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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What is it, though, that makes bedtime so fraught with anxiety?
"Ragged" written by Gretchen Ronnevik is now available for purchase from 1517 Publishing
The One who has defeated sin, death, and the Devil himself is now living in Heaven and praying for you.
Luther saw that God demands not that we become perfectly righteous like God but that we simply receive the gift of righteousness; a gift that actually makes us worthy.
Jesus will suffer, die, and rise again for them. By this love, they are forgiven. By this love, they are made His friends: Friends of God.
Those called out for their sins, who find themselves knee deep in their transgressions, always need grace.
Jesus is the vine. You are His branches. And God the Father delights to bring the inside out.
He continues to gather other sheep in, and He does it through the selfless serving and the gracious speaking of His people.
After more than a year of facing our collective mortality as a species, the promise of a physical resurrection is welcome news.
The promise you will make, which brings about the presence of Christ and creates rejoicing, is the peace Jesus brought to the disciples that night behind locked doors.
Repentance means to turn or change your mind. It is not a turn from sin to righteousness. It is a turn from sin to the righteous Son of God who has defeated all sin.
All of my theological endeavoring will not squeeze one more ounce of grace from God.