Thursday, April 10, 2014

A Jesus Documentary You Shouldn't Miss

For those of you who have not had the inclination to read the "About me" section accessed through the column on the right, you would find an almost parenthetical mention that I have a strong interest in the history of Christianity and the development of its theology. Readers who know me only through my postings may be surprised or even shocked to learn of that lapsed avocation as I admit that there have been few occasions to address the topic within the confines of writing, nor do I have the time or audience lately to teach as I did before.

But allow me this one recommendation in passing, and this has come to me from the Reverend Donald Sensing, late of the XVIII Airborne Corps, who has posted news of a video from the Nesch Brothers of Roseburg, Oregon. Jesus of Testimony is the best recent work I have seen on questions of the legitimacy of the history and historiography of Jesus and the Resurrection. The video portrays a selection of scholars – actual scholars, not the academic charlatans of the Jesus Seminar, for example – who provide excellent testimony that attests to the historical foundation for Jesus and the Gospels.

One of my favorite renditions of Jesus: attacking the moneychangers in the Temple

I am familiar to one degree or another with the panel, though two whom I have met stick out for me. Gary Habermas, Distinguished Professor of Apologetics at Liberty University, is a prolific author who is best known outside academia for his 1985 debate with the late noted British philosopher and atheist Anthony Flew. The debate had some influence in Flew's later concession in 2004 that he moved away from his faith that there was no God to a position of deistic theism, and confirmed for clarification that he had a positive belief in the existence of God.

Steve Gregg has had an itinerant ministry throughout the West Coast and can be found through The Narrow Path ministry in Temecula, California. He is director of the Great Commission School and has a daily syndicated radio broadcast that can be accessed through his web page. His approach is intelligent and friendly and he can use terms like "preterist amillenialism" in a non-threatening way. His book on Revelation is authoritative and the introduction alone is worth the price of the book.

The video can be purchased as a means of support for the ministry, though it can be viewed for free at the link, which I strongly encourage you to do if you have any sort of interest in the topic. The Nesches, like Steve Gregg, believe that the Word of God should not be sold and typically do not ask for donations, but they do welcome financial support for their ministry. Set aside some time – it tops out at two hours, fifteen minutes – but it is well worth the effort for those who are coming to a need for understanding of the Gospels, against the pop culture who cannot help but gainsay them and their good news.

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