We welcome Dr. Joshua Rasmussen (PhD, Notre Dame), associate professor of philosophy at Azusa Pacific University, for an interview on his fascinating new book, How Reason Can Lead to God : A Philosopher's Bridge to Faith, published by InterVarsity Press (2019).

"Do you value reason, science, and independent thinking? Are you skeptical of beliefs that people maintain merely "on faith", yet you remain interested in the big questions of life? Do you hope there could be a greater purpose to the universe, if only that were realistic?

If so, then philosopher Joshua Rasmussen can encourage you in your journey. Beginning with his own story of losing faith and the belief in any ultimate purpose in life, he then builds a bridge to a series of universal truths about ultimate reality. Using only the instruments of reason and common experience, Rasmussen constructs a pathway—step by step, brick by brick—that he argues can lead to meaning and, ultimately, a vision of God."—(from the back cover)

Joshua Rasmussen is the author of Defending the Correspondence Theory of Truth and Necessary Existence. He lives in Azusa, California, with his wife, Rachel, and their four children.

For show notes please visit https://themindrenewed.com

We welcome Michael Basham—Master Jedi Time Lord of Space City New Jerusalem (and host of the Spirit Wars podcast)—for an entertaining, unpredictable and at-times-poignant conversation on the subjects of Christian podcasting and his own experience of having once been involved in The Family International, a New Religious Movement previously known as The Children of God.

"Michael Basham has spent the last 20 years exploring the frontiers of all things spiritually and physically fringe. From grappling with the ancient forces of Japan, China and Nepal, to delving into the modern Info-War and Mystic Christian movement, Michael has more recently begun to use the Internet as a mission field to help equip the next generation of spiritual warriors to face the epic prophetic challenges ahead. Having clocked thousands of hours sharing his journey and fellowshipping with many circles, he is now engaged with a number of other broadcasters on Fringe Radio Network. On his show SpiritWars he is undertaking a bridging of multiple dimensions, seeing God touch lives and help to mold jedi-esque, Doctor Strange-like undercover Time Lords of Space City New Jerusalem in order to accomplish a great deal of missions which Holy Spirit Personally engineers."—M. Basham

For show notes please visit http://themindrenewed.com

"Just a bit fun!", as the phrase goes, what could possibly be harmful about playing with a painted board and a wooden "planchette"? Friends, spooky laughs, bottle of wine - a good time to be had by all!

In the run-up to Halloween we are joined once again by Vince McCann, Director of Spotlight Ministries here in the UK, for an intriguing, challenging and entertaining conversation on the subject of the Ouija Board. Speaking from his experience of having once been involved in the Occult, Vince explains why the Ouija Board is far from "just a bit of fun". Characterising it, rather, as "spiritual Russian roulette", Vince warns that its use has frequently been associated with mental illness and spiritual oppression.

We invite you also to listen to Vince's dramatic testimony. Once involved in the Occult and oppressed by evil spirits, God led him, through prayer and exorcism, into a new life of freedom and faith in Jesus Christ, and called him to a ministry reaching out to those caught in the darkness of spiritual oppression. (For show notes please visit http://themindrenewed.com)

We are joined by Gerry, David and "Hitstirrer", members of the informal engineering research group "The 9/11 Accountability Team"—with links to Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth—for a (rather unconventional) roundtable discussion on their ongoing research.

Back in 2018, as many listeners will recall, we decided to shelve a conversation with Gerry, because the group feared that the interview might have compromised chances of receiving from NIST—US National Institute of Standards and Technology—key structural drawing books on the Twin Towers via FOIA request. Now, the bulk of data having been received, they join us to share some of their concerns about NIST's version of events.

Later in the conversation we are joined once again by Richard Gage, founder of Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth, for an update on their work and discussion on the important scientific study by Dr. J. LeRoy Hulsey and his team at the University of Alaska Fairbanks on the collapse of Building 7.

For show notes please visit https://themindrenewed.com

What kind of narrative is Noah's Flood? Is it history or myth? Or are we, by even asking such a question, imposing our modern concepts on ancient Scripture?

We welcome once again Dr. John H. Walton—Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College and Graduate School, Illinois—for a conversation on the fascinating book he co-authored with Dr. Tremper Longman III—Distinguished Scholar at Westmont College—entitled The Lost World of the Flood : Mythology, Theology and the Deluge Debate.

Prior to his current position as Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College and Graduate School, Dr. Walton was Professor of Old Testament at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago for twenty years. Among his many publications (some co-authored with colleagues) is the "Lost World" series, which includes: The Lost World of Scripture, The Lost World of Genesis One, The Lost World of the Israelite Conquest, The Lost World of Adam and Eve (which he joined us back in 2016 to discuss), and The Lost World of the Torah.

For show notes please visit https://themindrenewed.com

"The American, British and French governments know they're lying through their teeth... and they're using these [orchestrated] events to take the world to war, the outcome of which could be annihilation."—PCR

We are joined once again by Dr. Paul Craig Roberts, former US Assistant Secretary to the Treasury for Economic Policy, for a discussion on the current international crisis focused on Syria.

As the war drums continue to beat in the West, Dr. Roberts presents various scenarios that he believes could play out in the coming days, expressing the hope that a catastrophic chain of events leading to WWIII could possibly be prevented by Russia acting swiftly and boldly to escort the USS Donald Cook out of range and marking a line in the waters. Dr. Roberts also gives his reaction to the alleged chemical attack in Douma, and considers the role of the Skripal Affair in the unfolding narrative of lies. (Interview conducted 12 April 2018) (For show notes please visit http://themindrenewed.com)

"If you don’t usually vote, then vote unusually. Vote for me!"

For TMR's General Election Special—in anticipation of the UK General (S)election on 12th December—we welcome to the programme once again Alan "Howling Laud" Hope, leader of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party.

Back in 2017, "Howling Laud" joined us to discuss the history, aims and achievements of the UK's most well-known unconventional political party. This time we scrutinse the party's recently-published Election Manifesto and ask why it makes sense to "vote for insanity"—whichever party that happens to be.

In 1999, following the death of the party's founder Screaming Lord Sutch—who had led the party through its previous incarnations, such as "National Teenage Party" and "Go To Blazes Party"—OMRLP members voted for their new leader, choosing jointly a cat called Cat-Mandu and his owner Alan "Howling Laud" Hope. Although Cat-Mandu died in 2002 and now serves as one of the party's "spiritual leaders", "Howling Laud" proudly continues as the UK's longest-serving party leader.

For show notes please visit https://themindrenewed.com

Would you sip a drink made with elephant dung? Are you brave enough to perform DIY cat surgery? Will Yuri Geller stop Brexit by the power of his mind? And will Frank Johnson raise enough cash through this evening's kickstarter to fund his expedition to the centre of the Doughnut Earth to look for jam?

These (and other important questions) are answered as we kick off 2020 here at TMR with our annual New Year's Eve show—a crazy roundtable chat with high-ranking members of The Fireside Nephilim Persons, the secret society affiliated to The Mind Renewed, Like Flint Radio and The Iron Show.

Join us—GK and Crusy (of Like Flint Radio), Johnny Iron (of the Iron Show), Jenifer Thyssen (classical singer), Frank Johnson (Doughnut Earth researcher), Mark Campbell (TMR's roving reporter), Jeff Bankens (strongman), Bob Purse (singer-songwriter), Mrs Trellis (from North Wales), Donald Trump (President of the USA), Chook (a chook from Down Under), Jeff Goldblum's Laugh and Yours Truly—as we put aside the cares of this world for two short hours and chat our socks off in aid of Frank's research.

Be there, or be square!

For show notes please visit https://themindrenewed.com

Is Christmas a pagan festival? Must Christians keep the Law of Moses?

We are joined by R. L. Solberg—author of the excellent new book TORAHISM : Are Christians Required to Keep the Law of Moses?—for a conversation on his book-length critique of the so-called Hebrew Roots Movement and the ways in which he seeks to engage, rather than to alienate, those affected by its teachings.

"R. L. Solberg (www.RLSolberg.com) is an author, speaker, teacher and theologian based in Nashville, Tennessee where he lives with his wife of 27 years, Debra, and a big German Shepherd named Thor. They are stakeholders at the Church of the City, Spring Hill and have two spectacular daughters who are out making their mark on the world. Solberg has been pursuing theology, apologetics and philosophy, formally and informally, for more than two decades. He studied at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Theological Studies at Williamson College in Nashville, TN. He strives to communicate on complex topics with clarity and grace, bringing a creative perspective to the conversation."

For show notes please visit https://themindrenewed.com

We are joined by the behavioural psychologist and Christian thinker Joel Furches for a conversation on his ongoing research into the contemporary phenomenon of deconversion from Christianity to Atheism.

Drawing upon his background in psychology, sociology and education, Joel shares with us patterns he is finding in case-study data that may help to explain why some people abandon Christianity and turn to Atheism. Observing various commonalities in such people's backgrounds—such as "wooden" notions of biblical inerrancy, legalism and isolationism—Joel argues that cultural factors like these may well play significant parts in fuelling "deconstruction" of belief and lead to equally dogmatic unbelief.

We also talk about Christian apologetics more generally, including the term itself, and consider which approaches—evidentialist or presuppositionalist—best suit different situations.

For show notes please visit http://themindrenewed.com

Would many of today's churches be recognisable to the earliest Christians? Did Jesus envisage cathedrals with mitre-adorned bishops or megachurches with suit-wearing pastors? Or has something important been lost—or, at least, obscured from full vision—over the centuries?

We are joined by Keith Giles—author of the well-known "Jesus Un..." series—for a bracing conversation on his challenging 2019 book, Jesus Unveiled : Forsaking Church as We Know It for Ekklesia as God Intended. Keith, "who abandoned the pulpit to follow Jesus", shares with us from his experience how it's possible to recapture "being church" through taking Jesus at His word and together encountering Him directly.
"Keith Giles is a former pastor who abandoned the pulpit to follow Jesus and ended up founding a church where 100% of the offering is given away to help the poor in the community. He is the author of several best-selling books including Jesus Untangled, Jesus Unbound, and Jesus Unveiled. He lives with his wife, Wendy, in El Paso, Texas."

For show notes please visit https://themindrenewed.com

The Big Bang theory is well-established, but how complete is it? Does it describe the absolute beginning of physical reality, or is there perhaps more to be discovered that might place it in a broader cosmic context?

We welcome the award-winning British science writer Brian Clegg, author of dozens of popular science books in print, for an engaging and thought-provoking conversation on his book Before the Big Bang—an interview conducted, specially for The Mind Renewed, by TMR's "roving reporter" Mark Campbell.

Born in Lancashire, UK, Brian attended the Manchester Grammar School, then read Natural Sciences (specialising in experimental physics) at Cambridge University. After graduating, he spent a year at Lancaster University where he gained a second MA in Operational Research, a discipline developed during WWII to apply mathematics and probability to warfare, and since widely applied to business problem solving. From Lancaster, he joined British Airways, where he formed a new department tasked with developing hi-tech solutions for the airline. His emphasis on innovation led to working with creativity guru Dr. Edward de Bono, and in 1994 he left BA to set up his own creativity consultancy, running courses on the development of ideas and the solution of business problems. His clients include the BBC, the Met Office, Sony, GlaxoSmithKline, the Treasury, Royal Bank of Scotland and many others.

Brian now concentrates on writing popular science books, with topics ranging from infinity to 'how to build a time machine.' He has also written regularly for numerous magazines and newspapers, including Nature, BBC Focus, BBC History, Good Housekeeping, The Times, The Observer, Playboy, The Wall Street Journal and Physics World. His books have been translated into many languages, including German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, Norwegian, and Indonesian. Brian has given sell-out lectures at the Royal Institution in London, and has spoken at venues from Oxford and Cambridge Universities to Cheltenham Festival of Science. He has also contributed to radio and TV programmes, and is a popular speaker at schools. Most recently he appeared with the BBC's business editor, Robert Peston, teaching him quantum theory, took part in a feature on time travel to accompany the movie Looper and took part in the University Challenge Christmas Special. Brian is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Member of the Institute of Physics, was a Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Bristol University and is also editor of the successful popularscience.co.uk book review site.

For show notes please visit http://themindrenewed.com

We welcome once again our good friend, the teacher, musician and blogger Antony Rotunno, for the first half of a two-part interview on his latest album Through Life (2019). In this first programme, quite personal at times, we chat about issues related to the music—love and war, inspiration and influence—and play several of the songs.

Through Life (2019) and Adventures In Retrospect (2017)—both of which are recommended by TMR—can be heard and purchased via Bandcamp.

Antony has joined us several times throughout the life of TMR for conversations on a variety of subjects.

[All the songs in this podcast are Copyright © 2019 Antony Rotunno, all rights reserved, and used by TMR with kind permission.]

For show notes please visit http://themindrenewed.com

"When did Wild Bill Hickok die? What was Liberace's favourite pie?" — "What's this grey stuff in the sink? When will clams become extinct?"
If these are things you need to know—and, believe me, they are—then do take a while to listen to TMR's latest chat with the talented singer-songwriter Bob Purse, composer of many collections of brilliant comic songs and musical-recording collector extraordinaire.

Join us for just over 70 minutes of entertaining conversation—punctuated by many a musical track—as we explore a life of fascination with old and rare recordings and dip into the surreal world of musically comedic mind.

(Bob's latest song collections (albums) "A Few More Plans" and "The Many Moods of Bob" can be found online at Bandcamp.com and Archive.org.)

For show notes please visit https://themindrenewed.com

In the run-up to the eighteenth anniversary of 9/11, we welcome the author Philip Kraske for a conversation on his exciting new novel, 11/9 and the Terrorist Who Loved Bonsai Trees, a thriller that—though it is a work of fiction designed to intrigue and entertain—also imaginatively explores possibilities that might cast light on events such as 9/11. In the words of key 9/11 researcher, Dr. David Ray Griffin:

"Most of us who continue to do research on 9/11 focus primarily on the question of what really happened that day. There will eventually be a definitive answer to that question that can be summarized in a few pages. But what is the meaning of 9/11, what are its implications? Philip Kraske's superb thriller, 11/9 and the Terrorist Who Loved Bonsai Trees, as the title implies, holds up a mirror to 9/11, providing a way of understanding this horrendous event. The hilarious book-ending riff of Trudy's comedian boyfriend sums up both the stupidity and the irony of it all."—David Ray Griffin

For show notes please visit https://themindrenewed.com

We welcome once again the teacher, musician and blogger Antony Rotunno, for the second half of a two-part interview on his music albums Through Life (2019) and Adventures In Retrospect (2017). Whereas in the first programme we discussed his most recent album, in this second half we look back at the 2017 album, and informally chat about various subjects as we play some of the songs.

Through Life (2019) and Adventures In Retrospect (2017)—both of which are recommended by TMR—can be heard and purchased via Bandcamp.

Antony has joined us several times throughout the life of TMR for conversations on a variety of subjects.

[All the songs in this podcast are Copyright © 2019 Antony Rotunno, all rights reserved, and used by TMR with kind permission.]

For show notes please visit https://themindrenewed.com

We are joined once again Patrick M. Wood, Editor-in-Chief of the influential website Technocracy News & Trends (https://www.technocracy.news/), for a conversation on the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and on his contention that the outbreak has been hijacked—in what he terms a "coup d'etat"—by Technocratic elites for the purpose of significantly furthering their long-sought-after "New Economic World Order".

Patrick M. Wood is an author and lecturer who has stud­ied elite globalisation policies since the late 1970s when he partnered with the late Antony C. Sutton to co-author Trilaterals Over Washington, Volumes I and II. An economist by education, a financial analyst and writer by profession, and an Amer­ican Constitutionalist by choice, Wood maintains a biblical worldview and has deep historical insights into modern attacks on sovereignty, property rights and personal freedom. A frequent speaker on radio shows around the U.S., Wood's cur­rent work centres in Technocracy, Transhumanism and Scientism, and how these are transforming global economics, politics and religion. As he says, the endgame is scientific dictatorship; we ignore it our peril.

For show notes please visit https://themindrenewed.com

"5 billion people will die from a deadly virus in 1997... the survivors will abandon the surface of the planet... once again the animals will rule the world..."—12 Monkeys

For the third of our Movie Review podcasts here at TMR we welcome back GK (of Like Flint Radio) and Frank Johnson (of the Ancient Aliens Debunked blog) for a roundtable discussion on Terry Gilliam's 1995 film Twelve Monkeys starring Bruce Willis and Madeleine Stowe.

In addition to commenting on the film itself, we use the movie as a springboard to discuss the current coronavirus pandemic, and note some of the trends we see developing as various vested interests jump on the fear bandwagon to try to reshape the world according to their various technocractic agendas.

[The music for this podcast—"Ken Copeland's Wind of God REMIX"—is Copyright © 2020 WTFBrahh, all rights reserved, and used here with kind permission.]

For show notes please visit https://themindrenewed.com

On this Easter Sunday (and owing to the ongoing busyness here in the "depths of the Lancashire countryside") I've decided to reshare one of my favourite interviews from the TMR archive—a conversation with Dr. Gary Habermas on Jesus' Resurrection, recorded way back in 2014. As I wrote at the time...

"We are joined by one of the world's leading experts in Resurrection Studies, Dr. Gary Habermas, Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Theology at Liberty University, for an in-depth discussion on the historical case for the Resurrection of Jesus from the Dead.

How might we persuade people of the truth of Jesus' Resurrection? Must we appeal only to the divine authority of Scripture and hope that people will agree? Not according to Dr. Habermas, who explains how his "minimal facts approach" (which relies only on historical data agreed by the vast majority of professional scholars in the field) bypasses such appeals to authority, and has the power to persuade - through logic and historical reasoning alone - that Jesus did in fact rise from the Dead."

For show notes please visit https://themindrenewed.com

"The horse-shoe is the mystic symbol of the Wizard's Foot..."—Hargrave Jennings (1870)

As a welcome distraction from the media's wall-to-wall coverage of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, we present the second of TMR's new Movie Roundtable podcasts, in which we welcome back Frank Johnson and Mark Campbell for a lively, entertaining and revelatory discussion on the classic 1966 film Batman, starring Adam West and Burt Ward.

Well-known and well-loved, Batman : The Movie (as it's also known), continues to delight audiences around the world as, arguably, one of the finest comic movies of the 1960s. But what if—unknown to the vast majority of people—it turns out that this familiar movie also contains profound hermetic messages, buried deep within the thinly-veiled symbolism of its colourful screen play? The least likely candidate for such hidden doctrines, one might suppose; and yet maybe therein lies the secret of its power: to telegraph to The Powers That Should Not Be a Grand Plan—a blueprint for world domination ("Today Gotham City, Tomorrow The World" [?])—while the watching masses look on in ignorant bliss.

Applying some of the very principles of deduction depicted in the movie itself, and with careful reference to works by arch theosopher H. P. Blavatski, Rosicrucianism scholar Hargrave Jennings and classic anthropologist Sir James Frazer, we pick through the scenes of the movie and reveal much that has remained hidden (to the uninitiated) since its release in 1966.

For show notes please visit https://themindrenewed.com