I’ve suggested here that people might begin the New Year by reading Mark’s gospel in January. That is not a heavy lift since it works out to a half chapter a day (until the last day of the month, when you have to read the entire last chapter of Mark — which, don’t worry, is … [Read more…]
The reasonableness — indeed, the profound wisdom exhibited over and over again — of what Jesus said should be a powerful apologetic tool, should it not? That is, if Jesus’ teachings are godlike then it is evidence that He is indeed God. Conversely, if He consistently talked rot that would undercut claims of His divinity. … [Read more…]
Even if you don’t think the New Testament letters prove that Jesus Christ and was the Son of God, you have to admit that they and the growth of the church that they reflect do show that a lot of people certainly thought that. Similarly, the theology in the New Testament epistles could one supposes … [Read more…]
This 2016 book has been cited in several recent apologetic works, and it is easy to see why: It’s terrific, and discussing it is a good way to begin the Advent Season. The author is a professor at the Augustine Institute, a private Catholic theology graduate school. The book is 198 pages of text with … [Read more…]
This post was prompted by this thought: Isn’t it remarkable that a little over 28 percent of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible is prophecy, which largely criticizes the Jews for not doing what God wants them to do? And of the post-Torah OT historical narratives (a little over 30 percent of the OT), most of what … [Read more…]
The point of this blogpost is to consider briefly some important differences in structure and form between the Old Testament and New Testament. I hasten to say that none of this is to rank the two; the differences do not make one better or worse than the other. The focus of the New Testament is … [Read more…]
Isn’t the credibility and reliability of the accounts we have of Jesus’ teachings and miracles enhanced by the fact that in them He is before groups of people rather than just one person? To elaborate: The accounts we have of Jesus’ teaching and miracles almost always involve Him being before groups, often very large groups. … [Read more…]
The consistency between how Jesus tells us to live in the Gospels and how the various New Testament epistles tell us to live makes both sets of texts more credible, does it not? This occurred to me during our pastor’s sermon this week, which focused Paul’s letter urging the Colossians to forgive one another as … [Read more…]
When you think about it, and as explained below, the books of Ruth, Esther, Job, and Jonah can be grouped together. And it is intriguing to consider what, together, they teach. I happened to be thinking about these books because my wife and I just finished Esther in her Bible study, and because Jonah is … [Read more…]
This is another book that I read because it was cited in Ross Douthat’s recent and excellent Believe. After this book’s 15-page introduction, there follows the author’s new translation of Mark’s Gospel and his and verse-by-verse (more or less) commentary on it. Since there are sixteen chapters in Mark, the book is divided into sixteen … [Read more…]