Last February, I recorded an interview with Sean McDowell about my book All God’s Creatures. The video was just released this week on Sean’s YouTube channel.
I’ve been greatly encouraged by the comments. I anticipated a certain amount of pushback, but overall, there have been some amazing and warm responses to this:
0:00 Intro
1:08 Why he wrote a book about animals
2:25 What do you mean by "heaven"?
5:55 Isaiah 11 and animals at peace
7:42 Christoplatonism and a misconception of the afterlife
12:30 Does God care about animals?
16:44 Animals in the life of Jesus
18:31 The longest monologue in the Bible
23:11 Do animals have souls?
28:10 Romans 8 and a groaning creation
29:43 Restoration of all things
31:17 Will our pets be on the new earth?
37:40 Might animals talk?
41:43 Oceans and sea creatures
48:52 Why does God allow animals to suffer?
50:51 Hunting, fishing, and meat eating
54:30 What surprised him most
Sean’s parents Josh and Dottie McDowell were our studio audience, and then we had a wonderful dinner with them and Sean’s daughter and friends. People still say that Josh McDowell has spoken live to more young people than anyone in history—not just any evangelist or apologist, but anyone at all!
Josh is a hero to me and over the years, became a good friend. Now he has dementia, but during our visit, he had great moments of clarity, wit, and humor that were wonderful. Josh and I used to laugh all the time when together, and now it's Sean and I laughing.
Josh had a huge impact on me and Nanci through his apologetic works such as More Than a Carpenter and Evidence That Demands a Verdict. For decades I passed out More Than a Carpenter to unbelievers and young believers more than any other book, and others obviously did the same since it has sold over 15 million copies (Sean assisted his dad in revising that book).
Josh and I would have lunch together whenever he came to Portland area. Dottie is a treasure, and took all the photos of our interview. As a YouTuber and social media guy, Sean is the master of the selfie. 😂 In this photo, I'm taking a picture of Josh and Dottie. ♥️
I truly enjoyed my time with Sean. We went on a fabulous two-hour bike ride down to three beautiful beaches, including Dana Point, from his house in San Juan Capistrano. By the time we got home it was 85°, and Sean said it was the warmest day in February he could remember.
I thank God for Sean and his ministry! I encourage you to check out more of the videos on his YouTube channel.
