There are an estimated 2 billion Muslims worldwide, including your classmates, neighbors, and friends. Many are interested in discussing spiritual topics, including the person of Jesus. But how do we have these conversations–and share the good news about who Jesus really is–without the conversation turning into an argument? Alan Shlemon has an answer that he and many others have found to be very helpful: beginning with the Koran instead of the Bible to break down barriers. Alan is a staff apologist with Stand To Reason, a sought-after speaker on this topic, and my guest on this episode of College Faith.

In this podcast we discuss:

• How Alan got interested in this topic
• Why we should care about sharing Jesus with Muslims
• Why Muslims are open to discussing Jesus
• What our attitude toward Muslims should be
• Essential Muslim beliefs and practices
• How to discuss the accuracy of the Gospels
• What to avoid in conversations with Muslims
• Alan’s overall strategy to get to Gospel conversations with a Muslim
• Why the Gospel is “good news” for the Muslim

Resources mentioned during our conversation:

• Stand To Reason website
• Get to the Gospel with Muslims, Stand to Reason
• The Cost Muslims Pay for Missing Jesus, Stand to Reason
• The Quran Gets Crucifixion Wrong, Stand to Reason
• Is “Allah” Just Another Word for God?, Stand to Reason
• STR U, Stand to Reason’s free online training program (includes his course on “Engaging Muslims”)

Are you or someone you know considering going to law school (and majoring in pre-law to prepare)? In this episode, I continue my sporadic series on various college majors students may choose. To discuss the field of Law, I’ve invited Mike Schutt, J.D., who has wide experience and vast knowledge in this field.

In this podcast we discuss:

• How Mike got interested in studying Law
• Some of the career options for those who study Law
• Undergraduate majors to prepare for law school
• Where he discovered some of the connections between the Christian worldview and law, and how that shaped him
• What helped him grow in his faith during law school
• Some challenges he faced as a believer in law school
• Things you must understand to pick the right law school and flourish there
• Some ways Christians in law can have a redemptive influence for Christ
• The importance of joining the Christian Legal Society for the journey through law school
• The proper role of the Lord in the discernment process when considering law school

Resources mentioned during our conversation:

• Mike Schutt, Redeeming Law: Christian Calling and the Legal Profession
• Christian Legal Society
• CLS Law Student Ministries
• Cross and Gavel podcast
• Robert F. Cochran, Jr. and John Inazu, The Servant Lawyer: Facing the Challenges of Christian Faith in Everyday Law Practice

In this episode, we challenge the idea that studying as a student (and throughout the rest of our lives) is a necessary evil. Rather, we discuss why study is to be embraced and how it plays an important role in forming us into Christ’s image as we increasingly learn to love God with our minds. My guest is Dr. Richard Smith, who has just written Such a Mind as This, a study of the role of thinking well in the Old Testament.

In this podcast we discuss:

• The role the mind plays in our flourishing
• What the Old Testament has to say about the role of thinking in spiritual formation
• Why so many churches and ministries see the mind as the enemy of growth in Christ
• How the shift in worship music can be harmful to our spiritual life
• How the belief that deeper study is harmful to our spiritual life negatively affects students
• Examples of students who have flourished by asking good questions and finding good answers

Resources mentioned during our conversation:

• Richard Smith, Such a Mind as This
• John Frame, The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God
• Gresham Machen, Christianity and Liberalism
• Daniel Strange, Making Faith Magnetic
• Richard Smith, The Heart Thinks
• Getty Music
• Sovereign Grace Music
• L’Abri
• Suggested book list (left side of home page)
• Such a Mind as This YouTube
• Lester R. Juarez YouTube
• Centro de Estudios Cristianos Kuyper
• Cosmovisión Bíblica
• College Faith #20: How Christian Study Centers Minister to University Students
• College Faith #49: Why Are Students Required to Take General Education (or “Core Curriculum”) Courses?
• College Faith Podcast #61: Redeeming Philosophy: How Christian Scholars Changed The Conversation
• College Faith Podcast #38: The Pop-Culture Parent: Helping Kids Engage Their World for Christ
• College Faith #1: How University Students Can Love God with Their Minds – Dr. JP Moreland