Greek construction difference: 'kai' instead of 'nor' for male and female, alluding to Genesis 1:27

Mike provides grammatical background on the Greek text of Galatians 3:28.

Pillar 2 was not debated throughout church history — it is a very new debate

Mike argues from historical consistency.

The Messianic view is an early patristic interpretation, not a modern invention

Mike notes that several church fathers held this view.

Why do predictors keep trying to predict despite the clear scriptural prohibition? Possible motives: excitement, arrogance, novelty-seeking in Bible study

Part of the same Q&A exchange; Mike speculates on motivations.

Isaiah 53: modern claim that it refers to Israel, not Messiah, is historically novel

Ra claims Isaiah 53 (the Suffering Servant) is about Israel personified, not Jesus, and that Jews have always understood it this way

Unlike the Gospels, which are classified as ancient biography (bios), the Life of Apollonius is likely a novel or hagiographic fiction. It includes fire-breathing dragons on every hill in India, fish-cows, hobgoblins, and other fantastical content not treated as miraculous but as straightforward description of faraway places.

Apollonius: not from eyewitnesses; authored as paid commission; written 125+ years after the fact; probably a novel not biography; parallels Pythagoras not Jesus; opposed animal sacrifice (Jesus was the sacrifice); offered no salvation (Jesus was salvation); healed by skill and wisdom (Jesus by miraculous power); claimed reincarnation of Euphorbus (Jesus is God incarnate); was a vegetarian (Jesus ate meat); did not die and rise bodily.

The Gospels are recognized in New Testament scholarship as ancient biography (bios), a genre focused on carefully portraying a real person's life and character. The Life of Apollonius does not meet this standard — it is more likely a literary novel meant to inspire devotion, as evidenced by its fantastical content, internal contradictions, and the explicit political agenda behind its commissioning.

Gen Z fact-checks in real time — credibility and truth-telling are now more important than ever for teachers and pastors

McDowell describes speaking at Berkeley and observing real-time fact-checking

Catholicism as doctrinal development — novel doctrines added over centuries, not apostolic teaching

Continuation of Fatima discussion; Mike's broader critique of Catholicism.

Comparing Paul & Joseph Smith: Compared with Paul, is Joseph Smith such a novelty? E.g., they both had a vision of Jesus only they reported on, introduced new teachings, weren’t prophesied of by Jesus, and were martyred as result of ministry.

Q&A question: Comparing Paul & Joseph Smith