In this episode of the Cold-Case Christianity Broadcast, J. Warner Wallace discusses the importance of an evidential faith and the unique evidential nature of Christianity. This episode includes footage from Pastor Jack Hibbs’ Weekly television show, “Real Life with Jack Hibbs,” where J. Warner was interviewed about the importance of the Fearless Faith conferences.
Here is the audio podcast…
When investigating the gospel accounts of the Crucifixion, I was immediately interested in John’s description of the blood and water that came from Jesus’ side when one of the soldiers pierced Him with a spear (John 19:34). I wondered how John, the ancient peasant fisherman, would have known about any of the physical conditions that could account for the appearance of water (pleural or pericardial effusion, for example; two conditions that result from heart failure). This observation is consiste..
Police officers train obsessively. Our state certification organization requires us to stay up to date and tests us consistently to see if we are still competent in a number of areas. From firearms qualification to driver’s training to legal updates, each officer is required to spend hundreds of hours learning and practicing necessary skills over the course of a career. Along the way, we spend many hours engaged in “defensive tactics” training. Beyond our academy preparation, officers must conti..
As a detective, I’ve learned to evaluate words carefully when considering the statements of victims, witnesses and suspects. What someone didn’t say is often more important than what they actually did say. In fact, I often stop and ask myself, what were some of the options available when this person made this specific statement? What could they have said in this particular circumstance and what does their choice of words tell us about their thoughts or the truth of the situation? As a new invest..
Even if you reject the direct statements of Jesus related to his Deity, the circumstantial case constructed from Jesus’ other statements is overwhelming. As you examine the words of Jesus, it’s hard to ignore His repeated claims of Deity:
He Made Statements About His “Place” of Origin
When asked about His place of origin, Jesus repeatedly identified it as the same “place” where God the Father abides. While mere humans are described to come from this temporal world, Jesus said He and God the Fat..
The disciples of Jesus were raised in a first century Jewish culture and faith system, so they understood the universally accepted notion that God alone is worthy of our worship. This concept was central to the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 20:3-6) and was repeatedly taught throughout the Jewish scripture (see Deuteronomy 4:35, 6:4, 6:13-16, and 32:39, 2 Samuel 7:22, Isaiah 8:13, and Isaiah 43:10-11). The Old Testament was clear about this truth; Yahweh was the only God the Jews were to love, fea..
Whenever I visit a college or university to give a presentation, I make an effort to talk with students in the local Christian groups that are active on campus. These students often discuss the apathy that seems to permeate the Christian culture in universities across America. Don’t get me wrong, there are many significant Christian clubs and organizations on campuses across America, but it’s clear from talking to the students I meet that few Christians seem to be willing to reach out and share ..
In this episode of the Cold-Case Christianity Broadcast, J. Warner Wallace talks about the flight of young people from the Church and describes the importance of Fearless Faith Conferences across the nation. What can we do to help young people know Christianity is true and defend it in the university setting? J. Warner shows several clips from the Fearless Faith Conferences featuring Professor Mike Adams and Dr. Frank Turek.
Here is the audio podcast (the Cold-Case Christianity Weekly Podcast i..
When jurors evaluate witnesses in criminal cases, they examine evidence in an effort to corroborate the statements offered by these witnesses. Jurors are looking for some limited confirmation of the facts offered on the stand. Imagine, for example, a witness testifies that the robbery suspect approached the bank teller, pointed a gun at her (using his right hand), began to climb up onto the counter (using his left hand), screamed at the teller, and demanded that she give him the money from the c..
I’m often asked to make the case for the reliability of the Gospels in spite of the presence of scribal variants throughout the text. Remember that criminal courts do not require eyewitnesses to be inerrant to be considered reliable. In order to illustrate the trustworthiness of the text, I typically offer the following hypothetical. First, allow the skeptic to identify all the textual variants in the Gospels based on a comparison of all available manuscripts. Next, to make the point more dramat..