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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A crisis of faith always occurs when we begin to believe that God has betrayed us.
I have my list. It may seem strange to you, but, when I think about my own death, I often think in terms of positive failures.
I'm in the middle of a series on Paul's letter to the Ephesians.
You cannot fudge Glory in this life. You get there only on the Better Day that is coming and not one day before.
You are free to love your children without any expectations because you have been loved immeasurably.
“As if” Christians aren’t allowed to reflect; that they’re not kind, generous, brave, or loyal. They’re not living up to the example of biblical saints.
Years ago a young woman approached her pastor with a request. It wasn’t a strange request. She simply asked if he would perform her wedding ceremony.
In this evil generation we’re all in the dark about something. We’re all inevitably overcome by the darkness of sin and death.
I was walking through a mall recently, and all the spring decorations and colors were starting to appear. It was refreshing to see the fresh colors and a change of scenery as I strolled through the mall.
By Philip Melanchthon (from the 1535 Loci Communes), translated by Scott L. Keith, Ph.D., edited by Kurt Winrich
God the Father Almighty is good. And He must be good in ways that surpass my earthly father.
For many, there are days when they’re as excited about going to work on Sunday morning as you are about going to work on Monday morning.