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 really only got two real options here. But first, here’s what scholars are saying about the fragment itself.

Scholars are Skeptical FULL POST

Maybe you’ve encountered well-meaning Christians who look down on the practice of providing evidence for Christian truth claims. I used to get that a lot. How should you respond?

Just Point to Jesus

What’s his example look like? Turns out, Jesus provided evidence—reasons to believe—in many different ways. For example, Luke said Jesus “gave many convincing proofs” of his resurrection from the dead (Acts 1:3).

In To Everyone an Answer, Craig Hazen noted:

Jesus demonstrated the truth of His message and his identity over and over again, using nearly every method at his disposal, including miracle, prophecy, godly style of life, authoritative teaching and reasoned argumentation.

Remember the healing of the paralytic in Mark 2? First, Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven.” But then, he actually performed a miracle and healed the man. Why? Because you can’t tell if his forgiving the guy really meant he was forgiven by God. Without the miracle, observers would be left there going, “Well? Did it work? Can anyone else besides God really forgive sins?”

Jesus gave them good reasons to believe he had divine authority to forgive sins–and, by implication, that he was the Messiah. His audience knew the signs of the Messianic era: the blind would see, the deaf would hear, the lame would walk, and the mute would shout (Isaiah 35:5-6). And one of these things just happened right there in front of them. FULL POST

Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally

One Easter, a relative cornered me at a family reunion and wanted to talk about the resurrection of Jesus. Let's just call her my dear Aunt Sally. Some people try to stay away from politics and religion a parties. Not Aunt Sally. :-)

Aunt Sally was Religious Studies major and she started off by telling me that Jesus didn’t come back from the dead in any real sense--that the story of Jesus' resurrection just emerged over decades after the crucifixion. She said that Jewish peasants who missed Jesus and needed a Messiah figure basically made the whole thing up--probably because it helped them feel better emotionally and things like that.

But she said something else, too. She said that it doesn't really matter if the resurrection of Jesus actually happened. After all, can't we draw inspiration from a story even if it’s not true?

In this post, I'll share how you can respond to these two challenges:

1. It doesn't matter if Jesus really rose from the dead
2. The story of the resurrection of Jesus emerged over decades after the crucifixion

Does it really matter if the resurrection of Jesus is a total lie? I'll bet you've heard this kind of question before: "Can't we draw inspiration from a story even if it’s not true?" FULL POST

What is Apologetics?

Many years ago, while I was in the Christian Apologetics program at Biola University, my wife and I attended a family gathering. A relative heard I was in grad school and asked me, “What are you getting your degree in?”

I said, “Um… Apologetics.”

She replied with a chuckle, “I’m SO sorry!”

“It’s not really that bad,” I said, looking kind of confused.

Today, I still get odd responses at family gatherings when this comes up. But even Christians who come to my live apologetics workshops at area churches ask me, “Why does it sound like apologizing?” I get it. Our discipline has a weird name.

In this post, I’ll explain what Christian apologetics is, two general kinds of apologetics and what I like to call “the three essential elements of everyday apologetics.” So what is Christian apologetics?

What Is Apologetics?

An “apologetic” just means a defense. Peter commanded Christians to be ready with answers when people ask about the faith. In 1 Peter 3:15, the word translated as “answer” (in the NIV) is the Greek word, apologia. And that’s why the word apologetics kind of sounds like apologizing. But it’s actually more like what a lawyer does when he or she presents an opening statement or argues a case. FULL POST

Attitude Adjustment

After 9-11: Is Religion Evil?

Is religion evil? A post on CNN's Belief Blog says: "Before 9/11, many atheists kept a low profile. Something changed, though, after 9/11. They got loud... Criticism of all religion, not just fanatical cults, was no longer taboo after 9/11." Indeed. In fact, this weekend, Richard Dawkins will be championing his message in Washington D.C., at a large atheist event called The Reason Rally. And Americans will be asking this question all over again: Is religion really evil?

Is Religion Evil?

This question reminds me of reading Sam Harris' The End of Faith years ago. I remember when he started to get popular by insisting that religion itself is dangerous and evil. Although he's got a lot of fans, it's interesting that a Religion Dispatches article called him "more charismatic than credentialled" as a speaker. In the same article, Harris is quoted as saying, "I’m kind of self-taught in religion...I’ve never studied it formally with anyone." But he's not the only one who's taken the spotlight. FULL POST