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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John’s message doesn’t inspire religious leaders to repent. Instead, John’s message provokes them to resentment and rage.
I got your life application right here! First off, Happy New Year! It's 2019 and there's a sense of optimism floating about in the air.
If I were granted three wishes, one of them would not be to know what the future holds.
The other day on Twitter, I saw someone insult their theological opponent with the term "free-gracer."
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The age of grace has dawned, the time in which all things will be made new.
The death and resurrection of our Lord has indeed removed the power of all these things. But they remain for now, even so.
God's grace and mercy in Jesus Christ calls all sinners to a celebration. A "those who sat in darkness have seen a great light" kind of celebration.
As the church gathers in worship, however, different words reverberate in readings, hymns, and homilies. These words beckon us to get dirty.
At this time of year a lot of emphasis is placed on being good. Elves on Shelves everywhere are watching our behavior and snitching to Santa, who is making up his all important list of those who have been naughty and those who have been nice.
There are no shortcuts with Him. No life hacks. No tricks or changes we need to make to get on God’s good side. There’s just Truth, just Jesus.
Often, when we talk about the Old Testament, we talk about God's promises and work for his chosen people, Israel.