Fideism is Killing the West: Why Christians Must Reject Blind Faith & Embrace Reason| EP 96

(Highly clickable, controversial enough to stand out, uses strong searchable keywords: Fideism, Blind Faith, Reason, Redeeming the West)

Episode Summary (for description)In Part 1 of a new 4-part series, Cody Libolt (co-author of the new 400-page manifesto Redeeming the West) joins Pastor Jeff, Pastor Tim and Average Joe to lay the foundation for a bold claim: much of the irrationality, cowardice, and cultural collapse in the church and the West today stems from fideism — the idea that true faith must be “blind” or pre-rational. Cody argues that the popular King James rendering of Hebrews 11:1 (“faith is the evidence…”) has unintentionally fueled decades of anti-reason thinking among Christians, including some forms of presuppositional apologetics. Drawing from Scripture (Romans 1, John 5, Isaiah 1:18), church history, and sharp philosophical reasoning, the guys contend that Christianity is the most rational worldview possible — and that abandoning reason in theology inevitably leads to abandoning it in morality, law, and culture. A challenging, top-shelf conversation that will sharpen your thinking and equip you to defend the faith with both confidence and intellectual rigor.

Timestamps / Skimmable Show Notes
00:00 – Intro & welcome Cody Libolt
02:03 – Cody’s background: from woke Southern Seminary → founding For the New Christian Intellectual
04:40 – Introducing Redeeming the West – a 400-page manifesto in 4 parts (Epistemology, Ethics, Social Theory, Politics)
07:25 – Pastor Jeff: “This is a top-shelf book that put steel under my feet”
08:50 – The King James problem with rews 11:1 (“faith is the evidence…”) and how it fuels fideism
10:25 – Defining fideism: “Reason is unnecessary and inappropriate for religious belief”
12:05 – Why Disney-style “blind trust” is not biblical faith
14:00 – Classical vs. Presuppositional apologetics – the real differences
16:15 – R. C. Sproul’s visceral reaction to fideism (“I feel pain from my feet to my head”)
22:40 – Jesus in John 5 appeals to evidence and reason, not blind leaps
26:45 – Historical warning: Islam declined when it embraced fideism (al-Ghazali)
28:15 – “If reason isn’t good enough for theology, it won’t be good enough for politics or morality either”
30:10 – Are Van Til & Greg Bahnsen actually fideists? (Cody pulls quotes)
33:00 – Can you argue someone into the kingdom? (No… but God uses arguments as means)
37:00 – Reason vs. Revelation: must Scripture always trump science/observation?
41:00 – The danger of appealing to authority, tradition, or feelings instead of reason
45:30 – Bahnsen-Stein debate breakdown – “petulant child” or brilliant strategy?
48:40 – Romans 1: General revelation is known by observation + reason, not mystical implantation
53:40 – Why epistemology actually matters for everyday courage and confronting error
57:30 – Wrap-up & teaser for Parts 2–4 (monthly series)

Link to Cody’s website and pick up his new book:
https://christianintellectual.com/

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