Volume III, Issue 2
Volume III, Issue 2
www.midwestapologetics.org
Welcome to the monthly Midwest Apologetics newsletter. Each issue is designed to keep you informed on the latest news concerning the ministry and provide timely articles to help strengthen your faith. Be sure to check out our website for articles, book reviews, and answers to some of the tough questions concerning the Christian faith.
Bible Difficulties – Part One
Over the next few newsletters, we will be talking about the issue of Bible Difficulties and showing you how to deal with them. In this particular issue, we will show you why these difficulties exist. For a further treatment of this subject see When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties by Dr. Norman Geisler.
To start, we need to explain what we mean by “Bible Difficulty.” A Bible difficulty is an alleged problem in the Bible. Critics and skeptics will often claim that the Bible has made a mistake in that it either contradicts itself or contradicts reality.
Oftentimes, the critic overstates the case because he has failed to keep in mind some important principles. First, a difficulty is not equivalent to a contradiction. A contradiction would occur if the Bible said that something was both true and false at the same time and in the same sense.
Critics will often point to apparent disagreements or verbal disagreements and claim that the Bible made a mistake. However, when one digs deeper these apparent and verbal disagreements rapidly disappear.
I believe there are at least four reasons why God placed difficulties in His Word.
- They disprove collusion
- They force us to study
- They are the product of brevity and summary
- They reveal that God’s ways are higher than man’s ways
First, the fact that the Gospel accounts often include different details disproves the charge of collusion. In other words, it shows that the authors did not get together to make sure they were all telling the same story. This provides evidence that the authors were actually writing what they saw and heard.
Second, when we come across difficulties it drives us to dig deeper into God’s Word. When this happens we come away with a greater understanding of it and a stronger trust in its validity. God expects His people to use their minds and Bible difficulties are one of the ways that He has challenged us to do this.
Third, sometimes these difficulties occur because we do not have all of the information. For example, the Book of Acts contains approximately the first thirty years of church history in only twenty-eight chapters. The Gospel accounts of Jesus’ ministry cover a period of approximately three years and are compiled into four short books. There are so many details that are left out because it is only a summary of what happened.
Fourth, there are some things that we just cannot and/or will not understand. We are finite, and as a result, we cannot fully comprehend the infinite God. We can understand some of the things that He has revealed to us in His Word and in creation.
In future newsletters, we will detail some of these difficulties and show you how to respond to them. We will also show you some of the reasons why critics and skeptics are mistaken when they claim that these are errors in Scripture.
Tim will be going in for another bone marrow biopsy in a week. We are confident that the results will be negative again. Thanks again for all your support and prayers.
I had the wonderful opportunity to present six of my talks during the recent creation conference in Green Bay. This conference was very special for me in a number of ways. First, I was able to meet Dr. Duane Gish, one of the forefathers of the modern creation movement. I was honored that he took the time to attend my leukemia talk. Second, I did my first radio interview about a week before the conference. Third, I was able to speak in my hometown for the first time and had some family members and friends in attendance.
Overall, the talks were well received. We received a great deal of positive feedback and a lot of people were added to our mailing list. I have been told that Bethel Baptist (the host church) is planning on having me back next year. I’m already looking forward to next year’s event.
As always, if you have any questions, comment, concerns, corrections, ideas, prayer requests, etc., please email us and let us know. Also, thank you for your prayers. Please continue to keep us in your prayers throughout this month.
Do you know of anyone who would enjoy receiving our newsletter? If so, would you consider forwarding it to them and ask them to visit the website and sign up for the monthly mailing?
If you would like to be removed from this mailing, please click here and send a blank email.