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[CovenantRay]

There's a new article in the Toronto Sun, titled Faith Under Siege. It uses Biblical Archaeology and other arguements to state that there's reasons for our faith in Jesus (Y'shua). The link is below, if you're interested.

http://torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Coren_Michael/2005/12/24/1366618.html

It would appear that this author who wrote the column has read, or used Josh McDowell's "The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict" for his research.

Best wishes,

CovenantRay

 

[FreezBee]

There's a new article in the Toronto Sun, titled Faith Under Siege. It uses Biblical Archaeology and other arguements to state that there's reasons for our faith in Jesus (Y'shua). The link is below, if you're interested.

I will assume you have prepared for me going to take this baby for a ride

Note: the following is my very personal meaning, and CovenantRay is in no way responsible, nor is anyone else.

Let's take a look at, what Michael Coren (the author of the article) has to say:

The battle against Christmas is a reality. And it is part of a greater war against Christianity.

What does he mean by a battle against Christmas? I know that some Christians do not celebrate Christmas, and Jews for Jesus don't fancy Santa Claus, though they accept Christmas. I doubt that this the greatest Commercial Feast of the year cannot be abandoned as long as there are some people to sell thingies and some people who have nothing more important to do than to buy those thingies. May be the many closed car factories in Toronto have led to a depression, which in turn might have had a negative impact on Christmas sales. I suppose that's what he is referring to.

As for a greater war against Christianity, well, as far as broken records go, this is the most evergreen of them all.
The Da Vinci Code, television documentaries claiming to debunk Christ, best-selling books libelling the faith -- all contribute to a wider, concerted attempt to marginalize Christianity and abuse its followers.

Concerted? By who? The European and Far East car manufacturers, who are waging there fiendish war against the Toronto car manufacturers? How can one fiction novel marginalize Christianity? And how can it abuse it followers?





I have written it before, but let's look at that Holy Grail thing. It's a word play:

sang real = royal blood




san greal = holy grail



​

Now, as for the Da Vinci Code, it is based on historical facts, but in a fictitious way. The Frank Merovingian kings of course did not descend from Jesus Christ - he had no biological children; if he had, he would not be Jesus Christ, but someone else, and the Merovingian line died out in the 8th century, so simply a little historical research can show the book to be fiction. No need to whip up hysteria. Remember Orson Welles!




In response, we should establish a few basic facts about the Christian faith. Most significant, perhaps, is that almost every discovery in Biblical archaeology in recent years appears to prove The Bible right, even to the point of surprising Christian and Jewish scholars.

Such as which corroborated discoveries? Anyway, if we only count not too debated discoveries (the one, two, maybe three of them), this is hardly anything to be impressed by.

As for Jesus himself, Jewish records refer to Jesus of Nazareth and did so even before Christians had written about him. One of the most important is Josephus, a Jewish general who abandoned his people and became a friend of the Romans.

Ooh, Jesus is mentioned in Josephus' "Jewish Antiquities", and that's from the 90ies! Is Michael Coren going to tell all the Christians of the world that all NT texts are that late? And Josephus, in his own mind, did not abandon his people. He surrendered himself as the sole survivor of a group of defenders of a fortress in Galilee that had decided to commit suicide (no, it's not the Masada story, though it's a bit that way), and because he predicted that Vespasian would become emperor, he was not executed. And later Josephus was released and wrote "The Jewish War", which became the official Roman version of the rebellion. But Josephus has simply changed the sword for the pen. In this books he defends the sommon Jews against the idea that Jews in general were guilty of the rebellion and therefor had brought the destruction of Jerusalem down upon themselves. Josephus writes the story so the fault is due to the few incompetent Roman governors (such as Pilate!) and the Jewish zealots, who expected the Messiah to arrive and help them win the rebellion. Josephus was no friend of Messiahs - except that to end all Messianism for good he claimed Vespasian to be the Messiah, after all he was a ruler who came from Judah! (Vespasian was appointed emperor, while he was still leading the Roman siege of Jerusalem).

Josephus mentions Jesus in his writings several times. It is almost certain that later writers revised his words to make them seem more pro-Christian, but it is the revisions and not the original statements that should be removed from the debate. Josephus knew of Jesus because no commentator of the time could not know of him.

Josephus mention Jesus twice.

The Roman biographer Seutonius also refers to Jesus and a riot across the Tiber by supporters and foes of Christianity. Pliny the younger, governor of Asia Minor, speaks of Christ and Christians.

Suetonius mention that there was some trouble ámong the Jews over someone called "Chrestos". Pliny the younger mentions Christians in a letter to the emperor Trajan asking for instructions about how to deal with them, when they were brought before him. Both these authors were writing in the perion 110-120 ce, so long after the death of Jesus.

Next comes the ancient historian Tacitus. He discusses the great fire in Rome, how Nero was probably responsible and how the emperor placed blame on the Christians, named after Christus, who was crucified by "one of our governors, Pontius Pilate."

Yes, and this crucifixion had damped the autrocities of the Christians for some time, but they were back in the time of Nero. Tacitus was writing around 120 ce.

Then there is the Gospel evidence for Jesus. For years we have been told that it is unreliable, written long after the events occurred and even by people other than Mark, Luke, John and Matthew.

Not so. Serious scholars now agree that the Gospels were completed well before 100 AD, obviously by men who were present during Christ's life.

No one who wants to appear serious refers to "serious scholars" - this term always mean scholars who had assumed, what they wanted to prove.

In fact, no reliable Biblical expert or scholar of ancient history doubts that Jesus lived, that he claimed to be the Messiah and that many who knew him believed that claim. The idea that he was just a great moral teacher is ridiculous.

And Reverend Moon is of course the second coming of the Crist! The idea that he is just a great communist hater is ridiculous.

No, yhere is no compelling reason to deny the historicity of a person, on whose life the gospels are based. But logically you cannot conclude from that Jesus claimed to be the Messiah and that some who knew him believed that to that he was more than a great moral teacher.

Yes, of course Jesus was the Son of God, Only-Begotten, Begotten of the Father before allages, .... The Nicene Creed says so. We accept those statements on faith, that is independent of objective evidence for or against.

He claimed to be the son of God. If he wasn't, he was telling the most vile of lies or he was mad. Liars are not to be trusted and the insane are not to be followed.

Is Michael Coren trying to tell us something?

We are not, of course, obliged to believe. But the first generation of martyrs certainly did. People die for the wrong reasons, but they assume them to be the right reasons. If their faith in any idea or any person can be broken, they are no longer willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. Yet men and women who knew Jesus saw him die and rise again. They then went to their deaths with a smile.
This is extraordinarily important because the followers of Christ were in chaos when they saw their leader crucified. It was the resurrection, an event Jesus had promised, which caused them to believe once again.

Yes, here Michael Coren is apparently on his home turf as a preacher - he should stick to that. This actually makes sense.

There is no logical explanation for the martyrdom of those who followed Jesus other than that they knew, without doubt, that he was the Messiah and that he had been raised from the dead. There were many of them and they came from every section of society. The most learned and the least educated, the wealthiest and the poorest, the young and the old.

And the martyrs are still dying. In the Middle East, Asia and Africa, they are persecuted and slaughtered. In Canada, they are mocked, silenced, shouted at and, in some cases, prosecuted for their political and social views.

Ok, is this true? The part about Canada I mean? Isn't Canada supposed to be a bit on the Christian side? Maybe there are some Anlicans versus Catholics controversies, but apart from that, what's he talking about?

But truth is still truth, Jesus is still Jesus and Christmas is still Christmas. Have a wonderful and blessed one. Amen.

Nothing wrong here - he really should try to limit himself to this kind of stuff.

It would appear that this author who wrote the column has read, or used Josh McDowell's "The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict" for his research.

Yes, there's an excuse for everything, I guess. Wonder when Farrell Till is going to shred this new opus from Josh McDowell

Best wishes,

CovenantRay

Thank you, and I hope you've had a very merry Christmas

(And I hope this doesn't sacare you from coming with more articles)


- FreezBee

 

[CovenantRay]

Dear FreezBee:

No, I don't scare that easily. I am not a Canadian, but in the news in recent days, the court has allowed "group sex" clubs, despite the community's opposition. Parts of the bible, specifically speaking of homosexuality as an abomination have been ruled as "hate speech" and pastors have been arrested for speaking these passages from the bible. Homosexual marriage is legalized in places [including Toronto] and the country seems to be slipping into humanism.

Although the Toronto Sun is not a serious biblical publication, nor a historical one, this author was trying [in my humble opinion] to sway the balance of public opinion away from humanism towards belief in G-d.

Please, by all means, feel free to publish positive words about Christianity and Jesus, that are historically accurate, that will sway public opinion! For the most part, I feel you are "preaching to the choir" here.

Shalom (peace),

CovenantRay

 

[FreezBee]

I am not a Canadian, but in the news in recent days, the court has allowed "group sex" clubs, despite the community's opposition. Parts of the bible, specifically speaking of homosexuality as an abomination have been ruled as "hate speech" and pastors have been arrested for speaking these passages from the bible. Homosexual marriage is legalized in places [including Toronto] and the country seems to be slipping into humanism.

Although the Toronto Sun is not a serious biblical publication, nor a historical one, this author was trying [in my humble opinion] to sway the balance of public opinion away from humanism towards belief in G-d.

Ok, thanks for the information, and now you make me remember that Toronto is in Canada, I have to admit that I confused it with Detroit (that's why I mentioned "car manufacturers").

Here in Denamrk debates are usually not so heated, and it's usually Christians that are the attacking party, also in the homosexual debate - although all 11 bishops have agreed to that a ritual for homosexual marriage should be formed.

Please, by all means, feel free to publish positive words about Christianity and Jesus, that are historically accurate, that will sway public opinion! For the most part, I feel you are "preaching to the choir" here.

Ok, I know what you mean, and you may be right. I'm just not familiar with this kind of articles in Denmark.


- FreezBee

 

[CovenantRay]

Dear FreezBee:

For one, I appreciate your input. Within the linked article is a link to it's author's web page. I've sent him an email and he's responded to me. It would be improper to forward this thread to him, or share the email here, but you're as welcome as I to correspond with him.

[removed email address] -- Michael Coren

Shalom,

CovenantRay