Concerning the Canon

Sola Scriptura, and Rome: Dr. Michael Kruger on the Dividing Line

From the archives back in January, Dr. James White writes, “Today (1/7/2014) I was joined by Dr. Michael Kruger, President of Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. Dr. Kruger has written numerous books that are high on our “you must read this book” list, such as Canon Revisited and The Question of Canon; he likewise contributed to and edited The Heresy of Orthodoxy and The Early Text of the New Testament. Our visit was prompted by a phone call made by a Lutheran to Catholic Answers Live back on 10/31/13. We played the entire call before the program started, and we played the heart of the call, where the Roman Catholic priest made the key assertions about canon and scriptural authority, during the interview with Dr. Kruger. We covered a wide variety of topics relevant to the canon issue. Truly one of the most useful programs we’ve ever done! Enjoy and learn!”

Answers to Bible Critics

Video series by Bob Burridge:

Some people are obsessed with finding fault with the Bible. In its completed form the Bible has been studied and criticized for about two thousand years. There is little new to be said. The usually cited alleged contradictions and imagined errors have been laid aside centuries ago, but enthusiastic fault-finders will dig them up thinking they’ve found something new. This series will examine some of these assumed problems.

1. Seeing the Invisible God – Most assumed contradictions in the Bible are due to the failure of a critic to follow the normal rules for interpreting literature. This study closely examines three basic principles overlooked or misstated by those who presume there must be a problem before they have found one.

2. Jonah’s Whale – There is no contradiction in the Bible when Matthew 12:40 says Jonah was swallowed by a “whale”, while in Jonah 1:17 it says he was swallowed by a “great fish”. When the facts are examined it becomes clear that the error is in the failure of the critics to look more carefully at the evidence.

3. Years of the Kings – The use of various calendars, co-regencies, and ancient idiomatic expressions often make the dates given in the Bible appear to be inconsistent. Closer examination clears up the problems, some of which are simple confirmable errors made in later copies of the original text.

4. The Value of Pi – In 1 Kings 7:23 the reported diameter and circumference of a container seems to ignore the value of Pi. However, when the rest of the description is considered, it fully conforms with the value of Pi. We just have to do the math.

5. Seventh or Tenth Day? – Did Nebuzaradan attack Jerusalem on the 7th day of the month? or on the 10th? Critics of the Bible think they have found a contradiction here, but a more careful look shows that they have not understood the situation well. This brief video compares 2 Kings 25:8-10 with Jeremiah 52:12-14.

6. Chronology of the Cross – Some have looked for a contradiction between Mark’s timing of the crucifixion of Jesus when it is compared with the accounts in the other Gospels. When properly understood there is no contradiction at all.

More lessons are being edited and will be linked here as each is completed.