Search — Theology Explorer

Mark 15:21 Matthew 27:32 Luke 23:26 eyewitness guarantors named individuals in Gospels passion narrative

Simon of Cyrene named with his sons Alexander and Rufus as eyewitness sourcing (Mark 15:21)

Another case study in named eyewitness sourcing from the passion narrative.

Mark 15:21 Matthew 27:32 Luke 23:26 named individuals in Gospels legendary name addition theory Mark 15:21

Matthew and Luke drop Alexander and Rufus because their audiences may not know them (or they had died)

Explaining the synoptic variation in Simon of Cyrene accounts.

Markan priority biblical inerrancy Markan priority Q source

Q&A: The Q document — does it matter if Gospel writers used written sources?

Q&A question about the hypothetical Q source document.

Mark 16:8 Mark 16:9-20 textual criticism biblical inerrancy Mark 16:8

Q&A: The ending of Mark 16 — short vs. long ending; not a threat to Gospel reliability

Q&A from an atheist about the ending of Mark and supposed Gospel contradictions.

Revelation mark of the beast eschatology Revelation mark of the beast

Q&A: Microchips in hand — not automatically the mark of the beast without beast worship connection

Q&A about prophetic application of Revelation's mark of the beast to modern technology.

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-13

Argument from silence is a poor historical method: uniqueness to one Gospel does not discredit the account.

Responding to the implicit skeptical argument behind the Matthew 27 question.

Apologetics Gospel reliability Argument from silence

Empty tomb Historicity Multiple attestation

Multiple attestation of empty tomb across 4 Gospels plus Acts sermons

Establishing historicity of the empty tomb through independent sources

Mark's Gospel Early attestation Mark's Gospel

Early attestation - all NT documents are 1st century with sources within 7 years

Arguing for early date of empty tomb testimony

Rudolf Pesch Caiaphas Dating methodology

Rudolf Pesch's argument on Mark's omission of Caiaphas's name

Dating Mark's source material by historical details

Mark's Gospel Mark's Gospel Aramaic Source criticism

Mark's Aramaic phrasing 'first day of the week' vs 'third day' formula

Evidence of pre-Gospel source material

Gospel of Peter Literary analysis

Mark's unadorned narrative vs legendary Gospel of Peter's elaborate details

Contrasting early and late accounts of the resurrection

Mike Licona Jewish burial customs

Jewish practice of marking and remembering spiritual leaders' burial sites

Why Jesus's grave would be noted and remembered

Preparation day Sabbath Internal consistency

Burial on day of preparation before Sabbath - corroborated across Gospels

Internal consistency of burial timeline

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-27

Tim Barnett (Stand to Reason): faith is not an epistemology but a way of trusting; knowledge and trust are distinct categories

Video clip from Tim Barnett responding to Boghossian

Mark 2 William Lane Craig Stand to Reason Tim Barnett

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-03

Mark 13:9 — Jesus's prediction of persecution for his disciples as evidence that persecution was anticipated from the beginning

Biblical evidence for the normalcy of persecution

Mark 13:9 early Christian persecution Mark 13:9 Jesus' predictions

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-10

Jesus healed the paralytic to provide evidence for his authority to forgive sins — faith is evidence-based

Biblical example of evidence-based faith

forgiveness of sins paralytic lowered through roof faith grounded in evidence

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-10

Mike announces a verse-by-verse study through the Gospel of Mark beginning in May

Ministry announcement

Gospel of Mark verse-by-verse Bible study

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-10

Disciples' failure to cast out demons vs. faith as a mustard seed — two distinct teachings not to conflate

Q&A: Haggar Vid asks about the disciples having little faith and the mustard-seed faith saying

mustard seed faith disciples casting out demons little faith (oligopistia)

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-24

Millennial and Gen Z church return: life-stage markers like marriage and children are happening later or not at all, making the expected return uncertain

McDowell addresses the question of whether lapsed young people will return

marriage gospel Millennials

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-24

Closing summary: discipleship principles are timeless, but avoid jaded views toward youth and remain aware of how their lives differ from previous generations

Mike's closing remarks

apologetics Matt Dillahunty resurrection of Christ

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-08

Biblical cosmology should not be assumed to match ancient Near Eastern flat-earth cosmology just because surrounding cultures believed it; Genesis radically demythologizes creation compared to the Enuma Elish

Response to question about Hebraic cosmology and the flat-earth interpretation

Genesis 1 hermeneutics Genesis 1 demythologization

Mark 2 Isaiah 63:7-10 Psalm 78:40 Holy Spirit Mark 2 Jonathan McLatchie

Isaiah 63 — Three persons of the Trinity in the Old Testament

McLatchie presents Isaiah 63:7-10 as containing all three persons of the Trinity within a single Old Testament passage.

undesigned coincidences eyewitness testimony Jonathan McLatchie

Undesigned coincidences — definition and how they demonstrate historicity

Winger asks McLatchie to explain undesigned coincidences as a distinct argument for the historicity of the New Testament.

John 12:1 Mark 11-14 triumphal entry undesigned coincidences Jonathan McLatchie

Undesigned coincidence: John's Passover timeline and Mark's narrative calibrate perfectly

McLatchie's second Gospel-based undesigned coincidence — the precise synchronization of John 12 and Mark 11-14.

John the Baptist Mark 10:2-12 Josephus John the Baptist Herod Antipas

Extra-biblical corroboration: Mark 10 — why Jesus taught about divorce in that context

McLatchie uses Mark 10's divorce passage to show Josephus provides context explaining why the teaching is historically plausible.

John Leslie Jonathan McLatchie apologetics objections cosmic fine-tuning

Objection: anthropic principle — we shouldn't be surprised we live in a life-permitting universe

McLatchie addresses the anthropic objection to the fine-tuning argument.

Acts 1 James the brother of Jesus John 7:5 Josephus resurrection of Jesus Acts 1

James the brother of Jesus — conversion from skeptic to martyr

McLatchie presents the conversion and martyrdom of James, Jesus's brother, as particularly strong evidence for the resurrection.

Mark 16:1 Matthew 28:1 Luke 24:10 empty tomb Jonathan McLatchie historicity of the Gospels

Irreconcilable variation in empty tomb accounts — evidence for independence

McLatchie presents apparent discrepancies between Gospel accounts of the empty tomb as evidence for their independence.

apologetics Jonathan McLatchie Apologetics Academy

Closing remarks and resources — Apologetics Academy

Winger and McLatchie wrap up the livestream with closing remarks and resource recommendations.

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-22

Mark 7:19 -- Jesus declared all foods clean. Winger defers full treatment but flags it as part of a progressive revelation from Jesus through Paul to Hebrews.

Cross-reference to Mark 7:19

Mark 7:19 progressive revelation dietary laws fulfillment theology

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-30

1 Timothy 4:10 — 'savior of all people, especially those who believe' — extent/application distinction in a single verse

Winger cites 1 Timothy 4:10 as a single verse that encodes the extent/application distinction.

1 Timothy 4:10 extent of atonement application of atonement 1 Timothy 4:10

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-30

Upcoming content: continuing Mark series and Hebrew Roots movement / Galatians on not being under the law

Winger previews upcoming videos at the close of the stream.

Galatians Hebrew Roots movement Galatians Gospel of Mark

Mike Winger idea 2019-06-19

The Gospels (especially Mark and John) contain eyewitness testimony, serving as evidence for a historical Jesus

The Gospels as historical sources

John the son of Zebedee Peter Gospel of John Gospel of Mark

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-17

2015 turning point: Sunday evening service and weekly video strategy

In June 2015, Winger's senior pastor offered him the freedom to teach an adult Sunday evening service, which catalyzed a new approach to his YouTube ministry.

biblical teaching verse-by-verse teaching ministry strategy

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-17

Analogy: Paul would be doing online ministry today

Winger reflects on the scale and nature of online ministry as a modern equivalent to reaching the marketplace of ideas.

marketplace of ideas evangelism Paul the Apostle online ministry

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-24

Many are called but few are chosen; preaching the gospel to all implies a genuine offer for all

Mike uses the Great Commission and related teaching to argue against limited atonement's pastoral coherence.

Matthew 22:14 Mark 16:15 Great Commission gospel proclamation limited atonement

Mike Winger idea 2019-09-04

Announcements: Gospel of Mark series (verse-by-verse), speaking at OC Rescue Mission on fulfilled prophecy

Winger announces ongoing ministry activities at the close of the livestream.

prophecy Gospel of Mark ministry announcements

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-31

Part 5: Church history arguments for infant baptism should not override Scripture

Winger addresses the appeal to church tradition as evidence for infant baptism.

Mark 7:8 biblical authority church history tradition

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-31

Sola Scriptura: tradition must be tested by Scripture, not used to trump it

Winger articulates his methodological principle for handling church tradition claims.

Mark 7:8 biblical authority church tradition theological method

Mike Winger idea 2020-01-29

Introduction to apologetic methodology and its complexity

Opening remarks framing the episode goal of simplifying a complicated theological debate topic

epistemology apologetic methodology

Mike Winger idea 2020-08-28

In the New Testament, "kurios" (Lord) replaces "Yahweh" — this is standard Greek translation convention, reflected in English by small-cap LORD

Question from Zanet about the Mark series — why is "Yahweh" rendered as "kurios" (Lord) in the Greek NT, and whether that changes the meaning.

Mark Mark kurios Yahweh

Mike Winger idea 2020-08-28

Jesus did not teach salvation by works — Mark 10 (rich man) demonstrates the impossibility of works-righteousness and points to Christ's atoning sacrifice

Question from "A Pig with 100 Subscribers" about the apparent tension between Paul (saved by faith, not works) and Jesus (enter kingdom by following commandments).

Mark 10 atonement soteriology works-righteousness

Mike Winger idea 2020-09-04

Matthew 21 has two animals at the Triumphal Entry while Mark and Luke have one; the young donkey points to Jesus's sacrificial nature

Q from Flora about why Matthew 21:1-8 mentions both a donkey and a colt while other Gospels only mention one animal.

Mark Luke Matthew 21:1-8 Gospel harmonization Mark Luke

Mike Winger idea 2020-09-04

Hebrews 6:4 requires thorough study; Mike plans a verse-by-verse Hebrews series after Mark

Q from Jeff Shoemaker asking about Hebrews 6:4 and whether it refers to backsliding or losing salvation.

Hebrews 6:4 eternal security apostasy Hebrews 6:4

Mike Winger idea 2020-09-04

Closing: upcoming videos announced; call to rest in grace through faith (Romans 5:1-2)

Closing announcements and benediction.

Romans 5:1-2 justification by faith grace Sean McDowell

Mike Winger idea 2020-09-11

Christians may read and study the Quran for education and evangelistic purposes; avoid it only if it causes personal spiritual instability

Response to Sarah Nordberg (Denmark) who feels convicted reading the Quran for a required university religion class.

evangelism Islam Christian liberty

Mark 9:49-50 Old Testament typology discipleship

Old Testament sacrifices seasoned with salt — salt as covenant symbol and godly character

Question from Molly Thompson about the spiritual/messianic meaning of salting OT sacrifices.

James 1 prayer healing Holy Spirit

Confidence in prayer for healing vs. fabricating certainty — suffering can be within God's will

Continuation of healing/prayer question; preview of upcoming Kenneth Copeland study.

Romans Acts Hebrews Romans Acts Hebrews

How to start reading the Bible — begin with the Gospels, Acts, Romans, Hebrews; not Genesis-to-Revelation in order

Question from Dallin Byrd about the best starting point for Bible reading.