Search — Theology Explorer

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 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.

empty tomb Gospel historicity Gospel of Peter

Second-century legends (Gospel of Peter) feature absurd embellishments absent from canonical Gospels

Contrast between canonical Gospels and known legendary accounts to illustrate the difference.

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.

Gospel historicity Gospel genre Greco-Roman biography

Charles Talbert (1977) identified the Gospels as ancient biography; Richard Burridge confirmed it

The scholarly turning point on Gospel genre.

apologetics Gospel historicity community tradition view

Summary conclusions: multiple lines of evidence converge against community tradition view

Mike draws conclusions from the four major evidence streams.

Matthew 11:21-24 salvation mental disability and accountability Matthew 11:21-24

Q&A: Salvation of severely mentally handicapped people — accountability proportional to awareness

Q&A segment begins; first question about soteriological edge cases.

Matthew/Levi biblical inerrancy Mike Licona Gospel contradictions

Q&A: Do the Gospels contradict each other? Mike's strong stance on harmonization

Q&A follow-up on Gospel contradictions from the same atheist questioner.

Pontius Pilate eyewitness testimony Gospel historicity

Q&A: How did the Gospel writers know about private conversations (Jesus and Pilate)?

Q&A on the epistemological question of how private Gospel scenes were recorded.

Luke 22:41 Matthew 26:39 eyewitness testimony Holy Spirit inspiration private scenes in Gospels

Q&A: How did the disciples know what Jesus prayed in Gethsemane if he prayed alone?

Q&A on the epistemological basis for the Gethsemane prayer account.

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.

Bible study methodology Commentaries Critical thinking in theology

How to use commentaries well: seek their reasoning, not their conclusions; read multiple commentaries.

Continuing Bible study methodology advice.

Matthew 27 Apologetics Matthew 27 Saints resurrected at crucifixion

Matthew 27: saints raised from the dead at Jesus's death — why do only Matthew mention it?

Insects Are Cool (an atheist regular on the channel) asks why only Matthew mentions the resurrection of saints in Matthew 27.

Exodus Apologetics Exodus Archaeology and the Bible

Secular and archaeological evidence for the Exodus exists but Mike cannot present it in detail; early vs. late dating debate.

Patrick Mosher asks if there is secular historical or archaeological evidence for the Exodus.

Pre-tribulation rapture Early church fathers Brian Brodersen

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.

1 Corinthians 14 Acts 2 (Pentecost) 1 Corinthians 13:1 1 Corinthians 14 Tongues Acts 2 (Pentecost)

Tongues in the New Testament: multiple types — tongues with interpretation (public) and tongues without interpretation (private).

Tanya Baltzer asks about tongues — actual languages vs. unknown languages.

Pre-tribulation rapture Eschatology Third Temple

Rapture and the Third Temple: Mike believes in a future Third Temple but sees no necessary connection to pre-trib rapture timing.

Christian Lubin asks about the connection between the rapture and the building of the Third Temple.

1 Timothy 2:5 John 20:17 1 Timothy 2:5 John 20:17 Jesus as mediator

1 Timothy 2:5 mediator concept underlies John 20:17 — Jesus is the one mediator between God and man.

Continuing the John 20:17 discussion.

Second Coming Eschatology Full preterism

Full preterism vs. partial preterism: full preterism claims the second coming already happened and leads to heresy.

Distinguishing varieties of preterism.

1 Corinthians 11 1 Corinthians 11 Head coverings Women in worship

Head coverings for women: Mike holds tentatively that they are not necessary today, but acknowledges he wants to study the passage more.

Riatoon asks whether Christian head coverings are biblical.

Matt Dillahunty Resurrection of Jesus Apologetics debates

Upcoming debate with Matt Dillahunty on April 11 on the resurrection of Jesus.

Mike announces the upcoming debate as a prayer request.

Mike Winger idea 2019-02-27

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

Even opponents of Christianity conceded the empty tomb as historical fact

Matthew 28 Tertullian Matthew 28 Justin Martyr

Mike Winger idea 2019-02-27

Jewish practice of marking and remembering spiritual leaders' burial sites

Why Jesus's grave would be noted and remembered

Mike Licona Jewish burial customs

Mike Winger idea 2019-02-27

Joseph of Arimathea - multiply attested, named, testable, criterion of embarrassment

Joseph as historical figure validating burial account

Criterion of embarrassment Joseph of Arimathea

Capturing Christianity Christian apologetics Cameron Bertuzzi

Cameron Bertuzzi's background: photographer turned apologist after brother became an atheist; runs Capturing Christianity blog and YouTube channel

Cameron introduces himself to Mike's audience

John McCrae John McCrae J.P. Moreland argument from consciousness

Argument from consciousness: mind and matter are ontologically distinct; consciousness is irreducible to physical processes (the hard problem of consciousness)

John explains the argument from consciousness more fully

gospel grace human nature

Humans are worse than they think they are, but Christ loves them more than they know — the paradox of the gospel

John wraps up his reflection on suffering and human nature

miracles divine intervention Scripture as sufficient revelation

Q&A: Why doesn't God interact visibly today as in Bible times? Mike's answer: miracles were always rare; God interacts spiritually now; the Bible establishes the foundation

Q&A question from "I'm Zen"

apologetics methodology philosophical method questions vs. arguments

Questions are not arguments: unanswered questions do not constitute evidence against Christianity; they only reveal gaps in human knowledge

Cameron makes a methodological point after the theodicy discussion

Genesis 1 Genesis 1 divine sovereignty human dominion

Q&A: Can God give humans dominion and then interfere with that dominion? Parents analogy: giving children authority does not prevent parental intervention when abused

Q&A question from "The Messenger Reveals" about divine interference with human dominion

John McCrae gospel logical fallacies John McCrae

Closing message to skeptics from John: separate psychological/emotional persuasiveness from logical validity; the gospel has explanatory power for the whole world

Closing messages to atheist/skeptic viewers

Hebrews 11:1 Hebrews 11:1 A Manual for Creating Atheists Peter Boghossian

Boghossian redefines "faith" as "pretending to know things you don't know"

Mike quotes Boghossian's definition of faith directly

A Manual for Creating Atheists Peter Boghossian Faith

Boghossian's multi-page substitution chart trains readers to mentally replace every use of "faith" with "pretending to know things you don't know"

Mike shows and reads from the chart in Boghossian's book

Peter Boghossian Portland State University Socratic method

Peter Boghossian's academic credentials: philosopher and assistant professor at Portland State University

Mike provides background on who Boghossian is

Atheism Peter Boghossian Redefinition of terms

Boghossian redefines agnosticism so that it is absorbed into atheism, eliminating it as an independent category

Mike covers Boghossian's third major redefinition

Atheism A Manual for Creating Atheists Peter Boghossian

Summary of chapter 2: Boghossian redefines faith, atheism, and agnosticism to rig the intellectual playing field

Mike synthesizes his analysis of chapter 2

Stand to Reason Tim Barnett Peter Boghossian

Boghossian claims faith is an epistemology — a way of coming to know things — which Mike and his guests argue is fundamentally wrong

Mike identifies the second major pillar-error in the book

Mark 2 William Lane Craig Stand to Reason Tim Barnett

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

Peter Boghossian Street Epistemology Faith

The two foundational false pillars of Street Epistemology: (1) faith = belief without evidence, (2) faith is an epistemology

Mike synthesizes the two central errors he has identified

Circular reasoning A Manual for Creating Atheists Peter Boghossian

Page 30: Boghossian's principal argument against faith is circular — it presupposes his false definition

Mike analyzes Boghossian's core argument structure

A Manual for Creating Atheists Peter Boghossian Street Epistemology

Pages 44-45: Boghossian romanticizes the Street Epistemologist as a hero rescuing people from the faith "virus"

Mike reads from pages 44-45

Apologetics A Manual for Creating Atheists Peter Boghossian

The book assumes religious people have not thought through their beliefs — which Mike says is demonstrably false

Mike identifies a core assumption embedded in the book

Peter Boghossian Street Epistemology Socratic method

The SE tactic in practice: be friendly, don't disclose your agenda, and ask "how do you know that?" repeatedly

Mike describes the practical method of Street Epistemology

Greg Koukl Stand to Reason A Manual for Creating Atheists

Greg Koukl contrasts his book "Tactics" with Boghossian's book: both use questions, but Koukl cares about truth and intellectual virtue while Boghossian cares only about instilling doubt

Video clip from Greg Koukl (Stand to Reason)

Salvation Age of accountability Mental illness and salvation

Q&A: What about those who cannot understand the gospel due to severe mental illness? God holds people accountable for what they can know

Audience question about severely mentally ill people and salvation

Salvation Age of accountability Children and salvation

Q&A: What to tell a toddler who asks if they are a child of God — children below the age of accountability are covered by Christ

Question from "wholesome home" about young children and salvation