My Internship at Dallas Theological Seminary

This semester, I’ve had the privilege of beginning a mentoring relationship with Dr. Darrell Bock. This is part of my Master of Theology (Th.M) internship, working with the Howard G. Hendricks Center for Christian Leadership and Cultural Engagement. Dr. Bock is a Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies and Executive Director for Cultural Engagement at Dallas Theological Seminary.

Besides my mentoring meetings with Dr. Bock, I’m also enjoying creating titles and show notes for The Table Podcast, being in the studio while the interviews are recorded live, and even being a guest on the show (look for my episode this summer).

My career goal is to have a full-time faculty position at a Christian university, while continuing to speak and train at apologetics conferences and local churches. So why choose Dr. Bock as mentor? I admire his ability to move from writing scholarly stuff in the academic world, to speaking at churches or showing up on ABC News while making “heady” concepts about the Bible accessible to anyone. And if you know me, you know I’m all about making ideas that have to do with defending the faith simple to get and easy to remember. In a word–accessible. 

3 Lessons From My Mentor

After our weekly department meetings, I get spend some time sitting down with Dr. Bock in his office. We talk about Jesus, apologetics, cultural engagement, my course of study and anything else that might come up. I appreciate his practical advice and helpful insights into cultural engagement and apologetics.

In this post, I’ll share just three quick things I’ve learned during our mentorship meetings:

1. Attitudes Are Often Absorbed

Dr. Bock often highlights the idea that we live in a culture where, for many people, “the Bible isn’t the answer–it’s the question.”

It’s very different world from 19th century America, where you could easily quote the Bible and have people at least pretend to show some respect for the faith because of their family or cultural background.

Today, getting into spiritual conversations often means you’re almost immediately hit with emotional challenges and tough questions. Where’s all this coming from?

Often times, people’s attitudes toward Christianity show us the ideas they’ve absorbed, like a sponge, from the culture. For example, your skeptical friends have probably seen comments like this online:

“Jesus was a great moral teacher…somebody as intelligent as Jesus would have been an atheist if he had known what we know today.” – Richard Dawkins in an interview with The Guardian [1]

They might have also heard ideas like this on TV:

“There were many other gospels written in the early Christian centuries: The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, The Gospel of Thomas, lots of others…The early Christian movement had a lot of different movements in it, and many of them were censored, and then, one version got branded as orthodox.” -Elaine Pagels on the Cobert Report [2]

How prepared are we to engage with our friends when they bring up challenges like these?

2. We Need Switch-Hitters

Dr. Bock also taught me a baseball term I’d never heard before: “Switch-hitter.” A switch-hitter is a baseball player who can bat both right-handed and left-handed.  Kind of like this, Christians should be skilled in both “going from the Bible to life,” and “going from life to the Bible.” The church needs more Christians who can “switch-hit.”

Here’s what I mean: We need to be able to look at a passage of Scripture and ask “How does this apply to our lives?” And this is what we’ve pretty much focused on in terms of Christian education in our Bible colleges and seminaries. But it can’t end there.

See, many people go through tough situations in their lives that drive them to look for answers in the Bible. This is why we’ve also got to look at the conversations going on in our own lives and ask “How does this connect to the Bible?” Whether it’s hot-button issues like abortion or homosexual marriage or even how to share your faith with a Muslim friend or just be a faithful Christian working in the business world, the government, the media or wherever you are.

Another way to be a switch-hitter is to do what Dr. Bock does: Write scholarly works and influence the academic community, while also being able to communicate at a more popular level. This is why I like leading workshops at local churches, speaking at apologetics conferences and blogging. I’m trying to be a better switch-hitter.

3. Cultural Engagement Is More Than Apologetics

The Apostle Peter commanded believers to have respectful answers ready when people ask us about the hope that we have in Christ (1 Peter 3:15). But how should we act when we’re not defending the faith?

Thinking in terms of cultural engagement helps us learn to move beyond merely responding to challenges from atheists, Muslims or others in our lives. It’s living like Jesus in a culture that’s often antagonistic toward Christianity. It’s engaging our skeptical friends, family members and co-workers in a way that isn’t “in-your-face,” and naturally turning the conversation towards the Bible’s take on important issues you’re already facing together in this world. Dr. Bock calls this being “a presence that gives them pause.”

When you do confront people with Scripture, let them know that accepting your view isn’t a condition for friendship. We need more Christians saying, “I’ll be your friend, no matter what. But let’s go on a journey as we look into this spiritual stuff together.” Remember, we’re Christ’s ambassadors 24/7. Let’s reflect Jesus’ character in our everyday lives–even when we’re not in “question and answer” mode.

[1] Evolutionary Biologist and best-selling author of The God Delusion, quotation from in an interview with The Guardian’s John Harris.
[2] Professor of Religion at Princeton University and author of Reading Judas: The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity. Quotation from Season 3, Episode 50 of The Cobert Report.

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Is Good Friday a Myth?

“Good Friday? What’s the difference between Good Friday and a fairytale?”

Imagine a skeptical relative asked you this question at a family gathering. I know–Awkward. But really, what would you say?

Something similar happened to me when I was a teenager. But what was odd about it was that this lady just threw out a challenge that seemed to come out of nowhere. Not sure if she even expected a response. I actually had no clue what to say.

Still, it got me thinking, “What should I have said?” What is the different between the crucifixion of Jesus and a fairytale? I had to find some answers for myself.

For you, it might not be skeptical relatives. It might be a challenge from a Muslim coworker. Or an atheist student who saw something on YouTube about Good Friday being like a bunch of other mythological stories about crucified saviors. What can you say to that friend who starts to tune you out as soon as you reach for your Bible?

Unexpected Evidences

One strategy is to start with something unexpected. I discovered something interesting while I was teaching World Religion courses at a secular university: Even though Jesus’ death by crucifixion is recorded in the traditional gospels, I found most of my skeptical students seemed to perk up and get curious when I started talking about non-Christian sources that also mention this event.

Besides piquing their interest, leading into a topic in an unexpected way actually helps make your conversation more memorable.

 “Minimal Facts”

I’ll never forget being introduced to this whole concept of studying the historical Jesus. A professor from Liberty University, Dr. Gary Habermas, was guest lecturing at a seminar series called “Defending the Faith” during my time in the M.A. Apologetics program at Biola. In his presentation, he laid out a number of what he called, “minimal facts;” Historical facts related to the resurrection reports. But what was interesting is that these were facts that most ancient historians—including non-Christians scholars—actually agreed on.

Look, when you have a set of facts that Christians and non-Christian scholars can actually agree on, I’m gonna get real interested in that.

And his point wasn’t so much that a bunch of scholars agree on something. The point is that there are probably some good reasons why people all over the spectrum–Guys on the left, the right and straight down the middle who publish professionally about this stuff can agree that certain facts, surrounding the Resurrection reports, really happened.

One of them is what Christians all over the world commemorate on Good Friday: Jesus’ death on the cross.

Did Jesus Die on the Cross?

Historians love to find a bunch of reports about something that happened—even if they’re coming from different perspectives. Why? Cause if more than one independent source tells us about something, that’s a generally good sign that it probably happened.

For example, imagine if you and 5 of your coworkers saw a car accident in the parking lot after work. Even if you all couldn’t agree on whose fault it was, the police won’t think the accident itself didn’t happen, right?

In terms of studying the historical Jesus, virtually every critical scholar who publishes professionally on this stuff will agree that Jesus of Nazareth was a real person and that he was executed by crucifixion under the Roman government in 30 A.D.

What 5 Ancient, Non-Christian Writings Reveal

Jesus’ death by crucifixion is a historical event. Besides the Gospel reports in the New Testament, this fact is mentioned in passing by no less than 5, ancient, non-Christian sources:

1. Josephus, a Jewish historian, wrote:

 ”When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing amongst us, had condemned him to be crucified…” [1]

2. Tacitus, a Roman historian, wrote:

 ”Nero fastened the guilt (of the burning of Rome) and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilate.” [2]

3. Lucian of Samosata, a Greek satirist, wrote:

 ”The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day—the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account.” [3]

4. Mara Bar-Serapion, a Syrian philosopher, wrote:

 ”What advantage came to the Jews by the murder of their Wise King, seeing that from that very time their kingdom was driven away from them?” [4]

5. The Talmud, a Jewish Rabbinical text, includes this report:

“On the eve of the Passover, Yeshu was hanged.”[5]

New Testament Scholars Agree

Today, even agnostic scholars like Bart Ehrman–author of “Did Jesus Exist?”–agree that Jesus was real and he was, in fact, crucified. In an article on the Huffington Post, he wrote:

Aspects of the Jesus story simply would not have been invented by anyone wanting to make up a new Savior. The earliest followers of Jesus declared that he was a crucified messiah…because they believed specifically that Jesus was the Messiah. And they knew full well that he was crucified.

One may well choose to resonate with the concerns of our modern and post-modern cultural despisers of established religion (or not). But surely the best way to promote any such agenda is not to deny what virtually every sane historian on the planet — Christian, Jewish, Muslim, pagan, agnostic, atheist, what have you — has come to conclude based on a range of compelling historical evidence. Whether we like it or not, Jesus certainly existed.

Even John Dominic Crossan of the skeptical Jesus Seminar—a guy who says we can’t trust many of the sayings of Jesus and his teachings in the Bible–says this about the historical Jesus:

 “That he was crucified…is as sure as anything historical can ever be.” [6]

So there’s good evidence—even outside the New Testament— that Jesus’ death on the cross was a real, historical event.

Good Friday is No Fairytale

So, what’s the difference between Good Friday and a fairytale? Everything.

Far from being a vague, ethereal myth, virtually every critical scholar agrees: Good Friday is no fairytale. Jesus of Nazareth was a real person who was executed by crucifixion under the Roman government in 30 A.D.

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Bible, Theology and Apologetics for kids

A couple of months ago, I reviewed a fun series of 9 DVDs for kids from Veggie Tales Creator Phil Vischer, called Buck Denver Asks, “What’s in the Bible?” This month, Phil’s team sent me a review copy of the 10th DVD in this fun series: “Jesus is the Good News!”

In this post, I’ll give you a quick review of this DVD. But I also want to tell you a little story about how my son and I ended up up watching this video with a bunch of kids at our local bookstore–after closing hours. Read on…

What’s in the DVD?

My son and I were pretty excited to get a pre-release copy of “Jesus is the Good News!” Like the rest of the series, this DVD comes with a digital copy and a coloring page on the back of the DVD insert. It’s got two, 25-minute episodes which covers Matt, Mark, Luke, and John–plus a few bonus features, including outtakes. He put it into our Xbox 360 right away, and we started watching it together.

Check out a couple of videos Phil put out to help you get a feel for what you’re getting in the 10th DVD in the series.

Historical Background and Setting

This video is everything the Old Testament series has been leading up to. It begins with an a recap of DVDs 1-9, and then gives us a little background on the New Testament Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Apparently, Pirate Pete knows more than church history, and that’s why he gives us the skinny on Jewish groups like the Pharisees, Sadducees  and the Zealots in ”A Pirate’s Guide to Jewish History.

This first 25-minute segment also introduces us to the authors of the New Testament Gospels and the people who wrote them. One of my son’s favorite parts was hearing about the Romans and Alexander the Great. Why? As a home schooled kid, he’s been studying this in his history class with my wife.

So later, I found out that the Dallas Theological Seminary bookstore was hosting a screening of the DVD after closing hours for the seminary kids–complete with popcorn and juice boxes! We joined 26 kids, 9 moms and 5 dads for the screening. It was fun to see some of the 6 and 7-year olds get up and dance to Chuckwagon’s new song!

Theology and Apologetics Stuff

The 2nd part of the DVD finally gets into the life of Jesus. Here, things take on a more serious tone and Phil takes over the storytelling without much distraction from the puppets. What stuck me about his presentation, is how Phil hit a lot of the same major points that I discuss in my talks on the picture we get of Christ from Scripture. For example:

• Jesus heals a paralyzed man to show he has authority to forgive sins.
• Jesus calms the storm to show he has authority over nature.
• Jesus raises Jairus’ daughter from the dead to show he even has authority over death.

Phil helps kids understand that Jesus is a person of the Trinity, that he said he was divine, and that he physically rose from the dead, validating his claims. Plus, he explains the gospel in a way kids can understand.Interestingly, this DVD even gets details like Jesus’ wrists being nailed to the cross–not his palms. Someone obviously looked in to this. Still, it’s tastefully done at an age-appropriate level

When I asked my son what his absolute favorite thing was, he said, “How beautifully the story of Jesus and the crucifixion was done.” It was actually kind of emotional for my 8-year old. And it inspired me to read through Psalm 22 for our family devotions that night.

Conclusion

Again, when it comes to introducing the Bible, theology and apologetics to children in a way that’s simple to get, this rocks. It’s Bible literacy for a new generation. Whether you’re a parent, grandparent, or Sunday School teacher (without a magic flannel graph), check out Buck Denver Asks What’s in the Bible? The whole series is very well done.

I highly recommend volume 10, “Jesus is the Good News!” for your 6-10 year olds. This DVD is one great way to help your family focus on the Good News of Jesus, especially during the days leading up to Easter.

Purchasing resources via the links on this page will help support my Accessible Apologetics Ministry. Thanks for your support! 

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Ever since last year, I’ve been amazed at how God has been directing my teaching, speaking and training ministry and taking me to placed I never thought I’d go. In this post, I’ll share a few apologetics ministry highlights from 2012. Don’t forget, we’re in this thing together. Like I always say, “If God can use me, He can use you!”

7 Ministry Highlights from 2012

1. I spoke at Reasonable Faith in an Uncertain World II

This was my 2012 project with Biola University at Bridgeway Christian Church in Rocklin, CA–the sequel to our very first collaboration in 2011.

Interestingly, it was the same day that Richard Dawkins and followers of the New Atheism gathered at the Reason Rally in Washington D.C.. Meanwhile, I was on the other side of the country, speaking alongside fellow defenders of the faith at an event called Reasonable Faith in an Uncertain World 2.

It was cool speaking alongside J.P. Moreland and Criag Hazen once again. Joining us at this event was John Mark Reynolds (now the provost at Houston Baptist University) and my college friend, Sean McDowell (We actually lived a couple of rooms away from each other in our dorm at Biola)—two people I’ve been wanting to work with for a long time.

Miss this conference? Download a professional recording of the entire event. Listen to audio from the conference here.

2. I spoke at “Apologetics Weekend” for the Desert Apologetics Network

Mikel with Allie Black

I had a blast speaking at the Desert Apologetics Network’s Apologetics Weekend–my very first time in Palm Springs (CA)!

After driving through countless miles that looked like U2′s Joshua Tree album, we came up a lush resort and golf course that was an oasis in the desert. I brought my family with me and they enjoyed a welcome basket full of orange stuff—Pringles, oranges, orange soda, orange candy, etc… It was evident that this group took their motto seriously: “Making Apologetics Fun!”

I spent an entire morning training believers to defend the faith with confidence and the evening featured a lecture on Christianity in a world of religions by Craig Hazen. The conference organizer, Allie Black, said:

Mikel does an excellent job of engaging the audience and providing useful and insightful information. His presentations are well thought out and he comes prepared to deliver a an exciting message that motivates his audience to want to learn more about defending their faith. I hope to work with Mikel again in the future!

3. I launched an accredited, online apologetics course with William Jessup University

This was actually my New Year’s Resolution. I wanted to take the Apologetics course I developed for William Jessup University (Rocklin, CA) online through their School of Professional Studies. We did it! Here’s what one of my online students had to say about the class:

My faith has been strengthened and my confidence has grown. Apologetics has given me the courage to stand up for what I believe and boldly share my faith. – Gail Grey, WJU/SPS Senior (Counseling Psychology)

Next semester will be the 3rd time we’ve run the course–and the demand is still up! I love being able to do my adjunct work for WJU remotely from Dallas, Texas. Find out more about taking the course here.

4.  I was interviewed by Alex McFarland on the Janet Mefferd Show

When Southern Evangelical Seminary President Alex McFarland was asked to guest host the Janet Mefferd Show, he invited me to join him for a short segment on the basics of apologetics.

I’m not one of those guys who gets intereviewed all the time, so I wasn’t too sure what to expect. But it turned out to be a lot of fun and it was cool to know that he’d been following my ministry as well. I even got to field a call at the end. I learned that the most challenging thing about radio is thinking on your feet and keeping your responses super-short.

Listen to the segment by clicking on the video thumbnail here.

5. I entered the Th.M Program at Dallas Theological Seminary (Dallas, Texas)

Mikel at DTS

My wife and I had been talking about this for a long, long time.

It seems the Lord has been moving me more and more into Christian higher education and earning a 4-year Master’s Degree in Theology from DTS is the perfect “next step” to getting into a good Ph.D program down the road. This is the same program that J.P. Moreland entered many years ago.

One of the major highlights of my time here has been studying New Testament Greek in the Honors Greek class with Dan Wallace. I’m excited about the potential partnerships and opportunities to get more involved in the Texas apologetics scene in 2013.

6. I heard Greg Koukl read my blog on the Stand to Reason Radio show

Greg Koukl is one of my apologetics influences.

Ever since I first heard him speak while I was in the M.A. Apologetics program at Biola University, his ministry at Stand to Reason has inspired and encouraged me to develop the knowledge, wisdom and character needed to be an effective ambassador of Jesus.

When I was a missionary in the Philippines, I’d burn the MP3s to CD and listen to the show (including ads for events in Hermosa Beach, CA) while driving around the streets of Manila!

His book, Tactics: A Gameplan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions, is definitely a must-read for everyday defenders of the faith and I’m happy to keep promoting it. Glad he noticed my mini-review!

Listen to Greg Koukl read part of my article, “8 Great Books that Rocked My World” on the radio.

7. I turned the Accessible Apologetics Workbook into a Classroom-in-a-Book

Before leaving California, I recorded a live version of each of my Accessible Apologetics Workshops at Bridgeway Christian Church in Rocklin.

Now, the Accessible Apologetics Workbook includes a full audio course that you can take with you on your mobile device. Complete the workbook at a coffee shop, on the train, on the beach, or wherever your day takes you. Take my series of 5 church workshops on your own time and go at your own pace.

Look inside the workbook on Amazon.com.

Want to Bring Accessible Apologetics to Your Group?

Let’s talk. Tell me how I can come alongside your group and help Christians defend the faith with confidence. I’d love to hear from you!

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9 Fine DVDs for Children

Looking for a great gift for a kid? This DVD series from Veggie Tales creator Phil Vischer caught my attention when me and my 8-year old saw a clip playing at the Dallas Theological Seminary bookstore. Why? Cause it had a puppet named Buck Denver in it. And I instantly remembered him as the newscaster I saw explaining the cosmological argument to kids many years ago.

In this post, you’ll get a quick overview of the Buck Denver Asks…What’s in the Bible? DVD series—with a special theology and apologetics focus you won’t hear anywhere else.

Buck Denver Asks…What’s In The Bible?

First off, Buck Denver Asks What’s in the Bible? is actually funny! Even the DVD menus made us laugh! And it’s way more than just Bible stories.

There are 9 DVDs in the series (so far), including memorable, age-appropriate theology, church history and apologetics. Every DVD includes 2 half-hour segments and  bonus features. Each show is fast-paced, and even gets kind of snarky in places–another reason my son likes it so much. Oh, and did I mention each DVD also comes with a FREE digital copy?

If you have kids, you know they like to watch their favorite videos over and over again. Any parent will tell you how annoying this can sometimes get. But I actually don’t mind when my kid ends up learning all kinds of church history, theology, and apologetics especially geared for children (Adults are guaranteed to learn stuff, too). Plus, he can now list all the Kings of Judah and books of the Old Testament!

Video Clips: What’s In The Bible?

Next, imagine you were at the DTS bookstore with me and my son when we saw this stuff playing on the TV. Check out these sample clips:

BTW, unlike most of the reviews on this site, I didn’t receive any of these DVDs in exchange for a review. I actually bought a couple of them for my boy at the bookstore and borrowed the rest of the series from the DTS Library. But I’d like to eventually own them all!

Theology and Apologetics for Children

Finally, here’s a quick summary of each DVD in the series, highlighting some of my favorite parts:

What’s in the Bible? Volume One – In the Beginning
Features Genesis. Also covers how we got the Bible, why there are differences in the Protestant and Catholic Bibles, plus some cool church history stuff with Captain Pete’s “A Pirate’s Guide to Church History.” Apologetics topics for children include free will and the problem of evil.

What’s in the Bible? Volume Two – Let My People Go
Features the Exodus. Also asks, “Did the church suppress books of the Bible?” & “Was there really a Moses?”Apologetics content for children includes a discussion of “secret gospels,” like the Gospel of Thomas. Plus, some snarky commentary on the Da Vinci Code from Sunday School Lady.

What’s in the Bible? Volume Three – Wanderin’ In the Desert 
Features Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. But surprise! Phil also talks about science and Christianity, explains what intelligent design is in a way kids can understand–and he even mentions The Language of God by Francis Collins and There Is A God by Anthony Flew!

What’s in the Bible? Volume Four – Battle for the Promised Land 
Features Joshua and Judges. But Phil also talks about the Canaanites and illustrates God’s right to take land from one people group and give it to another. My boy loves the song that goes, “Standing in the way of what God is going to do would be really, really, really, really not-so-good for you!”

What’s in the Bible? Volume Five – Israel Gets a King 
Features 1st & 2nd Samuel. You’ll never forget the story of David after hearing the Fabulous Bentley Brothers on this one. Surprise theology and apologetics focus for children: An explanation of the doctrine of the Trinity that doesn’t use an egg or promote modalism! This is where the Trinity clip above came from.

What’s in the Bible? Volume Six – A Nation Divided
Features 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles. Yes, they do it all in one DVD. The coolest thing in this one is the Fabulous Bentley Brothers ”Kings of Judah” song. I don’t know anyone who can reel these kings off as quickly as my son can. And he learned it all with this!

What’s in the Bible? Volume Seven – Exile and Retrun!
Features Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther. Apologetics content for children: Why we can trust the Bible–even when “Nebuchadnezzar” is spelled two different ways. Plus, the Bentley Brothers make sure you never forget that Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in 52 days!

What’s in the Bible? Volume Eight – Words to Make Us Wise
Features Psalms, Proverbs and the Writings. Super-creative presentations of Job and even the “mushy” Song of Solomon. Bet you’ve never seen a literal interpretation of “Your teeth are like sheep, you’re hair is like a flock of goats” like this!

What’s in the Bible? Volume Nine – God Speaks!
Features Isaiah, Jeremiah and the Prophets—17 books in 1 DVD! Get a bird’s eye view of the Old Testament prophets with a variety of dynamic charts and fun songs. This even taught my boy to recite all the Prophetic Books in order (check out the music video above). Plus a bonus: The Edict of Milan with Captain Pete’s “Pirate’s Guide to Church History.”

Conclusion

When it comes to introducing the Bible, theology and apologetics to children in a way they can understand, this seriously rocks. It’s Bible literacy for a new generation. Whether you’re a parent, grandparent, Sunday School teacher, or just looking for a gift for that Christian kid on your list, check out Buck Denver Asks What’s in the Bible? My kid loves this series. And I do, too!

Note: Purchasing resources via the links on this page will help support my Accessible Apologetics Ministry. Thanks for your support! 

The post DVD Review – What’s In the Bible? Series for Kids appeared first on Apologetics Guy.

Did Jesus Have a Wife?

So your skeptical friend just heard about something called, “The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife.” But unlike the fiction Dan Brown created in the Da Vinci Code, this wasn’t in a movie or a novel. She just caught another sensational segment on the evening news talking about how controversial this new find is. And the media is jumping all over it. But this really isn’t rocking anyone’s world. Especially in the academic community. In fact, Karen L. King, the Harvard Professor who actually presented this at the Tenth International Congress of Coptic Studies said:

…this new discovery does not prove that the historical Jesus was married. This gospel (is)…too late, historically speaking, to provide any evidence as to whether the historical Jesus was married or not

In this post, I’ll share a simple way to respond to this fragment. Because we’ve only got two real options here. But first, here’s what scholars are saying about the fragment itself.

Scholars are Skeptical

I got an e-mail about this from Dr. Dan Wallace as soon as this hit the nightly news.  Later, he expanded on his initial thoughts on his blog, saying:

Does this fragment prove that Jesus was married? The answer is an emphatic no…it says nothing about true history, about Jesus of Nazareth.

He says that if this thing wasn’t faked(which a lot of scholars think it is), one possibility is that it’s a Gnostic source (basically a totally different religion) which meant something other than real marriage here (since they weren’t big into physical stuff being good). Another possibility is that it’s talking about the church as Jesus’ wife, kind of like John does in the book of Revelation. Other scholars like Dr. Darrell Bock (also at DTS) and Dr. Gary Habermas (Liberty University) agree, saying there just isn’t an awful lot of context here to even figure out what the author was trying to say.

How I Answer, “Did Jesus Have a Wife?”

So what can you say to a skeptical friend who asks you, “Did Jesus have a wife?” Seems like I’ve been hearing this question off and on for a while now. Sometimes, it comes in the form of a possibility: “Isn’t it possible that Jesus had a wife?” I usually agree, which sometimes surprises people and grabs their attention. I say, “Sure. Anything’s possible. But the question is, are there any good reasons to believe that the historical Jesus of Nazareth really had a wife?” If you want to be confident in conversations about this fragment, here’s what I suggest.

Get the Facts

Blow past the headlines and get the hard facts. There are a whole bunch of Web sites covering The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife, but this short post on Talbot School of Theology’s The Good Book Blogwill give you the skinny on this fragment (which despite it’s sensationalized name, really isn’t a gospel) that’s basically the size of business card.

Keep it in Perspective

Dr. Darrell Bock was recently quoted by CNN as saying:

“It’s a small text with very little context…It’s a historical curiosity but doesn’t really tell us who Jesus was…It’s one small speck of a text in a mountain of texts about Jesus.“

Indeed, even if this fragment turns out to be real, there are over 5,000 New Testament manuscripts and other ancient sources outside the Bible that talk about Jesus. None of these sources indicate that Jesus ever had a wife. And if you’re really interested in the historical Jesus, you know that the four traditional gospels–Matthew, Mark, Luke and John–were recognized as the most accurate biographies of Jesus by A.D. 125. It’s really theseancient documents that give us the very best picture of Jesus’ life and his teachings.

How History Answers, “Did Jesus Have a Wife?”

So did Jesus have a wife? The best ancient, documentary evidence for the historical Jesus says “no.” As historian Dr. Mike Licona observes:

The most powerful evidence that Jesus was single comes from a deafening silence. In 1 Corinthians 9:5 Paul writes, “Do we [i.e., Paul and Barnabas] not have a right to take along a believing wife, as do the rest of the apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Peter?” It appears that all of Jesus’ disciples, all of his blood brothers, and even the lead apostle, Peter, were married. If Jesus had been married to Mary, we certainly would expect for Paul to have mentioned it here, since it would have provided the ultimate example for his point.

Still, most people who hear about this aren’t going to care about the scholarly stuff. They just want to know if this fragment they saw on the evening news is legit. How soon can we find out if this thing is even real? According to Dr. Bock, if authenticating this fragment was like a football game, you could say we’re still in the second quarter. In other words, we’ve still got a ways to go in terms of studying this thing. Maybe the papyrus is from the 4th century, but we’ve still got to test the ink before scholars are ready to seriously consider it’s authenticity. Stay tuned for the results. I know I will.

A Simple Response You Can Use

Let me share a simple response to The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife. You don’t have to be a historian or a scholar to say this. It’s easy to remember and something you can use today. Tell your skeptical friend that when it comes to this little fragment, we’ve only got two real options here:

• Option 1: It’s a fake fragment that tells us nothing about the historical Jesus.
• Option 2: It’s a real fragment that tells us nothing about the historical Jesus.

As Christians, it’s important that we’re able to honestly look at something like this fragment without it messing with our faith. After all, if it’s fake, no one should care. If it’s a real, 4th century fragment, it could help us learn more about the kinds of things some Egyptian Gnostics were writing in Coptic hundreds of years after any of the actual eyewitnesses of Jesus’ life and teachings.

[UPDATE] “One the most suspicious grammatical errors in the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife appeared to be a direct copy of a typo in the PDF file version of the Interlinear translation (of the Gospel of Thomas)” Read more on this development on MSNBC →

Scholars Discuss The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife

Got about half an hour? Sit in on a discussion I recently attended on responding to The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife and get the details from Dr. Richard Taylor and Dr. Darrell Bock at Dallas Theological Seminary. You’ll even get to recite some Coptic before the end of this video! How many people get a chance to do that? I rarely post full-length videos on my blog. But if you’re read this far, this one will definitely be worth your time.

The post The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife – A Simple Response appeared first on Apologetics Guy.

Defending a Defense of the Faith

Isn’t apologetics just for seminary students, pastors and stuffy professor-types? Somehow, many Christians have gotten the idea that apologetics is just a hobby for Christian intellectuals or people who are into debate.

Maybe you know students at your church who’ve sat though an apologetics presentation going, “This might be great for a bunch of science-types, but this stuff isn’t going to work with my friends in soccer.” Why bother studying apologetics at all? Why even defend the faith?

In this post, I’ll share an easy way to defend a defense of the faith when Christian brothers and sisters wonder why we take this stuff so seriously.

Why Defend the Faith?

Why do the hard work of study and learn to defend the faith? Because Jesus gave people reasons to believe; His disciples gave people reasons to believe; and they even said that other disciples should do the same.

That means me. And if you’re a Christian, that means you. Grab your Bible and check this out:

1. Jesus gave people reasons to believe (Mark 2:1-12; Acts 1:3).
2. Jude told believers to contend for the faith (Jude 3)
3. Luke believed eyewitness testimony and careful history would help Theophilus know with certainty that the things he was taught are true. That’s why he wrote Luke-Acts (Luke 1:1-4).
4. Peter said to always be ready to give a reason for the hope you have in Jesus, but with humility and respect (1 Peter 3:15).
5. Paul was often found explaining and proving that Jesus was the Messiah. Because of this, many Jews and God-fearing Greeks in Thessalonica, for example, were persuaded and followed Jesus (Acts 17:2-4).

Making it Memorable

Ever had trouble remembering the supporting points of an apologetics presentation? Me too.

I’ve taught a number of Communication courses over the years and I’ve discovered something kind of sad: We typically forget 50% of everything we’ve heard—right after someone finishes talking to us. But it gets worse. Because 8 hours later, we’re down to just 20%.

So, what makes up that 20%? It’s the examples; It’s stories, objects, illustrations, and silly little mnemonic devices. These are the kinds of things that tend to stick.

Here’s an example that might help you remember the list of names I just mentioned.

“Jojo Likes Ping Pong”

Last weekend, I told a story at the church in Richardson. Many of the participants were parents, and so I thought of using something that might connect with families, and especially the dads who were there.

I told a little story about my boy, Jojo. Like a lot of kids, he enjoys playing video games on the Wii. One of the games he loves to play is Ping Pong.

All this story did was to recapture the audience’s attention and help me introduce the mnemonic device, “Jojo likes ping pong.” Why? Becasue remembering, “Jojo likes ping pong,” can help you remember the letters, J, J, L, P, P.

This is the kind of thing that helps me remember that:

• Jesus
• Jude
• Luke
• Peter and
• Paul believed in persuading and giving people reasons to believe.

Sometimes, cheesy memory tricks are the most effective. If you don’t like that one, make up something you can easily remember. I actually try to share a mnemonic device, story, object or other illustration along with each major concept I share in my apologetics training sessions.

Apologetics Works

Here’s the point of all this: The Holy Spirit has used believers who reason, persuade, and present evidence to lead people to salvation in Christ.

So why defend the faith? Why give people reasons to believe? Because Jesus gave people reasons to believe; His disciples gave people reasons to believe; and we should do the same.

Learn to Defend the Faith with Confidence

Download a professional recording of my 2012 project with J.P. Moreland, Sean McDowell, Craig Hazen and John Mark Reynolds. This excellent audio resource includes all 5 plenary presentations from the live training event and a digital version of the official conference booklet, including links to recommended books for further study.

Listen to audio from each plenary presentation now →

The post How to Defend a Defense of the Faith (with Scripture) appeared first on Apologetics Guy.

Roadworthy Man

“So, where are you from?” It’s always been tough for me to answer that question. I’m a Filipino-American, born in the Land of Lincoln (Illinois). Grew up among Filipinos, Americans, Australians, Koreans and Brits in the Philippines. Spent time in Maryland and moved to California for college, where I eventually got married, started a family and got my M.A. in Apologetics.

This Apologetics Guy is truly roadworthy. Moving across town or across the ocean isn’t new to my family. In fact, our little boy’s had a new room for each one of his birthdays!

It’s been said that Californians are highly mobile. It’s true. And this Californian is heading to the Lone Star State.

Here’s the big news - I’m moving to Dallas to enter the Master of Theology (Th.M) program at Dallas Theological Seminary—The same program J.P. Moreland entered many years ago.

Apologetics in Texas

I keep hearing that “everything’s bigger in Texas.” What makes Texas big in the world of Christian Apologetics? Stuff like this:

• John Mark Reynolds, Mary Jo Sharp and Holly Ordway are championing a fresh, and dynamic culture of apologetics at Houston Baptist University (HBU).
• Mary Jo Sharp also runs Confident Christianity in Houston.
• Chris Shannon runs Reasonable Faith Chapters in Dallas.
• The Hope Center in Plano is home to Josh McDowell Ministries, Probe Ministries, and The Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts
• Dan Wallace and Darrell Bock teach at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS)

…Which is where I’m going. DTS is on the cutting edge of biblical scholarship and intimately involved in today’s most recent discoveries, like this possible 1st century fragment of the Gospel of Mark.

Dan Wallace says:

Before the discovery of this fragment, the oldest manuscript that had Mark in it was P45, from the early third century (c. AD 200–250). This new fragment would predate that by 100 to 150 years.

…if this Mark fragment is confirmed as from the first century, what a thrill it will be to have a manuscript that is dated within the lifetime of many of the eyewitnesses to Jesus’ resurrection!

My Apologetics Ministry

I’ll be teaching my apologetics classes for William Jessup University online and I plan to continue my speaking and training ministry. Please contact me about bringing accessible apologetics training to your church.

It’s truly exciting to begin my program at Dallas Theological Seminary. And I’m pleased to join the ranks of the Texas Apologists!

Dallas skyline photo above originally uploaded by Drumguy8800. Used by permission under the GNU Free Documentation License. Photo available. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dallas,_Texas_Skyline_2006.jpg

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Questioning Evangelism

Looking for a short read that’s insightful and practical? Check out a very accessible book called Questioning Evangelism by Randy Newman.

I almost put this on the required reading list for my “Practicing Apologetics and Evangelism” class at Western Seminary, but I ended up leaving it off, thinking the course load was already pretty tough. In hindsight, I should have gone ahead and assigned it. Or at least suggested it as a supplement. It’s a very easy read, but it’s got a lot of great questions you can use immediately when talking to your skeptical friends and family members about spiritual things.

Why is it called “Questioning Evangelism?”

The title could be a bit misleading. But I think it’s meant to arouse your curiosity, which is actually one of Randy Newman’s key points in the book.

Newman says, “At times (far too many, I’m afraid), I’ve answered questions with biblically accurate, logically sound, epistemologically watertight answers, only to see questioners shrug their shoulders.” But he isn’t questioning the task of evangelism at all. No, he’s actually talking about using well-thought out questions as part of our evangelistic strategy. This is what’s behind the subtitle, “Engaging People’s Hearts The Way Jesus Did.”

From the back cover:

This questioning style of evangelism is without formulas, without answers to memorize, and you don’t have to have a Ph.D. in theology to use it. If it sounds too simple, don’t worry. It worked for Jesus; it will work for you.

5 Key Principles for Questioning Evangelism

Early on in the book, Newman sets evangelism in the context of 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, focusing on the importance of dialogue, discussion, challenging questions, and well crafted explanations. He talks about 5 key principles.

1. We need to awaken people “lulled into believing the illogical…Rousing them from sleep must happen before we present any gospel content.” For example, he suggests responding to an assertion like, “All religions are the same” with a question like, “Really?” And then begin to draw out the other person by asking something like, “Do you really think your religion is the same as all others?”
2. We need to help people see that some things can’t be true. For example, assertions that are self refuting.
3. We need to help people see that some things can be partially true–And we shouldn’t have a problem conceding that this or that religion might contain some truth. But Newman follows this concession up with, “So?” In other words, he suggests asking, “What follows from that?”
4. We need to help people see that some things might be true (Isn’t it possible that Jesus rose from the dead?”
5. We can know the truth. He suggests responding to assertions with questions like, “Have you read something that sold you on that idea?” or “What’s the strongest case for that?”

Newman spends the rest of the book helping Christians think through tough questions their skeptical friends may ask. He also tackles tough questions Christians may be asking themselves. One of the key things I took away from this book was his encouragement to adopt an attitude of unconditional love. Sincerely saying something like, “I’ll be your friend no matter what” goes a long way in opening your friend up to honest conversations about spiritual things.

Example: The Hypocrisy Question

My favorite chapter explores the question, “Why are there are so many hypocrites in the church?” I’ve been asked this question a lot.

Newman suggests avoiding a straightforward answer. Why? Because this attack is often all about discrediting the church and it’s messangers. Your friend probably doesn’t feel outrage or pain over a lapse in righteous living. According to Newman, the motivation is most likely self-justification.

But if they’re in pain, empathize. If they’re legitimately outraged, join them. Newman suggests a response like, “Oh, that is hypocritical. I don’t blame you for being upset.” “You don’t think hypocrisy is the kind of behavior the Bible really teaches do you?

Newman also suggested the hypocrisy question can lead into a discussion of the good news. He says, “Somehow, people got the idea that Christians claim to be prefect.” He talks about admitting our own hypocrisy as the basis for our need for the cross.

J.P. Moreland says:

“This book is must reading for those who want to learn how to bring apologetics into evangelism in a biblical and relationally sensitive sort of way.”

D.A. Carson says:

“This book reflects both a deep grasp of biblical theology and a penetrating compassion for people. How very much like the Master himself!”

I enjoyed Questioning Evangelism and highly recommend it to every Christian who wants to be a better ambassador of Jesus Christ.

Look inside the book, Questioning Evangelism, on Amazon.

Note: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Purchasing resources through the links on this page will help support my studies and apologetics ministry.

The post Questioning Evangelism by Randy Newman – Book Review appeared first on Apologetics Guy.

I’m On the Road

Greetings from the desert! Today, I’m blogging from a hotel room in Palm Springs, CA.

I just finished doing an all-day apologetics training event at Our Savior’s Church for the Desert Apologetics Network. Dr. Craig Hazen closed up the event and we got a great reception from this group. One of my presentations was on using stories, objects and illustrations to explain your faith.

Let me give you a sample of something I shared about the biblical concept of faith.

In this post, I’ll show you a simple way to contrast the pop culture definition of the word, “faith” with the biblical definition of the word, “faith.” Because they’re actually pretty different.

The Pop Culture Definition of Faith

Ever heard a story about faith that characterized it as a blind leap into the dark? It’s interesting to see how many people say that faith is the opposite of reason.
I’ve heard people say, “If you have all this evidence, how can you have any faith?” Or “I thought faith wasn’t supposed to having anything to do with reason. I thought faith was just this blind leaping into some sort of religious experience.”

That definition really isn’t too far off…if you heard a spiritual guru tell a story about faith on a daytime talk show or something. In a pop culture context, it’s all about taking a blind leap in the dark. But that’s not the Biblical concept of faith. So, what’s the historic Christian definition?

The Historic Christian Definition of Faith

Biblical faith isn’t a “blind faith” that’s opposed to reason, evidence or logic. For example, in 1st Corinthians 15:17, Paul says:

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.

Paul doesn’t encourage a faith that rejects evidence. Instead, he pins the truth of Christianity on a historical event which can be tested for truth by reason and evidence. Paul says that if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, Christianity is a total lie.

So, biblical faith isn’t “blind faith.” Rather, it’s an active trust that’s dependent on a historical event that can be investigated. You can find a Christian definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

So faith isn’t just wishing. It’s having real assurance. What’s that assurance based on? Evidence. Now how does that work?

A Biblical Story About Faith

Think about the exodus account in the Old Testament. God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. And He did it through all these supernatural attacks on the Egyptians, “that they may know that there is a God in Israel.” That’s a phrase used at least 10 times from Exodus 4 through 14.

God didn’t tell the Israelites, “Just have faith.” He gave them some pretty good reasons to take Him seriously. Read Exodus 14:31

And when the Israelites saw the great power the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

So in this story about faith, the evidence actually came first. The faith came later, as a result of seeing this stuff with their own eyes.

Illustrations About Faith

Let me give you an illustration that contrasts the pop culture concept of faith with the historic Christian concept:

A Story About Faith – The Blind Kind

Imagine you really wanted a one of those new iPads. And what if you just wished as hard as you could that a brand new iPad would magically appear at your doorstep? Say one day, you came home fully expecting to use your new iPad. So much so that you even stopped off at Best Buy to pick up a cool case for it. That whole set-up would be kind of like this idea of a “blind leaping” into the dark, right?

Or say your entered a contest on the Internet to win a brand new iPad. You hope you’d win. But you’ve got no assurance there, right? See, blind faith is just a like blowing out your birthday candles and making a wish. Or chucking a coin into a fountain or a wishing well. You’ve got nothing. That’s pretty much the pop culture take on faith.

Another Story About Faith – The Evidence Kind

But now on the other hand, imagine you went online and bought yourself an iPad! Later, you got the confirmation e-mail saying “thanks for your purchase.” Eventually, you get an e-mail from UPS saying I’ve got a package scheduled to be delivered the very next day. The next day, you get an e-mail saying it’s on the truck to your house. You get the tracking number and track
this thing at work until it’s scanned as delivered. Maybe your spouse is home and you get a text saying, “Your iPad is here.”

Now as you’re driving home, if you want to pick up a cool case or something, you’ve got a pretty good idea—a hope that isn’t based on some fairy tale—that you are going to be using your new iPad around dinner time.

And you know this, even though you’re not actually looking at your new iPad just yet.

This is the kind of concept we see when you read a story about faith in the Bible: Evidence, that leads to knowledge, that  gives you an assurance of things you can’t see.

So “blind faith” is like chucking a coin into fountain. But biblical faith is more like tracking a package.

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