Does the Bible Contradict Itself?

Ah, those postmodernists. They never let up. It seems James Dee, a retired professor of classics from the University of Texas has pontificated from his writer’s desk about the Bible again. He says it’s obviously not inspired by God, that it’s obvious Moses didn’t write the first five books, and it is obvious Matthew contradicts John.
Let me comment just briefly on the good professor’s objections. First, the books of Moses never make the claim that Moses wrote every word in them. In fact, scripture indicates that Moses did not write all the material in the Pentateuch. Numbers 12:3 reads, “Now the man Moses was very humble, more so than anyone else on the face of the earth.” It is doubtful that Moses would have written these words about himself. Far more likely it is that Joshua or some other scribe, inspired by the Spirit, penned these comments.
Secondly, Dee says Matthew contradicts John. Think about this: why are there four gospel accounts? It seemed like one would have sufficed. Maybe it’s because Matthew, Mark, Luke and John each wrote in a different time to a different audience and wanted to help their audience comprehend the story from their own cultural backgrounds. Make sense, perhaps? That’s why Matthew, the very Jewish scribe, leads his genealogy back to Abraham, while Luke, the Gentile, leads his back to Adam. Matthew speaks of the “Kingdom of heaven,” while Mark in parallel readings mentions the “kingdom of God.” Jewish people tried not to even say the name “God” in order to avoid using the Lord’s name in vain, while to Gentiles, “Heaven” was the abode of the gods. Hence, Mark identifies the kingdom of the one true God, rather than “heaven” where his Greek audience would have been confused with the idea of many gods living there.
Understanding this, it is possible that John, to suit his audience arranges materials in a way that is not always chronological. He places the cleansing of the temple at the start of Jesus’ ministry, instead of at the end, as do Matthew, Mark and Luke, in order to make the resurrection of Lazarus the catalyst of our Lord’s crucifixion, rather than the interruption of the livestock market and money-changing trade. It’s just an idea. It makes good sense. And, John did indicate at the end of his book that Jesus did and said so many things that a vast library couldn’t have recorded them all –John 21:25.
A neat fact about the Bible is that, although written by an estimated forty different authors over a period of perhaps 1500 years, it maintains a remarkable unity throughout. There is just one God. He has a law, and He makes demands on us in righteousness. Righteousness and goodness are clearly defined, and individuals, families and societies are much better when they try to keep His standards.And, He has saved the world through faith in His only Son, Jesus Christ.
Your secularism provides absolutely no hope for the future, Prof. Dee. The Bible, on the other hand reminds us that the miracle of life and the vast universe indicate to us there is certainly another existence beyond this one, an existence in which life is fair. And you do understand fairness, Dee, because I’m always hearing people cry, “That’s not fair!” God agrees. He defines what is fair. And in His heaven, things will be fair.
You can trust the Bible. Greater men than James Dee have tried to discredit it. They’ve all failed. Trust in the Lord and His promises.

We're on Trial Again!

Ps 139:21
Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against you?

As our society grows more secular, it disdains and discards traditional faith and marriage. Faith is irrelevant, the professors say. The old ideas of the man being the head of the household invite derision in the public sphere. If you can access the Internet, you will be dismayed at the ongoing trial of Mary Winkler, accused of murdering her husband Matthew, a brotherhood preacher in Selmer, Tennessee. The couple obviously had conflicts over the things that affect every young couple: money and child-rearing. In addition, most ministers’ wives feel like they live in a goldfish bowl. The stress can mount up.
The slaying victim, Matthew, has been placed on trial by the defense attorney. That is to be expected. The attorney has a client to protect. However, not content with that, counsel for the defense has likewise brought the Lord’s church up on charges. In questioning Matthew’s father, Dan Winkler, (one of five generations of preachers) the attorney has gone so far as to attack the Biblical teachings about the husband being the head of the wife. Clearly, from his playbook, this teaching is “patriarchal,” it is abusive and wrong. Preachers of the church of Christ and its members who practice and teach this are all wife-abusers, according to the learned counsel. Here is a transcript of the proceedings from The Christian Chronicle:

“In the Church of Christ, who is the head of the household?" Farese asked Dan Winkler, father of Matthew Winkler and minister of the Huntingdon, Tenn., church."The Bible says the husband is," Dan Winkler replied."But is he the boss of the household?" Farese asked moments later. When Dan Winkler replied with scriptural references to husbands cherishing their wives and setting direction for the household, Farese asked then: "Do you have women preachers in the Church of Christ?"

You can access more information on this case through the website www.ChristianChronicle.org.
Last year’s negative publicity and broad characterizations of the Lord’s church by uninformed media personalities was bad enough. I’m not looking forward to the rest of this trial. Truly, these are troublesome times. What does a Christian do when confronted by a hostile postmodern culture? Peter gives this advice:
“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” 1 Peter 3:15-17 NIV.
Paul adds the following: “In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.” Titus 2:7-8.
In a hostile culture such as ours, they’re going to hate you because you follow Christ rather than the ways of this age. So don’t give in. Don’t hide. Stand up for the truth, and be ready to give a gentle and respectful answer to the skeptics. Just remember three words in dealing with postmodernists: prove them wrong about your faith.

Conventional Wisdom Has Limits

Newsweek magazine has a feature in which conventional wisdom is applied to various events and people in the news. “Conventional wisdom” has grown to be the benchmark of approval for all things, be it morals, ethics or natural science. The shortcoming of conventional wisdom is that it is tied to public opinion, which often changes hourly.
Paul said “But with me it is a small thing that I should be judged by you or any human court. I do not even judge myself.” –I Corinthians 4:3. He refused to give conventional wisdom the final say. Public opinion is important, but he assigned it to the status of a lower court on his standard of judgment. Thinking people follow Paul’s lead.
Conventional wisdom has its collective mind made up and settled; often on the right side of things, often on the wrong. The emotionally charged debate over abortion has been settled, as far as conventional wisdom goes. Popular opinion declares the practice to be a woman’s right, and will allow no further debate on the subject.
Scripture disagrees, in passages such as Jeremiah 1:5, where God speaks of calling the prophet while he was still in the womb. A thoughtful study of Psalm 139:16 leads one to think of the wonder of DNA, and of the great potential of each unborn child. It would seem to leave the door open for a reasonable debate on the subject. Is it right to take a life when it becomes inconvenient? The wisdom of the ages invites all to “Come now and let us reason together.” –Isaiah 1:18.
Conventional wisdom pronounces enthusiastic approval with the practice of homosexuality. Gays are to be free from discrimination. Of course, given the intrinsic worth of every human soul, each individual deserves to be treated with positive regard and respect—See John 3:16. However, divine judgment remains unchanged. The Old Testament condemns homosexuality as an abomination. (Leviticus 18:22). Two instances of holy history describe the consequences of this lifestyle run amok. In both Sodom in Genesis 19 and Gibeah of Judges 19, homosexual men act violently toward innocent victims, and the result is the destruction of the cities and surrounding areas. Violence is always a consequence whenever lust has free reign.
The New Testament pronounces judgment against lifestyles of unrestrained lust, including homosexuality and fornication in I Corinthians 6:9-10 and Romans 1:26-27. Paul rejects the final authority of conventional wisdom in I Corinthians 4:4. “It is the Lord who judges.” Paul’s appeal was echoed at the Nuremburg war trials in 1946 by Special Prosecutor Robert Jackson, who reminded the genocidal Nazis that they were all subject to an authority higher than that of Hitler.
The end results of conventional wisdom find it lacking as a reliable benchmark. Judges 21:25 describes a season of chaos and violence, when a tribe in Israel was nearly wiped out because of its arrogant and abominable lifestyle. The writer reveals the cause: “All the people did what was right in their own eyes.” May God save us from conventional wisdom. Rather, we should do as Jesus said, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” –John 7:24.

It's a Matter of Perception

Raji Stephan works among the people of the West Bank, which was formerly controlled by the Kingdom of Jordan. It’s in the Holy Land, but there isn’t much holiness in that land these days. Muslim Arabs, Christian Arabs, and Israeli Jews all fight for this rocky piece of real estate, in which land sells for a million dollars an acre. It seems that each party is guilty of sins against the other two.
The Muslim radicals in Palestine garner much media attention with acts of violence, including suicide bombings. The Israeli Jews, however, are not innocent. The walls and checkpoints they have set up throughout the West Bank have created a Byzantine labyrinth for travelers going to work or to visit relatives. Raji describes a planned visit to conduct a Bible study in which he successfully passed through four checkpoints, only to be denied admission at the fifth. The decision was an arbitrary one by the guard. He didn’t respect brother Stephan, nor the Bible he showed him. West Bank Palestinians receive so much mistreatment at the hands of the Israelis that hatred between them will seethe for centuries.
American Christians or those who profess Christianity are of little help. Those who adhere to the popular doctrine of premillennialism tend to favor the Israelis over the Arabs in disputes. This is in spite of the fact that Arab Muslims are far more receptive to the gospel than are Israeli Jews.
Arabs watch Americans who visit their land closely to see if their faith is genuine. Often, it is not. Raji related how a Muslim friend of his ferried an American televangelist and his entourage on a trip to be baptized in the Jordan River. Two blind men were among the group—except that the bus driver perceived that they weren’t blind, but only pretended to be in order to demonstrate a miraculous “healing.” The Muslims said nothing to the televangelist about his subterfuge, but took his money and developed a jaundiced view about American Christians.
The lessons to be learned from the Holy Land involve perception. We need to grow out of our mindset that says, “I don’t care what people think.” What others think of us is important. In order to win souls among a hostile population, it is important to “Show yourself in all respects a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, gravity, and sound speech that cannot be censured; then any opponent will be put to shame, having nothing evil to say of us.” –Titus 2:7, 8.
When people meet Christians, they should leave with a taste of wholesome sweetness in their heart. Actually, Paul thought of salt. “Conduct yourself wisely toward outsiders,” he advised, “making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.” –Colossians 4:5, 6.
Salty speech. Christians who are genuine. It would go a long ways toward peace in the Middle East. And here, too.