When we examine ancient history in an attempt to understand the nature of Jesus, we discover there are three separate witness accounts we have to consider. First, of course, are the eyewitness accounts of the New Testament writers. But in addition to these, there are hostile gentile eyewitness accounts of …
Read More »Search Results for: reliable
Is the Account of Joseph Smith’s First Vision Reliable?
When I first began to examine the case for Christianity, my Mormon family encouraged me to examine Mormonism as well. Both systems make claims about history and are dependent on the reliability of witnesses. As a result, the veracity of either worldview depends entirely on the authority of its sources. …
Read More »Has the Message of the Bible Changed?
The Bible is foundational to Christian belief. While many things can be known about God from examining the natural world around us, or using reason, there are some things about God which we need Him to reveal to us directly. The Bible is that direct revelation. God explains things about …
Read More »Resources to Help You Defend the Historicity of Jesus
Skepticism related to Jesus of Nazareth generally takes one of two forms: those who don’t even believe He ever existed, and those who acknowledge Jesus as an historical figure but deny He is God. In a prior post I assembled all the articles here at ColdCaseChristianity.com defending the Deity of …
Read More »Can We Trust the Bible If We Can’t Confirm Every Detail?
Most of the time when a police officer responds to a call from a citizen, the crime is already over and the suspect is long gone. In these cases, the officer is in “documentation mode.” It’s our job to record the evidence and witness statements so that further investigation can …
Read More »Why Are There So Many Gospel “Contradictions”?
I find it interesting that there are four Gospels, four stories of the life of Jesus, instead of a single account. Three of these Gospels, Matthew, Mark (writing for Peter), and John come from people who said they were eyewitnesses to the events and actually knew Jesus personally. The fourth, …
Read More »How the Burden of Proof Can Shape Our Interaction
If you’ve ever been in a criminal trial, or seen one dramatized in a movie or TV show, you are doubtlessly familiar with the reading of the verdict at the culmination of the trial. After careful consideration of the evidence in the case, the jury will decide on a verdict: …
Read More »Investigating the Evidence for Mormonism In Six Steps
I became a Christian at the same time I became a “Not Mormon”. By taking an investigative approach to the Christian and Mormon scripture (as I’ve described in Cold-Case Christianity), I was able to verify the truth claims of Christianity, even as I falsified the truth claims of Mormonism. This …
Read More »Why You’ll Have to Modify Whichever “Apologetics” Curriculum You Choose
I get one question in the mail more than any other: “Jim, I’m leading a (men’s group / women’s group / youth group) at my church and I want to teach apologetics. What curriculum should I use?” That question was the impetus for the creation of three lines of adult …
Read More »How Ancient Flood Stories Support the Biblical Account (Video)
Are there any extra-biblical reasons to believe a devastating flood occurred as Moses described in the Old Testament? In this clip from a message given at Pacific Coast Church, J. Warner examines the Old Testament flood account to see if the ancient record of events is reliable. To see more …
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