Author Archives: Craig Dunkley

12.25.14
by

Merry Christmas! Unto Us, a Savior Is Born…

The Adoration of the Shepherds, Gerard von Honthorst, December 25, 1622

The Adoration of the Shepherds, Gerard von Honthorst, December 25, 1622

The Gospel According to Luke: 2, 4-20 (New King James Version):

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

12.02.14
by

Bonus Myth: Jesus Was Married With Children!

Ossuary_of_Judah_son_of_Jesus

Ossuary from the tomb at Talpiot, near Jersualem. It allegedly contained the bones of Jesus’ son. The find has been thoroughly discredited.

Sometimes, great stuff just falls in your lap.  Currently, we are in the middle of our “10 Lies” series, in which we take on 10 anti-Christian lies that seem to get repeatedly foisted on unsuspecting people.  Recently, I was reminded of another one, thanks to a friend on Facebook.  So, our “10 Lies” series is getting better because, in the words of Spinal Tap’s Nigel Tufnel, it now goes “up to 11.” Continue reading →

11.22.14
by

Was Jesus an Illiterate Peasant?

Potsherd

A potsherd, or pottery shard, containing a written message in Hebrew. Potsherds with writing are also called ostracons.

Another argument, popular with anti-Christian authors, is that Jesus was very likely an illiterate peasant.  If Jesus was illiterate, they assert, then the New Testament accounts of him referring to scripture and generally stumping the Jewish Pharisees in debates are suspect, and not to be trusted.  This argument is most recently articulated by Reza Aslan in his book, Zealot:  The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth.

Aslan argues that the vast majority of people in Jesus’ world—about 98%–were illiterate.  In his mind, so was Jesus.  When one digs below the surface, however, it becomes evident that Aslan is likely mistaken. Continue reading →

11.05.14
by

About That Error-Filled New Testament…

Codex_Sinaiticus_open_full

The Codex Sinaiticus, a handwritten Greek manuscript written in the middle of the fourth century. It is the earliest existing complete copy of the New Testament.

“Don’t you know that the New Testament is full of errors?  Over the years, scribes made copy after copy, and introduced so many alterations, errors, and variations that today we can’t even be sure what the original texts said!  In fact, scholars have shown that the surviving manuscripts have around 400,000 variations.  That’s a horrible number, especially considering that the entire New Testament only has about 138,000 words!” Continue reading →

10.29.14
by

The Truth About Jesus’ Burial

800px-Sisto_Badalocchio_001

One assertion made by anti-Christian authors, such as Bart Ehrman in his recent book, How Jesus Became God, is that Jesus was never buried in a tomb.  Contrary to gospel accounts, they say, the Roman authorities did not allow executed criminals to be buried.  Instead, Jesus would have been left hanging on the cross to become carrion for birds and dogs.  There was no “empty tomb” from which the resurrected Jesus could have emerged because, simply put, there was no tomb. Continue reading →

10.20.14
by

Lies They’ll Tell You

512px-Fingers_Crossed (2)

We should all be grateful for thoughtful criticism of the New Testament because it forces us to truly study the texts, think about their origins, assess their accuracy, and understand their historical backdrop.  In recent years, however, various anti-Christian professors and authors (Richard Dawkins, Bart Ehrman, and the late Christopher Hitchens are just three examples) have written books attempting to tear down the Christian faith and cast doubt on the New Testament’s validity. Continue reading →

10.06.14
by

Six Facts About Jesus – Part III

6 Facts IIIIn The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus, Gary R. Habermas, Ph.D. and Michael R. Licona, Ph.D. lay out five facts about Jesus that are basically beyond dispute.  These facts are nearly universally accepted by scholars, both Christian and skeptic.  To those facts, I have added one of my own (#1 below).  These facts are strongly attested historically, and they do not rely on the Bible being divinely inspired or even reliable to be accepted: Continue reading →

09.29.14
by

Six Facts About Jesus – Part II

6 Factss IIIn The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus, Gary R. Habermas, Ph.D. and Michael R. Licona, Ph.D. lay out five facts about Jesus that are basically beyond dispute.

These facts are nearly universally accepted by scholars, both Christian and skeptic.  To those facts, I have added one of my own (#1 below).  These facts are strongly attested historically, and they do not rely on the Bible being divinely inspired or even reliable to be accepted: Continue reading →

09.23.14
by

Six Facts About Jesus – Part I

6 Facts I

In a book that I highly recommend, The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus, Gary R. Habermas, Ph.D. and Michael R. Licona, Ph.D. lay out five facts about Jesus that are basically beyond dispute.  These facts are nearly universally accepted by scholars, both Christian and skeptic.  They are strongly attested historically, and they do not rely on the Bible being divinely inspired or even reliable to be accepted.  Let’s take a look at those five facts, and while we’re at it, I’ll add one of my own: Continue reading →

09.13.14
by

Do Greek Gospels Mean Weak Gospels?

376px-The_Evangelist_Matthew_Inspired_by_an_Angel (2)In a recent post, we explored the origins of the gospels.  These books outlining Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection, were written relatively soon after his crucifixion and, evidence indicates, are basically first- and second-hand accounts.  The gospels of Matthew and John were written by two of Jesus’ original disciples, at least according to tradition and to early church historians.

Recently, while on a trip across the country, I was reading a book that repeated a common argument against the gospels being eyewitness accounts.  Continue reading →