The Sean McDowell Show

The Sean McDowell Show

Details

Dr. Sean McDowell is a gifted communicator with a passion for equipping the church, and in particular young people, to make the case for the Christian faith. Sean is an Associate Professor in the Christian Apologetics program at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. On this channel he tackles some of the biggest questions about God, morality, and contemporary culture. Visit www.seanmcdowell.org for more posts and info.

Recent Episodes

SEP 29, 2026
5 Ancient Manuscripts That Confirm the New Testament’s Reliability
Dr. Dan Wallace has spent decades photographing and cataloging Greek New Testament manuscripts. After all of it, he says he has more confidence in the reliable transmission of the text than ever. We walk through five of the most important early manuscripts and what each one tells us. CHECK OUT: The Sean McDowell Collection (manuscriptshop.com/seanmcdowell) CHECK OUT: Logos Bible 60 Day Free Trial (https://logos.com/mcdowell) CHECK OUT: Consider Supporting the Ministry! (https://seanmcdowell.org/give) *Get a MASTERS IN APOLOGETICS or SCIENCE AND RELIGION at BIOLA (https://bit.ly/3LdNqKf) *USE Discount Code [smdcertdisc] for 25% off the BIOLA APOLOGETICS CERTIFICATE program (https://bit.ly/3AzfPFM) *See our fully online UNDERGRAD DEGREE in Bible, Theology, and Apologetics: (https://bit.ly/448STKK) FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter: https://x.com/Sean_McDowell TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sean_mcdowell?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seanmcdowell/ Website: https://seanmcdowell.org Timestamps 0:00 — How AI is changing textual criticism 1:16 — Why he got into this work 3:55 — AI, indexing, and paleographic dating 8:31 — P52: the credit-card fragment 9:32 — F.C. Baur and ninety years of German scholarship 11:04 — Why Christians popularized the codex 13:02 — How Roberts dated it 16:19 — P66 19:22 — P75 and Codex Vaticanus 22:19 — Why the earliest titles say "According to John" 23:55 — On the claim that Constantine invented the deity of Christ 27:08 — P46 and Paul's letters 29:47 — The creed in 1 Corinthians 15 31:20 — The 500 witnesses 32:33 — P45 and the Western Order 35:15 — P72 and 1 Peter 3:15 37:07 — Six more early manuscripts 38:55 — The "first-century Mark" fragment, and what he got wrong 40:34 — A syncretistic text with Matthew and Thomas 42:50 — The hardest variant for a doctrine of preservation 45:00 — His most significant discoveries 48:51 — "The hand that wrote this is rotting in the grave" Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
51 MIN
SEP 25, 2026
Why a Devout Muslim Abandoned Islam and Risked His Life to Follow Jesus
Danny Burmawi grew up in Jordan, where 98% of the population shares one sect of Islam and you rarely meet anyone outside it. In this conversation he explains what he thinks Westerners consistently get wrong about Islam: that it's a set of beliefs you adopt rather than an identity you're born into, which is why leaving it registers as betrayal rather than disagreement. CHECK OUT: Logos Bible 60 Day Free Trial (https://logos.com/mcdowell) CHECK OUT: Consider Supporting the Ministry! (https://seanmcdowell.org/give) *Get a MASTERS IN APOLOGETICS or SCIENCE AND RELIGION at BIOLA (https://bit.ly/3LdNqKf) *USE Discount Code [smdcertdisc] for 25% off the BIOLA APOLOGETICS CERTIFICATE program (https://bit.ly/3AzfPFM) *See our fully online UNDERGRAD DEGREE in Bible, Theology, and Apologetics: (https://bit.ly/448STKK) FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter: https://x.com/Sean_McDowell TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sean_mcdowell?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seanmcdowell/ Website: https://seanmcdowell.org 0:00 — Why Islam isn't what Westerners assume 1:23 — Growing up in Jordan 2:56 — His grandmother, and the uncle who was baptized 5:16 — What the Danish cartoons changed for him 7:46 — Why Islam functions as an identity, not a choice 10:54 — A fear-based religion 16:38 — Why most Muslims are "non-Muslim Muslims" 18:26 — The rules that never end 21:06 — "Ask any Muslim where they're going after they die" 22:33 — Becoming devout at eighteen 24:10 — The night nothing had changed 26:59 — The friend who planted doubts 30:41 — The doctrine he still struggles with 35:57 — Telling his family 37:37 — Why he had to leave Jordan 40:34 — His arguments against Islam 47:14 — Responding to Muslim apologists on Jesus 50:37 — The weaponization of Christ 54:38 — How Christians should engage Muslims 58:40 — His book and his organization Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
64 MIN
SEP 18, 2026
The Book of Enoch Explained: Nephilim, Demons & Genesis 6
The Book of Enoch has exploded online, and the claims run in both directions: some say it unlocks the Bible's biggest mysteries, others say it can't be trusted at all. Dr. Joel Muddamalle this time talks about First Enoch specifically. Why has it captured so much attention, what kind of literature is it, and how much interpretive weight should it carry? READ: The Unseen Battle, by Joel Muddamalle: (https://amzn.to/4xyQnM9) CHECK OUT: Logos Bible 60 Day Free Trial (https://logos.com/mcdowell) CHECK OUT: Consider Supporting the Ministry! (https://seanmcdowell.org/give) *Get a MASTERS IN APOLOGETICS or SCIENCE AND RELIGION at BIOLA (https://bit.ly/3LdNqKf) *USE Discount Code [smdcertdisc] for 25% off the BIOLA APOLOGETICS CERTIFICATE program (https://bit.ly/3AzfPFM) *See our fully online UNDERGRAD DEGREE in Bible, Theology, and Apologetics: (https://bit.ly/448STKK) FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter: https://x.com/Sean_McDowell TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sean_mcdowell?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seanmcdowell/ Website: https://seanmcdowell.org Timestamps 0:00 — Why has the Book of Enoch exploded online? 5:02 — What is First Enoch, and what kind of literature is it? 9:14 — When was it written, and by whom? 11:34 — What "pseudepigraphical" actually means 14:03 — Who was the biblical Enoch? 16:24 — How the Qumran community treated it 22:14 — A viewer challenges the method 24:48 — What Joel thinks First Enoch is actually doing 28:28 — The main readings of Genesis 6 31:07 — Why he holds the supernatural view 33:12 — Spiritual beings who eat, walk, and are seen 38:04 — What Jude and 2 Peter are doing 40:11 — The early church fathers on Enoch 42:19 — Not canonical — but not worthless 54:34 — Why quoting something isn't endorsing it 1:02:02 — Should Christians read it? Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
67 MIN