A few weeks ago, Christianity Today published an article by Michael Licona titled, “I Befriended Bart Ehrman by Debating Him.” In the article, Licona recalls how he initially debated Ehrman in 2008 and how a friendly acquaintance grew out of the exchange. Reading about their casual friendship, I am reminded of the rather more famous camaraderie that […]
Michael Licona
Apologetics and the Crisis Apparition
When it comes to the veridical value of ghost appearances, among the most intriguing are so-called “crisis apparitions”. Lisa J. Schwebel writes: “A crisis apparition is the recognized apparition figure of a friend or relative appearing around the same time that he or she is undergoing some great crisis: at the time of an accident, […]
25. Do the gospels have errors? Michael Licona’s new insights on ancient history
Christians have always been aware of the apparent contradictions in the Gospel accounts. For example, how does one reconcile the genealogies of Matthew (1:2-17) and Luke (3:23-38)? Did Jesus cleanse the temple at the beginning of his ministry (John 2:13-17) or the end (Mark 11:15-19)? Who appeared at the empty tomb? Was it a young man […]
First they came for Michael Licona
A few months back I blogged in defense of one of evangelical Christianity’s leading apologists and academics, Michael Licona. Why? The poor chap actually had the temerity to raise probing, intellectually honest questions about the historicity of Matthew 27:51-54. Once the hounds of inerrancy caught poor Mike’s scent they started braying and the chase was on. For weeks […]
Al Mohler says the devil is in the details. Ironically enough, he’s right.
Imagine a defense attorney that is trying to defend his client’s innocence against the charge of murder. To his initial delight the defense attorney comes across an eyewitness who is emphatic that the attorney’s client did not commit the murder. The reason? The eyewitness says he saw another man commit the crime. Do you think the […]