Apologetics Profile

The Bible gives us a standard by which we may discern truth from falsehood, especially when someone proclaims themselves to be a prophet (Deuteronomy 13; 18; Matthew 24:24; 1 John 4:1; 1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6).

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Testing Joseph Smith
Discerning False Christs

This week and next on Apologetics Profile, we were privileged once again to have been able to interview former Latter-day Saint and the great, great granddaughter of Brigham Young, Sandra Tanner in Utah this past fall. Sandra shares her wisdom and experience from her decades-long research of the LDS Church. Her insights will help equip you to be better prepared to engage your Mormon friends, neighbors or missionaries who come to your door.

If you are enjoying Apologetics Profile, be sure to leave us a nice review on your favorite podcast platform! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️😀👍

Sandra Tanner and her late husband Jerald were raised in the LDS faith, both with a strong Mormon family history. Jerald was the great-great-grandson of John Tanner, well known for his sizeable financial contributions to Joseph Smith and the LDS church in 1835 when the church was deeply in debt. Sandra Tanner is a great-great-granddaughter of Brigham Young, the second president of the Mormon Church.

As teenagers, before they met, Jerald and Sandra were challenged by different people and events to examine the origins of Mormonism. Soon after their introduction, they jointly began researching Mormonism and became engaged. Both accepted Christ during these early years of study and have left the Mormon church. Sandra remains today a Christian.

The Tanners are authors of over forty books on the subject of Mormonism. They are well known for their extensive research into Mormon history and doctrine during their time as founders of Utah Lighthouse Ministry.

Related Links: 
 

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

Apologetics Profile podcast What Is the Gospel? with Mormon apologist Scott Gordon and Christian apologist James Walker (YouTube):  www.watchman.org/GordonWalker 

Apologetics Profile podcast list of all episodes about Latter-day Saints https://www.watchman.org/files/ldspod.htm 

 
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 (two volumes totalling over 700 pages -- from Astrology to Zen Buddhism) in either printed or PDF formats here: www.watchman.org/Notebook
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Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © 2026 Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

The official teaching of the Catholic Church directs its parishioners to pray directly to Mary to intercede to Jesus on our behalf (see the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) paragraphs 2277-2279). The Church also teaches that Mary was herself immaculately conceived and preserved from every stain of sin common to the rest of humanity (see CCC 490-492). 

But are these doctrinal statements in keeping with a biblical portrait of Mary? We will explore these topics and others on part two of our discussion with Italian pastor, theologian, and author Leonardo De Chirico. 

Leonardo De Chirico is the pastor of Breccia di Roma, a church that he helped plant in Rome in 2009. He served as Vice Chairman of the Italian Evangelical Alliance from 2003-2021 and now serves as chairman for the theological commission of the IEA. Previously, Leonardo planted and pastored an evangelical church in Ferrara, Italy, from 1997 to 2009. He earned degrees in History (University of Bologna), Theology (ETCW, Bridgend, Wales) and Bioethics (University of Padova). His PhD is from King's College (London); it was published as Evangelical Theological Perspectives on Post-Vatican II Roman Catholicism. In 2015, he published A Christian Pocket Guide to Papacy and A Christian Pocket Guide to Mary: Mother of God? through Christian Focus. He is a lecturer of Historical Theology at Istituto di Formazione Evangelica e Documentazione in Padova, Italy. Additionally, Leonardo is the Director of the Reformanda Initiative, which aims to equip evangelical leaders to better understand and engage with Roman Catholicism, and the leader of the Rome Scholars & Leaders Network (RSLN).

Free Profile Articles from Watchman Fellowship:
Roman Catholicism
Goddess worship
Islam
New Age Movement

Additional Resources from Watchman Fellowship:
FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.
The complete Profile Notebook (Digital Edition, PDF, over 600-pages): www.watchman.org/DigitalNotebook
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 © 2026 Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

What role does Mary, the mother of Jesus, have in traditional Catholic theology? This week and next on Apologetics Profile, we will examine some of the core dogmas of Catholic Mariology and contrast them with the Bible's portrait of Mary with our guest Leonardo De Chirico, pastor, theologian, and author of several books on Catholic and Protestant theology and engagement.

Leonardo De Chirico is the pastor of Breccia di Roma, a church that he helped plant in Rome in 2009. He served as Vice Chairman of the Italian Evangelical Alliance from 2003-2021 and now serves as chairman for the theological commission of the IEA. Previously, Leonardo planted and pastored an evangelical church in Ferrara, Italy, from 1997 to 2009. He earned degrees in History (University of Bologna), Theology (ETCW, Bridgend, Wales) and Bioethics (University of Padova). His PhD is from King's College (London); it was published as Evangelical Theological Perspectives on Post-Vatican II Roman Catholicism. In 2015, he published A Christian Pocket Guide to Papacy and A Christian Pocket Guide to Mary: Mother of God? through Christian Focus. He is a lecturer of Historical Theology at Istituto di Formazione Evangelica e Documentazione in Padova, Italy. Additionally, Leonardo is the Director of the Reformanda Initiative, which aims to equip evangelical leaders to better understand and engage with Roman Catholicism, and the leader of the Rome Scholars & Leaders Network (RSLN).

Audio clips about the Dallas Cowboys featured in this episode:
Play by play of Cowboys & Vikings famous "Hail, Mary" from December 1975.
Roger Staubach interview on the Dan Patrick Show.

Free Profile Articles from Watchman Fellowship:
Roman Catholicism
Goddess worship
Islam
New Age Movement

Additional Resources from Watchman Fellowship:
FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.
The complete Profile Notebook (Digital Edition, PDF, over 600-pages): www.watchman.org/DigitalNotebook
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 © 2026 Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

When Jesus began His Church, He did not intend for us to live out our calling in isolation from our fellow believers. He prayed that we would, as the Church, be united as one body. The Apostle Paul also reminded the believers in Corinth that they as part of the body of Christ, indeed functioned like a human body, with many necessary and integral parts, fit together by God Himself for the edification of the saints and the glory of God.

This week we continue our conversation with Pastor Chris Legg of South Spring Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas about how he creatively and practically integrates apologetics into his ministry and how each one of us is an apologist, whether we are professionally trained in the field of apologetics or not.

Also, Daniel shares his recent terrifying experience in the Grand Canyon. You don't want to miss this episode!

Pastor Chris Legg, LPC, and his wife Ginger have been living out the parable of God’s love for His people since 1993 and have been blessed with five great kids. He is the Lead Pastor at South Spring Baptist Church in Tyler, TX (https://www.southspring.org ) and is also the founding owner and clinical director of Alethia Family Counseling Center
( https://www.alethiacounseling.com ), which offers training, counseling, speaking and business consulting in several locations in Texas.   

He and his son Mark are the authors of the book Sex and Marriage, which is intended to
restore the power God intended in our marriages.

Learn more about SSBC at  www.southspring.org More about Alethia at https://www.alethiacounseling.com

Contact Chris, read any of his articles, and look for other resources at his
website at https://www.chrismlegg.com and at https://chrismlegg.substack.com/.

Resources from Watchman Fellowship:
Apologetics Profile podcast interview with Robert Bowman, Jr., about different approaches to Christian apologetics.
Atheism Profile by Robert Bowman Jr.: www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/atheismprofile.pdf 
Word Faith Movement Profile by Robert Bowman Jr.: www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/wordfaithprofile.pdf
Faith Has Its Reasons: Integrative Approaches to Defending the Christian Faith, by Kenneth Boa and Robert Bowman Jr. (https://amzn.to/2YKeecD)
Fast Facts on Apologetics.

FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.
The complete Profile Notebook (Digital Edition, PDF, approx. 700-pages): www.watchman.org/DigitalNotebook
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 © 2026 Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

Apologetics might sometimes seem like an off-putting, snobbishly academic endeavor for those among us who are more prone to delight in arguing with nonbelievers. But what might apologetics done properly look like? And what does practical, everyday apologetics look like for believers of all backgrounds and life experiences?

In 1 Peter 3:15, we are all called to "give a defense for the hope that is in us, with gentleness and reverence." In that spirit, we as Christians are all apologists. Apologetics is then relevant to our faith, to the church, and to the wider unbelieving culture.

This week and next on Apologetics Profile, we'll be chatting with lead pastor of South Spring Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas Chris Legg about these very issues. Pastor Chris will share with us what everyday apologetics looks like in practice in their church, from Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights, to daily life in general.

Pastor Chris Legg, LPC, and his wife Ginger have been living out the parable of God’s love for His people since 1993 and have been blessed with five great kids. He is the Lead Pastor at South Spring Baptist Church in Tyler, TX (https://www.southspring.org ) and is also the founding owner and clinical director of Alethia Family Counseling Center
( https://www.alethiacounseling.com ), which offers training, counseling, speaking and business consulting in several locations in Texas.   

He and his son Mark are the authors of the book Sex and Marriage, which is intended to
restore the power God intended in our marriages.

Learn more about SSBC at  www.southspring.org More about Alethia at https://www.alethiacounseling.com

Contact Chris, read any of his articles, and look for other resources at his
website at https://www.chrismlegg.com and at https://chrismlegg.substack.com/.

Resources from Watchman Fellowship:
Apologetics Profile podcast interview with Robert Bowman, Jr., about different approaches to Christian apologetics.
Atheism Profile by Robert Bowman Jr.: www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/atheismprofile.pdf 
Word Faith Movement Profile by Robert Bowman Jr.: www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/wordfaithprofile.pdf
Faith Has Its Reasons: Integrative Approaches to Defending the Christian Faith, by Kenneth Boa and Robert Bowman Jr. (https://amzn.to/2YKeecD)
Fast Facts on Apologetics.

FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.
The complete Profile Notebook (Digital Edition, PDF, approx. 700-pages): www.watchman.org/DigitalNotebook
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 © 2026 Watchman Fellowship, Inc.