Search — Theology Explorer

Islam resurrection comparative religion

No other religion has a comparative apologetic to Christianity

Mike makes a comparative religion claim after discussing Christian evidential resources.

Greg Koukl William Lane Craig apologetics resources

Recommended apologetics ministries and resources for Christians who want a robust, evidence-based faith

Mike provides a resource list for viewers who want to deepen their apologetics.

personal testimony evidence-based faith comparative religion

Evidence for Christianity spans multiple disciplines: Scripture, philosophy, history, science, and personal experience

Mike summarizes the scope of Christian evidential resources before moving to Q&A.

Isaiah 53 Bible as historical document Isaiah 53 Pontius Pilate

Q&A: How to use the Bible as evidence with non-believers who don't accept it as God's word — the prophecy approach

Viewer question from Kate about apologetic method.

Mike Winger idea 2019-01-23

Pro-choice philosopher David Boonin concedes the unborn is a human being at an early developmental stage

Mike cites an opponent of the pro-life position who nevertheless concedes key scientific facts

human development David Boonin A Defense of Abortion

Mike Winger idea 2019-02-07

Recommended apologetics resources: websites and books

Q&A asking for top suggested books and sources for apologetics and evangelism.

evangelism apologetics Josh McDowell

Mike Winger idea 2019-02-07

Fulfilled prophecy as evidence for God

Q&A asking for apologetic reasons to believe in God.

apologetics fulfilled prophecy divine inspiration of Scripture

Mike Winger idea 2019-02-13

JW interpretation of Daniel 11 king of the north as Russia is old Cold War theology they borrowed

Viewer asking about JW teaching that the king of the north in Daniel 11 represents Russia

Daniel 11 Jehovah's Witnesses Daniel 11 fulfilled prophecy

Acts 21:8-9 eyewitness testimony Papias early church history

Acts 21:8-9 — Philip the Evangelist and his prophesying daughters

Biblical and extra-biblical verification of Philip the Evangelist's daughters as contemporaries of Papias.

James John Matthew Peter James John

Papias's key quotation about seeking living witnesses over written sources

The primary Papias text Mike uses to establish the eyewitness-guarantor model.

Richard Bauckham Papias eyewitness hierarchy

Four categories of worthy sources in Papias's framework

Mike breaks down what Papias considered authoritative sources for Jesus tradition.

Bart Ehrman community tradition view telephone game analogy

Main conclusion from Papias: eyewitness guarantors refute the telephone-game model

Core argument against Ehrman's telephone-game analogy using Papias as evidence.

Richard Bauckham Josephus historical method

Ancient historians' three-tiered hierarchy of sources: first-person, interrogated eyewitness, written account

Historical methodology framework used by ancient historians, applied to understanding Papias.

Richard Bauckham eyewitness testimony Papias

Bauckham's interpretation of "living and surviving voice" in Papias — literal, not metaphorical

Clarifying what Papias meant by preferring a "living voice" to written sources.

Richard Bauckham Gospel historicity eyewitness guarantors

Bauckham's theory: named individuals are living eyewitness sources the author is appealing to

The positive explanation for why some individuals are named in Gospel accounts.

Mary Magdalene Richard Bauckham resurrection

Women as named eyewitness sources at the death, burial, and empty tomb of Jesus

The Gospel pattern of naming women at the passion events as eyewitness sourcing.

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.

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.

Isaiah 53 Psalm 22 Pentecost apologetics fulfilled prophecy

Q&A: Did New Testament writers invent Gospel narratives from OT prophecies? — Refuted by extra-biblical confirmation of historical facts

Q&A from a persistent atheist questioner (Doug) suggesting Gospels were reverse-engineered from OT texts.

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-13

Blue Letter Bible (blueletterbible.org) recommended as a free online resource for Bible study.

Practical resource recommendation in the study tips section.

Blue Letter Bible Bible study resources

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-13

Pre-trib rapture and early church fathers: Mike acknowledges not knowing the answer and references Brian Brodersen's book.

Ian Connolly asks whether the pre-trib rapture was a recent invention not believed by early church fathers.

Pre-tribulation rapture Early church fathers Brian Brodersen

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

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

Matthew 28 Tertullian Matthew 28 Justin Martyr

Enemy attestation - Matthew 28, Justin Martyr, Tertullian acknowledge the empty tomb

Even opponents of Christianity conceded the empty tomb as historical fact

Competing traditions Silence as evidence

No competing Jewish or pagan tradition claiming the tomb was occupied

Absence of alternative explanations in ancient sources

Joseph Blinzler Women observers

Women observing the burial - multiply attested detail

Additional corroboration of historical memory

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-27

Mike takes one audience question: book recommendations for atheists — Josh McDowell's Evidence That Demands a Verdict and More Than a Carpenter

Q&A section, only one question received from non-believers

Josh McDowell Evidence That Demands a Verdict Sean McDowell

historical methodology early Christian persecution Roman imperial religion

Argument that Roman cultural attitudes toward Christians in 50-year span (first to early second century) remained consistent, so early second-century sources reflect first-century reality

Responding to the objection that 109/112 AD sources are too late to apply to the apostolic period

Acts of Peter Acts 4 Tertullian apostolic martyrdom Peter the Apostle

Catalog of additional sources for Peter's martyrdom: Apocalypse of Peter, Ascension of Isaiah, Acts of Peter, Apocryphon of James, Dionysius of Corinth, Tertullian, Muratorian Canon

Demonstrating that Peter's martyrdom is attested by multiple independent streams of tradition

Paul the Apostle apostolic martyrdom Sean McDowell

Eight sources within the first and second centuries referencing Paul's martyrdom, per Sean McDowell; Polycarp references Paul's sufferings and those of all the Apostles

Summary of extra-biblical evidence for Paul's martyrdom

James the brother of Jesus apostolic martyrdom James the brother of Jesus Stephen the martyr

Additional sources confirming James's martyrdom: First Apocalypse of James, Second Apocalypse of James, Pseudo-Clementine Recognitions (c. 280 AD)

Multiple independent streams of tradition confirming James's martyrdom

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-10

Mike's personal conversion testimony: depression before faith, joy and relationship with God after — and subsequent evidential verification

Q&A: Benjamin Acompo (skeptic) asks what evidence a 12-year-old Mike had at conversion beyond feelings

personal testimony experiential evidence for faith conversion experience

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-24

Q&A: Handling unreliable sources and fact-checking in a Wikipedia age — do your diligence, own mistakes, and nuance statements to match the strength of evidence

Final audience question about fact-checking and epistemic responsibility

Romans 7 biblical interpretation apologetics methodology fact-checking

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-01

Q&A: How to deal with coworkers who want proof of God's existence — resources recommended

Viewer (law enforcement officer) asks how to engage atheist coworkers.

Isaiah 53 Psalm 22 William Lane Craig Isaiah 53 Psalm 22

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-08

Ezekiel's prophecy about the destruction of Tyre is a favorite apologetic prophecy, confirmed by non-Jewish and non-Christian historical sources

Response to question about compelling prophecies that might impress atheists

Ezekiel apologetics Ezekiel Tyre

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-08

Psalm 22 predicts specific details of the crucifixion centuries before crucifixion existed, and implies resurrection and worldwide Gentile conversion; ancient Jewish sources also viewed it as messianic

Third example of compelling prophecy for skeptics

Psalm 22 apologetics resurrection crucifixion

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-08

Footnotes are the most reliable method for tracking primary sources and objective evidence in apologetics research

Response to question about finding primary sources in a sea of biased online content

apologetics methodology research method primary sources

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-16

Prophecy of the destruction of Tyre (Ezekiel 26)

McLatchie presents Ezekiel 26 as a case study in fulfilled non-messianic predictive prophecy.

Ezekiel 26 Ezekiel 26 Nebuchadnezzar Alexander the Great

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-16

Historical case for the resurrection — basis and overview

McLatchie introduces the historical argument for the resurrection of Jesus, which is the seventh main line of argument.

1 Corinthians 15 Acts 1 Luke Craig Keener 1 Corinthians 15 resurrection of Jesus

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-16

Closing remarks and resources — Apologetics Academy

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

apologetics Jonathan McLatchie Apologetics Academy

Jesus mythicism Zeitgeist (film) Religulous (film)

The Zeitgeist film and Bill Maher's Religulous cited as catalysts for the modern Jesus myth movement

Identifying pop-culture sources of Jesus mythicism

Josephus Tacitus historicity of Jesus

Non-Christian sources for Jesus: Josephus, Tacitus, and Lucian of Samosata all mention Jesus

Overview of non-Christian historical sources for Jesus

criterion of embarrassment Pontius Pilate Tacitus

Tacitus places Jesus's execution under Tiberius Caesar while Pontius Pilate was procurator; both Tacitus and Lucian are hostile to Christianity

Significance of hostile sources attesting to Jesus

1 Corinthians James (brother of Jesus) Paul 1 Corinthians James (brother of Jesus)

Paul as historical witness: he knew Jesus's brother James, persecuted the church, and lived in the same region and time as Jesus

Discussing Paul's evidence for the historical Jesus

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

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

The Gospels as historical sources

Pontius Pilate Tacitus historicity of Jesus

Tacitus spells "Christos" correctly even while initially writing "Chrestus" — the full passage explicitly identifies Christ as executed under Pontius Pilate under Tiberius

Addressing the "different group" objection to Tacitus