When a former Navy SEAL and CIA contractor who spent 20 years running from God sits down with one of the world's leading resurrection scholars, something remarkable happens. Dr. Jeremiah J. Johnston, PhD joined Shawn Ryan for a special Easter episode of The Shawn Ryan Show, and we at Christian Thinkers Society believe this conversation will reach people that traditional church platforms simply cannot.
After years as a Navy SEAL and nearly a decade as a CIA contractor, Shawn Ryan returned to civilian life carrying the weight of combat trauma and a world that seemed void of goodness. He tried therapy, medication, and every alternative he could find. Nothing worked. Then, during a trip to Sedona, Arizona, a stranger at a resort gate began speaking directly to the exact thoughts running through Ryan's mind. Ryan turned to his wife and said, "I think that was God talking to me." Her response was simple: "God's always been around you. You just don't make time to let Him in." That moment launched Ryan on a journey back to the Christ he had abandoned at eighteen, and his podcast has since become one of the largest platforms in the world where faith, evidence, and Christ's resurrection are discussed openly before millions of viewers.
"God's always been around you. You just don't make time to let Him in."
In this Easter special, Dr. Johnston brings the Shroud of Turin evidence directly into that conversation. For those of us who have followed his work from Davos to the Daily Wire to Piers Morgan, this episode represents something different. Ryan asks the questions that real seekers ask. He does not come from a theological background. He comes from a life where he needed proof before he would trust anything, and the evidence Dr. Johnston presents meets that standard.
Jesus told Thomas, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29). But God, in His kindness, has left evidence for those who need it. As Paul wrote, "He has not left himself without testimony" (Acts 14:17). The Shroud of Turin, the archaeological record, and the historical case for the resurrection exist precisely for people like Shawn Ryan, people who are searching honestly and need something solid beneath their feet.
"The evidence Dr. Johnston presents meets the standard of a man who spent his career in special operations, where proof is not optional."
We encourage you to watch the full episode and share it with someone in your life who is searching. This Easter season, the greatest biblical evidence for the resurrection is reaching audiences we never thought possible.
To God be the glory.
Dr. Johnston's newest book, The Jesus Discoveries: 10 Historic Finds That Bring Us Face-to-Face with Jesus, is available now at christianthinkers.com and explores these findings and more.
Dr. Jeremiah J. Johnston, PhD, is a New Testament scholar, president of Christian Thinkers Society, and the author of The Jesus Discoveries and Body of Proof. A leading voice on the historical evidence for the resurrection, Dr. Johnston has presented on the Shroud of Turin at the World Economic Forum in Davos, on the Daily Wire with Michael Knowles, and in churches and universities around the world. Christian Thinkers Society exists to teach pastors and Christians how to become thinkers and thinkers how to become Christians. Learn more at christianthinkers.com.
