About this episode

Philosophers Dr Shaun Stevenson and Dr Joshua Sijuwade discuss their journeys of faith, doubt, and the search for meaning in the context of suffering.

What happens when a philosopher loses faith in God — and then unexpectedly finds it again? In this deeply personal and philosophical episode of Unbelievable?, host John Nelson sits down with philosophers Dr Shaun Stevenson and Dr Joshua Sijuwade to explore belief, doubt, suffering and the search for meaning. Shaun shares how he moved from Christianity into atheism after wrestling with judgmental church experiences, the problem of evil, and the terrifying possibility that loved ones might be eternally separated from God. Years later, however, he found himself drawn back toward Christianity through fatherhood, suffering, philosophy and a renewed understanding of grace. Joshua tells his own powerful story of dramatic Christian conversion after a profound spiritual experience at age 19, before explaining why philosophy still provides intellectual grounds for belief in God despite the reality of suffering. For Shaun Stevenson https://www.mmu.ac.uk/staff/profile/dr-shaun-stevenson For Joshua Sijuwade https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/profiles/philosophy/joshua-sijuwade Subscribe & Support 👉 Support thought-provoking conversations and help keep the show going at…

People in this episode

Host: John Nelson

Guests: Dr Joshua Sijuwade, Dr Shaun Stevenson

Topics covered

• suffering
• faith
• philosophy
• Christianity
• doubt
• meaning

Keywords

• suffering
• faith
• philosophy
• Christianity
• doubt
• grace
• meaning

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Premier Unbelievable?

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• Do We Have Free Will? Joe Folley and Nathan Hawkins Debate Determinism, Choice and Moral Responsibility · May 21, 2026 · 1h 25m
• Can Philosophy Prove God Exists? Joshua Sijuwade on Evil, Trinity & Atonement · May 19, 2026 · 1h 16m
• Alex O’Connor vs William Lane Craig: Does God Exist? The Ultimate God Debate · May 15, 2026 · 1h 46m

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