Apologetics Profile

In a world that often seems to be chaotically out of control, in a world of an endless cacophony of competing  voices, in a world that encourages us to do whatever we want, in a world that relentlessly encourages us to pursue our own interests and desires, how can we possibly even begin to "live well"? What does that mean? Is it pursuing personal peace and affluence? The perfect job? The perfect spouse? The right college? The right neighborhood?

Our guest this week on the Profile, Dr. Alan Noble of Oklahoma Baptist University, has written a helpful little guide that answers these and other questions about what it means for Christians to live well.

This is not a self-help book or a name-it-and-claim-it prosperity treatise, but an invitation to meditate upon and pursue the ancient virtues. Noble does not advocate that we are earning God's favor by pursuing the virtues. Rather, because we are made righteous in Christ, we have the freedom in Christ to pursue patience, wisdom, charity, love, courage, and resoluteness. The pursuit of virtue is not dry religious legalism, but an adventure, accomplished by and through the Holy Spirit. Come and see!

From AlanNoble.com
Alan Noble is Assistant Professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University. Alan launched the group Public Faith with Michael Wear to offer an alternative evangelical political voice. He also joined The AND Campaign as an advisor, were he served for a number of years. Alan has written articles for Christian publications such as Modern Reformation, InTouch Magazine, and Christianity Today and for secular publications like VOX, Buzzfeed, and The Atlantic. He has been interviewed, quoted, or cited in The New York Times, The Washington Post, MTV News, MSNBC, The Guardian, Buzzfeed, Politico, Village Voice, Yahoo! News, ThinkProgress, The Blaze, WORLD Magazine, and Slate. And he has spoken at colleges, organizations, churches, and youth groups on a range of topics related to the church and culture. In 2023, Alan became a “fellow” at the Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics. 

Free Watchman Profile articles. These profiles provide an overview of the person and ideas as well as a concise biblical response.
Naturalism
Deconstruction
Atheism
Carl Sagan's Cosmos
Richard Dawkins
Nihilism

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.

What do you say if two young Missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints suddenly show up at your doorstep? What do you say? How do you say it?

Watchman Fellowship can help! If you know little or nothing about Latter-day Saints, the Book of Mormon, or their beliefs, doctrines, and practices, we have the perfect, handy little book, just for you! Watchman staff have combined their years of engagement and experience with Latter-day Saints into one compact, easy-to-read, easy-to-use, little book called Trading Questions - Twenty Essential Conversations to Have with Your Mormon Friend.

We're featuring an exclusive new-release offer you can take advantage of right now, right here. In addition to an autographed signed copy of Trading Questions you'll also receive additional bonus material and resources on Latter-day Saints from Watchman Fellowship! Also be sure to check out our trip to Utah this September!

Brady Blevins is the Senior Apologist for Watchman Fellowship. He has been married to his wife, Jennifer, for over 25 years, and they have three children: Drew, Madison, and Jett. He earned his doctorate from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and has served as both a college professor and a pastor for more than 20 years.

Daniel Ray is a Staff Apologist for Watchman Fellowship. He holds a master’s degree from Houston Christian University and is the co-author and editor of The Story of the Cosmos: How the Heavens Declare the Glory of God. Daniel also serves as the primary host of Watchman Fellowship’s podcast, Apologetics Profile.

James K. Walker is the President of Watchman Fellowship and a former fourth-generation Mormon. He holds a master’s degree from Criswell College and is the author of The Concise Guide to Today’s Religions and Spirituality, What the Qur’an Really Teaches About Jesus, and The Truth Behind the Secret.

Apologetics Profile podcast episodes about Latter-day Saint beliefs and practices. You'll find the episodes to our interview with Dr. Bowman in this link.

Additional information featured in this broadcast.
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/history-of-missionary-work-in-the-church

https://churchhistorylibrary.churchofjesuschrist.org/guides/missions-and-missionaries?lang=eng#finding-local-unit-historical-records

https://provo.mtc.missionary.org/about

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
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 do you say if two young Missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints suddenly show up at your doorstep?

Watchman Fellowship can help! If you know little or nothing about Latter-day Saints, the Book of Mormon, or their beliefs, doctrines, and practices, we have the perfect, handy little book, just for you! Watchman staff have combined their years of engagement and experience with Latter-day Saints into one compact, easy-to-read, easy-to-use, little book called Trading Questions - Twenty Essential Conversations to Have with Your Mormon Friend.

We're featuring an exclusive new-release offer you can take advantage of right now, right here. In addition to an autographed signed copy of Trading Questions you'll also receive additional bonus material and resources on Latter-day Saints from Watchman Fellowship!

Brady Blevins is the Senior Apologist for Watchman Fellowship. He has been married to his wife, Jennifer, for over 25 years, and they have three children: Drew, Madison, and Jett. He earned his doctorate from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and has served as both a college professor and a pastor for more than 20 years.

Daniel Ray is a Staff Apologist for Watchman Fellowship. He holds a master’s degree from Houston Christian University and is the co-author and editor of The Story of the Cosmos: How the Heavens Declare the Glory of God. Daniel also serves as the primary host of Watchman Fellowship’s podcast, Apologetics Profile.

James K. Walker is the President of Watchman Fellowship and a former fourth-generation Mormon. He holds a master’s degree from Criswell College and is the author of The Concise Guide to Today’s Religions and Spirituality, What the Qur’an Really Teaches About Jesus, and The Truth Behind the Secret.

Apologetics Profile podcast episodes about Latter-day Saint beliefs and practices. You'll find the episodes to our interview with Dr. Bowman in this link.

Additional information featured in this broadcast.
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/history-of-missionary-work-in-the-church

https://churchhistorylibrary.churchofjesuschrist.org/guides/missions-and-missionaries?lang=eng#finding-local-unit-historical-records

https://provo.mtc.missionary.org/about

https://www.watchman.org/utah

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
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.

This week is part two of our conversation with Old Testament scholar and theologian Dr. John Oswalt to discuss his 2009 book The Bible Among the Myths - Unique Revelation or Just Ancient Literature? John continues to outline his case that the Bible is utterly unique in ancient literature, despite any alleged similarities in its pages with its surrounding pagan cultures often unnecessarily overemphasized by skeptics and critics of the Bible. 

Dr. John Oswalt Asbury served on the faculty of Asbury Theological seminary from 1970 to 1982 as professor of Old Testament and Semitic languages, and again from 1989 to 1999 as Professor of Old Testament. He rejoined Asbury in 2009 as visiting distinguished professor of Old Testament studies. He has also served as research professor of Old Testament at Wesley Biblical Seminary in Jackson, Miss., from 1999 to 2009, was president of Asbury College from 1983 to 1986, a member of the faculty of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Ill., from 1986 to 1989, and  Interim President of Wesley Biblical Seminary, Ridgeland, MS from April 2019 through March 2020.

He is the author of 16 books, most notable of which is the two-volume commentary on the book of Isaiah in the New International Commentary of the Old Testament. His most recent book is The Holy One of Israel: Studies in the Book of Isaiah, released in 2014. He has also written numerous articles that have appeared in Bible encyclopedias, scholarly journals and popular religious periodicals. Dr. Oswalt is an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church, with membership in the Kentucky Annual Conference. He has served as a part-time pastor in congregations in New England and Kentucky, and is a frequent speaker in conferences, camps and local churches. Oswalt received a B.A. from Taylor University; a B.D. and Th.M. from Asbury Seminary; and a M.A. and Ph.D. from Brandeis University.

The Bible Among the Myths 
Isaiah Commentary

Free Resources from Watchman Fellowship:

 Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Bart Ehrman by Dr. Rhyne Putman: www.watchman.org/Ehrman 

Atheism: www.watchman.org/Atheism

Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Deconstruction by Daniel Ray: www.watchman.org/Deconstruction 

 Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Divine Hiddenness by Daniel Ray: www.watchman.org/Hiddenness 

Other 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): 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.

A frequent argument leveled against the Bible by skeptics and non-believers is that the Bible is just a collection of borrowed myths from surrounding pagan nations. But is that actually true? Are stories in the Bible just borrowed mythology from other pagan cultures?

The short answer is "Absolutely not." The longer answer can be found in Old Testament scholar and theologian Dr. John Oswalt, in his 2009 book, The Bible Among the Myths - Unique Revelation or Just Ancient Literature? This week and next on Apologetics Profile, Watchman staff apologist Daniel Ray sits down with John for a lively and highly accessible and pastoral conversation about his book.

From Zondervan Academic:
Dr. John N. Oswalt (PhD, Brandeis University) is Visiting Distinguished Professor of Old Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is the author of numerous articles and several books, including the two-volume commentary on Isaiah in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament series and Called to be Holy: A Biblical Perspective.

The Bible Among the Myths 
Isaiah Commentary

Free Resources from Watchman Fellowship: 

 Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Bart Ehrman by Dr. Rhyne Putman: www.watchman.org/Ehrman 

Atheism: www.watchman.org/Atheism

Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Deconstruction by Daniel Ray: www.watchman.org/Deconstruction 

 Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Divine Hiddenness by Daniel Ray: www.watchman.org/Hiddenness 

Other 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): 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.