How did the Bible come together and how much trust can we put in it?
Question:
How did the Bible come together and how much trust can we put in it?
Answer:
1. Please click here to view a post on the topic of how we can trust the Bible to be the Word of God (“Validity of the Bible”). It contains slides, a hand out, and a audio/video recording of a workshop I conducted on this topic.
Why perpetuate the foolish creation vs. evolution debate?
Question:
Why perpetuate the foolish creation vs. evolution debate? There is no debate. Science has proven Evolution true. Though scientifically inaccurate, the Bible’s truths should not be distorted to try and address science, the Hebrews (and Christians after them, I’m afraid) being rather poor scientists, even by Ancient Greek standards. “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” Listen to Jesus and pay attention to his life. Jesus is constantly revising the Old Testament, the received text of his day, making adjustments heralding his remarkable Kingdom of Heaven.
The Bible (Old and New Testaments, btw) is composed of paper with words written down by fallible men. God is perfect and NOTHING else is in the universe. God is NOT paper. Jesus already made all this very clear. The Pharisees clung to the old paper. What do you cling to?
Answer:
Hi ,
Thank you for visiting my site and contributing your thoughts. Let me address your viewpoints one by one.
“Why perpetuate the foolish “Creation vs. Evolution debate”? There is no debate. Science has proven Evolution true.”
I would submit that this is not a foolish debate because its implications are real and significant. The linkage between our origins and thus the concepts of a Creator and our identity definitely hinge on this evolutionary debate. Your assertion that there is no debate and that evolutionism has been proven true is also unfounded as creationism and evolutionism are both…
An Atheist Walking
Question: I found this on youtube, it is entitled “‘atheist walking’ [see below] and discussing the bible, Jesus and god with believers. The atheist challenges the Christians to provide him with evidence of god. The atheist uses scientific data and science as the basis for his beliefs and “faith”. This is a spontaneous continuous video clip (no edits, cuts or scripts). The atheist’s experiences, research and education seems to have prepared him well for this exchange which happened in may 2004. [Can you please comment on this?]”
Answer: When someone first watches a video like this they can be taken aback. The claims seem to have credibility and seem damaging. It is important, as at anytime claims are made, to pause and dissect each point that is made. Below is a concise (by no means comprehensive) summary of the dialogue and points made in the video. I would encourage you to review each one of these arguments/points and examine them one by one by the weight of the evidence and what it says. Below in brackets are some of my thoughts on each point made by the man in the video and can serve as a starting point to understanding the veracity of his statements.
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Dead Sea Scrolls
Today, I had the pleasure of being able to go down, with a group of people from a house fellowship I attend, to the ROM to witness the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit. Rev. Tony Costa was our guide and was great in providing us context to understand what we saw. I am not a huge fan of museums as I tend to need to engage in what I learn but the effect of the texts and the finds was a truly great experience. Looking at the parchment and papyri and realizing the meaning behind the dating of these documents (however inexact) and the message that they communicate about the accuracy of the Bible as we have it today is astounding. To see texts written from the collection of Dead Sea Scrolls covering 100 BC to 100 AD serves as a reminder of the weight of the evidence we have in favour of biblical writings.
I encourage you all to take the time to go down and visit the ROM between now and when the exhibit closes. The exhibit runs from June 27 2009 to January 3 2010.
In order to really get the most out of the exhibit, I would suggest that you read about the various scrolls beforehand to understand the context of it all. Although this is not a requirement as the ROM has done a nice job of organizing the information and communicating key facts and translations. To share a bit of background…
How to Interpret the Bible for All It’s Worth.
Key verse(s)/quote(s):
“He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” - Deuteronomy 8:3
“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.” - Proverbs 30:5-6
Key takeaway(s):
- Intimate knowledge of the Bible is of utmost importance
- It is important to understand how the Bible was written and the context in order to accurately extract the true meaning
- Identifying your learning style and matching it to different types of Bible study can enhance your success in interfacing with God’s Word
Overview:
I have so often heard people asking the below questions:
- How can I study the Bible on my own?
- How can I go beyond doing quiet time devotionals and do some personal in-depth study of His Word?
- What are the tools that I can use to study the Bible?
And perhaps the most significant question that may seem unrelated is “What is God’s will for my life?”. Although this is a broader issue, that I shall address in a future post, I’d have to state it is intrinsically connected to why someone should be motivated to study from God’s Word.
If someone asks me the…
