In the 12th chapter of Paul's first letter to Corinth, he reminds the church that "the body is not one member but many... the eye cannot say to the hand 'I have no need of you.'" The Spirit of God has distributed diverse gifts to the body of Christ. We each have unique gifts and abilities which we can use to help encourage and edify one another as fellow Christians. Though not all of us have the gift of evangelism, we are all called to be ready to give a defense for the hope that is in us, with gentleness and reverence. We are all included in the Great Commission. But we will each go about sharing our faith diverse and unique ways with others. Our guest this week and next is author and apologist Lindsey Medenwaldt. She shares some of her insights about apologetics and evangelism in her new book Bridge-Building Apologetics.

Lindsey Medenwaldt is the Director of Ministry Operations at Mama Bear Apologetics, and is the resident worldview and world religion specialist. She has a master’s degree in apologetics and ethics from Denver Seminary, as well as a master’s in public administration and a law degree. She’s the author of Bridge-Building Apologetics (Harvest House, 2024). She’s an editor and author for the Christian Research Journal, an editor for Women in Apologetics, and a member of the Pelican Project.

Related Links: Access additional Watchman Fellowship resources related to this week's podcast:

• Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Atheism by Dr. Robert M. Bowman: www.watchman.org/Atheism
• Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Agnosticism by W. Russell Crawford: www.watchman.org/Agnostic
• Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Naturalism by Daniel Ray: www.watchman.org/Naturalism
• Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Deconstruction by Daniel Ray: www.watchman.org/Deconstruction

Additional Resources

FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.

PROFILE NOTEBOOK: Order the complete collection of Watchman Fellowship Profiles (over 600 pages -- from Astrology to Zen Buddhism) in either printed or PDF formats here: www.watchman.org/notebook.

SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.

Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

What does materialism, Big-Bang cosmology, and Mormonism all have in common? Can we really work toward becoming a god of our own world? What does a mid-twentieth century interpretation of quantum mechanics have to do with Latter-Day Saint theology? And just exactly how can the Gospel help us better understand how to respond to these complex issues? This is part two of our rather unique dialogue with president of Watchman Fellowship and former 4th-generation Latter-Day Saint James K. Walker and astrophysicist and cosmologist Dr. Luke Barnes, plus some bonus material from some of our previous podcasts you won't want to miss!

Luke A. Barnes is a Senior Lecturer in astronomy and cosmology. With PhD at the University of Cambridge, he has published papers in the field of galaxy formation and on the fine-tuning of the Universe for life. He is the author, with Geraint Lewis, of A Fortunate Universe: Life in a Finely Tuned Cosmos and The Cosmic Revolutionary's Handbook: (Or: How to Beat the Big Bang). Luke, along with Allen Hainline, has also written a contributing chapter to The Story of the Cosmos - How The Heavens Declare the Glory of God.

James Walker, the president of Watchman Fellowship, is a former fourth-generation Mormon with over twenty-five years of ministry experience in the field of Christian counter-cult evangelism, apologetics, and discernment. He has been interviewed as an expert on new religious movements and cults on a variety of network television programs including Nightline, ABC World News Tonight, and The News Hour News with Jim Lehrer. He is author of The Concise Guide to Today's Religions and Spirituality.

Related Links: Access additional Watchman Fellowship resources related to this week's podcast:

• Watchman Fellowship articles on Mormonism: www.watchman.org/LDS
• Watchman Fellowship Profile on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Tim Martin: www.watchman.org/Mormonism
• Watchman Fellowship Profile on Naturalism by Daniel Ray: www.watchman.org/Naturalism

Additional Resources

FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.

PROFILE NOTEBOOK: Order the complete collection of Watchman Fellowship Profiles (over 600 pages -- from Astrology to Zen Buddhism) in either printed or PDF formats here: www.watchman.org/notebook.

SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.

Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

Is it possible for us to become a god? Do mathematics tell us that there are many universes? Is there any evidence of other universes? This week and next on the Profile, we guarantee that in all of the some five million podcasts out there today, you won't likely find the the topics of Many Worlds, Mormonism, and Multiverses covered in the same episode. The next two episodes will be somewhat unique, but we think they cover a lot of lesser-known ideas that have some overlap. Many who leave the Latter-Day-Saint faith turn to atheism. But neither Mormonism nor an atheistic materialism are in accordance with the true story of the cosmos.

Luke A. Barnes is a Senior Lecturer in astronomy and cosmology. With PhD at the University of Cambridge, he has published papers in the field of galaxy formation and on the fine-tuning of the Universe for life. He is the author, with Geraint Lewis, of A Fortunate Universe: Life in a Finely Tuned Cosmos and The Cosmic Revolutionary's Handbook: (Or: How to Beat the Big Bang). Luke, along with Allen Hainline, has also written a contributing chapter to The Story of the Cosmos - How The Heavens Declare the Glory of God.

James Walker, the president of Watchman Fellowship, is a former fourth-generation Mormon with over twenty-five years of ministry experience in the field of Christian counter-cult evangelism, apologetics, and discernment. He has been interviewed as an expert on new religious movements and cults on a variety of network television programs including Nightline, ABC World News Tonight, and The News Hour News with Jim Lehrer. He is author of The Concise Guide to Today's Religions and Spirituality.

Related Links: Access additional Watchman Fellowship resources related to this week's podcast:

• Watchman Fellowship articles on Mormonism: www.watchman.org/LDS
• Watchman Fellowship Profile on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Tim Martin: www.watchman.org/Mormonism
• Watchman Fellowship Profile on Naturalism by Daniel Ray: www.watchman.org/Naturalism

Additional Resources

FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.

PROFILE NOTEBOOK: Order the complete collection of Watchman Fellowship Profiles (over 600 pages -- from Astrology to Zen Buddhism) in either printed or PDF formats here: www.watchman.org/notebook.

SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.

Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

South Korea may seem quite remote to us, both geographically and culturally. Yet right here in the US, in your local malls, colleges, and even churches, could very well be members of the high-control cult from South Korea known as Shincheonji aggressively attempting to recruit people. They also pose on social media sites, even dating apps, they will even lie and deceive people in their recruitment efforts. This week we continue our conversation with Chris, a former SCJ member, who will share more of his story about how he left the group and share valuable insights about SCJ's doctrines and tactics.

Related Links: Free access to additional resources including some related Watchman Fellowship Profiles:

• Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Shincheonji by Steve Matthews: www.watchman.org/ProfileSCJ
• Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Shincheonji (in Korean) by Steve Matthews: www.watchman.org/SCJ_Korean
• Apologetics Profile podcast on Shincheonji with Steve Matthews [Part 1]: www.watchman.org/SCJ1
• Apologetics Profile podcast on Shincheonji with Steve Matthews [Part 2]: www.watchman.org/PodcastSCJ2
• Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on World Missionary Society Church of God by Steve Matthews: www.watchman.org/WMSCOG
• Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Patterns in the Cults by James Walker: www.watchman.org/Patterns
• Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Spiritual Abuse by David Henke: www.watchman.org/Abuse

Additional Resources

FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.

PROFILE NOTEBOOK: Order the complete collection of Watchman Fellowship Profiles (over 600 pages -- from Astrology to Zen Buddhism) in either printed or PDF formats here: www.watchman.org/Notebook.

SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/Give.

Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

South Korea is increasingly becoming a hotbed for cults. A few of them have successfully made their way into the United States through aggressive but sometimes secretive and covert means. On this episode of the Profile, we talk with Chris, a former member of the cult of Shincheonji (pronounced shin-shon-JEE), a group that began in South Korean in 1984. Chris will share with us what Shincheonji teaches, how he became involved, their tactics, and finally how he escaped.

Related Links: Free access to additional resources including some related Watchman Fellowship Profiles:

• Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Shincheonji by Steve Matthews: www.watchman.org/ProfileSCJ
• Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Shincheonji (in Korean) by Steve Matthews: www.watchman.org/SCJ_Korean
• Apologetics Profile podcast on Shincheonji with Steve Matthews [Part 1]: www.watchman.org/SCJ1
• Apologetics Profile podcast on Shincheonji with Steve Matthews [Part 2]: www.watchman.org/PodcastSCJ2
• Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on World Missionary Society Church of God by Steve Matthews: www.watchman.org/WMSCOG
• Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Patterns in the Cults by James Walker: www.watchman.org/Patterns
• Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Spiritual Abuse by David Henke: www.watchman.org/Abuse

Additional Resources

FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.

PROFILE NOTEBOOK: Order the complete collection of Watchman Fellowship Profiles (over 600 pages -- from Astrology to Zen Buddhism) in either printed or PDF formats here: www.watchman.org/Notebook.

SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/Give.

Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

The Book of Abraham is considered to be sacred scripture by mainstream Latter-day Saints today. Joseph Smith claimed that the Egyptian papyri from which the Book of Abraham had come was the authentic, autograph original of Abraham himself, detailing his sojourn in Egypt. But through a series of events, those original papyri which were thought to have been lost, resurfaced in 1966 in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It is now widely acknowledged, even by some in the mainstream LDS Church, that Smith's translation was not in accordance with what the papyri actually described.

We continue with our July 2024 presentation from Eric Johnson of Mormonism Research Ministry (www.MRM.org) about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. Here on part two, Eric provides more details about the origins and translations of the Book of Abraham. We also feature a question-and-answer session with Eric and our Watchman Fellowship Utah Mission Team. This training took place at MRM's new Utah Christian Research Center in Draper, Utah (www.utahchristianresearchcenter.com).

Eric Johnson has been a student of Mormonism since 1987 when he first served as a summer missionary to Utah. Eric graduated from San Diego State University as well as at Bethel Seminary San Diego. Eric cohosts the daily radio program Viewpoint on Mormonism and writes for MRM’s Mormonism Researched newsletter. He is the co-author of Answering Mormons’ Questions: Ready Responses for Inquiring Latter-day Saints (Kregel, 2013), Mormonism 101: Examining the Religion of the Latter-day Saints (Baker Book, 2015) and Introducing Christianity to Mormons (Harvest House, 2022).

Related Links: Get the rest of the story including some of our most popular podcasts on Mormonism, access to some of our key LDS articles and our free, 4-page Watchman Fellowship Profile on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormonism):

• Watchman Fellowship articles on Mormonism: watchman.org/LDS
• Watchman Fellowship Profile on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: watchman.org/Mormonism

Additional Resources

FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.

PROFILE NOTEBOOK: Order the complete collection of Watchman Fellowship Profiles (over 600 pages -- from Astrology to Zen Buddhism) in either printed or PDF formats here: watchman.org/notebook.

SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.

Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

Who was Joseph Smith? Even after nearly 200 years since the first Book of Mormon was published in 1830, Smith remains something of an enigma. He is viewed as a charismatic farm-boy prophet and martyr by Latter-day Saints and a public enemy, adulterer, and charlatan by many others. How did Smith write the Book of Mormon and convince his followers he had received another testament of Jesus Christ? This week and next on the Profile, we feature Mormonism Research Ministry (www.MRM.org) staff member Eric Johnson. Our two-part broadcast is an exclusive training presentation Eric gave our Watchman Fellowship's Utah Mission Team this past July about Joseph Smith and how the Book of Mormon came to be. This training took place at MRM's new Utah Christian Research Center in Draper, Utah (www.utahchristianresearchcenter.com).

Eric Johnson has been a student of Mormonism since 1987 when he first served as a summer missionary to Utah. Eric graduated from San Diego State University as well as at Bethel Seminary San Diego. Eric cohosts the daily radio program Viewpoint on Mormonism and writes for MRM’s Mormonism Researched newsletter. He is the co-author of Answering Mormons’ Questions: Ready Responses for Inquiring Latter-day Saints (Kregel, 2013), Mormonism 101: Examining the Religion of the Latter-day Saints (Baker Book, 2015) and Introducing Christianity to Mormons (Harvest House, 2022).

Related Links: Get the rest of the story including some of our most popular podcasts on Mormonism, access to some of our key LDS articles and our free, 4-page Watchman Fellowship Profile on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormonism):

• Watchman Fellowship articles on Mormonism: watchman.org/LDS
• Watchman Fellowship Profile on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: watchman.org/Mormonism
• Apologetics Profile podcast What Is the Gospel? with Mormon apologist Scott Gordon and Christian apologist James Walker (YouTube): watchman.org/GordonWalker
• Apologetics Profile podcast "Jesus' Resurrection and Joseph's Visions," with Rob Bowman: watchman.org/1stVision

Additional Resources

FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.

PROFILE NOTEBOOK: Order the complete collection of Watchman Fellowship Profiles (over 600 pages -- from Astrology to Zen Buddhism) in either printed or PDF formats here: watchman.org/notebook.

SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.

Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.