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The Rise of Islam and the Collapse of the Secular West | Seth Gruber Why is Islam gaining influence in the West—and what does the decline of Christianity have to do with it? Seth sits down with Christian author and Fixed Point Foundation founder Larry Alex Taunton to discuss the religious and ideological battle shaping the modern West. Drawing on his experiences debating prominent atheists, reporting around the world, and participating in the recent Oxford Union debate on Islam, Larry argues that the decline of Christianity has created a cultural vacuum that secularism may be unable to fill. Larry explains why he believes Islam holds particular appeal for young men, what his encounters with Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens taught him about atheism, and why a society cannot indefinitely retain Christian moral assumptions after abandoning the Christian worldview that produced them. The conversation also explores abortion, Marxism, conscience, the Quran, the Oxford Union controversy involving Laurence Fox, and Larry’s warning that ideas have consequences—not only for individuals, but for entire civilizations.
Larry Alex Taunton channel avatar Larry Alex Taunton 155K
The Rise of Islam and the Collapse of the Secular West | Seth Gruber
Larry Alex Taunton September 8, 2026 8:00 am
Why is Islam gaining influence in the West—and what does the decline of Christianity have to do with it? Seth sits down with Christian author and Fixed Point Foundation founder Larry Alex Taunton to discuss the religious and ideological battle shaping the modern West. Drawing on his experiences debating prominent atheists, reporting around the world, and participating in the recent Oxford Union debate on Islam, Larry argues that the decline of Christianity has created a cultural vacuum that secularism may be unable to fill. Larry explains why he believes Islam holds particular appeal for young men, what his encounters with Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens taught him about atheism, and why a society cannot indefinitely retain Christian moral assumptions after abandoning the Christian worldview that produced them. The conversation also explores abortion, Marxism, conscience, the Quran, the Oxford Union controversy involving Laurence Fox, and Larry’s warning that ideas have consequences—not only for individuals, but for entire civilizations. The Rise of Islam and the Collapse of the Secular West | Seth Gruber
Dinesh D’Souza joins Larry Alex Taunton to discuss his book The Stones Cry Out: Biblical Archaeology Prophecy in the Last Days and why he believes archaeology has repeatedly corroborated the Bible after 150 years of skeptical attack. D’Souza describes how a 2022 trip to Israel drew him into the field, his background with higher criticism, and his focus on “known ground” artifacts rather than disputed claims. They examine major finds including the Caiaphas ossuary, the Tel Dan “House of David” inscription, the Balaam son of Beor inscription, and discoveries like the Pool of Siloam, along with debates around sites such as Sodom and Gomorrah. D’Souza also previews a PragerU documentary releasing alongside the book and explains how biblical texts can guide excavation. Archaeology Keeps Confirming the Bible – Here’s the Evidence | Dinesh D’Souza PT 2
Did God choose you—or did you choose God? Larry Alex Taunton and Dinesh D’Souza dive into one of Christianity’s most difficult and debated questions: How do God’s sovereignty and human responsibility fit together? The conversation was sparked by D’Souza’s reaction to an R.C. Sproul lecture on predestination, leading to a deeper discussion about Calvin, free will, original sin, salvation, and the nature of human choice. Taunton argues that Scripture presents a real tension between God’s sovereign purposes and human responsibility, while D’Souza pushes back, emphasizing the meaningful choices people make throughout Scripture. Together, they explore: Predestination and human choice Calvin vs. hyper-Calvinism Original sin and the limits of human freedom Assurance of salvation God’s sovereignty and human responsibility Romans 5, John 6, Romans 8, Acts 2, Job, and John 17 Calvin’s “accommodation” principle A thoughtful conversation on one of theology’s biggest questions: If God is sovereign, what does it mean for us to choose? Predestination or Choice? Dinesh D’Souza on Calvinism
Dr. Jay Smith on Islam’s Origins: Sources, Mecca, Muhammad, and the Quran Larry interviews Dr. Jay Smith, a Christian Islamicist and polemicist, who presents a visual, source-based critique of Islam’s origins focused on four areas: the reliability and timing of Islamic sources, the historical plausibility of Mecca, early evidence for Muhammad, and the compilation and preservation claims of the Quran. Smith argues that key Islamic biographies, hadith, tafsir, and histories appear 200–300 years after Muhammad and were produced far from Mecca and Medina, that early external and geographic evidence does not support Mecca’s centrality or even early existence, that early inscriptions and coinage suggest a later development of distinct Islamic identity and the term “Muhammad” as a title, and that multiple qira’at and manuscript variants challenge the claim of a single unchanged Quran. He concludes by urging Christians to use this material to point Muslims to Jesus and the Bible. Islamic origins • early Islam • Muhammad • Mecca • Quran history • Quran manuscripts • qira'at • hadith • tafsir • sira • Islamic historiography • early Islamic inscriptions • Islamic coins • Dome of the Rock • Birmingham Quran folios • Quran preservation • Christian apologetics • Jesus and Islam • Bible and Quran #Islam #JaySmith #Muhammad #Mecca #Quran #IslamicHistory #ChristianApologetics #QuranHistory #EarlyIslam #Jesus Dr. Jay Smith DISPROVES the Origins of Islam, the Quran and Mecca | Shocking Historical Evidence
Eric Metaxas interviews Larry Taunton about a viral Oxford Union debate on the motion “the West should be suspicious of Islam,” featuring Lawrence Fox and Tommy Robinson. Taunton explains he helped Fox prepare by treating the event as performance, recounts attempted cancellation pressure from the Bishop of Oxford, police, media, and a hostile crowd, and says the Union delayed releasing video. They discuss a Muslim student’s opening remarks referencing a mob outside, and Fox’s envelope “prop” that implied a Muhammad cartoon but revealed a caricature of an opposing MP, triggering laughter and procedural objections. The conversation then shifts to the Democratic Socialists of America meeting in Chicago, its platform proposals, and Taunton’s claim that Muslims advance influence in the West via socialism as a “Trojan horse,” alongside criticism of socialist economics and “democratic socialism.” Laurence Fox Silenced a group of Oxford union Islamists | Eric Metaxas Show
Larry Taunton, Author and Columnist, shares key takeaways from the Democratic Socialists of America summit in Chicago, how the DSA’s anti-capitalism and anti-individual freedoms clash with our Constitution and democratic institutions, and the threat socialism poses to religious freedom. The Rise of Democratic Socialists
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