd, 2019)

St. Cuthbert's Ducks (article by Glen Cousquer, 2022)

St. Stephens Holy Right (article by Relics, 2023)

In the Light (song by Led Zeppelin, 1990 Remaster)

Christian History, Volume 2 (book by Thomas Kidd, 2024)

The Apologetics Podcast

Urban Ministry Podcast

Theme music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Cunningham Manor. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Heaven is multiethnic. Are you ready for that?

The Bible tells us that the congregation gathered around God's heavenly throne will be “a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language,” all singing the praises of the Lamb. God's intention has always been to delight for all eternity in a redeemed community of ethnic diversity. But this diverse community shouldn't have to wait until eternity to begin. It can start here and now.

Dr. Jamaal Williams, pastor of Sojourn Church Midtown in Louisville, has coauthored a book entitled In Church as It Is in Heaven: Cultivating a Multiethnic Kingdom Culture to show how Christians can pursue this vision. This work from Jamaal and one of your intrepid cohosts gives biblical warrant for multiethnic, multisocioeconomic, and multigenerational churches and shows how such communities provide a unique apologetic for the gospel—and that’s how this book intersects with The Apologetics Podcast.

In this episode’s installment of Raiders of Church History, the dynamic duo throws a pig into combat against shards from Peter’s skeleton. Garrick Bailey and Timothy Paul Jones quickly recognize that the pig brings victory either way. If the pig survives the apostle’s bones, the pig is the victor and, if the pig dies, everyone gets bacon. Also, Garrick and Timothy learn about “tantony pigs,” and there should definitely be a British folk punk band named “Täntöny Pïg.”

Timothy Paul Jones, Ph.D., is C. Edwin Gheens Professor of Christian Ministry at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He teaches in the areas of family ministry and applied apologetics. He has authored or edited more than a dozen books, including Why Should I Trust the Bible?, The God Who Goes Before You, Perspectives on Family Ministry, In Church as It Is in Heaven, and Christian History Made Easy.

Garrick Bailey is lead pastor of Substance Church in Ashland, Ohio. Garrick was born in the frozen lands of Wisconsin but spent most of his life as a Texan. Before coming to Substance, he served as the director of adult discipleship and home groups at The Village Church. He and his wife Bethany have three children.

Eruption (song by Van Halen, 1978)

In Church as It Is in Heaven (book by Jamaal Williams and Timothy Paul Jones, 2023)

Redemptive Kingdom Diversity (book by Jarvis Williams, 2021)

Your House (song by Sojourn Music, 2021)

The Apologetics Podcast

Urban Ministry Podcast

Theme music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Cunningham Manor. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).