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Understanding The New Testament: Inspiration, Canonisation, And Historical Context

...associate had to be preserved. This mindset suggests that missing letters indicate a failure in the process of collecting inspired books. Instead, we should understand inspiration as a collaboration between normal people and God’s providence. The apostles, as normal individuals, used common vocabulary, styles, and forms of expression of their time, as evidenced by comparisons with contemporary literature. In essence, understanding the New Testament requires acknowledging the diverse and dynamic nature of the canonisation process, appreciating the providential guidance behind inspiration, and dispelling misconceptions that undermine the historical context of t...

Jesus, Yahweh, And The Power Over The Storm

...n evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?’ And they were filled with great awe and said...

Where Hal Lindsey and Dispensationalism Went Wrong

...This is a guest post from Charles Meek Hal Lindsey’s bookThe Late Great Planet Earth Hal Lindsey’s book The Late Great Planet Earth, first edition in 1970, sold over 40 million copies. Gullible Christians got sucked into Lindsey’s soon-end-of-the-world cult-like poppycock. As time has passed without his version of Armageddon taking place, we can now objectively analyze where Lindsey went wrong: Lindsey (p. 54, 181), like other dispensationalists, placed the beginning of the end with Israel becoming a nation in 1948. He thought all prophecy would be fulfilled within a 40-year generation (Matthew 24:34). But 1988 came and went, proving him to b...

Lent: Day 12 - Justin Martyr: First Apology, Chaps. 1-11

...since it had its own clothing style to display this (similar to how you'd recognise a vicar today by the white dog collar). To this end, Justin argues that there are those who wear the “garb” of philosophers, but who “do nothing worthy of their profession”, yet not all philosophers are punished for this just because they claim the name. Similarly, there were poets who would get a laugh by insulting the gods and who also “taught atheism”, yet to the contrary of how Christians were treated, the Romans “bestow prizes and honours upon those who euphoniously insult the gods”! “Why, then, should this be?”, Justin asks, especially since the Chris...

The Two Babylons Exposed: The Book That Misled Millions

...rtunately had a long shelf life. That’s partly because it appeals to a certain kind of suspicion. If you’re already sceptical about the Catholic Church, Hislop offers an easy explanation: “It’s all pagan!”. But history isn’t ever that simple. And theology — especially the theology handed down through the ages by the faithful— isn’t built on conspiracy and apparent obscure connections, but on Christ and the truth of the Scriptures. Interestingly, even Ralph Woodrow, a minister who once wrote a book defending Hislop’s ideas, later retracted his views after digging deeper into the evidence. He eventually wrote a book called The Babylon Conn...

Nails, Theses, and Myth: The Truth About Luther's Famous Door

...s Aquinas had all called for reform from within the Church. The Reformation began as an internal movement of conscience, not a declaration of war. Conclusion: History Over Hype As we reflect on the legacy of the Reformation, we do well to set aside the simplistic iconography of nails and doors, and instead appreciate the real moment for what it was: the act of a concerned theologian reaching out to his superiors. Luther’s actions, humble though they may have been at first, launched a chain of events that would transform the Western world. The door at Wittenberg may be symbolic, but the real revolution happened on parchment and press. Further...