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 Two

In our previous newsletter we began a series on Bible difficulties. In that edition, we defined what a Bible difficulty is and gave four reasons as to why God may have allowed them to be in His Word. In this issue we will look at several reasons why the critics mistakenly charge the Bible with error.

One common mistake of the critic is that they assume the Bible is guilty (of committing errors) until proven innocent. This violates Aristotle’s dictum, a principle which states that we presume the author of a book is telling us the truth unless or until it is shown otherwise. For a long time, critics charged the Bible with error when it mentioned the Hittite people. We were told that no such people group ever existed and that the biblical authors simply fabricated the information. The critics’ mouths were stopped when the Hittite national library was discovered in 1906 in modern day Turkey.

Critics often fail to understand the context of a passage. As a result, the Bible is charged with teaching something it does not actually teach. For example, Psalm 14: 1 and Psalm 53: 1 both state, “There is no God.” Of course, if the Bible actually taught this it would contradict the rest of Scripture, which is based on God’s existence. If one checks the context, he will quickly discover that both of these verses state, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”

Some critics have charged the Bible with error because they assume that a partial report is a false report. The sign above Jesus’ head on the cross provides a great example of this. Each of the four Gospels mentions different wordings for the sign and the critics have charged the Bible with contradicting itself. Here is what each of the Gospels record concerning the sign:

Matthew – “This is Jesus the King of the Jews.”

Mark – “The King of the Jews.”

Luke – “This is the King of the Jews.”

John – “Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews.”

Of course, they do say essentially the same thing; however, there is an easy way to show what the sign, in all likelihood, actually stated. Look at the same sentences worded below and try to figure out the wording of the sign.

“This is Jesus __ _______ the King of the Jews.”

“___ __ ____ __ _______ the King of the Jews.”

“This is ____ __ _______ the King of the Jews.”

“___ __ Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews.”

Now can you figure out what it said? Of course, it’s easy. The sign said, “This is Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews.” The accounts do not contradict each other. Instead, they complement each other. The critic would be wise to remember that a partial report is not a false report.

The final mistake of the critic we will look at in this newsletter is that they sometimes assume that the Bible approves of all it records. Some will say that the Bible condones polygamy because many of its heroes had married multiple wives, such as David, Solomon, and Jacob. While it is true that these men were polygamists, the Bible never condones their actions. In fact, 1 Kings 11 reveals that Solomon’s many wives caused huge problems for him. He was led into idolatry. The Bible never condones polygamy but accurately records historical events – even when the information damages the reputation of an important person.

In our next issue, we will look at a few more mistakes made by the critic when they charge the Bible with containing contradictions. We will also be announcing some very exciting news regarding the ministry next month.

Leukemia Update

Tim had another bone marrow biopsy on March 6^th. Once again the results were negative. He will have another one in about three months. After that, they will be every six months. We praise God for the good reports. Thanks again for all your support and prayers.

Creation Museum Trip Update

Tim took a group of twelve students and two other adults to the Creation Museum in the Cincinnati area from March 19 – 21. The group was willing to give up part of their Spring Break to volunteer their time to work on the museum. While Tim was involved in meetings during each day, the students worked very hard and were a great blessing to Answers in Genesis.

We were given a tour of the museum on Monday night, March 19^th. It was incredible. The museum is tentatively scheduled to open at the end of May. While there were still some exhibits that were not completed, the majority of the exhibits were finished and they were top notch. The students were very excited about the museum and were anxious to return this summer once it opens.

We were also treated to two planetarium shows on Monday night. Dr. Jason Lisle put the programs together and they were fantastic. One of the adults on the trip commented how awesome it was to have a facility that gives God the glory for what He has done.

Some of the students had gone on last year’s trip but those that were there for the first time were amazed at the size and quality of the museum. One student told his parents that he thought it was going to be really cheesy but he was wrong. He told his mom that it was awesome and he can’t wait to go back to see it when it is done.

Because of the high interest level, we are considering offering several trips to the museum this summer. It takes about nine hours to get there from our area so it would be a two day trip. We will likely leave on selected Friday mornings and return the following evening. Please contact us if you would be interested in joining us on a trip to the museum.

Miscellaneous

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.

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