Apologetics scholar Josh Chatraw joins Garrick and Timothy to talk about cross-centered apologetics, Augustine of Hippo, and what it takes to hang out with Tim Keller. Josh is the coauthor of several books, including Truth in a Culture of Doubt from B&H Academic and Apologetics at the Cross. Along the way, Josh makes the mistake of revealing his longstanding affection for pseudo-saxophonist Kenny G, apparently unaware that Kenny G is Timothy’s least favorite musician. The ensuing kerfuffle threatens to eliminate Josh from the podcast. In the end, a reference to the Dave Matthews Band intervenes and saves the day.
Davy Jones—no relation to Timothy, by the way, because British rock stardom is nowhere to be found in any branch of Timothy’s family tree—is the focus of the second half of this week’s podcast. But, of course, you don’t know Davy Jones as Davy Jones; you know him as David Bowie. Garrick also remembers him as the goblin king in the movie Labyrinth, but your intrepid cohosts end up having very different recollections of this particular film. (Also, “Läbÿrïnth” would be the ultimate name for a heavy metal band.) In 1975, while recording his album Station to Station, David Bowie seriously considered Christianity. His song “Word on a Wing” encapsulates some of his spiritual struggles during this time. So what was it, from a human perspective, that kept Bowie from turning to Christ? That’s the question that Garrick and Timothy consider this week. Before the segment is over, you’ll also learn about Garrick’s odd fixation on Portuguese renditions of David Bowie’s songs and Timothy’s surreptitious purchase of stone-washed jeans when he was seventeen.
This week’s Toy Box Hero Tournament is the toughest yet (but, then again, it’s only the second one). A Lego AT-AT owned by Garrick’s son levels its blasters at Hermione Granger’s wand—or, more precisely, an overpriced replica thereof, purchased at Universal Studios. So which one of these two toys will win? Find out in this week’s episode of Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast.
Image above is the work of Henry Cascante Rivas.
This Week’s Guest: Josh Chatraw
Joshua Chatraw is the director of New City Fellows at the Center for Public Christianity and resident theologian at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. Some of his books include Apologetics at the Cross (co-authored with Mark Allen) and Truth in a Culture of Doubt (co-authored with Andreas Köstenberger and Darrell Bock). You can find out more about Josh and the Center for Public Christianity at https://centerforpublicchristianity.org/.
Links to Click
Truth in a Culture of Doubt: book by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw
Apologetics at the Cross: book by Josh Chatraw and Mark Allen
The City of God: book by Augustine
The History of Apologetics (June 2020): book by Benjamin Forrest, Josh Chatraw, and Alister McGrath
Telling a Better Story: book by Josh Chatraw
Word on a Wing: song by David Bowie
Ziggy Stardust: song by David Bowie
Space Oddity: song by David Bowie
Bus Stop: song by David Bowie and Tin Machine
God Knows I’m Good: song by David Bowie
Lazarus: song by David Bowie
How to Make Three Chords and the Truth More Amazing than It Already Is
Support the show and spread the word! Here are a few ways to do that:
1. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS.
2. Leave a rating and review on iTunes to encourage other people to listen to the show.
3. If you purchase any of the books mentioned in Three Chords and the Truth, consider using the Amazon links provided in the show notes. The show will receive a small percentage of each sale.
4. Visit our Patreon site where you can support the podcast, suggest future songs or topics, and order Three Chords and the Truth merchandise.
5. Make contact with us on Twitter: @DrTimothyPJones @GarrickBailey @ApologeticsPod
The Closing Credits
Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. 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).
