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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Every age has its emergencies, and the church must never ignore them. Yet, our response cannot be one of panic or propaganda.
This is the fifth installment in our article series, “An Introduction to the Bondage of the Will,” written to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s Bondage of the Will.
When a congregation is abused by its pastor, it loses more than a shepherd. It loses its threshold place; that fragile seam between earth and heaven.
We don’t need another brand. We need a people who remember who they are. And that’s us, Gen-X.
MacArthur’s courage to speak Scripture’s truth, no matter the audience, should be commended.
Wisdom and strength require bootstrap-pulling and the placing of noses to grindstones.
“If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).
This is the first installment in the 1517 articles series, “What Makes a Saint?”
The Psalm now is this: as Christ suffered and then was exalted, so we are also in him.
The wrong god means love remains frail, fickle, or a fiction. The right God means love is the most reliable thing in all the world.
By the end of this prayer of wrestling, David finally has the strength to claim victory over his lying enemies.
Epiphany is one of the most important festivals of the church year, although often sadly overlooked.