Although it may be true that the Bible has come down to us intact, this means little if what the apostles and prophets wrote was wrong. In this chapter the Bible is compared to the findings of archaeology and, after discussing the problems with such comparisons, we see that there is a great deal of support.
| FOUR | Science vs. Religion? |
Perhaps nothing has challenged faith more than the discoveries of modern science. Are science and religion locked in mortal combat? What is the proper relationship between them? Can they exist together or must you choose to believe one or the other? While some conflict is inevitable, this in no way threatens the validity of either religion or science.
| FIVE | Science and the Bible |
Having shown that science and religion need not be mortal enemies, there still remains the question of whether or not modern science has shown the Bible to be false. Using what was learned in chapter four, the questions of creation and evolution are examined. The different views of the creation account in Genesis are compared to the findings of modern science and evolution.
| SIX | Is The Bible Reliable? |
This chapter examines the historical reliability of the Bible. How can we tell if a document is reliable or not? After examining the methods used to judge historical documents. These methods are applied to the Bible, including the question of contradictions in the Bible. The result is that the Bible can be trusted.
| SEVEN | The Word of God or the Speculations of Men? |
So the Bible we have today is the same as that written by the apostle and prophets, it does accurately describe events, it does not contradict itself and it has not been disproved by modern science. This means little if it is only the writings of men. This chapter examines prophecy in the Bible to see that no human could have written this book alone. The Bible is not just the speculations of men but it is the Word of God!
INTRODUCTION
‘Come now, let us reason together’, says the Lord.
(Isaiah 1:18)
There are two kinds of openness, the openness of indifference . . . and the openness that invites us to the quest for knowledge.
(Allan Bloom)1
It is quite popular today in many circles to regard the subject of religion as a spiritual pursuit in which, while the goal may be desirable, the route is not important. Pluralism reigns supreme. Committees have been formed in an attempt to build bridges between the differing religious traditions. Harmony and coexistence are the key words.
All this pluralism has not brought about a heightened awareness of our spiritual nature. It has not brought us closer to our Creator. If anything, the opposite is true. The belief that the path to God is irrelevant has, rightly or wrongly, led to the conclusion that God is irrelevant. The question can be asked: If it makes no difference how you get there, why go at all?
The only religious point of view that is currently shunned is the one that holds that there actually is a God who cares enough to have established a particular way of approaching Him. The idea that there are correct and incorrect ways of coming to God, that one religion is right and all the others are wrong, is repugnant to those wielding the banner of pluralism.
While many may consider the belief that there is only one acceptable way to God to be an arrogant position, it was the position held by Jesus Christ when He said of Himself in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This is an arrogant statement unless, of course, it is true.
Today many people consider the claims of Christianity to be outdated and old fashioned. Society has outgrown its superstitious past. Science and reason provide a new foundation for civilization, one in which religion is no longer needed. Yet is this so?
This book takes the position that Christianity is not an outdated part of our superstitious past. When one considers all of the evidence, it is a rational, reasonable, and relevant religion. I believe and intend to show that God exists, that he has spoken to us, and that the written record of His revelation is the Bible. The Bible has not been corrupted through the years, but is an accurate and reliable record of God’s interactions with us. Central to the message of the Bible is the nature, purpose and work of Jesus Christ. It is a message that has relevance for us today. In short, Christianity is not a religion created by men, but a faith given by God.
The evidence for Christianity is both vast and extensive. This is the first in a series of books that will attempt to present some of this evidence. This volume will focus on the evidence for the Bible. Still, no single book could ever hope to cover it all. In a book of this size we can only begin to survey the subject. In the pages that follow, I will attempt to answer the major and most common questions that are asked by those who are skeptical regarding the reliability and inspiration of the Bible and to dispel many of the misconceptions that have arisen through the years.
Unfortunately, to answer every single question ever conceived would require a book so large that it would be unreadable. Since my hope is that this book and the other books in the series will be read, I have limited the discussion to the questions most often raised by critics. What I hope will be clear is that the weight of evidence is strongly in favor of Christianity and that as we begin the twenty-first century there remain compelling reasons to believe that the words of Jesus spoken 2000 years ago have relevance in our modern age.
HOW DID WE GET THE BIBLE?
The influence of the Bible permeates almost every aspect of life in the twentieth-century Western world. . . It is a vital part of our total cultural heritage; indeed, many people would claim that it is, for a variety of reasons, the most important and influential collection of writings ever brought together and bound in a single volume.
(John Hayes)1
KONSTANIN VON TISCHENDORF was only 29 years old when he made one of the most important discoveries concerning the history of the Bible — and it started in the trash. As a student at the University of Leipzig in Germany, Tischendorf had become interested in the study of the recensions of the New Testament (the New Testament in its earliest form). Naturally, an important part of his research required the examination of very early texts of the Bible. At the time Tischendorf began his work, there were only a few early copies of the New Testament known to exist. So in 1844, Tischendorf set off for the Middle East.
His journey brought him to St. Catherine’s monastery at the foot of Mt. Sinai. St. Catherine’s had been founded in A.D. 527 to commemorate the traditional site where Moses saw the burning bush. Throughout the centuries, its large granite walls have provided many with a place of safety. They also contained a library. It was in this library that Tischendorf hoped to find some insight into the early history of the New Testament.
One day, Tischendorf noticed a basket full of parchments, one of the materials on which ancient books used to be written. When he inquired about the basket, the monks told him that it just contained some trash they were using to light their oven. There had been three baskets, but the first two had already been used. Tischendorf searched through the