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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The world’s history and Jewish history was like a story in search of an ending; and when Jesus rose from the dead the ending was now revealed.
We have the Gospel in Word and the Gospel in Sacrament. Both are poised to declare the peace of the Lord, the good news of God’s forgiveness because of the life, vicarious atonement, and resurrection of Jesus the Son.
The Apostle Peter’s monumental sermon on Pentecost declares the Kingdom purposes and divine saving work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit which culminates in the new world order with Christ in charge.
Pentecost is the event which jolts the world into taking note that something entirely new is taking place.
If we humans willingly operate by the testimony of men in all sorts of matters, then how much more should we readily embrace the testimony of God concerning the death, resurrection, ascension, and rule of His Son?
Love, as it pertains to divine qualities, is an unconditional love, love to the loveless and unlovable, divine love. God is agape. God is love.
Preaching needs to recover the recognition that it is a monumental event, setting forth through proclamation the monumental Gospel.
If Christ is the holiness, righteousness, salvation, truth, grace, resurrection life, eternal life, and perfection of God, then the spirit of the world is the antithesis of all those.
Just as the grave could not hold the Lord of Life, neither could the calendar contain Easter to just one Sunday.
What kind of shepherd does God provide? The answer, of course, starts and ends with Christ.
Resurrection life is not something cast into the future. The future is now.
Preaching is the vehicle of salvation because God engages in self-giving through the heralding of His Word.