No.1 Christianity Expert: The Truth About Christianity! The Case For Jesus (Historian's Proof)

**Steven Bartlett** (0:00)
Am I going to hell?

**Wesley Huff** (0:01)
Yes. But here's the thing, everybody is going to hell. And it's not because they don't believe in God. And look, I'm a historian and a theologian, so I study ancient biblical manuscripts. And if you truly understand what this book is saying, I don't want you to experience that.

**Steven Bartlett** (0:17)
This is not a place I want to go. So what do I do about that?

**Wesley Huff** (0:20)
It's not about trying to earn my way into heaven. It's not about checking off. I read the Bible as many times. I didn't lie, I didn't steal, I didn't cheat. It's none of that. But here's the problem. Unfortunately, we bought the lie that we are the sum of our actions, where we're chasing after things that aren't going to give us what we actually need, which is also why we live in a world that is lacking in purpose and meaning.

**Steven Bartlett** (0:41)
But the part that I've always struggled with is the answer being religion as an antidote to that feeling. Because I require a really high standard of evidence because of the way that I am.

**Wesley Huff** (0:49)
Well, I think not only can it provide an antidote, it can provide the antidote, and I'll explain why.

**Steven Bartlett** (0:54)
But how can we trust human accounts of these things? And then how do you take people who agree that there's clearly something missing to believing that what's written in the Bible is the thing that should guide my life? But also, do you have any doubt?

**Wesley Huff** (1:05)
Oh, of course. Especially when there are times of struggle and pain and suffering. Like the whole Epstein thing right now, we are seeing examples of true evil. So there are moments where I think, how could there be a good God? However, from my investigation, I am convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that there is actual evidence for the existence of God, the historical reliability of the Bible, and the philosophical explanations for meaning and purpose.

**Steven Bartlett** (1:27)
And what is that?

**Wesley Huff** (1:28)
First, we have...

**Steven Bartlett** (1:30)
That is some of the most persuasive evidence one can receive. Guys, I've got a favor to ask before this episode begins. Sixty-nine percent of you that listen to the show frequently haven't yet hit the follow button. And that follow button is very smart because it means you won't miss the best episodes. The algorithm, if you follow a show, will deliver you the best episodes from that show very prominently in your feed. So when we have our best episodes on this show, the most shared episodes, the most rated episodes, I would love you to know. And the simple way for you to know that is to hit that follow button. But also, the fact that I think what 41 percent of you have chosen to follow the show, that listen to it regularly, is the reason why we've been able to improve everything. It's the simple, easy, free thing that you can do to help us make the show better. I would be hugely grateful if you could take a minute on the app you're listening to this on right now and hit that follow button. Thank you so, so, so much.
Wesley, I have this fascinating graph in front of me here. And it shows several things that I find to be really, really interesting. One of them is that as of 2024, the decline of religion has started to level off and actually increase a little bit. And now 63% of US adults identify as Christian, which is roughly 160 million people. In 2025, Bible sales hit a 21-year high in the United States with 19 million units sold. Weekly Bible reading amongst US adults has increased to 42%, which is up 12% since 2024 And in 2024, Christian and Gospel music streams in the US increased by roughly 20%, according to The Washington Times. Wesley, what is going on in society if we zoom out?

**Wesley Huff** (3:15)
I think we're in a unique bubble, where we found ourselves in a timeframe where we're connected more than ever. We've kind of come out of a period of time where the new atheism is very, very popular. You had Dawkins, Daniel, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and they made a big impact in the early 2000s.

**Steven Bartlett** (3:42)
I think we should probably just give some color to what new atheism is.

**Wesley Huff** (3:45)
Sure, yeah.

**Steven Bartlett** (3:46)
I've actually got a graph here, which I'll throw up on the screen, which shows the rise and then the fall of new atheism. I was pulled in by new atheism. And that meant that I, and again, I should probably preface my beliefs because people are going to want to know what my bias is when I'm asking questions. I grew up in a very Christian household up until the age of 18 I then became agnostic slash atheist when I started consuming a lot of this stuff from Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris and all of these people. Then I found myself at a point now where I'm just open-minded and curious, but I have lots of questions.