Is Christianity True
By Jack Kinsella
Of all the various religious belief
systems embraced around the world, Christianity stands apart because
Christianity cannot be mythologized. Everything about Christianity is grounded
in solid history.
For example, Christianity could not exist apart from the Roman occupation of
Judea. Without Jewish rejection of the Messiah, Christianity would have become a
Jewish religion.
Without the Roman occupation, there could be no Pontius Pilate. Without Pilate
to wash his hands of responsibility for the Crucifixion, Jesus could not have
been put to death 'for the sins of His people', as required by Messianic
prophecy.
And of course, without the public Crucifixion, there could not have been a
Resurrection and the core beliefs of Christianity could not exist.
Christianity's core beliefs rely 100% on the accuracy of the historical context
in which it was introduced to the world.
One gets a sense of the importance of historical context when one compares other
major world religions to Christianity. Islam, for example, exists independent of
historical truth.
Historically, Allah was a pagan god -- one of about 360 gods worshipped by the
pre-Islamic Arab world. Mohammed's biographers simply promoted a pagan god to preeminence by declaring Allah to be the one true god.
Allah's pre-Islamic historical existence puts Islam out of historical context,
since Islam claims Allah created the world and is the same God worshipped by
Christians and Jews.
Historically, if Allah was one of 360 pagan gods worshipped by pre-Islamic
Arabia, then he could not also be the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Allah's
history is at odds with world history. If one is true, the other cannot be.
Buddha allegedly sat down under a Bodhi tree and meditated until he found
enlightenment and produced the Four Noble Truths. But the principle focus of
Buddhism is the Four Noble Truths.
The details of Buddha's life are part myth, part history.Whether or not Buddha
produced the Four Noble Truths under a Bodhi tree or an oak tree is irrelevant.
But that doesn't bother Buddhists.
There are no schools of thought specifically dedicated to disproving the details
of Buddha's life for the purpose of discrediting his historicity. The Four Noble
Truths can exist independently of a literal Buddha.
Christianity has no such historical problems. Jesus was of the Line of David. He
was raised a Jew, taught in synagogues and in the Jewish Temple, and the
religion He founded was historically rooted in the Jewish Scriptures. And
Christianity could not exist independently of an historically accurate Jesus.
One could not accept the tenets of Christianity if they were removed from the
historical context in which they were given. The places where Jesus taught can
be visited today. Genuine, legitimate historical records, both Christian and
non-Christian, attest to the historical accuracy of the events recorded by the
Gospels.
The Koran may or may not be the exact literal words of Allah. The Koran was
produced after his death by scribes who wrote down what Mohammed taught. Dates,
times and places are impossible to verify historically. Did Mohammed ascend to
heaven on a winged horse from the 'furthest mosque' in Jerusalem?
The Koran provides no historical context, no eyewitness testimony, no concurrent
historical theme in which it makes sense, but whether or not Mohammed actually
rode Buraq up to heaven is irrelevant to the core tenets of Islam.
The life, death, crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus were all very public
events. The historical political climate of the time was hostile to the claims
of Christianity, but the eyewitness testimony was accepted as fact because there
were too many living witnesses to the events described for it to be a hoax.
All the New Testament documents were written within one generation of the events
they portray. Dr. Norman Geisler and Willaim Nix write “In brief, all twenty
seven books [of the New Testament] were written, copied, and began to be
disseminated among the churches before the end of the first century.”
No other religious belief structure in the history of the world has been as
carefully documented as that of Christianity, and no other belief structure in
the history of the world has been more closely scrutinized for historical
inaccuracy.
If Mohammed didn't ride Buraq to heaven, Islam could still exist as a viable
religious system. If Buddha didn't develop the Four Noble Truths under a bohdi
tree, it would not have any real bearing on the validity of Buddhism to its
adherents.
Unlike the other great religions of the world, Christianity MUST be historically
accurate down to the tiniest detail in order to remain viable.
No other world religion has been as closely scrutinized down through the ages as
Christianity. If it could be proved that Jesus did not come from Nazareth, had
never been to Egypt, or was not born in Bethlehem, Christianity would
immediately collapse.
The enemies of Christianity have tried for two thousand years to find evidence
that conclusively disproves a single claim regarding the life and times of Jesus
Christ of Nazareth. Nobody saw Mohammed ride Buraq to heaven. But it is
irrelevant to Islam's viability.
Jesus ascended to heaven in full view of the Apostles, no one of whom ever
recanted their testimony, even at the cost of their own lives.
Nobody knows whether or not Buddha attained enlightenment under a bodhi tree.
Buddhists can pursue the Four Noble Truths regardless of how they came to be.
But if Jesus didn't really curse the fig tree as recorded in Mark 11:21, then
the Bible can't be trusted and Christianity would collapse.
Mohammed can contradict himself throughout the Koran without presenting any
significant challenge to the core tenets of Islam. The Koran identifies
Christians and Jews as 'People of the Book' in one place, and later, commands
followers of Islam to kill Christians and Jews someplace else.
If Jesus contradicted Himself even once, Christianity would fail. Yet
Christianity has withstood two thousand years of skeptical scrutiny without a
single, provable historical inaccuracy.
Mohammed was illiterate, as was most of the 6th century Arab world. The same can
be said for Indian society 2550 years ago when Buddha achieved enlightenment.
But Jesus Christ lived, died and was resurrected in the midst of one of the most
literate and carefully documented societies in the history of the ancient world.
Even the Jewish leaders who ordered His death were unable to dispute the Gospel
accounts of His life, although it was certainly in their interests to do so.
Why is it that Christianity MUST be true? As the Apostle Peter specifically
noted; "we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto
you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were EYEWITNESSES of His
Majesty." (2nd Peter 1:16)
For that reason, Peter notes, "We have also a more sure word of prophecy;
whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark
place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts." (2nd Peter
1:19)
Christianity has withstood all assaults down through the ages because it IS
true. Every single word of it.
"Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (1st Thessalonians 4:18)