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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Why is it truly meet right and salutary that we should at all times and all places give thanks to God.
This is the prelude of Easter. Is a dead Jesus still resting in the tomb? No!
Ash Wednesday's purpose is not to motivate our resolve to redouble our efforts to do better.
The usual acclamation when one becomes King is: “Long live the King!” But this King of kings, this son of David, has come to die.
If Jesus shows up and you are a sinner, ‘tis more blessed to receive than to give
The Second Edition of “The Christian Life: Cross or Glory?” by Steven Hein is now available from 1517 Publishing.
Although God is always closer to us than the nose on our face, he has not taken the wraps off and given any sinful and mortal human being a full-measure, face-to-face meeting.
We do not have to endure the pain and suffering of this fallen existence forever, just for a little while.
Ash Wednesday, is meant to remind us we have a death problem. All living things made from the soil shall return to it.
Epiphany celebrates that we have not been left in our hearts’ cold darkness and this spoiled creation.
We are given, so we give thanks, and we give thanks by giving.
The following is an excerpt from “The Christian Life: Cross or Glory” written by Steven A. Hein (1517 Publishing, 2015).