Search — Theology Explorer

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.

Luke 24:18 John 19:25 eyewitness guarantors named individuals in Gospels Luke 24:18

Cleopas in Luke 24 and Clopas in John 19 — the same person as a named eyewitness source

Case study in named eyewitness sourcing: the road to Emmaus account.

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.

ancient historiography Gospel genre Greco-Roman biography

Difference between biography and history as genres — and why biography is a historical genre

Clarifying what it means that the Gospels are ancient biography rather than history.

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.

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.

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-13

John 20:17 — Jesus says "my Father and your Father, my God and your God": Jesus as mediator connects believers to the Father.

Rodriguez asks why Jesus refers to the Father as "my God" in John 20:17.

John 20:17 Trinity John 20:17 Jesus as mediator

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-14

Q&A on omnipotence: can a perfect God bring about states of affairs that are less than perfect? Cameron: yes — the question confuses God's perfection with the value of created states of affairs

Q&A question from "P or not P" about omnipotence and perfection

omnipotence perfect being theology soul-building theodicy

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

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 Street Epistemology

Chapters 4+ of the book present the tactics: primary tactic is to avoid facts and simply ask questions to instill doubt

Mike transitions to Boghossian's tactical section

A Manual for Creating Atheists Peter Boghossian Street Epistemology

The SE practitioner has also been manipulated: Boghossian's book brainwashes the practitioner before they go out to create doubt in others

Mike offers his final summary point

Sean McDowell martyrdom The Fate of the Apostles

Primary source citation: Sean McDowell's book "The Fate of the Apostles" as the main resource for this content

Mike credits his primary source before diving into the evidence

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 James the Just apostolic martyrdom Hegesippus legendary development

Hegesippus's account of James the Just's martyrdom — legendary elements identified and evaluated; the historical core extraction methodology applied

Primary patristic source for the martyrdom of James, with critical methodology

James the brother of Jesus resurrection Paul the Apostle apostle sincerity

Conclusion: Peter, Paul, and James were sincerely convinced they had seen Jesus alive — the conspiracy/lying hypothesis is eliminated by the evidence

Summary conclusion of the main argument

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-10

The definitional divide on faith is a communication barrier to evangelism — Christians must clarify they have evidence

Practical application of the poll findings

evangelism faith evidence for Christianity

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-10

Advice to a 15-year-old aspiring pastor: character comes before ministry; study the pastoral epistles

Q&A: Isaiah Jones (age 15) asks for advice on becoming a pastor

1 Timothy Titus 2 Timothy 1 Timothy Titus pastoral qualifications

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-24

The book is motivated by McDowell's own children and 20 years of ministry focus on the next generation

McDowell explains the need driving the book project

youth ministry Greg Koukl apologetics

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 2019-05-01

Introduction: The slogan "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" as a reason people reject the resurrection

Mike opens by framing the entire talk around evaluating this popular skeptical slogan, which he says is the primary reason many people reject the resurrection of Christ.

Apologetics Resurrection of Jesus Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-01

Summary: the Twitter examples reveal the slogan creates unreasonable expectations to dodge evidence

Mike wraps up the Twitter survey analysis.

Resurrection of Jesus Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence Evidence dismissal

discipleship evangelism church mission

The church must maintain evangelism as its primary posture toward unbelievers; community service without gospel proclamation is insufficient

Response to question about churches focusing solely on community service vs. discipleship and evangelism

apologetics methodology research method primary sources

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

John 8 Mary Magdalene textual criticism John 8

John 8 (woman caught in adultery) has significant textual critical issues; there is no good case for identifying her as Mary Magdalene; the absence of the man reflects a real double standard

Response to question about the woman caught in adultery

John 20:17 Mary Magdalene John 20:17 Thomas

John 20:17 — 'Do not cling to me' means do not grasp or hold on, not 'do not touch'; the Greek haptomai connotes holding on, explaining why Jesus also allowed Thomas to touch him later

Response to question about why Jesus would not let Mary touch him but later allowed Thomas to touch him

N.T. Wright Pauline theology New Perspective on Paul

N.T. Wright's New Perspective on Paul: Winger is mildly opposed but has not read enough Wright to engage substantively

Response to question about N.T. Wright's view on Paul's epistles

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-15

Summary of Matthew 5 exegesis: Law fulfilled (completed), not abolished; accomplished in totality, not stripped piece by piece; not relaxed but done

Winger's three-point summary of Matthew 5:17-19

Matthew 5:17-19 abolish vs. fulfill pleroo Matthew 5:17-19

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-15

Q&A: The Christian's primary cultural identity is the culture of Christ—follow Christ absolutely, adapt to culture in neutral matters

Pastoral guidance on Christianity and cultural identity

1 Corinthians 9 Christian liberty 1 Corinthians 9 Christian and culture

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-15

Closing: Next week will cover the Hebrew Roots interpretation of Acts, especially Acts 10 and Acts 15

Series summary and next steps

Acts 10 Acts 15 Acts 10 Acts 15 Hebrew Roots movement

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-16

Empty tomb evidence — women as primary witnesses

McLatchie presents the role of women as primary witnesses to the empty tomb as evidence for its historicity.

Mary Magdalene empty tomb criterion of embarrassment

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-16

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.

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

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-16

Undesigned coincidence within Luke: women from Galilee thread through Luke 8, 23, and 24

McLatchie presents an intra-Gospel undesigned coincidence within Luke demonstrating the authentic, non-fabricated character of the resurrection narrative.

Luke 8:2-3 Luke 24:10 Luke 23:55 Luke 8:2-3 Mary Magdalene Joanna

Torah observance Jewish believers early church

Church grows to ~5,000 in Acts 3-4, still entirely Jewish or proselyte. The default assumption is: continue doing what you were already doing regarding the law.

Summary observation from Acts 3-4

Acts 9:31 Jewish believers early church Acts 9:31

Acts 9:31 summary: the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria is at peace and growing -- still entirely Jewish in composition

Survey of Acts 9:31, state of the early church

argument from silence Torah observance Jewish believers

Key principle: those already observing the law simply continued; there was no teaching to stop -- and no teaching to start for those who were not observing it

Summary principle from Acts 1-9

Acts 10 hermeneutics Acts 10 Gentile inclusion

Neither extreme interpretation of Acts 10 is correct: neither 'all food is now clean for everyone' nor 'all food is still unclean' -- the vision primarily establishes Gentile access to the gospel

Balanced interpretation of Acts 10 vision

salvation by grace Law of Moses dietary laws

The gospel alone makes Gentiles clean -- the law was not a prerequisite for salvation, and Acts 10-11 establishes this clearly

Summary argument from Acts 10-11

Matthew 5 Matthew 28 argument from silence Great Commission Matthew 5

Challenge to Hebrew Roots movement: if Matthew 5 and 28 teach Torah for all, why does Acts never once tell Gentiles to obey the law? The silence disproves the interpretation.

Summary challenge to Hebrew Roots reading of Acts

Torah observance Jewish believers fulfillment theology

Summary: Gentiles who get saved in Acts never receive Torah instructions; Jews are never asked to stop. Both groups are united by Jesus, not by the law.

Summary of Acts survey to this point

Acts 21 Torah observance Acts 21 Jewish believers

Three conclusions from Acts 21: (1) Jews may continue obeying the law (beware Pharisaical additions); (2) Gentiles still have only the four commands; (3) Jewish believers in Jerusalem years later are still Torah-observant -- and that is fine.

Summary of Acts 21 analysis