Setting the Stage: Historical-Cultural Background Every book of the Bible has historical elements to it. As written documents, each book was written in a historical setting and contains details about historical events. It is vital for competent interpretation of Old Testament writings to develop a solid grasp of the chronological framework of the various books… Read More
The Heresy of Orthodoxy: How and When Was the New Testament Canon Put Together?
The Heresy of Orthodoxy (Part 4) This is the fourth installment in our series on The Heresy of Orthodoxy. In this video, Dr. Kruger and I discuss the formation of the New Testament canon. We argue against Bauer’s claim that there was diversity of belief in early Christianity because the NT canon was formulated late (in… Read More
The Heresy of Orthodoxy: What Do the New Testament Books Tell Us About Early Christian Diversity?
The Heresy of Orthodoxy (Part 3) In this third installment of our series on The Heresy of Orthodoxy, Dr. Michael Kruger and I discuss one of the greatest weaknesses to Bauer’s thesis—the fact that he never deals with evidence from the first century. You can also follow previous installments to our series: Part 1 and… Read More
The Heresy of Orthodoxy: Why a Book on Orthodoxy and Heresy in Early Christianity?
The Bauer Thesis Recently, Dr. Michael Kruger and I filmed a series of videos on our book, The Heresy of Orthodoxy: How Contemporary Culture’s Fascination with Diversity Has Reshaped Our Understanding of Early Christianity. In these videos, we discuss the Bauer thesis, named after the German scholar Walter Bauer. Beginning with Bauer in 1934, the denial… Read More
Christmas Is Too Big for One Day: Why We Celebrate Advent
Christians, and even many non-Christians, around the world celebrate Christmas as the day when Jesus, the Messiah, was born in a stable in the little Judean town of Bethlehem. Whether Jesus was born on December 25th or not, his birthday has easily become the most widely celebrated birthday in human history. But what about Advent,… Read More