In Leviticus 16 we read of the scapegoat ritual, where the sins of the people are transferred onto an animal and it is sent away. The biblical ritual has parallels in ancient Eblaite, Hittite, Ugaritic, and Neo-Assyrian rituals and include bulls, mice, frogs, and more.
Too often, the Holy Spirit is all but ignored by modern Christians. The Father and the Son seem to get all of our attention, but the Spirit isn't a spiritual afterthought. What is His role in the life of a follower of Jesus?
Michael J. Kruger points to the underlying truth of biblical eschatology: that evil exists, and that it is a problem that God will ultimately solve. We believe that good things will happen but, better, that sad things will become untrue.
This article won't keep you from stumbling over the names of Old Testament people and places in your Sunday School class. It will, however, help you understand the variety in the linguistic history of written Hebrew.
Undesigned coincidences happen when one account of an event fills in a bit of information that another, separate account leaves out. Recently, these have provided support for the truth of the gospel accounts. Here's an older list of several apparent coincidences.
In Judges 4 and 5 we read about a battle Israelite prophet Deborah led an army of 10,000 against Sisera’s iron chariots and much larger army. The Israelites defeated the Canaanites, and Sisera was killed in his sleep by Jael, who drove a tent peg through his head. The evidence appears to be strong.
Sean McDowell talks with Robert Bowman of the Institute for Religious Research about his book, Jesus' Resurrection and Joseph's Visions: Examining the Foundations of Christianity and Mormonism. In the book, Bowman compares the historical evidence for Jesus' resurrection and Joseph Smith's first vision.
Oh, I’ve never been left alone in any problem that I’ve known, even though I’m to blame. There were times when things were dark and I’ve been known to miss the mark, but someone fixed my aim. From the album Bloom.
Both Christians and skeptics alike are interested in extra-biblical evidence for accounts found in Scripture. Of particular interest are bits of evidence for the life and death of Jesus. Here we see how the Pilate Stone and the Alexamenos Graffito add credibility to the events.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke record a three-hour period of darkness 'over the whole land' during Jesus' crucifixion. Do we have evidence that this actually occurred? Thallus, Phlegon, and Africanus wrote about the event. Read the details.
Most of us know someone who used to go to church, but then gave up and stayed home. Here are some of their reasons, gathered over 20 years. Note that most have no connection to whether Christianity is true.
Christianity is a belief system based on information: that Jesus is God in the flesh, come to reconcile us to Himself. However, following Jesus is about more than information. "We can only possess what we experience. The facts of theology can be altogether cold... though true in every way, they alone can't change me."
