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Ultimate Questions Podcast with Jon Topping

Ultimate Questions Podcast with Jon Topping

By Jon Topping

Bite-sized pieces of Christian apologetics, offering reasoned arguments and justification of the Christian faith. Helping listeners discover the believability of Christianity. For those skeptical of Christianity, wanting to learn more about the faith, and Christians that want to dive deeper.
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Currently playing episode

UQ 001 - Why do I believe?

Ultimate Questions Podcast with Jon ToppingAug 29, 2020

00:00
19:18
047 UQ - What are Hallucinations?

047 UQ - What are Hallucinations?

In order to thoroughly evaluate the possibility of the disciples hallucinating the risen Christ, we should begin by getting a good definition of what hallucinations are, and how exactly they work. In this episode we take a psychological approach to understanding the nature of hallucinations, so that in future episodes we can see whether this can be applied to the disciples experiencing the resurrection of Jesus.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and videos.

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!), "Big Adventure" by Paul Yudin.

Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Nov 13, 202319:08
046 UQ - Purpose of the Hallucination Theory

046 UQ - Purpose of the Hallucination Theory

One of the main counters against the resurrection of Jesus is the claim that the disciples were merely hallucinating the risen Christ. This explains why they claimed to have seen Jesus after His crucifixion, and it explains why they had such passion. In this episode, we'll go into the reasoning behind this argument, and we'll also look at its origins. This will be the first in a series of episodes dealing with the hallucination theory.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and videos.

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!), "Big Adventure" by Paul Yudin.

Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Oct 11, 202317:48
045 UQ - Did the Disciples Steal Jesus' Body?

045 UQ - Did the Disciples Steal Jesus' Body?

Here we go into what is probably the best secular explanation for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the idea that the disciples stole Jesus' body, and then spread the lie that Jesus had risen. We'll go into where this theory comes from, why it's probably the best secular explanation available, and then we'll look at the flaws the theory falls prey to.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and videos.

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Oct 14, 202228:56
044 UQ - Theories Behind Jesus' Missing Body

044 UQ - Theories Behind Jesus' Missing Body

The empty tomb is a difficult historical fact to make sense of. There are a few different ways to try and explain why Jesus' tomb was found empty, and in this episode we go into each theory in detail. For example, maybe the women simply went to the wrong tomb, or the Roman or Jewish authorities moved Jesus' body, or perhaps someone stole the body. In this episode we show that each of these explanations ends up having quite serious problems.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and videos.

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Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Sep 27, 202219:41
043 UQ - Explaining the Missing Body of Jesus

043 UQ - Explaining the Missing Body of Jesus

There is a group of secular arguments against the resurrection that all try to claim that Jesus' body went missing. They state that it was either stolen or lost somehow. These kind of theories are an attempt to explain the empty tomb. In this episode we go into the common problems that all these theories share.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and videos.

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Sep 02, 202224:26
042 UQ - Jesus' Cause of Death

042 UQ - Jesus' Cause of Death

What kills a person when they are crucified? The answer is probably quite different than you imagine. To wrap up the Swoon Theory, we will look at what exactly killed Jesus by examining the medicine and science behind crucifixion. After showing exactly what kills a person in crucifixion, we'll be able to definitively say that, yes, Jesus did in fact die on that cross two thousand years ago.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

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May 26, 202232:52
UQ 041 - The Science Against Jesus' Death

UQ 041 - The Science Against Jesus' Death

Here we'll look at one of the best arguments for the idea that Jesus never died on the cross, so there was no resurrection. Two researchers published an article that uses modern medical science to explain how it could have been possible for someone to be crucified, and yet still live.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

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Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

May 06, 202228:18
UQ 040 - Ancient References to Crucifixion

UQ 040 - Ancient References to Crucifixion

Many of the secular arguments against the resurrection of Jesus Christ actually relate back to a misunderstanding on what crucifixion was like. In this episode we look at various historical references to crucifixion, to see what the ancients thought of it. After getting a better understanding of how the people within that culture understood crucifixion, it seems obvious that it was horrific, and that no one survived it.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

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Feb 11, 202238:53
UQ 039 - Could Jesus Have Recovered?

UQ 039 - Could Jesus Have Recovered?

While academic historians haven't had respect for the swoon theory for many decades now, there are still those who try to bring back the idea that Jesus could have survived His crucifixion. One such argument is given by Bradley Bowen, who has done a better job than most at defending the swoon theory. In this episode, we'll evaluate Bowen's argument that Jesus could have recovered from His wounds before appearing, and that His recovery was interpreted as a resurrection.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

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Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Jan 15, 202220:23
UQ 038 - The Swoon Theory

UQ 038 - The Swoon Theory

A popular counter argument people make against the idea that Jesus rose from the dead, is that they postulate that perhaps Jesus didn't actually die on the cross. What if Jesus only passed out, and the executioner that was crucifying Jesus "thought" Jesus was dead, so they put Him in the tomb before He died. If this was what happened, then the future sightings of Jesus wouldn't have proven a resurrection at all! In this episode, we'll look at different philosophical critiques surrounding this argument, and then in the next episodes we'll go into the historical and scientific reasons to think it's impossible that Jesus could have not died.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

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Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Dec 07, 202124:36
UQ 037 - Gospel of Barnabas

UQ 037 - Gospel of Barnabas

A main piece of evidence used for the "imposter on the cross" argument is the Gospel of Barnabas. Some think this text is even better than the four canonical Gospels. The text teaches that God made Judas look like Jesus so he could get crucified instead. With those things in mind, some argue that there really was an imposter on the cross, and there's been a massive cover up by Christians to hide this fact. In this episode we dive into the facts regarding the usefulness of the text, the dating of it, and the different problems found within it.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

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Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Jul 29, 202154:26
UQ 036 - Imposter on the Cross

UQ 036 - Imposter on the Cross

Probably the main way that Muslims try to deny the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is that they claim Jesus was never crucified in the first place. How do they take that stance, when there's so much historical data for the crucifixion? They believe that someone else was made to look like Jesus, and this "imposter" was then crucified, instead of Him. In this episode we look at the reasons for and against this position called "the imposter on the cross".

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

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Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Jul 12, 202124:08
UQ 035 - Miracle Stories

UQ 035 - Miracle Stories

Is there any reason to think miracles occur? In past episodes we've shown the arguments against miracles all fail, but is there any positive reasons to think miracles are real? In this episode, we hear from three friends of mine, who share their miracle stories with us, to see real world examples of God moving in people's lives.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

Music from www.bensound.com.

Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Jun 25, 202123:45
UQ 034 - Hume, Defeater of Miracles

UQ 034 - Hume, Defeater of Miracles

One of the main reasons people disregard the resurrection of Jesus is because they don't believe miracles are possible. Whether they know it or not, their anti-supernatural worldview has been heavily impacted by a philosopher named David Hume, who gave a few arguments against miracles. Even today, many philosophers will say that Hume did such a good job defeating miracles that they can't possibly consider the possibility that supernatural events occur. For this episode, we'll look at Hume's arguments, and see how they stand up.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

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Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Jun 07, 202129:50
UQ 033 - Science Against Miracles

UQ 033 - Science Against Miracles

We've all met someone who disbelieves in supernatural things because they're more "science minded", as though science has disproven the supernatural entirely. In this episode we look at the scientific reasoning against miracles, to see whether this debate really has been settled by the scientific process.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

Music from www.bensound.com.

Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

May 20, 202115:25
UQ 032 - Bad Examples of Miracles

UQ 032 - Bad Examples of Miracles

A large reason people struggle to believe in the resurrection of Jesus is that they simply don't believe in miracles. In this episode, we look at the examples of miracles that aren't impressive, and see if this gives us reason to disbelieve in miracles in general.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

Music from www.bensound.com.

Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

May 10, 202114:42
UQ 031 - Bias Against Miracles

UQ 031 - Bias Against Miracles

After hearing the argument for the resurrection, one of the first responses from people is that miracles don't happen, so there's no point in even having a discussion about whether Jesus was really resurrected. In this episode we look at some of the philosophical reasons people have against miracles, and we discuss how quite often this turns out to merely be bias, rather than real argumentation.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

Music from www.bensound.com.

Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Apr 26, 202126:46
UQ 030 - Reasoning for the Resurrection

UQ 030 - Reasoning for the Resurrection

Here we review the historical data, and form an argument out of it, to show that Jesus Christ actually rose from the dead. We've been building this case for a few episodes now, going through all the historical data, and showing what sorts of pieces of information are reliable about Jesus' life. Once we compile all that data, what's the best explanation?

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

Music from www.bensound.com.

Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Apr 09, 202125:34
UQ 029 - Evidence for the Empty Tomb

UQ 029 - Evidence for the Empty Tomb

The idea that Jesus was buried, and then the tomb was found empty, is an incredible claim to make. In this episode we look at the historical pieces of evidence for this fact. If you're interested in the skeptical argument that Jesus was never buried, then check out the previous episode. This is our last episode on the evidences, and next time we'll piece it all together to form a coherent argument.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

Music from www.bensound.com.

Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Mar 24, 202118:15
UQ 028 - Was Jesus even buried?

UQ 028 - Was Jesus even buried?

If Jesus's tomb was empty, then we need to explain where the body went. One way skeptics try to avoid this difficult question is by casting doubt on the idea of Jesus even bein buried in the first place. In this episode we'll look at the arguments against Jesus' burial.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

Music from www.bensound.com.

Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Mar 17, 202124:44
UQ 027 - If your brother was God

UQ 027 - If your brother was God

Imagine for a moment your sibling tried to tell you they were the Son of God, sent from heaven, as the messiah to all of humanity. You'd definitely think they were crazy. As it turns out, that's exactly what Jesus' brother, James, thought as well! In this episode we take a look at the evidence regarding James, and how all this data plays into the argument for the resurrection.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

Music from www.bensound.com.

Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Feb 28, 202115:24
UQ 026 - Persecution to Conversion

UQ 026 - Persecution to Conversion

One of the big mysteries of the New Testament for a skeptic is, why did Paul convert to Christianity? He had everything going for him, and traded it all, based on a supernatural experience he had. In this episode, we look at all the historical data about Paul's persecution of Christianity, his conversion, and then the persecutions he faced for his new faith.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

Music from www.bensound.com.

Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Feb 14, 202122:37
UQ 025 - Facts: Crucifixion and Resurrection Belief

UQ 025 - Facts: Crucifixion and Resurrection Belief

To begin evaluating the Minimal Facts approach of arguing for the resurrection of Jesus, we should look at the evidence that counts as "minimal", meaning, facts that all historians agree with. In this episode, we look at the historical fact of the crucifixion, and the fact that the disciples at the very least "believed" that Jesus had risen from the dead.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

Music from www.bensound.com.

Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Jan 29, 202120:04
UQ 024 - The Minimal Facts Approach

UQ 024 - The Minimal Facts Approach

After evaluating much of the data surrounding the reliability of the New Testament, we can take a look at a famous argument called the "minimal facts approach". This method, developed by Gary Habermas, uses only the data that basically all historians agree upon, and shows that the best explanation is that Jesus rose from the dead. In this episode, we go over the methodology, and why this method is useful.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

Music from www.bensound.com.

Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Jan 12, 202115:37
UQ 023 - Non-Christian Sources: Mischievous Superstition

UQ 023 - Non-Christian Sources: Mischievous Superstition

The non-Christians who wrote about Jesus and Christianity can show us something quite interesting. We can see how Romans viewed the Christian concept of the resurrection. While they obviously disagreed with Christianity, evaluating their writings still help us learn about how the Early Church was viewed by the people during that time, and even helps us see that the most foundational doctrines of the faith went right back to the earliest moments of the history of the Church.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

Music from www.bensound.com.

Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Dec 22, 202019:47
UQ 022 - Non-Christian Sources: Lucian, Talmud, Serapion

UQ 022 - Non-Christian Sources: Lucian, Talmud, Serapion

While we can definitely learn a lot from the Bible and early Christians about what happened in the first century, it's also very important to see what we can learn from non-Christian sources. First of all, we can learn far more than most skeptics realize, and also, it ends up shedding a lot of light on the situation of early Christianity. We even end up learning a lot about the context that isn't found in the Bible. In this episode, we continue to look at the ancient non-Christian sources of Lucian of Samosata, the Babylonian Talmud, and Mara bar Serapion.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

Music from www.bensound.com.

Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Dec 07, 202014:38
UQ 021 - Early Non-Christian Sources: Josephus

UQ 021 - Early Non-Christian Sources: Josephus

One of the main requests skeptics make when discussing matters of religious history, is for the Christian to present non-Christian writings that support their beliefs. In this episode we go into some of the reasons behind this approach, and then we dive into our first non-Christian historian during the time of Jesus: Josephus. This first century Jewish historian has a lot of controversy surrounding his writings, and we go into the reasons for that, as well as what we can still learn from what he wrote.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

Music from www.bensound.com.

Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Nov 22, 202020:03
UQ 020 - Jesus Mythicists with Wesley Huff

UQ 020 - Jesus Mythicists with Wesley Huff

When discussing the historical reliability of the Bible, a common complaint that comes up on the internet is the idea that Jesus might not even be a historical figure. In this series of the podcast, we've been looking at challenge against the New Testament, and the idea of the Jesus Myth fits nicely into that category. Joining me again is Wes Huff. We take a look at a couple of the most popular Jesus Mythicists; Richard Carrier, and Robert Price.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

For more from Wesley Huff, check out www.wesleyhuff.com.

Music from www.bensound.com.

Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Nov 09, 202026:59
UQ 019 - Other books of the Bible? with Wesley Huff

UQ 019 - Other books of the Bible? with Wesley Huff

A common question people have about the Bible is, why are these the books that made the cut? Who were the people that chose which books made it into the Bible, and what kind of criteria did they use? What about the books that didn't make it? To answer these questions and more, we are once again joined by Wesley Huff, who is an apologist with Power to Change.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

For more from Wesley Huff, check out www.wesleyhuff.com.

Music from www.bensound.com.

Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Oct 24, 202029:39
UQ 018 - Bart Ehrman with Wesley Huff

UQ 018 - Bart Ehrman with Wesley Huff

To continue evaluating criticisms against the New Testament, we take a look at Bart Ehrman, who is one of the most prominent New Testament skeptics in the world. Famous for casting doubt on the reliability of Scripture, Ehrman has published many books on New Testament studies, and is definitely someone we should learn more about if we are to adequately respond to challenges against the Christian faith.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

For more from Wesley Huff, check out www.wesleyhuff.com.

Music from www.bensound.com.

Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Oct 08, 202029:13
UQ 017 - Textual Variances with Wesley Huff

UQ 017 - Textual Variances with Wesley Huff

For our new series, we will be looking at some of the strongest arguments against the New Testament. For this episode, we invite Wesley Huff to join us and discuss the different problems we find in the manuscripts of the New Testament books. Some find it terribly upsetting to learn that there are problems and errors in some of the manuscripts of the New Testament books. Does that defeat the New Testament as being the Word of God? Is the New Testament no longer able to be considered inerrant then?

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

Music from www.bensound.com.

Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Sep 25, 202042:53
UQ 016 - How to Read the Bible: An Example

UQ 016 - How to Read the Bible: An Example

For the past few weeks on the podcast we've been learning how to study the Bible for ourselves. I thought I would take a week to go through the steps I've been talking about with a specific passage, so that you can see how the process works. Hopefully you find this a helpful example of how to read the Bible, and get the most out of the process.

For more from Jon Topping, check out www.jontopping.com for his blog, podcast, articles, and other videos.

Audio of the Ultimate Questions Podcast is found anywhere podcasts are available.

Sep 14, 202018:22
UQ 015 - Cultural Context with Dr. Ben Shin
Aug 30, 202025:17
UQ 014 - Literary Tips to the Bible
Aug 29, 202019:29
UQ 013 - Poetry in the Bible
Aug 29, 202023:24
UQ 012 - Genres 1: Historical Narrative and Epistle
Aug 29, 202015:59
UQ 011 - Historical Context
Aug 29, 202015:55
UQ 010 - How to Read Your Bible
Aug 29, 202017:11
UQ 009 - The Human Element of Scripture
Aug 29, 202016:31
UQ 008 - Helpful Details in the New Testament
Aug 29, 202019:27
UQ 007 - New Testament Authorship: An Early Understanding
Aug 29, 202018:40
UQ 006 - Eyewitness Testimonies
Aug 29, 202014:07
UQ 005 - Historiography 3: Motivation, Explaining the Confusing, and Double Dissimilarity
Aug 29, 202022:10
UQ 004 - Historiography 2: Enemy Attestation, Aramaic Substrata, and Independent Sources
Aug 29, 202019:23
UQ 003 - Historiography 1: Early Reports, Embarrassment, and Coherence
Aug 29, 202016:50
UQ 002 - The Reliability of the New Testament
Aug 29, 202011:40
UQ 001 - Why do I believe?
Aug 29, 202019:18