The Gospel Truth - Lesson 1: The Gospels as History

The gospels claim to be history, the written description of events that actually happened (Luke 1:1-4; John 20:30-31).  But what are we to make of these claims?

The Style of the Gospels

The consensus among scholars of the New Testament is that the gospels belong in the category of bioi, “lives,” ancient biographies.

Some Great Ideas for Wall Street Reform

In a recent column in Rolling Stone, Matt Taibi offered some concrete proposals for reforming Wall Street that I think are worth merit. Incidentally, it seems to me lately that many Christians have become knee-jerk defenders of anything remotely labeled capitalism. There is no question the Bible supports personal property rights (Acts 5:3-4), and promotes the individual work ethic (Ephesians 4:28). But there is also no question that the Bible condemns stealing (Ephesians 4:28), as well as the abuse of the poor by the wealthy (James 5:1-6), and affirms the role of the civil government in punishing evildoers (Romans 13:3-7). With that in mind, here are my favorite reforms Taibi mentions:

Jesus vs Muhammad - The Cross vs the Sword

Over the last few weeks as I have been studying for my class on Islam I have thought a lot about the similarities and differences between Islam and Christianity, and between Christ and Muhammad. Today I want to talk about one of the most vital differences, what each man taught with regard to violence. But to put this fundamental difference in sharper contrast, I want to begin by noticing some similarities between them.

Notes on Islam - Class 4 - After Muhammad

In this lesson we will examine the often violent struggle for leadership of Islam after the death of Muhammad.

Notes on Islam - Class 3 - Muhammad

Muhammad was born in 570, in the Arabian city of Mecca. In this lesson we are going to examine the life of the man considered the “Seal of the Prophets” by Muslims.

Praying for Christians Facing Persecution

Iran's Supreme Court has refused to overturn a death sentence pronounced on a former Muslim who now preaches Christianity. Only the mercy of the lower courts can save Youcef Nadarkhani from execution.


Many Muslim countries allow professing Christians to profess their faith.

Notes on Islam - Class Two - Basic Beliefs

Islam means “submission” in Arabic, and the essence of Islam is submission of the will of God. In this lesson we will do an overview of the basic beliefs of Islam that define what the Muslim understanding of submission to the will of God entails.

The core conviction of Islam is expressed in the Shahada, the “testimony” that every Muslim must confess. Transliterated from Arabic it looks like this: la ilaha illa Allah Mohammed rasul Allah.  Translated, it means, “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God.”  Let’s break this statement down to explore what it means to Muslims.