Over the years, one of the common complaints by skeptics of the Gospels is that the Gospel writers supposedly took great liberty to make up or embellish certain parts of their work to make their point. In other words, many parts of the Gospel authors " invented" or "fabricated" certain aspects of the life of Jesus. Therefore, how can we trust these documents? In response, the … [Read more...]
From Jesus to Us: A Look at P.O.W.E.R.
The New Testament does not reveal Jesus as any ordinary prophet or religious teacher. Rather, it reveals Him as God incarnate (John 1:1; 8:58-59;10:29-31;14:8-9;20-28; Phil. 2:5-7; Col. 2:9; Titus 2:13; Heb. 1:8; 2 Pet. 1:1). Anyone who reads through the Gospels will see that Jesus made some very challenging statements that force us as humans to face our own autonomy before our … [Read more...]
Were Jesus’ Disciples Gullible?
One of the common attacks on the reliability of the Bible, and the New Testament in particular, is the idea that “people back then were a lot more gullible about things like miracles and people rising from the dead.” A commenter on a BBC internet thread put it like this, “Were the disciples just gullible? Aren't the followers of all religious leaders?” Or as Rudolph Bultmann … [Read more...]
5 Things To Remember When Interpreting the Bible
Today’s post comes from my friend Lee Boryczewski. I cannot tell you how necessary his words are for us Christians to remember, simply from the fact that I have been guilty of reading my own views into the scriptures and have witnessed all Christians doing so at some point or another. It is our natural proclivity to do so but we must caution ourselves against doing doing … [Read more...]
Joshua the Highpriest as a Foreshadow of Christ
Previously on this blog, I have highlighted the types and foreshadows of Christ which are found in the Old Testament Scriptures with respect to the Abraham affair and the Passover celebration. In this post, I want to consider yet another remarkable Old Testament foreshadowing of Christ, this time from the book of Zechariah. Let’s take a look at the sixth chapter in this … [Read more...]
Beyond the Shadow of a Doubt: The Passover as a Foreshadow of Christ
Previously, I posted a blog entry on the Abraham affair as a foreshadow — a prototype — of the Gospel. As with most of the arguments for Christianity, the evidence from Old Testament foreshadows and prophecies is most compelling when taken as a cumulative argument. In other words, it becomes most convincing when many different examples are considered together. In this blog … [Read more...]
Book Review: The Reason for God by Tim Keller
The Reason for God, by Tim Keller, is an outstanding response to the biggest questions of our day. Tim Keller is the highly regarded pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, a church with weekly attendance around 5,000. Redeemer has planted dozens of other churches and is generally considered to be one of the most influential churches in America. From the first … [Read more...]
Born Atheists?
Is atheism or theism more natural for human beings? According to online author Tim Covell, “Everyone is born atheist. Religion is learned.” Over at the “rational response squad” you’re treated to the claim that “Many people don't know it but everyone is born an Atheist, it's not until a child has religious beliefs Pushed on them with out any evidence to support them that they … [Read more...]
When Were The Gospels Written?
When were the gospel biographical accounts of Jesus written? One popular claim by skeptics is that the gospels were written so long after the events which they narrate that their historical and biographical value is suspect. While virtually all scholars maintain that all of the gospels were written in the first century, within liberal scholarship it is conventionally thought … [Read more...]
Lost Scriptures of the New Testament?
In a previous blog, I discussed the textual integrity of the documents which comprise the new testament, and addressed the often-raised claim that the new testament has been substantially edited over the intervening centuries with doctrines being added and removed at the church’s will. As I argued in my previous blog, such ill-informed assertion is pure fantasy. Another … [Read more...]