In Defense of the Christian Faith

In reading the Gospels I have become increasingly fascinated with the names, places, dates, and history of the world surrounding Jesus. While I am by no means a historian or a scholar, for Christmas this year I wanted to put forth some interesting facts (a dissecting of the Gospel accounts) surrounding the birth of Christ. Luke's Gospel is the best place to start for he says that, "having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first," he is writing "an orderly account." That is, Luke was painstakingly accurate -- down to the most minute detail, as one scholar says. Adam Clark's Commentary says this of Luke's accuracy: Having accurately traced up-entered into the very spirit of the work, and examined every thing to the bottom; in consequence of which investigation, I am completely convinced of the truth of the whole. Though God gives his Holy Spirit to all them who ask him, yet this gift was never designed to set aside the use of tho...

I was first introduced to The Truth Project's new series "True U" when I saw "The Toughest Test in College" documentary -- the first in the series. Needless to say, I was very impressed. This second installment --   Is The Bible Reliable?   -- was no less disappointing. In classroom setting, Dr. Stephen Meyer confidently teaches students why we can trust that our Bible is reliable.   The synopsis of  Is The Bible Reliable?  is as follows: Who is God, and how can we know Him? The Bible claims to be the direct revelation of our Creator. So if the biblical record is true, it is a primary means by which the God of the universe has revealed Himself to mankind. However, if it can be proved false, then the God of whom it speaks is simply one more pretender in the assembly of gods that man has created.  In  Is The Bible Reliable?  Dr. Stephen Meyer challenges you to examine the historical and archaeological evidence to determine for yourself the ver...

Here are the DCF blog's top 10 posts of all time (from May 2010 - January 2011) in order of most popular to least popular. Beside each, I have provided a description of the contents. I am aware that a few of these were mentioned in my last post, but those were my favorites; these are YOUR favorites... Enjoy! ----------- 1) Inspiring Story: Dr. Kent Hovind - This is an essay on the Godly character of young-earth-creationist Dr.Kent Hovind. I'm not surprised at all that this made it to the top, since this post generated a lot of comments and traffic (845 searches for "Kent Hovind update," and 44 searches for "Kent Hovind Update 2010"; 914 total pageviews)! I'm grateful to each person who took the time to write a comment in support of Dr. Hovind. 2) Did Pontius Pilate actually exist? - In this post, learn about a remarkable archeaological find that proves that Pontius Pilate exists, lending support to even the small details in the Bible. 3)  Kent H...

Recently, there has been a controversy over the atheists and Christians concerning billboards ; it's a game of sorts, it seems. Well, whether you all believe in the Christmas story or not, I do. And I fully believe in why He came -- not just that He came, but why He did. He came to redeem us, to pay a debt that we could never pay on our own! That is the Good News of the Gospel  -- that is the true Christmas message: Jesus didn't stay a baby in a cradle (as some Christians seem to think or want to believe); He died on the cross for our sins and rose again for our justification! Here is a video describing something that not too many people are familiar with: What happened at the crucifixion during the earthquake? In this video, Jim Pinkoski of ArkDiscovery.com explains a model based on the findings of the late archeologist Ron Wyatt. (I will have more on this soon.) Merry Christmas ! Don't forget to join me Christmas weekend for a special Inspiring Story (And who knows...

Did the title grab your attention? Good! ;) This is hot off the presses! Two days ago, the Associated press released a news article on the earliest paintings of Paul, Andrew, John and Peter! The press reports that these were found in the catacombs in Rome by laser technology! ROME (AP) -- Twenty-first century laser technology has opened a window into the early days of the Catholic Church, guiding researchers through the dank, musty catacombs beneath Rome to a startling find: the first known icons of the apostles Peter and Paul. Vatican officials unveiled the paintings Tuesday, discovered along with the earliest known images of the apostles John and Andrew in an underground burial chamber beneath an office building on a busy street in a working-class Rome neighborhood. The images, which date from the second half of the 4th century, were uncovered using a new laser technique that allows restorers to burn off centuries of thick white calcium carbonate deposits without damaging the b...

Just received this in my email box today from Biblical Archaeology Review and thought it was worth sharing... "Will you join BAS this September to explore some of the most significant Biblical sites in the world in Turkey? After Israel, Turkey has more Biblical sites than any other land. This beautiful country is essential in understanding the context of the New Testament, as approximately two-thirds of its books were written either to or from churches in Turkey. The three major apostles--Peter, Paul and John--either ministered or lived in Turkey. Time is running out - Sign up for this extraordinary learning adventure now . Call the Travel/Study department 1-800-221-4644 ext.208 to register today. With Dr. Mark Wilson as your expert scholar-guide, follow in the footsteps of Paul at these sites: - The harbor that Paul and Barnabus departed from in Kaleiçi - Perga, the city that Paul visited during his first journey - The harbor of Andriake, where Paul changed ships on his way ...

Okay, so I promised Rebecca that I would post about archeaology... sooo, for now, I have a bunch of free e-books to tell you all about! Biblical Archeology Review has free e-books!!!!! The one that caught my attention was " Israel: An Archeaological Review ." The book is described as follows: "illuminates this most sacred of destinations using recent archaeological research. As the point where three of the world’s major religions converge, Israel’s history is one of the richest and most complex in the world. This free collection of articles, written by scholars who have first-hand knowledge of their subjects, sifts through the archaeology and history of this ancient land, and presents a view of these Biblically-significant sites through an archaeologist’s lens." But that is not all -- BAR is offering a whole slew of other free e-books, such as " Easter: Exploring the Resurrection of Jesus ," " The Burial of Jesus ," and " The Dead Sea Sc...

It's been a while since I've read Lee Strobel's The Case for Christ , although I keep it for a reference source. Here is an amazing quote by Dr. Norman L. Geisler on archeaology... I'm planning to write more on this topic in the future, so here's a little piece to wet your appetite: There have been thousands-not hundreds-of archeological finds in the Middle East that support the picture presented in the biblical record. There was a discovery not long ago confirming King David. The patriarchs-the narratives about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob-were once considered legendary, but as more has become known these stories are increasingly corroborated. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was thought to be mythological until evidence was uncovered that all five of the cities mentioned in Genesis were, in fact, situated just as the Old Testament said. As far as their destruction goes, archaeologist Clifford Wilson said there is ‘permanent evidence of the great conflagration ...

Many have argued over the interpretation of Genesis 8:4 - 5 which reads: "And the Ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen." The main argument used is based upon tradition -- the Ark landed on Mount Ararat. However, the Scriptures give it the plural "mountains of Ararat." The Greek actually denotes the whole mountainous region of Turkey, so the Ark could have landed on any one of the mountains. So when an areal view of a boat-shaped object in the mountains of Turkey appeared in Life Magazine , an amateur archaeologist named Ron Wyatt became intrigued, and decided to investigate. What he found is absolutely amazing! There have been many who have tried to downplay his research, so I thought it would be interesting to let the readers decide for themselves...