The Bible has a self-evidencing nature to the effect that it consists not of merely “passing or temporary enactments, but eternal laws” (Rawlinson 112). The indestructibility of the Bible, as evidenced from history, sustains the biblical claim, and the experience of those who, as the Psalmist, can say, “I have known of old that You have founded them [Your testimonies] forever” (Ps. 119:152).
Read MoreThe Da Vinci Code (book and movie) stirred interest in such Gnostic gospels as the Gospel of Thomas and others. Some even seem to think that these non-canonical, heterodox (i.e. contrary to the acknowledged standard of the New Testament) works should be given a prominence equal to, or greater than, the New Testament.
Read MoreDuring a trip to Pittsburgh for the purpose of receiving treatment at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, I had occasion to browse through some rare books in a bookstore located in an older section of the city. I came across a book, The Bible in New York, published in 1948. The terrorist attacks in New York, and the military response to those attacks, make the material in the aforementioned book extremely relevant and interesting.
Read MorePresident Ronald Reagan, on October 4, 1982, as authorized and requested by a Joint Resolution of the 97th Congress of the United States of America, held at the City of Washington, designated 1983 as the national “Year of the Bible.” The Resolution, Public Law 97-280, declared:
Read MoreA visit to a used book store uncovered a book lover's treasure (viz. a delightful volume published more than a quarter of a century ago and filled with thought-provoking anecdotes and capsules of wisdom). One tidbit of value was a story about an old preacher who, on foot, set out after the evening service to find his way along the edge of a dangerous cliff to the cottage where he was to spend the night.
Read MoreMany years ago, an annual used book sale in Parkersburg, WV, yielded a rare treasure. There, on a shelf surrounded by thousands of books on various and sundry topics, was An Examination of the Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible published in 1874 by John W. Haley. I quickly opened the book to see the price. Twenty-five cents!!!! SOLD! I felt like a little boy with his special toy on Christmas morning.
Read MoreLife is filled with fallacies; i.e. things not true. These untruths may be in the realm of education, parenting, religion, God, etc. Consider some fallacies relating to the will of God.
Read MoreThe War for Independence brought to a halt the importation of Bibles from England to the Colonies, and no Bible had yet been printed on American shores. The first man to go about rectifying the problem was Philadelphia printer, Robert Aitken, and he did so with the enthusiastic support of Congress. In January 1781 Aitken petitioned the Congress to sanction publication of the new Bible translation on which he was working. Among other things, Aitken stated in his request: “no doubt but this work is an Object worthy the attention of the Congress of the United States of America, who will not neglect spiritual security, while they are virtuously contending for temporal blessings.
Read MoreJohn Quincy Adams (an apologetics hero) was the sixth President of the United States. He was fifty-eight years old when elected President. He served four years and, following his Presidency, was elected to the House of Representatives. He was a Congressman for seventeen years until his death in 1847 at the age of seventy-nine. He was the first ex-President ever to be elected to the House of Representatives.
Read MoreThe above words serve as the title of a chapter in a book, The Bible in New York, published in 1948, and authored by David J. Fant. The book’s concern is “the romance of Scripture distribution in a world metropolis from 1809 to 1948” (1). Contained in the aforementioned chapter is a discussion of the distribution of Bibles during the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Spanish War, World War I, and World War II. It is reported, “World War II witnessed an unprecedented emphasis on Bible possession and reading on the part of the troops.
Read MoreThere can be no question that the religion of Christianity is based upon the Bible. Christians use the Bible as their guide to moral and virtuous living, church organization, worship, and as their guide to heaven. Thus it is indeed crucial that this book rise above and beyond mere human production. It must be the very words of God.
Read MoreIn 2004 Antony Flew, who was arguably the best-known atheist in the English-speaking world,
announced that he had accepted the existence of God. Three years later, in his 2007 book, There Is a God, Dr. Flew describes how his commitment to follow the argument wherever it leads resulted in his endorsement of theism. In his concluding reflections Flew asks, “Is it possible that there has been or can be divine revelation? . . .