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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Often, when we talk about the Old Testament, we talk about God's promises and work for his chosen people, Israel.
God’s gifts are received, and the faithful heart offers gratias, and thanks are given in return.
I think we can all agree that there is not a more popular writer on Christ Hold Fast than Chad Bird.
Consider the word, “salvation.” It comes from the same root word as salvage.
He is holding you in the faith, even if you imagine your faith has failed you.
In the beginning, we read about the invention of religion. It begins simply enough in Genesis 3
The Gospel is our freedom from sin. It is Christ in the mirror, Christ for me and for you.
The following is an excerpt from Scandalous Stories: A Sort of Commentary on Parables written by Daniel Emery Price and Erick Sorenson (1517 Publishing, 2018).
The more that we hear the law, the more we recognize others as those who, like us, are torn and tattered by the wounds of sin and brokenness.
There are mornings I wake up beleaguered by my past sins. It is almost as though my conscience waits until I am too tired to fight it, and then it wages its war against me.
We take what we perceive to be freedom and turn it into a new credo, a new law, an idol to be lifted up and lived out.
We tell our children if they work hard and play by the rules, they’ll succeed in life. Jerks, cheaters, and thieves won’t. They’ll end up in the gutter. Or jail. Or worse.