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.

All Articles

My goal here isn’t to selfishly reflect on all the reasons I will miss Rod because I know that if you are reading this, you may miss this man, too.
The essence of what it means to be a son or daughter of Abraham, an inheritor of the Abrahamic promise, was irrevocably tethered to faith.
How’s your ticker?
We still think we can sort own own problems with more money, more education, more resources, more techniques, more, more, more.
Rick Ritchie gives a brief summary on the importance of Plato’s thought in Christianity
Show me your righteousness, we can only point to Jesus
God has a hall ready for us, for us and for so many more
There is no justification by the works of the law
This is an excerpt from Chad Bird’s book, Your God is Too Glorious, 2nd Edition
Scent plays an important role in our memories and the story of Scripture
Confession and absolution offer more than assurance, they gift real and genuine Divine promises.
God sees true beauty