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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Our meditation listens to the King of Kings when He says; it is finished.
Out of His mind indeed, as He took our place between murderers and received the insults and torture of humanity.
The absence of a feeling is not the absence of Christ, but as emotional, rational, and spiritual beings, we cannot say that the presence of Christ necessitates the absence of emotion.
In him, retribution is set aside. Forgiveness comes. A new order begins. Remember that God’s mission will prevail, because grace is in, with, and under the fabric of human history.
In Adam and in us, life has been wrapped in death. But in Jesus, God has wrapped death in life.
Instead of burning them up with unquenchable fire, He comes in solidarity, to be God with us and God for us. Jesus is baptized into our life, so that He could gift us His life.
The text says there was no room for them. And this should give us cause for a little head-scratching.
Christ has come, does come, and will come. He has set you free from the prison of sin and death.
If this opening verse offers to us both door and doorkeeper, then the doorkeeper stands with the door held securely shut.
The accusations of the voices we hear on a daily basis are deafening. There is no shortage of voices that will remind us of our failures.
This rather unique human being is God grounded in our humanity. The man Jesus.
Last night was one of those nights when I had an unscheduled 3:00 a.m. Life Assessment session.