Because it always appears with a table of contents
…and a cover
…I forget the Bible isn’t one book.
It’s lots of little, independent books.
Making fantastic claims.
Crazy stuff like, “Jesus rose from the dead.”
Outrageous!
If I found an ancient story about a man rising from the grave,
I’d dismiss it as folklore.
If I found the same story independently written by another author,
…I’d start to get suspicious.
A third identical story from yet another independent author and
…it’s time to consider the possibility that the claim is true.
What do I do with FOUR stories all making the same claim?
Well, if I’m a modern skeptic
…I throw the four stories out.
Because they all appear together in the Bible.
…and I’ve forgotten that the Bible isn’t a single document.
It’s like finding the resurrection story in
- The New York Times
- Washington Post
- Wall Street Journal
- your local newspaper
…and dismissing it as religious propaganda.
Then telling us Christian folks we’re gullible.
I’m happy to hear other explanations for the four Gospel accounts.
I’ve done a lot of research already
but I’m sure I haven’t thought of everything.
Should you have historically verified proof that refutes the resurrection
…and demonstrates that Jesus wasn’t who He claimed to be
…and that the Gospels are fiction
…please share your good news!
7 Responses
My first response to YOUR response…I think I am going to enjoy this very much. I am older than he, but in a very short period of time, I have come to relate to, admire and actually idolize (a word, I know, that we must all use carefully) John with his skill, humor and now his message. I am pledging to meet him some day through his comedy seminar. I am a freelance writer currently creating a memoir with a good bit of humor sprinkled throughout, and I would love to latch on to some of John’s ingenuity. Maybe I’ll write a chapter in Shakespearean/Old English metre, and dedicate it to John. Belated Christmas wishes (here in Ukraine, Jesus took a couple of additional weeks to join us, January 7th. Poor Mary! Don’t the scholars actually point to BC 4-8?) Oh yeah, and a joyous 2021. (Please God!)
John, I am a full-blooded Jew, Bar Mitzvah and all, and in 1985 my Southern Baptist wife convinced me to explore Christ. I did it with such fervor, that I left my flourishing dental practice and enrolled in Pat Robertson’s Regent University to join their Biblical Studies Post-Graduate program. I excelled, but so did Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker, Kenneth Copeland, and a host of other televangelists. Then my wife joined a movement that dealt with “generational sin”, and there went my marriage, and my Christian belief system. I may have attended services a dozen times (including Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur), in the past 30 years. I tell you all this only to drive home one point: If YOU had been my Pastor, I would still be there. I love you, John, and all this started due to a “sermon” concerning 3 Little Peccaries (as you so cleverly termed them).
Dr Steve Solomon
Dear Dr. Solomon,
I treasure your pain that many of us have experienced, the betrayal and sins of those who call themselves Christian, yet are not sinless, like the Lord. Unfortunately, we’re all human, in a very fallen world, and we have an unseen adversary that seeks to destroy our souls, and other people’s salvations.
C.S. Lewis book “The Screwtape Letters” describes this in an engaging way:
The Screwtape Letters Trailer 2017:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea5uuur14dA
Please don’t let the horrific failures by others sully your relationship with the Messiah, deter you, and take your eyes off of Christ:
Keeping Our Eyes on Jesus | Matthew 14:22-32
https://www.thenivbible.com/blog/keeping-our-eyes-on-jesus/
A very good person I enjoy listening to, a Messianic Jew, might be helpful for you, to lift you up and help you regain your footing:
Rabbi Schneider “Discovering the Jewish Jesus”
YouTube:
How Judaism and Christianity Separated:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGwsOIbmzUM
With love,
A fan of the 3 Peccaries
You can remove this repeat, Amanda. I apologize, I didn’t realize the reply above was awaiting moderation, and thought it didn’t “take” from my mobile device, so I signed into the membership area and posted. Dummy me… ❤️
I’m not sure why it went to moderation in the first place! 🤔
Probably the extra links.
I’m also not sure how to remove duplicate comments, from my phone. 😆 I’ll try to sit down at my laptop later and get some work done.
Excellently expressed!
John
I enjoyed your smoking hamsters line – I’ve stolen it already.
My old friend Tim Dunwoody and I were gospel comedy performers here in Northern Ireland back in the 80s. It’s good to see it’s still happening somewhere. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and like many fruit products it’s best when you spread it on thick.
Your chum,
Mark McCluney