Josephus does not tell us that Christianity is true, and Christians do not need Josephus to tell them that Christ is risen. But Christianity makes claims about things that happened in public history under identifiable rulers, priests, and governors. For that reason, testimony from outside the church matters.
Today, the longing for cultural Christianity on both the left and the right hearkens back to an older version of Christendom that was a mixed blessing for the church in the western world. The cultural mediation of Christian views on created order has certainly benefitted the civilization we’ve inherited. But the gospel itself isn’t something that can be reduced to cultural mediation either. Instead, the gospel as a message stands apart from all human accomplishments and achievements, no matter how beneficial they might be.
The student of Scripture should always have a map open next to their Bible as they read. If possible, they should also travel to Israel, not to make a pilgrimage, but to see the context of the land in which these stories took place. These are not fairy tales made up about fictional fantasy lands; these are stories about real people in real places interacting with a real God.

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I’ve experienced firsthand the promise that God never leaves a congregation empty-handed.
It makes perfect sense that the day honoring Jesus' birth would be observed in a decidedly less than refined manner.
Christ has come to make every last aspect of your life the object of his eternal, never-ending, always transitive grace.
At its heart, this is what Deacon King Kong is all about: the paradox of Jesus carving his victory out of the last thing we expect, not our triumphs but our defeats.
It is in your lows where Christ has hidden his highest high, eternal life itself.
One could reason that God might, at least, give the church a little worldly power.
The gospel fires up within us the gratitude, joy, and love to pull off what the law never could get us to do.
When it comes to God’s word, our help only obscures his power and grace.