I am thankful for the opportunities that I have had to connect with apologists all over the world. I am greatly impressed by the intellectual ability of Christians striving for the Gospel. I know some who read books on philosophy and science whose titles I can't even pronounce. We badly need these intelligent defenders of the faith. But do we sometimes miss out on our most … [Read more...]
Paul – Apostle or Fraud (Part 11)
We’ve spent the past 10 posts in the Book of Acts building a case for the connection Paul had directly to Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the 12 Apostles, and the disciples of Christ in Judea, Samaria and Syria. We’ve also demonstrated confirmation by the 12 Apostles of Paul’s call to be an apostle to the Gentiles. Not once in the Book of Acts do any of the 12 Apostles call Paul … [Read more...]
Answering Jewish Objections: “Jewish People Don’t Believe in a Suffering/Atoning Messiah”: Part Two
To See Part One, Click Here Peter uses Old Testament prophecy in Acts 3:18, where he declares: “But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that this Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled.” Where in the prophets are we told that God’s “Christ (or Messiah) should suffer”? Isaiah 53 is probably what Peter is alluding to. Probably the most explicit case for Isaiah … [Read more...]
What the Earliest Non-Biblical Authors Say About Jesus (Free Bible Insert)
What would we know about Jesus if we lost every Biblical manuscript on the planet? Could we have any certainty Jesus actually lived, and would we be able to re-capture any of the details of his life or nature? As it turns out, there are several ancient sources of information about Jesus. Some of these are from pagan, non-Christian authors (I’ve written about these sources here … [Read more...]
Answering Jewish Objections: “Jewish People Don’t Believe in a Suffering/Atoning Messiah”: Part One
Introduction Over the years, I have had the chance to talk to several Jewish people about spiritual issues. A common Jewish objection that I continue to hear is that Jewish people don’t believe that a human can be sacrificed for sins. In other words, a human can’t atone for the sins of the Jewish people. First, let me give some background to the idea of atonement in Judaism. … [Read more...]
What Was the Shape of Jesus’ Cross?
Last weekend, after speaking at the NRB National Apologetics Conference, I was approached by a man who asked a question about the shape of crucifixion cross of Jesus. He’d been approached by Jehovah’s Witnesses who challenged the traditional shape of the cross. They argued the Greek word for "cross" (stauros) simply meant an “upright pole”, “upright stake” or “torture stake”. … [Read more...]
Convince Me There’s A God – Archaeology 17
“And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord.” 1 Kings 6:1 As an atheist, I thought the Bible was a bunch of fairy tales. I grew up learning stories in the … [Read more...]
Paul – Apostle or Fraud (Part 10)
Opposition to Paul’s apostleship did not end at his death. The same group of Judaizers Paul warned about in his epistles continued to oppose the freedom Paul had preached to Gentiles. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will … [Read more...]
Convince Me There’s A God – Archaeology 16
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.” Exodus 6:1 “Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ‘When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and cast it before … [Read more...]
What Christians Should Know About Paul
By Eric Chabot Given that historians look to those who are contemporaries of the events, Paul is an important resource for what historians can know about Jesus of Nazareth. Furthermore, the earliest documents we have for the life of Jesus are Paul’s letters. Paul was a very competent rabbi who was trained at the rabbinic academy called the House of Hillel by ‘Gamaliel,’ a key … [Read more...]