The Reconstruction Project: Answering Objections and Rebuilding Faith (with Drs. Shepardson and Dr. Travis) S3E14
Many apologetics resources focus on making a positive case for Christianity—but real conversations often start with an accusation.
Christians are hypocrites. Christianity is anti-LGBTQ. The Bible supports slavery. The church is abusive. God is cruel.
In this episode of The Christian Clinician, Dr. Tanya Paynter interviews Dr. Andrew “Ike” Shepardson and Dr. Melissa Cain Travis about their book The Reconstruction Project: Recovering Truth and Rebuilding Faith. They explain why they wrote this book as a work of negative apologetics—not to win arguments, but to remove roadblocks that keep people from even considering Christianity as true and good.
Together, they discuss how apologetics has shifted over the last decade: objections are often less about whether Christianity is true and more about whether it is morally good. They also talk candidly about the places the church has failed, why honesty matters when addressing historical and moral objections, and why every apologetic conversation should ultimately point back to Jesus and the gospel.
This episode is especially for Christians who want to engage hard questions with clarity, humility, and confidence—and for anyone who feels stuck between honest objections and the desire to rebuild faith on solid ground.
In this episode, you’ll explore
• Why apologetics conversations often begin with an accusation rather than a question
• What “negative apologetics” is and why it matters for deconstruction conversations
• Why many objections today focus on whether Christianity is good, not just true
• How naturalism undermines meaning, free will, and rationality
• How the problem of evil connects to objective moral claims and a moral lawgiver
• How Jesus dignifies women (Mary, the Samaritan woman, resurrection witnesses)
• Why honesty about church failures is essential to credible apologetics
• How to use the book chapter-by-chapter as a practical reference tool
Episode Timestamps
01:08 Introducing Dr. Andrew Ike Shepardson and Dr. Melissa Cain Travis + the book
02:34 Why they wrote The Reconstruction Project (negative apologetics)
09:42 Is Christianity good?
11:45 Diving into the book
14:29 The hardest chapters to write (abuse, abortion, crusades)
22:29 Naturalism and meaning: why “create your own meaning” falls short
31:10 The problem of evil, free will, and moral objectivity
42:16 Christianity and women: how Jesus dignifies women
47:59 Companion resources and how to use this book practically
51:18 Where to find the authors and their work
Resources Mentioned
• The Reconstruction Project: Recovering Truth and Rebuilding Faith — Dr. Andrew Ike Shepardson & Dr. Melissa Cain Travis
https://www.amazon.com/Reconstruction-Project-Recovering-Truth-Rebuilding/dp/1430088389
Examples of positive apologetics books
• Reasonable Faith William Lane Craig
https://www.amazon.com/Reasonable-Faith-Christian-Truth-Apologetics/dp/1433501155
• On Guard — William Lane Craig
https://www.amazon.com/Guard-Defending-Faith-Reason-Precision/dp/1434764885
• Christian Apologetics — Douglas Groothuis
https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Apologetics-Comprehensive-Biblical-Faith/dp/0830839356
• Knowledge of God in the World and the Word — Andrew Ike Shpardson & Douglas Groothuis https://www.amazon.com/Knowledge-God-World-Word-Introduction/dp/0310113075
About the Guests
Dr. Andrew “Ike” Shepardson is Chief of Christian Integration and Discovery at Valor Christian High School and leads the Master’s program in Christian Apologetics at Colorado Christian University.
Dr. Melissa Cain Travis serves as Assistant Professor of Apologetics at Houston Christian University. She is a Fellow at the Discovery Institute Center for Science and Culture and writes for Shadowlands Dispatch, a Substack magazine dedicated to cultural apologetics.
Connect with the Authors
• Dr. Andrew “Ike” Shepardson: ikeshepherdson.com
• Dr. Melissa Cain Travis: melissacanetravis.com
• Substack: Music of the Spheres (Melissa Cain Travis)
• Shadowlands Dispatch (Substack publication)
• Discovery Institute Center for Science and Culture (Melissa Cain Travis, Fellow)
About the Host
Dr. Tanya Paynter is the host of The Christian Clinician, a podcast exploring the intersection of Christian faith, physiology, and whole-person health. As a licensed naturopathic physician, she helps Christians understand how spiritual practices and theological beliefs shape stress physiology, emotional resilience, and long-term health.
Where to Find Dr. Tanya Paynter
Learn more at www.psalmmedical.com
Visit the podcast webpage at https://www.psalmmedical.com/cc-podcast
Follow The Christian Clinician on Social Media
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thechristianclinician
