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.
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.
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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Rick Ritchie gives a brief summary on the importance of Plato’s thought in Christianity
Show me your righteousness, we can only point to Jesus
God has a hall ready for us, for us and for so many more
It is the love of God that reveals Him as the promise-making, promise-keeping God.
C.S. Lewis, Grief, and the Holiday Season
In an autobiographical telling, Gretchen Ronnevik shares the fate of two different fathers and the hope she has in Christ.
As You Wait: Always Winter Never Christmas is an Advent poem by Tanner Olson
There is no justification by the works of the law
The following poem was written by Tanner Olson to accompany 1517’s 2023 Advent Resources, The Clothing of the King. Advent begins this Sunday.
An Analysis of Galatians 5:1-6
Liturgy offers an enriching form of worship. Here are 10 advantages it provides.
Tolkien's hero Tom Bombadil functions to showcase the Gospel