One of the most powerful tools in persuasion, irrespective of the credibility of what you are saying, is confidence. Assertions delivered with certainty and rhetorical force can often sound very convincing to an untrained audience. For the uninitiated, confidence is very easily, and subconsciously, taken as a proxy for competence.
On Undesigned Coincidences: A Reply to Dan McClellan Read More »
Careful scholarly critique is often very valuable in helping one to refine and better nuance arguments and discover potential vulnerabilities. In the present case, however, the attempted rebuttals offered by John Nelson illuminate the robustness of the arguments rather than their weaknesses.
On the Historicity of the Feeding of the Five Thousand: A Reply to John Nelson Read More »
An argument for Christianity that seldom receives adequate attention is the conversion of Saul of Tarsus (also known as Paul) on the road to Damascus. There exist three accounts of Paul’s conversion in the book of Acts — in chapters 9, 22, and 26. In this essay, I shall lay out in detail why Paul’s Damascus road conversion constitutes powerful evidence of the truth of Christianity.
The Conversion of Saul of Tarsus, and its Evidential Value (Revised & Expanded) Read More »
The cumulative force of the incidental agreements between Acts and these four epistles strongly supports the conclusion that Acts is high-resolution historical reportage. Taken cumulatively, undesigned coincidences provide powerful evidence for the reliability of Acts as an historical account and confirm that its author, Luke, was well informed, close up to the facts, and habitually scrupulous. This profile comports well with Luke’s own claim to have been Paul’s travelling companion for much of his journeys.
The Book of Acts is High-Resolution Reportage Read More »
An argument for Christianity that seldom receives adequate attention is the Christological Trilemma, most popularly associated with C.S. Lewis, though also developed by other authors preceding him such as G.K. Chesterton. In this essay, I shall give a survey of the Christological Trilemma, while supplying additional nuances to the argument as traditionally formulated.
Liar, Lunatic, or Lord? Reviving C.S. Lewis’ Trilemma Read More »
There is a vast array of evidences, both internal and external, that reveal that the fourth gospel is composed by an individual who is extremely well informed, close up to the facts, and habitually scrupulous. This lays the foundation for multiple lines of argument for the truth of Christianity.
The Evidential Value of John’s Gospel to the Case for Christianity Read More »
Any discussion of the evidence for the resurrection must first ascertain what the original apostolic witnesses claimed and whether those claims are best explained by the resurrection, or by some alternative hypothesis.
The Resurrection of Jesus: The Evidential Contribution of Luke-Acts Read More »
A couple of weeks ago, an episode aired on the skeptical Doubts Aloud podcast, featuring John Nelson and Josh Parikh, in which they offered a critical appraisal of the high-resolution reportage model of the gospels, advocated by myself, Tim and Lydia McGrew, Peter J. Williams, Wesley Huff, and other scholars.
Have John Nelson and Josh Parikh Refuted the Reportage Model? Read More »
Tovia Singer asserts that the gospels were originally written and circulated anonymously and that nowhere in the text do they identify themselves. Moreover, Singer asserts that “These are church traditions — and in fact they are late church traditions, meaning these ascriptions are assigned about a century after the gospels are written” by Irenaeus of Lyons.
Who Wrote the Gospels? Rabbi Tovia Singer Has No Clue! Read More »
Though the alleged discrepancies offered by Rabbi Singer require some investigation to untangle, closer inspection — and more careful reading of the relevant texts — reveals the arguments to be unfounded. The solutions that I have offered to these challenges are not strained or forced harmonizations, but rather are suggested from within the texts themselves.
Are There Colossal Contradictions in the Gospels? A Reply to Rabbi Tovia Singer Read More »