Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts This is part 6 of the Why Christianity class. The Bible is such a strange thing. On the one hand, it looks like a big book, on the other hand, it’s a library of books. It’s loaded with very different kinds of literature from poetry and Read more about 393 Why Christianity 6: The Origin and Authority of the Bible (Jerry Wierwille)[…]

  Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts This is part 5 of the Why Christianity class. How would you go about convincing someone that the resurrection of Jesus actually happened?  Now, what if that person didn’t recognize the scriptures as inspired by God.  How would you go about making a case for Read more about 392 Why Christianity 5: The Resurrection of Jesus Happened (Sean Finnegan)[…]

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts This is part 4 of the Why Christianity class. Is Christianity irrational?  Is believing in God intellectually vacuous?  Jerry Wierwille will address the criticism of skeptics that Christian belief is arrogant, unjustified, and irrational.  Next, he’ll describe the popular secular belief in scientism before exposing its Read more about 391 Why Christianity 4: Believing in God Is Not Stupid (Jerry Wierwille)[…]

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts This is part 3 of the Why Christianity class. How do you know God is real?  What sorts of evidence would you marshal to make a case for God’s existence?  It won’t do to tell skeptics you believe in God because you’ve always believed in him, Read more about 390 Why Christianity 3: God Is Real (Sean Finnegan)[…]

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts This is part 1 of the Why Christianity class. In a culture where biblical Christianity is falling more and more out of fashion, it’s increasingly important to have confidence in your faith. Today we are beginning a class called Why Christianity, in which we will lay Read more about 388 Why Christianity 1: Introduction (Jerry Wierwille)[…]

This is now our last episode in this 24 part class on How We Got the Bible.  Today after a quick review and an appeal to learn the biblical languages, I’ll recommend a number of Bible translations.  Although I’m hesitant to do this, so many have written in asking for it that I would be Read more about 353 Bible 24 – Recommended Bible Translations (Which Bible Is Best?)[…]

This is our fifth and final example of bias in translation. After this episode, we’ll have one more to conclude our class on How We Got the Bible.  Today our focus is God’s spirit.  Should it have an uppercase ‘S’ or a lowercase ‘s?’  Should pronouns referring back to spirit be masculine (like “he”) or Read more about 352 Bible 23 – Spirit Who or Spirit Which? (Translating the Holy Spirit)[…]

Did Jesus claim to be “The Great I AM” in John 8.58?  If not, what was he saying?  In this episode we examine the alleged parallel passage in Exodus where God reveals his name to Moses at the burning bush.  Next, we’ll explore texts with the same Greek construction that Jesus used in an effort Read more about 351 Bible 22 – Did Jesus Claim to Be the I AM? (Translating John 8.58)[…]

Colossians 1.15 presents an interesting test case to examine translation bias.  Well-meaning Bible students have taken this text in at least three different ways.  However, some translators, motivated by a fear that readers might see Christ as a member of creation, have increasingly pushed for translating this text so that it says Christ is superior Read more about 350 Bible 21 – Firstborn Of or Firstborn Over? (Translating Colossians 1.15)[…]

How should translators render the word προκσυνέω (proskuneo) into English?  Since this word has a range of meanings from bowing as a sign of respect to worshiping God, translators sometimes decide what English words to use based more on their theological presuppositions than the grammar or textual context.  For example, some translations (mostly those done Read more about 349 Bible 20 – Bow or Worship? (Translating Proskuneo)[…]