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What is theology and what does it have to do with my everyday life? Why does it matter? What does the Bible say? Why can’t I just love Jesus and go to church and leave theology to the intellectual people who are in to that sort of thing?
So what is the real story of Christmas? What’s the truth behind all the traditions? Here is a GREAT resource for the whole family–Why Do We Call It Christmas? We loved What’s in the Bible with Buck Denver (9 DVD’s on the Old Testament) and this is great as well. As someone who has been to grad school and studied these issues, its refreshing to see a series that does not sacrifice either theological depth or creativity. Kids can handle a lot more than we usually give them! This series has wonderful characters and communicates a level of biblical understanding that many adults will benefit from as well (our 5 and 7 year olds really like it). Clive and Ian are our personal favorites…enjoy!
If you or your children have ever wondered how Christmas has become the holiday we celebrate today, our DVD Buck Denver asks…Why Do We Call It Christmas? is perfect for you! Join intrepid newsman Buck Denver and his friends as they ask and answer big questions about Christmas.
***NEW from Jonathan Morrow – Questioning the Bible: 11 Major Challenges to the Bible’s Authority – Go deeper on this topic, explore other objections, and increase your confidence in the Bible***
Were the books of the New Testament selected by Emperor Constantine for social and political reasons in the 4th century (cf. the claims of Dan Brown via The Da Vinci Code) or were the books included in the New Testament Canon because they fit with the authoritative teaching that can be traced back to Jesus himself? Was this simply a power play? Another example of history being written by the winners?
I think the best way to come at this is by asking which of these documents tells us the truth about ‘the faith’ that was preached and received in the earliest communities of Christ-followers (cf. Jude 3). This is a (more…)
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The other night I had the opportunity to speak at MTSU to some great college students on the question Is Jesus the Only Way to God? In the Q & A time afterwards, this question came up and what follows is the biblical framework I shared with them. Any distinctively Christian answer to this challenging question must account for (at least) the following passages / revealed truths as we reason from the scriptures.
- God is compassionate and just (Gen. 18:25; Deut. 32:4; Pss. 7:9; 85:11; 89:14; 145:8–9; Rev. 16:7).
- All are sinners in need of a savior (Rom. 3:10–18, 23; 5:12–21; 6:23; Eph. 2:1–3).
- Jesus Christ is the only means of salvation (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Tim. 2:5; 4:10; 1 John 2:2) and the only way to God.
- Since the time following the resurrection of Jesus, no one can be saved apart from the knowledge of Christ (Acts 16:31; Rom. 10:14; Acts 17:30-31).
- God genuinely desires all to be saved (Ezek. 18:23; John 3:16; 1 Tim. 2:3–6; 2 Peter 3:9).
- God has revealed Himself to the whole world both in creation (Ps. 19:1–2; Acts 14:15–17; Rom. 1:19–20) and human conscience (Eccl. 3:11; Rom. 2:14–16), so that people are without excuse.
- God’s Spirit is at work convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8–11).
- Christians are commanded to take the gospel to the whole world (Matt. 28:19–20; Acts 1:8).
- God has providentially arranged the world so that people might seek Him and everyone who seeks Him will find Him (Acts 17:24–28 cf. Heb. 11:6; Jer. 29:13; Acts 10:35).
- There will be people from every tribe, tongue, and nation in heaven (Rev. 7:9).
- The awful reality of hell indicates that not everyone is saved in the end (Matt. 10:28; 25:31–46; 2 Thess. 1:7–9).
- There is not a second chance after death to accept the Gospel (Heb. 9:27).
It Is Crucial to Remember:
First, people are Judged for their sins—not what they don’t know. The Bible clearly teaches that people are judged for their willful sins (Rev. 20:12–15; cf. Isa. 64:6–7; Matt. 5:48; 12:36; 2 Tim. 4:14; James 2:10–11) according to the standard of revelation they have received (Rom. 2:4–16; James 4:17). They are not condemned because a missionary never made it to them and they never heard the name of Jesus.
Second, they are already condemned and actively choosing life away from God (though this will look differently for all of us). Humanity’s universal problem is that we suppress the truth available to everyone that God exists (cf. Rom. 1), mute our conscience and fail to live up to even our own standards (Rom. 2), and ultimately want to go our own way (Rom. 3).
Finally, God has many ways to get the message of the Gospel to those who seek him–(through missionaries, dreams, visions, radio, Bibles, internet, TV, tracts etc.).
At the end of the day, God doesn’t specifically answer this question to our (emotional) satisfaction in the Bible. We are left with some mystery when it comes to saying exactly how God will work out His plan of salvation among the nations. Therefore we trust ultimately in His goodness and justice. Will not the judge of the earth do right?
*Thoughtful, Bible believing Christians approach this question in different ways in light of the passages mentioned above, but I have found William Lane Craig’s approach to this question to be helpful (click here to listen)
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As humans, we were designed to act on knowledge in everyday life. If you and I don’t think the Bible and other sources of knowledge about God, morality, and the spiritual life are possible, and we are not growing in this knowledge, then following Jesus in everyday life will be next to impossible because we always default to what we know. Moreover, there appears to be no good reason to exclude the knowledge claims of Christianity simply because they are “religious.” If they do not hold up to scrutiny, that is one thing.
But Christianity, which is rooted in history, makes many claims, some of which are empirically testable while others are testable by nonempirical means. The crucial point is that Christianity rises to the level of being either true or false, and it can be known to be true or false (cf. Luke 1:1 – 4). If Christianity is relegated to the realm of fairy tales, which may provide personal significance or meaning but not knowledge, then people will continue not taking the claims of Jesus or the Christian worldview seriously. If, however, people are invited to consider the claims of Christianity as a knowledge tradition, then chances are good that they may come to know the living God and live life according to the knowledge provided in his Word.