APOLOGETICS CONVERSION STORIES: Resources

Some people say that you can't argue anyone into the kingdom and that apologetics is a waste of time. Below are dozens of stories that say otherwise and relate the very practical importance of apologetics. Apologetics strengthens the faith of believers and persuades unbelievers.

I came to Christ as a young child (so apologetics did not play a role in my conversion), but apologetics has kept me strong in my faith when life has been hard. But for many, apologetics has played a key role. And in fact, that is how many of the best apologists have come to faith.

One thing that you will see if you read enough stories is that different kinds of evidence persuade different kinds of people. For some, scientific evidence (such as related to the cosmological argument or the fine-tuning of the universe) was most important in opening their minds to Christ. For others, it was philosophical arguments--such as the moral argument. For still others, it was the evidence for the resurrection....or something else.

Most of the links below relate to how apologetics played an instrumental role in people coming to Christ--and most of them are of former atheists. A few highlight how apologetics strengthens believers, which has been my own story. At the very bottom, there are collections of very diverse testimonies of conversion. But they all tell people's stories of how Christ drew them to himself, and I think you will enjoy all of them.

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"Atheists Who Convert: A Case Study" by Joel Furches. Wow!

A whole month of conversion stories by my friend Joel Furches. This fantastic series of articles at Examiner.com features "stories of noted atheists who experienced dramatic shifts in their views, eventually becoming Christians. The stories...highlight the reasons why they held their atheistic views to begin with, and the reasons they became convinced of the truth of Christianity."

"Atheist Homicide Detective Finds Evidence for God" (6-minute video). Famous L.A. Cold-Case Detective J. Warner Wallace tells his story. You can find his website here.

Why Three Brilliant Atheists Became Christians: The conversion stories of astronomer Allan Sandage, geneticist Francis Collins and award-winning journalist Lee Strobel. An excellent but FREE 35-page booklet by my friend Ronald Cram.

Skeptics Who Demanded a Verdict by Josh McDowell. The conversion stories of Charles W. Colson (lawyer and Special Counsel to President Nixon), C.S. Lewis (Oxford professor and prolific author) and Josh McDowell (internationally famous author and Christian apologist). A FREE 106-page book.

The Most Reluctant Convert: C.S. Lewis' Journey to Faith by David C. Downing (available in hardcover, paperback, Audible and MP3 CD). Or you can borrow it for FREE! through OverDrive (through coordination with local libraries) in audiobook.

"Why Muslim Dr. Nabeel Qureshi Converted to Christianity" (38-minute video). Dr. Qureshi also tells his story of how his friend David Wood used apologetics to lead him to Christ in his bestselling book Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus (328 pages). Available in paperback, Kindle, Audible & Audio CD. Or you can borrow it for FREE! through OverDrive (through coordination with local libraries) in ebook & audiobook. It is an easy and enjoyable read. This book received the 2015 Christian Book Award for "Best Non-Fiction" and "Best New Author." I highly recommend it. You can find out more about Qureshi here.

"My Search For Messiah" (2-Part Series produced by Day of Discovery). Dr. Michael Rydelnik shares his story of how he grew up as a Jew and came to know that Jesus is the Messiah prophesied in the Torah, by looking closely at several key messianic prophecies. *Part I (26 min); *Part II (26 min)

"Atheist Doctor Converts to Christianity" (7 1/2 minute video). In his book The God Diagnosis, Dr. Viehman bxplains how he went through the process of examining the evidence of Christianity and God changing his life (which is available in paperback, cheap on Kindle and also available on Audible).

Master Illusionist Andre Kole (inventor of over 1000 illusions including about 100 of David Copperfield's illusions) approached Jesus' Miracles as a skeptic before becoming a believer (6-minute video)

"Why I Am a Christian (David Woods, Former Atheist)". A powerful testimony of how God turned a hardened pscychopath into a believer (34-minute video).

*Atheist and Cincinatti Reds baseball player Frank Pastore shares why he now believes. His book Shattered that retells his story (in Kindle, paperback, Audible or Audio CD). A 2-minute video of the beginning of the audio version of the book. You can borrow the ebook or the audiobook for FREE! through OverDrive if your local library uses this service.

*Not God's Type: An Atheist Academic Lays Down Her Arms by Holly Ordway (in Kindle or Hardcover). "As a well-educated college English professor, she saw no need for just-so stories about God. Secure in her fortress of atheism, she was safe (or so she thought) from any assault by irrational faith." You can borrow the ebook for FREE! through OverDrive if your local library uses this service.

*The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Butterfield (in Kindle, paperback, Audible or Audio CD). "Rosaria, by the standards of many, was living a very good life. She had a tenured position at a large university in a field for which she cared deeply. She owned two homes with her partner, in which they provided hospitality to students and activists that were looking to make a difference in the world. There, her partner rehabilitated abandoned and abused dogs. In the community, Rosaria was involved in volunteer work. At the university, she was a respected advisor of students and her department's curriculum. And then, in her late 30s, Rosaria encountered something that turned her world upside down-the idea that Christianity, a religion that she had regarded as problematic and sometimes downright damaging, might be right about who God was, an idea that flew in the face of the people and causes that she most loved. What follows is a story of what she describes as a "train wreck" at the hand of the supernatural. These are her secret thoughts about those events, written as only a reflective English professor could." You can borrow the audiobook for FREE! through OverDrive if your local library uses this service.

"Josh McDowell - Catastrophic Love" (16-minute video)

"Atheist Journalist Turns to Christ After Investigating Evidence - Lee Strobel" (42 minutes). Award-winning legal journalist for the Chicago Tribune.

"Atheist Scientist Becomes Christian After Researching Evidence for God": Astrophysicist Dr. Hugh Ross (41 minutes)

"Atheist Gets Her PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics and Finds Evidence for God": Dr. Sarah Salvander

19th Century Darwinist Intellectual Finds Evidence That Leads Him Back to Christ
*George Romanes (1848-1894) was a close friend of Charles Darwin.

Another 19th Century Intellectual Finds Evidence That Leads Him Back to Christ
*Thomas Cooper (1805-92), a prolific lecturer on historical subjects, became a passionate skeptic, writing and speaking vigorously against Christianity, but later in life he became an even more passionate defender of the faith.

A Collection of stories of Victorian Atheists Who Came to Christ: Crisis of Doubt by Timothy Larsen. Larsen says about his book (in an interview recorded in an Amazon review): "Scholarship on the Victorian age has been obsessed with the loss of faith and with unbelievers – atheists, agnostics, and secularists. Numerous books have been written which tell such life stories as if they are the story of what it means to be a thinking person in the modern world. I found in my research, however, that there was a major trend of atheist leaders coming to faith. Far, far more of the top leaders of the secularist movement became Christians than Christian leaders lost their faith. Yet no scholars had ever carried about this huge phenomenon! My book tells their stories and analyzes this historical pattern. Most of the chapters are details sketches which tell a life from beginning to end, including how they became a leading voice for unbelief, how famous they were in the freethinking movement, how they came to faith in Christ, and how they answered the skeptical arguments that they once found so compelling."

My friend Mark McGee had considered many different kinds of evidence, but it was the loads of archaeological evidence for the Bible that caused him to become serious in his investigation of who Christ is. See his series of 29 articles on the subject (in reverse order of publication).

*"Confessions of a Former Skeptic: Ex-atheist Conversion Stories" (53-minute video recording of a webinar). "Five ex-atheists talk to the Apologetics Academy about their journeys of following the evidence to faith in Christ. Ex-atheists featured include Dr. Gunter Bechly, Daniel Rodger, Elizabeth Mooney, Chris Claus and Mark McGee."

*"How An Atheist Found God" by Marilyn Adamson, directory of EveryStudent.com

"Former Atheist Richard Morgan Interview": A former fan of Richard Dawkins tells his story.

"An Atheist Changes His Mind About God": "Engineer Nick Berryman was an atheist, who enjoyed reading Richard Dawkins' 'The God Delusion.' He changed his mind about God when a friend introduced him to books by CS Lewis, John Lennox and Alister McGrath."

"My Apologetics Testimony - A Mormon Friend" by Paul Buller


My friend Maryann Spikes' Testimony

"Confessions of Former Atheists: Daniel Rodger, Peter Byrom and Hugh Ross (65 minutes)

"How God Turns a French Atheist into a Christian Theologian - My Conversion Story" by Guillame Bignon. His testimony is also available in a 20-minute video.

The Great Good Thing: A Secular Jew Comes to Faith in Christ: The memoir of Andrew Klavan, author and screenplay writer

"Conversion of a Cynic": The conversion of Malcolm Muggeridge

"Another Atheist Who Became a Christian": Nichole Cliff, Harvard educated writer

"Testimony from a Ratio Christi Member" at Think Apologetics

"Apologetics Stories": A collection of testimonies by my friend Carson Weitnauer

"Atheists Who Became Christians" a collection of articles by my friend Jay Wile, who is a former atheist himself.

"Testimonials": People have written of how God has used the Reasonable Faith apologetics ministry founded and led by Dr. William Lane Craig in their lives. 

"Having Answers for Skeptics Can Lead to Faith" by my friend Carson Weitnauer. Carson explains how he has seen God use apologetics in his many years as a campus minister.

"Why Apologetics?" by Mary Jo Sharp (1 1/2 minute video)



MISC. CONVERSION STORIES

"How Skeptics Turned G.K. Chesterton to Christ"

"The Top 5 Testimonies of 2015" at Christianity Today.

Dozens of Conversion Stories at Christianity Today.

The Legacy Project: Conversion stories and other testimonies

I Am Second

Crisis of Doubt: Honest Faith in Nineteenth Century England by Timothy Larsen



STILL LOOKING?.....
*Check out this article: Does Apologetics Convert People? by Clint Roberts at Credo House....
OR....this list of links to testimonies at Christian CADRE.

Atheist Homicide Detective Finds Evidence for God" 

(6-minute video)

MY BLOG'S TOP 10 POSTS IN 2015

Here are my blogs top 10 posts for 2015. The first list is rated purely by pageviews. The Second list is the list by pageviews and amended in order of Google+ votes (and in the case of ties by pageviews). The third list is based on Google+ votes (and in the case of ties by pageviews). Interesting how it varies! (Though I should note that I have only recently boosted my visibility among Google+ users.)

As of midnight December 31, my blog had 22,499 pageviews since I started blogging 3 years ago, and 14,429 of those views were in 2015. And 11,740 were from November and December! So I am very excited about how God has begun to use this blog. It is finally beginning to take the shape that I had hoped that it would (though I have much more work to do). Thanks to all of you who have encouraged me through your comments, shares and pageviews! :)


BASED ONLY ON PAGEVIEWS....
1. Archaeological Confirmation of the New Testament
2. Read the Bible in 2015 (the link will take you to the article as it has been revised for 2016)
3. Do We Really Need to Teach Apologetics in the Church?
4. Free Online Classes for Studying the Bible and Apologetics
5. What Apologetics Book Should You Read First?
6. Resources for the Study of Messianic Prophecy
7. Master List of Apologetic Resources
8. Archaeological Confirmation of the Old Testament
9. 1000s of FREE Books for Apologetics & Bible Study
10. Getting Started in Apologetics


BASED ON PAGEVIEWS AND AMENDED BY GOOGLE+ VOTES....
1. Archaeological Confirmation of the New Testament 10
2. What Apologetics Book Should You Read First? 10
3. Read the Bible in 2015 (the link will take you to the article as it has been revised for 2016) 8
4. Getting Started in Apologetics 8
5. 1000s of FREE Books for Apologetics & Bible Study 4
6. Do We Really Need to Teach Apologetics in the Church? 2
7. Resources for the Study of Messianic Prophecy 1
8. Master List of Apologetic Resources 1
9. Archaeological Confirmation of the Old Testament 1
10. Free Online Classes for Studying the Bible and Apologetics


BASED ON GOOGLE+ VOTES....
1. Archaeological Confirmation of the New Testament
2. What Apologetics Book Should You Read First?
3. Read the Bible in 2015 (the link will take you to the article as it has been revised for 2016)
4. Getting Started in Apologetics
5. Blaise Pascal: A Bibliography
6. 10 More Great Books That Are Free
7. Works of Dead Apologists
8. Building a Bible & Apologetics Reference Library
9. So-Called Lost Gospels (Gnostic Writings): A Bibliography
10. 1000s of FREE Books for Apologetics & Bible Study

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THE SMALLEST SEED IN MARK 4:31 ~ Examining a Difficult Bible Verse

In Mark 4:30-32, Jesus says: "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade" (NIV). Or did he say that? Did Jesus really claim that the mustard seed "is the smallest of all seeds on earth"? This is how the NIV (New International Version) translates these verses. But could they have been translated better?

This seems to be one of those perennial questions. It often stumps believers who come upon it. And of course, skeptics relish the opportunity to say Jesus made a mistake or the Bible has errors. Recently, this issue has come up a couple of times in a Facebook group that I am a part of. The second such discussion was introduced using a blog article by John Tors at "Truth In My Days." The article is titled: "DID JESUS ERR ABOUT THE SIZE OF MUSTARD SEEDS? A Case Study in How to Do Serious Evangelical Apologetics." 

(1) A BRIEF CRITICISM OF TORS' ARTICLE
The author does a good job of surveying the popular internet solutions to the problem (even if he does not seem to fully understand them). And I truly appreciate his passion and sympathize with his concerns. But the arrogant and caustic tone of the article bothers me as he castigates prominent scholars and then declares that he alone has the answer to this problem. If he had studied more carefully, he would have seen that all of  the suggestions he surveys have merit and contribute to our understanding of this passage. And the one he begins with is indeed the best scholarly solution (and not the "gambit" that he declares it to be).

Tors is correct in noting that the word that the NIV translates as "earth" (ges = γῆς) can be used to mean simply agricultural land or soil. Even in English, the word "earth" can be used to mean our planet OR a handful of soil. But after castigating Daniel Wallace for limiting the meaning of "seed" (sperma) to "sown seed", Tors determines that "earth" should be "that limited area of ground for agricultural use"--by which he means to say that the word refers to a specific piece of property or a certain field. But that is not what Bauer is indicating in his Greek lexicon. It is a valid interpretation of the word in context but it is not the straightforward meaning given by Bauer. So my point here is NOT that Tors is in error by doing this (context can narrow the meaning of a word), but rather that he is doing exactly the thing that he castigates Wallace for doing (or at least what he thinks Wallace is doing, which we shall see is not really the case).


(2) A WORD ABOUT USING REFERENCE WORKS
Tors whole argument hinges on his determination that any interpretation must rely on a straightforward reading of a Greek dictionary, and in this case, Bauer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. But dictionaries are produced by humans. Bauer's (BAGD) is the standard Greek lexicon, but it is not perfect. Bauer was a great Greek scholar and no one has surpassed his work as a number one go-to reference for the meaning of Greek words. One reason is because it is so exhaustive in scope. But it still has weaknesses. Bauer was a human being and not on some ethereal plane far above Wallace and the rest of us. (Interestingly, Tors is simply pitting Bauer's Greek reference work against Wallace's Greek reference work.) In this case, Bauer did not see the need to differentiate between "seeds used for agricultural purposes" and "seeds of plants in general." The other weakness is that Bauer does not give any etymologies (studies of word origins). I realized early on in my study of Greek that it is immensely helpful to consult more than one reference work when trying to sort out a difficulty with the meaning of a Greek word. This is why I have several Greek reference works on my shelves (one has 3 volumes and another has 10 volumes, while Bauer is a single volume); and I have ready access to at least three more on my computer. If Tors had consulted a few more reference works (he only consults Bauer and Wallace--whom he rejects), he would have seen that Wallace is right on the money, and the problem would have instantly dissolved.


(3) A LOOK AT THE MEANING OF THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD SEED
So let's look at this verse in Mark 4:31: "It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth" (NIV):

(A) A PROBLEM OF TRANSLATION
The NIV (New International Version) does a terrible job of translating this verse. Going to the Blue Letter Bible, we can quickly see that all of the other versions do a much better job and include the phrase that modifies mustard seed: "WHICH WHEN PLANTED ON THE SOIL." This is in fact, in the original Greek and an important part of the context, but the NIV does not translate it at all. The NASB does the best job of all here (though it is not always the best, contrary to NASB fans): "It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil,...." 

For the sake of convenient reference, let me repeat their translation with the key Greek words inserted: "It is like a mustard seed (κόκκῳ = kokko = Masculine Singular Dative of kokkos), which, when sown (σπαρῇ = spare = 3rd Person Singular Aorist Passive Subjunctive of speiro) upon the soil (γῆς = Feminine Singular Genitive of ges), though it is smaller than all the seeds (σπερμάτων = spermaton = Neuter Plural Genitive of sperma) that are upon the soil (γῆς = Feminine Singular Genitive of ges),...."

(B) THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTEXT
 As Tors rightly notes, the context here is agriculture. And context is THE most important issue in interpretation of language. We can see that this parable is about agriculture in the immediate context (in the phrase that the NIV totally leaves out): "sown (speiro) upon the soil." We can also see this context in the very next verse: "Yet when planted (speiro, same word as in 4:31), it grows and becomes THE LARGEST OF ALL *GARDEN PLANTS* (λαχάνων = lachanon), with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade" (NIV). Fortunately, the NIV gets this verse right. If we look beyond this parable, we see that it is also part of the larger context of Mark 4, as Jesus tells two other explicitly agricultural parables immediately prior to this one.

(C) THE MEANING OF "SEED"
But what about that word "seed" (sperma) which Wallace maintained should be translated as "sown seed" (but which Tors said was incorrect). Consulting other references besides Bauer (BAGD), I immediately found distinctions that Bauer failed to make.  

(i.) Kittel (the 10-volume work, which is really the number one place to go when investigating the range of meanings for a Greek word) groups words into cognate groups. So immediately we see that "seed" (sperma) is from the group of Greek words that include "sown" (speiro, which is used in verse 31 and again in 32), "sowing" (spora), "sowing, seed" (sporos) and "sown" (sporimos). These are all of the cognates of "seed" (sperma) and they all have an agricultural meaning. (Checking Verbrugge gives the same results but adds nothing further.) So it is easy to see that this group of words are all words used in agriculture and so THE PRIMARY MEANING (not just a possible meaning) of "seed" (sperma) is "SEED USED IN AGRICULTURE" (or as Wallace put it: "sown seed"). 

(ii.) If we consult Brown's 3-volume Dictionary of New Testament Theology, we see the same cognate group. And the very first sentence of the article begins: "In secular Gk. the sperma group is commonly used in the literal sense of sowing plant seeds...." 

(iii.) Consulting Liddell & Scott's lexicon, the very first definition given for this word "seed" (sperma) and therefore the most common sense of the word is: "that which is sown." So we immediately see that three of the best Greek reference works available agree that this word refers to seed used in agriculture.

(iv.) For those of you who do not have access to all of these reference works, you can go to Blue Letter Bible (or other online Bibles) and use the tools there and discover the same thing. Blue Letter Bible provides the meanings from Thayer's lexicon and Strong's concordance. Thayer's is not as clear here, but if you look closely you will find the phrase ("of the grains or kernels sown"). If you use the etymological tool (which relies on Strong's), you will see that this word "seed" (sperma) is derived from the "root word" speiro (which means to "sow" or "scatter seed": again, the word "sown" that is used in the parable of the mustard seed in Mark 4:31, 32). Furthermore, the Blue Letter Bible gives you all the New Testament occurrences of the word (scroll down), so you can quickly read through and see for yourself how the word is used in the New Testament. If you do that, you will see that the New Testament writers only use this word in an explicitly agricultural context, except when it is used in its figurative sense referring to human descendants. But when referring to plants, it is always seed that is "sown" and usually makes explicit mention of a farmer.

(v.) It is also important to note that these are the kinds of categories that people in the ancient world put things. They used practical categories. They did not use the same kinds of scientific means for categorizing living things that we do. This way of classifying things has only been developed in the last 500 years. So, bats are put in the same category as birds because they fly. And whales in the same category as fish, because they swim in the water. There is nothing inherently wrong with that. It is just a different way of sorting.

(vi.) Now that you have a better understanding of what the Greek word for "seed" (sperma) means, let me point out one more thing: The first word that Jesus uses for "seed" is kokkos. He then shifts to sperma when noting the realm in which the mustard seed is the smallest.


(D) SUMMARY OF THE DATA
So let's summarize the data that we have gathered:
(i.) Jesus says that the mustard is the smallest of "seeds" (sperma). Sperma is part of a group of words that are all have a meaning related to sowing seed for agricultural purposes. This is conclusive evidence that the word sperma originally referred only to seed that was to be sown for the purpose of agriculture. It is possible for the meaning of words to change over time and occasionally take on a completely different meaning, particularly among certain groups of people. This is why Greek references (such as Kittel) that explore the range of meaning for a word not only offer etymologies but also give brief studies of how the word was used in particular eras and by certain groups (e.g., classical Greek, the Septuagint, the New Testament). But I could find no indication that sperma took on any different meaning (except when used figuratively of human descendants, which does not affect our discussion here). Certainly, in the New Testament, whenever sperma is used in reference to the seeds of plants, it refers to seed that is being sown for agriculture.

(ii.) This is all confirmed in the broader context (Jesus' previous parables and rural setting) and the immediate context of Mark 4:31-32, which is filled with agricultural terms: "When the mustard seed (kokkos) is sown (speiro) upon the soil (ges), it is the smallest of agricultural seeds (sperma) sown (probably an assumed verb here based on sentence structure) on the soil (ges) but grows and becomes the largest of agricultural plants (lachanon)."

(iii.) So what word would be used if the ancients wanted to refer to just any seed (whether wild or domesticated)? As we already noted, there is the word kokkos. So Jesus' shift from kokkos to sperma only reinforces the fact that it is the smallest of agricultural seeds sperma and that it is NOT being compared to all seeds, including wild seeds (kokkos).


CONCLUSION
Therefore the clear meaning of Jesus' words in Mark 4:31-32 is as follows: "It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the other agricultural seeds that are sown upon the soil, grows and becomes the largest of all the agricultural plants." This is the most natural meaning of Jesus' words here. 
Furthermore, in the context, Jesus is not trying to make a botanical or horticultural point here. When interpreting what someone is saying, you also need to consider the genre being used, the recipients, and the intention. Here Jesus is speaking to a crowd of Jews and speaking a parable about the kingdom of God. So that context narrows the meaning even further. He is not saying it is the smallest agricultural seed that has ever been sown or ever will be sown. He is simply talking to them about what they are familiar with and using that as an analogy to how the kingdom of God grows. Therefore, Jesus' words in context might very well be translated as: "It is like a mustard seed, which when you (you Jews listening to me) sow upon the soil is the smallest seed you sow upon the soil, grows and becomes the largest of the plants in your fields and gardens."

So, no. Jesus did NOT claim that the mustard seed was the smallest seed of any plant in the history of the world past, present or future....or on other planets or in other universes! He simply was using an analogy that the people that he was talking to would understand: "Of all the seeds you sow in your fields and gardens, the mustard seed is the smallest, but then it grows and becomes the largest."

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*Contradictions in the Bible?
*MASTER LIST OF APOLOGETIC RESOURCES
*1000s of FREE BOOKS FOR APOLOGETICS & BIBLE STUDY
*GUIDE TO THE CONTENTS OF MY BLOG

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ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONFIRMATION OF THE OLD TESTAMENT: Resources for Study

There is a mountain or archaeological evidence confirming the historicity of the Old Testament. Here are some resources for beginning to explore it.

My Class: "Digging Up The Old Testament":
*MP3 Audio (45 minutes)
*PowerPoint Slideshow: When you click on this link, you will note the option at the top to "Open with Google Slides" or you may open with MS PowerPoint or OpenOffice Impress (which is free).
*Class Handout
*I recommend opening the audio and using the PowerPoint Slideshow as you listen (and/or the handout).

*ROBERT DICK WILSON (1856-1930). Wilson was an Old Testament scholar and defender of the text and historicity of the Old Testament. He was an incredibly gifted linguist who knew 45 languages (26 related to the study of the Old Testament). Check out this 4-minute video about Wilson by Josh McDowell. A brief biography and bibliography at Wikipedia. A 16-page biography by Brian Nicks in The Master's Seminary Journal. A complete chronological bibliography of Wilson's works at the website of the Presbyterian Church in America Historical Center. Wilson's best known work: A Scientific Investigation of the Old Testament, which can be found FREE here.

*The entire 16-week course may be found here: "HOW TO HAVE CONFIDENCE IN CHRIST THAT CHANGES THE WORLD (Apologetics 101: A Cumulative Case)"


VIDEOS
*"Does archaeology support the bible? // Social Church // Q&A with Ted Wright" (3 1/2 minutes)
"Patterns of Evidence: Exodus" (119 minutes) An excellent documentary on the evidence for the book of Exodus. Also available on Netflix streaming video.
*"The Exodus In Light Of Recent Archaeological And Geological Work In North Sinai" (78 minutes). Lecture by James Hoffmeier. "The Israelite exodus from Egypt has been the subject of scholarly interest and investigation since the dawn of Egyptology two centuries ago. In this lecture, Hoffmeier reviews the background information from ancient Egypt and focuses on new geological and archaeological data from the work of the North Sinai Archaeological Project, which Hoffmeier directed. When the results of this exciting work are combined with other recent and ongoing excavations in North Sinai, a compelling picture emerges about the route of the exodus and the location of the Re(e)d Sea."
*"EP31: Is Mount Sinai in Saudi Arabia? w/ Bob Cornuke" on Cross Examined with Frank Turek (55 minutes)
*"Ekron of the Philistines: From Sea Peoples to Olive Oil Industrialists"(93 minutes). Lecture by Sy Gitin. "The excavations of Ekron radically changed the traditional perception of the Philistines, a tribe of the Sea Peoples who migrated from the Aegean in the 12th century BCE. They settled along the southern coast of modern day Israel, became the chief antagonists of ancient Israel, and after 200 years were assimilated into one of the major ethnic groups like the Canaanites, Israelites, or Phoenicians. The Ekron Excavations have produced dramatic new evidence documenting Philistine history for an additional 400 years until the destruction wrought by the campaign of the Neo-Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar in 604 BCE. It was in the last phase, during the 7th century, that Ekron achieved the zenith of its physical and economic growth, when it became the largest olive oil industrial center known in antiquity. Among the major finds of the period was the Ekron Royal Dedicatory Inscription, one of the three most important documents outside the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in the 20th century in Israel. The excavations also provided an answer to one of the enigmatic questions involving the Philistines, why they eventually disappeared from the pages of history." (Description from Lanier Theological Library)
*The Archaeology of the Old Testament: A Conversation with Ted Wright (2 hours) at Apologetics Academy 


ONLINE ARTICLES (& Book Chapters)
*"Biblical Archaeology's Top Ten Discoveries of 2018" (At the left of the article you will see links to articles for the "Biblical Archaeology's Top Ten Discoveries" of 2014 to 2017.)
*"50 People in the Bible Confirmed Archaeologically" by Lawrence Mykytiuk for the Biblical Archaeology Society. Highly recommended. Dr. Mykytiuk has added two more names to this list in an update. He has written a book on this subject and has also done audio interviews and several other articles related to this subject that are available at his Academia page.
*"TOP 30 OLD TESTAMENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS" by my friend Ronald Cram
*"Convince Me There's A God - Archaeology": My friend Mark McGee has done a series of 29 articles on the archaeological confirmation of the Bible. It was this kind of archaeological evidence that God used to bring him from a "well-known, hard-core atheist talk show commentator" with a background in journalism to a place of faith and commitment to Christ. The title link above will take you to the first article in that series (where he also explains some of his own interesting story)...or you can go to the entire series (in reverse order) here.
*"21 greatest Old Testament Biblical Archaeology Discoveries Ever (2019)" by Jonathan & Elizabeth Krotov
*"Archaeologists In Israel Find Evidence That Proves Literal Truth Of Bible" by Ruth Gledhill (Christianity Today: September 28, 2016)
*"Researchers Reconstruct Early Version of Old Testament Text from Burned Scroll"
(Wall Street Journal: September 21, 2016): “We were immediately struck that the En-Gedi scroll is identical in all details to what we call the authoritative Jewish text in use today.”
*"King Hezekiah in the Bible: Royal Seal of Hezekiah Comes to Light" (Biblical Archaeology: December 2015)

*"Archaeology Proves the Bible Record" by Paul A. Hughes
*"Does Archaeology Prove Chronicles Sources?" by Robert North
*"Archaeological Confirmation of the Old Testament" by Donald J. Wiseman
*The Big Book of Christian Apologetics: An A to Z Guide by Norm Geisler. See the article "Archaeology, Old Testament."

BOOKS
*The Popular Handbook of Archaeology and the  Bible: Discoveries that Confirm the Reliability of Scripture by Joseph M. Holden, Norman Geisler, and Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.
*The Archaeological Study Bible by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. and Duane Garrett.
*The Stones Cry Out by Randall Price
*On the Reliability of the Old Testament by K.A. Kitchen
*Israel in Egypt: The Evidence for the Authenticity of the Exodus Tradition by James K. Hoffmeier
*Ancient Israel in Sinai: The Evidence for the Authenticity of the Wilderness Tradition by James K. Hoffmeier
*Biblical Archaeology: An Introduction With Recent Discoveries That Support the Reliability of the Bible by David Elton Graves.
*Biblical Archaeology: Vol. 2: Famous Discoveries That Support the Reliability of the Bible by David Elton Graves.
 *The Kregel Pictorial Guide to Old Testament Archaeology by Alfred Hoerth
*Archaeology and the Bible (1917) by George A. Barton. FREE
*The Biblical Archaeology Society offers several FREE ebooks.

INTERNET RESOURCES FOR RESEARCH
*An extensive bibliography (with links, FREE pdf files, and more) hosted by "Theology on the Web" (organized by book of the Bible).
*Associates for Biblical Research: tons of resources here!
*Epic Archaeology: the website of Ted Wright
*Archaeology and the Bible: Nice Q & A format at ChristianAnswers.net
*BiblicalArchaeology.org.uk: lots of resources here
*"Biblical Archaeology" page at Theopedia
*"Archaeological Confirmations of Scripture": a web page of the Christian Apologetics Alliance
*Collection of links by Dr. Craig Evans for doing archaeological research.
*Articles on Archaeology at Apologetics Press.
*Open Access Archaeology: A search engine for searching open access archaeology journals.
*Biblical Archaeological Links nicely organized at Dig The Bible
*An alphabetical List of 1587 open access journals on the ancient world hosted at AWOL - The Ancient World Online
*Online Resources from Institute for the Study of the Ancient World. An amazing array of FREE resources including a digital library, 3000 free images, online coins of the Roman world, images for 50,000 papyri, an open-source map-making program and more!
*Wabash Center has an annotated list of 44 resources.
*Biblical scholar John Kloppenborg's collection of links on "Archaeology"
*BibleArch
*Guided Biblical Archaeology Tour of the Holy Lands at Dig the Bible


RELATED PAGES
*The Historical Reliability of the Old Testament
*Archaeological Confirmation of the New Testament


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*MASTER LIST OF APOLOGETIC RESOURCES
*1000s of FREE BOOKS, AUDIOBOOKS & JOURNALS FOR APOLOGETICS & BIBLE STUDY
*GUIDE TO THE CONTENTS OF MY BLOG

The Egyptian Pyramids at Giza

Image Source: Institute for the Study of the Ancient World hosted at Flickr's Ancient World Image Bank

ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONFIRMATION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT: Resources for Study

There is a mountain of archaeological evidence confirming the historicity of the New Testament. Here are some resources for beginning to explore it:

My Class: "Digging Up The New Testament"
*MP3 Audio (45 minutes)
*PowerPoint Slideshow: When you click on this link, you will note the option at the top to "Open with Google Slides" or you may open with MS PowerPoint or OpenOffice Impress (which is free).
*Class Handout
*I recommend opening the audio and using the PowerPoint Slideshow as you listen (and/or the handout).

REFERENCES FOR THE CLASS:
1. Information on Sir William Mitchell Ramsay's views about Acts before and after his archaeological work can be found at: Sir William M. Ramsay: Archaeologist and New Testament Scholar A Survey of His Contribution to the Study of the New Testament (Baker Studies in Biblical Archaeology) by W. Ward Gasque, p.23-24, 27-28.

• Example of Luke's accuracy in describing Paul's fleeing from Iconium to Lystra and Derbe in Lycaonia: See Sir William M. Ramsay: Archaeologist and New Testament Scholar A Survey of His Contribution to the Study of the New Testament (Baker Studies in Biblical Archaeology) by W. Ward Gasque, p.25-26.

2. Colin J. Hemer & Acts:

• "84 Confirmed Facts in the Last 16 Chapters of the Book of Acts" at Truthbomb Apologetics (based on Colin J. Hemer's book listed below).
• The Book of Acts in the Setting of Hellenistic History by Colin J. Hemer
• Politarchs in Thessalonica: See "Archaeology and the Book of Acts" by John McRay, p.74-75.

4. A Few More Important Finds:

• 1968: The Ossuary of Yehohanan: See the online article at the Biblical Archaeology Society website.
• 2002: The Ossuary of James, Son of Joseph, Brother of Jesus: See the excellent article by Jospeh M. Holden
• 2009/2015: Two First Century Homes at Nazareth: See "Photos: 1st-Century House from Jesus' Hometown" by Owen Jarus at Live Science AND "Is Jesus' Hometown (Nazareth) a Myth?" by Joseph M. Holden (p.319-322 of The Popular Handbook of Archaeology and the Bible: Discoveries That Confirm the Reliability of Scripture by Joseph M. Holden and Norman Geisler).

*For more info about Sir William Mitchell Ramsay (1851-1939). Highly recommended is Ramsay's magnum Opus: St. Paul the Traveler and the Roman Citizen  (1895, 1907) which is FREE at Christian Classics Ethereal Library, where you will also find a nice summary of the book and a short biography of Ramsay. And here is a short article by Don Stewart quoting from this book and showing how Sir William Ramsay is related to settling the question of the historicity of Acts. Sir William M. Ramsay: Archaeologist and New Testament Scholar -- A Survey of His Contribution to the Study of the New Testament by W. Ward Gasque, an excellent 95-page book about Ramsay and his contribution to New Testament study--available in a FREE PDF file. (NOTE: The link for the PDF file of the book is located below the title and publisher's info and immediately above the Table of Contents.) For a list of his later writings, see "The Later Ramsay: A Supplementary Bibliography of the Published Writings of Sir William Mitchell Ramsay" by Colin J. Hemer.

*The entire 16-week course may be found here: "HOW TO HAVE CONFIDENCE IN CHRIST THAT CHANGES THE WORLD (Apologetics 101: A Cumulative Case)"


RESOURCES FOR DIGGING DEEPER....
ONLINE ARTICLES (& BOOK CHAPTERS)
*"Why Doesn’t Archaeology Corroborate Every Detail of the New Testament Accounts?" by J. Warner Wallace
*"The Archaeological Evidence for Jesus" by Craig Evans
*"Archaeology and the Historical Reliability of the New Testament" by Peter S. Williams

*"Archaeology and the New Testament" by Kyle Butt

*TOP 30 NEW TESTAMENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS by Ronald Cram
*"Archaeology Proves the Bible Record" by Paul A. Hughes
*"The Nativity Cave and Gentile Myths" by Craig Keener
*"Photos: 1st-Century House from Jesus' Hometown" by Owen Jarus at Live Science
*"The Nazareth Home of Jesus?" by Larry Hurtado
*"Is Jesus' Hometown (Nazareth) a Myth?" by Joseph M. Holden
*"Has the House of Peter and Andrew Been Discovered in Capernaum?" by Sean McDowell
*"Archaeological Confirmation of the New Testament" by F.F. Bruce
*"Archaeology and the Book of Acts" by John McRay
*"84 Confirmed Facts in the Last 16 Chapters of the Book of Acts" at Truthbomb Apologetics (based on Colin Hemer's book listed below).
*I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist by Norm Geisler and Frank Turek, pages 255-268. Lists and explains the importance of 84 facts confirmed in Acts (from Hemer's book listed below) and 59 facts confirmed in the Gospel of John (from Blomberg's book listed below).
*The Big Book of Christian Apologetics: An A to Z Guide by Norm Geisler. See the article "Archaeology, New Testament."
*Associates for Biblical Research has dozens of articles on the "New Testament Era."
*Last Seminary hosts 4 articles on archaeology and the New Testament that can be download for FREE--with brief abstracts for each.

BOOKS
*The Archaeology of the New Testament: 75 Discoveries That Support the Reliability of the Bible (2020) by David E. Graves

*Excavating the Evidence for Jesus: The Archaeology and History of Christ and the Gospels by Titus Kennedy

*Jesus and Archaeology edited by James H. Charlesworth

*The Popular Handbook of Archaeology and the  Bible: Discoveries that Confirm the Reliability of Scripture by Joseph M. Holden, Norman Geisler, and Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.
*The Archaeological Study Bible by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. and Duane Garrett.
*The Stones Cry Out by Randall Price
*The Earliest Christian Artifacts: Manuscripts and Christian Origins by Larry Hurtado
*The Historical Reliability of John's Gospel by Craig Blomberg
*Archaeology and the New Testament by John McRay
*The Kregel Pictorial Guide to Archaeology and the New Testament by John McRay
*Jesus and Archaeology edited by James Charlesworth
*The Book of Acts in the Setting of Hellenistic History by Colin J. Hemer

*The Archaeology of the New Testament by Jack Finegan
*St. Paul the Traveler and the Roman Citizen  (1895, 1907) by William Ramsay. FREE at Christian Classics Ethereal Library, where you will also find a nice summary of the book and a short biography of Ramsay. And here is a short article by Don Stewart quoting from this book and showing how Sir William Ramsay is related to settling the question of the historicity of Acts.
*Jesus and the Remains of His Day (2015) by Craig Evans
*Jesus and His World: The Archaeological Evidence (2012) by Craig Evans
*The World of Jesus and the Early Church (2011) edited by Craig Evans
*Archaeology and the Bible (1917) by George A. Barton. FREE
*The Biblical Archaeology Society offers several FREE books.

INTERNET RESOURCES FOR RESEARCH
*Collection of links by Dr. Craig Evans for doing archaeological research.
*A substantial bibliography (with links, FREE pdf files and more) by Theology on the Web
*Associates for Biblical Research: tons of resources here

*Bible Archaeology Report: some excellent articles here
*Archaeology and the Bible: Nice Q & A format at ChristianAnswers.net
*BiblicalArchaeology.org.uk: lots of resources here
*"Biblical Archaeology" page at Theopedia
*"Archaeological Confirmations of Scripture": a web page of the Christian Apologetics Alliance
*Articles on Archaeology at Apologetics Press.
*NT Gateway: Links and bibliography on New Testament archaeology maintained by Dr. Mark Goodacre. Part of a large directory of academic internet resources, though sadly lacking in some of the best evangelical scholarship.
*Open Access Archaeology: A search engine for searching open access archaeology journals.
*Biblical Archaeological Links nicely organized at Dig The Bible
*An alphabetical List of 1587 open access journals on the ancient world hosted at AWOL - The Ancient World Online
*Online Resources from Institute for the Study of the Ancient World. An amazing array of FREE resources including a digital library, 3000 free images, online coins of the Roman world, images for 50,000 papyri, an open-source map-making program and more!
*Wabash Center has an annotated list of 44 resources.
*New Testament scholar John Kloppenborg's collection of links on "Archaeology"
*BibleArch
*Guided Biblical Archaeology Tour of the Holy Lands at Dig the Bible

The Arch of Titus (82 AD) depicting the sacking of Jerusalem in 70 AD

Image Source: Institute for the Study of the Ancient World hosted at Flickr's Ancient World Image Bank