Still Christian: “Unbelievable” Host Justin Brierley

...and a surprisingly good conversation about Christianity vs. Theism

Justin Brierley, the former host of the UK-based radio show and podcast Unbelievable?, joins me to discuss questions of faith, doubt, and why we both still identify as Christians despite our reservations and critiques. Justin began Unbelievable? in 2005 and hosted it for over 17 years, creating a space for respectful dialogue, particularly between Christians and non-Christians.

After discussing the state of Christianity in America, we turn our attention to his book, Why I'm Still a Christian, starting with the distinction between theism broadly and Christianity specifically.

My confidence in theism exceeds my confidence in specifically Christian claims, particularly the resurrection. For me, this represents a significant gap rather than a seamless continuum. The philosophical arguments for a creator or “first cause” are more compelling and less dependent on historical contingencies than the claim that God became uniquely incarnate in a specific person in first-century Palestine.

For Justin, the general concept of God feels more abstract and distant, while the particular claims of Christianity feel more personal and experiential. He references C.S. Lewis's journey, noting that Lewis first accepted theism through intellectual means (particularly the “moral argument”) before later embracing Christianity through what Justin described as a more "imaginative" rather than purely logical process.

Justin emphasizes that faith involves more than intellectual assent — it requires trust and commitment, "putting your weight on something" as he describes it. He references Lewis again, quoting, "I believe in the sun, not just because I see it, but because by it, I see everything else." Justin finds that seeing the world through the lens of Christianity helps make sense of reality.

I push back on this, sharing my experience that the evangelical "lens" I was raised with (particularly in America) often obscured rather than illuminated reality. I mention specific issues like young-earth creationism being presented as essential to faith, which leads many to reject Christianity altogether.

Throughout our conversation, we touched on a few other themes in his book (though there were too many good ones to cover them all), and I appreciate his approach and his ongoing work to maintain respectful dialogue on modern faith issues. Check out his book here.

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