eX-skeptic

What happens when suffering shapes your picture of God?

For Paul Snyder, the God he rejected as a young boy seemed harsh, distant, and impossible to please. Growing up amid fear, family brokenness, rejection, and disappointment, he concluded that if God existed at all, He certainly wasn't good.

By the age of twelve, Paul had reached a point of despair. Filled with anger and skepticism, he did something many people secretly feel but rarely admit. He challenged God directly.What happened next changed everything.

Paul shares how an unexpected encounter with the love of Christ transformed his understanding of God and set him on a lifelong journey of faith and service.

🎙️ Love the show? Support the mission and explore eX-skeptic merch here: https://ex-skeptic-shop.fourthwall.com/

Guest Bio:

Paul Snyder is the president of Global Bridges, an international ministry serving persecuted believers, vulnerable children, and marginalized communities in some of the world's most restricted nations. Continuing a legacy of gospel ministry that spans generations, Paul is passionate about demonstrating the love of Christ through practical compassion and humanitarian aid. He is also the co-author of Love Shines, a book highlighting the importance of Scripture and the extraordinary story behind the ministry's work among persecuted Christians around the world. Once an atheist shaped by suffering and disappointment, Paul now dedicates his life to helping others encounter the hope and love he found in Jesus.

Resources Mentioned:

eX-skeptic Guides: https://exskeptic.org/bookstore/

Book: Love Shines: From Smuggling Bibles to Training a Million Disciples; https://globalbridgesrelief.org/loveshines/

Global Bridges – International ministry serving persecuted believers and vulnerable communities: https://globalbridgesrelief.org/

Open Doors (founded by Brother Andrew)

Ethnos360 (formerly New Tribes Mission)

YWAM (Youth With A Mission)

Chapters

00:00 Paul’s “Liquid Love” Encounter
00:54 If God Is Good, Why Do We Suffer?
02:00 Serving the Persecuted with Global Bridges
04:48 A Family Legacy of Faith
09:25 From Smuggling Bibles to Smuggling Drugs
11:41 How His Father Shaped His View of God
15:33 “God Was Like Santa Claus”
16:49 Paul Reaches a Point of Despair
19:21 He Challenges God to Prove He’s Real
19:47 “Liquid Love” Poured Over Him
20:23 God Says, “I Love You”
21:36 Jesus Is More Than a Philosophy
23:01 Discovering God Through the Bible
26:05 Why Scripture Matters
27:18 If God Is Good, Why Is There Suffering?
30:18 Escaping Performance-Based Christianity
34:44 Is God Supposed to Stop All Suffering?
36:02 Do You Need a Dramatic Encounter with God?
39:01 Where Should a Skeptic Start?
41:00 How Christians Should Engage with Skeptics

Connect with eX-skeptic:

Website: https://exskeptic.org/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/exskeptic

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/exskeptic

Twitter: http://x.com/exskeptic

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@exskeptic

Email info: info@exskeptic.org

🎙️ Love the show? Support the mission and explore eX-skeptic merch here: https://ex-skeptic-shop.fourthwall.com/

Growing up in a deeply Christian home, Shayla Perez assumed that faith was simply part of her family tradition. But as she entered her teenage years, skepticism began to grow. Questions about suffering and whether Christianity was actually true led her into online atheist communities and eventually to reject the faith she grew up around.

What began as rebellion soon became a sincere search for truth. As Shayla wrestled with the claims of atheism and the intellectual foundations of Christianity, she discovered something she had never expected.

Want to support this channel? Tax-deductible donations available here: https://givebutter.com/CB6WoH

Guest Bio:

Shayla Perez is a Christian speaker and content creator passionate about helping the next generation discover the truth of Christianity. After a season of skepticism and involvement in online atheist communities as a teenager, she returned to faith through apologetics, philosophy, and a personal encounter with Christ. Today, she reaches Gen Z and Gen Alpha through social media, youth events, and churches, engaging honest questions about faith and culture.

Resources Mentioned:

eX-skeptic Guides: https://exskeptic.org/bookstore/

Shayla’s Recommended Resources:

William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith https://www.reasonablefaith.org

Frank Turek, Cross-Examined, https://crossexamined.org

Cliff Knechtle, Give me an Answer: https://www.youtube.com/@givemeananswer

Got Questions: https://www.gotquestions.org

Total Truth and Finding Truth, Nancy Pearcey:https://a.co/d/066TnGwI

Shayla’s Social Resources:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shayla_j_perez/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Shayla_Perez

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shayla_j_perez

Connect with eX-skeptic:

Website: https://exskeptic.org/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/exskeptic

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/exskeptic

Twitter: http://x.com/exskeptic

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@exskeptic

Email info: info@exskeptic.org

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: "God, If You're Real..."
00:34 Welcome & Introducing Shayla Perez
02:00 Shayla's Ministry & The Digital Mission Field
03:54 Growing Up a Pastor's Kid
06:08 When Skepticism Began
08:00 The Internet & Online Atheist Communities
11:12 Reading The Case for Christ (But Not Believing It)
13:24 What Atheism Couldn't Explain
14:57 Richard Dawkins, Morality & The First Doubts
17:48 Wrestling with the Problem of Evil
20:41 Christian Apologists Changed Everything
23:17 Giving God One Honest Chance
26:21 When Prayer Became Real
27:00 The Moment Shayla Came to Faith
29:52 Faith Isn't Blind
32:35 Can Logic Strengthen Faith?
34:02 How Do You Know Christianity Is True?
36:08 Advice for Parents of Skeptical Teens
42:46 Resources for Those Wrestling with Doubt
46:13 What Christianity Offers Gen Z
49:38 The Power of Personal Testimony
52:40 Why the Internet Is Today's Mission Field
55:50 Final Reflections & Takeaways

eX-skeptic transcript

Welcome & Introducing Shayla Perez

For decades, Charles Murray assumed what many educated people quietly assume - that religion belonged to an earlier age and that science had rendered belief in God unnecessary. He wasn't hostile to faith. He simply left it behind.

But over time, questions he had never fully examined began pressing in. Why is there something rather than nothing? Why does the universe appear so finely tuned for life? Can consciousness really be reduced to the brain? And what should we make of the historical claims surrounding Jesus?

In this conversation, author and social scientist Charles Murray shares the long, intellectual journey that led him to reconsider the reality of God and the claims of Christianity.

🎙️ Love the show? Support the mission and explore eX-skeptic merch here: https://ex-skeptic-shop.fourthwall.com/

Want to support this channel? Tax-deductible donations available here: https://givebutter.com/CB6WoH 

Guest Bio:

Charles Murray is a social scientist, author, and public intellectual known for his work on culture, social policy, and human flourishing. A longtime scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, he has written widely discussed books including Coming Apart, The Bell Curve, and Losing Ground. His recent book, Taking Religion Seriously, reflects on his intellectual journey from secular indifference toward a growing openness to belief in God and the significance of religion in human life.

Resources Mentioned:

eX-skeptic Guides: https://exskeptic.org/bookstore/

Charles’ Resources:

Book: Taking Religion Seriously: https://a.co/d/07zebfp4

Charles Recommended Resources:

Just Six Numbers by Martin Rees: https://a.co/d/09w1XE5g

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis: https://a.co/d/0ejEDb7P

Jesus and the Eye Witnesses by Richard Bauckham: https://a.co/d/0gg8Uplk

Connect with eX-skeptic:

Website: https://exskeptic.org/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/exskeptic

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/exskeptic

Twitter: http://x.com/exskeptic

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@exskeptic

Email info: info@exskeptic.org

Is Christianity true because it works, or does it work because it's true?

For years, Ellie Long was convinced that Christianity was nothing more than a story people used to cope with life. Raised in a secular environment and embracing atheism at a young age, she wrestled with despair, depression, and the belief that life ultimately had no purpose beyond birth and death.

But when she began encountering Christians whose lives were marked by joy, authenticity, forgiveness, and hope, a question emerged that she could no longer ignore:

Was Christianity merely helpful, or was it actually true?

🎙️ Love the show? Support the mission and explore eX-skeptic merch here: https://ex-skeptic-shop.fourthwall.com/

Want to support this channel? Tax-deductible donations available here: https://givebutter.com/CB6WoH 

Guest Bio:

Ellie Long is a young missionary from Allentown, Pennsylvania. She grew up in a post-Christian culture and did not have experiences with Christians in her everyday life. She unexpectedly encountered God halfway through her time at the University of Alabama, and after a period of hesitancy and questioning, believed and began working in a local church and pursuing the mission field after her graduation in 2024. She recently spent time in Southeast Asia, working with an unreached people group in a Muslim culture, and is now considering where she is going to bring the gospel to next.

Resources Mentioned:

eX-skeptic Guides: https://exskeptic.org/bookstore/

Ellie’s Recommended Resources:

• Wes Huff (www.wesleyhuff.com) on Joe Rogan’s podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwyAX69xG1Q

• Gavin Ortlund, Truth Unites (https://truthunites.org)

• Book: Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, Nabeel Quereshi

Connect with eX-skeptic:

Website: https://exskeptic.org/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/exskeptic

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/exskeptic

Twitter: http://x.com/exskeptic

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@exskeptic

Email info: info@exskeptic.org