Josephus does not tell us that Christianity is true, and Christians do not need Josephus to tell them that Christ is risen. But Christianity makes claims about things that happened in public history under identifiable rulers, priests, and governors. For that reason, testimony from outside the church matters.
Today, the longing for cultural Christianity on both the left and the right hearkens back to an older version of Christendom that was a mixed blessing for the church in the western world. The cultural mediation of Christian views on created order has certainly benefitted the civilization we’ve inherited. But the gospel itself isn’t something that can be reduced to cultural mediation either. Instead, the gospel as a message stands apart from all human accomplishments and achievements, no matter how beneficial they might be.
The student of Scripture should always have a map open next to their Bible as they read. If possible, they should also travel to Israel, not to make a pilgrimage, but to see the context of the land in which these stories took place. These are not fairy tales made up about fictional fantasy lands; these are stories about real people in real places interacting with a real God.

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This year, we wanted to ensure you have all the resources you need to learn about and reflect on the revelation of Christ.
A quick recap of some of our best content from 2025. Every year, we publish over 250 articles, release podcast episodes from 20+ unique podcasts, host two conferences (and participate in numerous speaking engagements), and more. This list just scratches the surface of our best of - thank you to everyone who makes this work and much more possible.
Below is a list of our favorite theological books - across all categories - from 2025. A special thanks to our contributors who submitted titles, wrote summaries and full reviews for these books and more throughout the year.
This is an excerpt from this year’s 1517 Advent Devotional.
How many times in our lifetime must we sigh, floundering through this world with our sins, sorrows, struggles, frustrations, fears, and foes?
Three Lenten songs express the same astonishing wonder of a Lord who willingly suffers and dies.
On second thought: Keep Lent, but sacrifice your concept of it.
A look back at some of our most memorable content from the year
It is impossible to live our lives in a way that would convince God of our value because he already knows our value. He is the one who gave it to us.
While Christmas may or may not have pagan roots, it will certainly have a pagan future if Christians lose sight of what it is all about.
Below is an excerpt from the personal devotional included in this year’s 1517 Advent Resources.
Below is a compilation of some of our staff and contributor’s recommended reads for this summer. Let us know if you find a book you love!