Christianity is not a myth

Perhaps the most common argument made today against Christianity is the idea that the Gospels were written many centuries after the fact. This idea that the original story became lost and garbled as it was transmitted across the centuries, each generation embellishing and adding to the grandiosity, until you have a miracle-working Jesus who rose from the dead.

The problem with this theory is that the Gospels were almost certainly written within the first century, during the lifetime of the original eyewitnesses. We have many pieces of evidence that point to this.

(1) The four Gospels display a remarkable knowledge of the local geography of first century Palestine. Keep in mind that ancient Palestine was radically altered after AD 70, when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Jewish people were scattered across the Mediterranean world. Therefore, there was only a short window of time in which people would have had a reliable memory of the historical setting of ancient Jewish Palestine.

The Siege of Jerusalem by David Roberts

The sheer density of geographic markers: names of towns (Sychar), regions (Decapolis), bodies of water (Siloam), distinctive locations (Golgatha) are remarkable, especially when compared to the Gnostic Gospels which have very few geographic markers. The Gnostic Gospels were a kind of fan fiction written centuries after the fact, mostly in Egypt, and lack the telltale signs of authenticity.

Many of the geographic locations were subsequently abandoned or lost after the Jewish-Roman War of AD 70. For example:

• John names the pool of Bethesda with its five rows of columns. Scholars doubted the existence of such a pool until it was rediscovered in the 19th century.

• The Gospels name Capernaum as the main site from which Jesus conducted ministry in Galilee. This town was later lost and only rediscovered in the 20th century.

• According to John, Pilate brought Jesus to a place called the “Stone Pavement” (Gabbatha in Aramaic) for judgment. This structure was uncovered, along with inscriptions, in the 19th century.

(2) The four Gospels display authentic names from first century Palestine. This field of study is called Onomastics, which looks at names and frequency of names. Common names are very specific to a time period and geographic location. They are a unique time marker, as distinctive as a fingerprint.

If you count up all the names in the Gospels, they very accurately match what historians have painstakingly reconstructed based on inscriptions, burial boxes, and documents (like the Dead Sea Scrolls).

Names were often etched into ossuaries (burial boxes). This one dates to first century Palestine.

For example, the two most common names in both the Gospels and in first century Palestine were Simon and Joseph. These two names make up 15.6% of Palestinian Jewish population and 18.2% of the Gospels. The nine most common names among Palestinian Jews was 41.5% and 40.3% in the Gospels. These are near exact matches.

This is especially striking when you compare them to the Gnostic Gospels, which include several exogenous Egyptian names, which indicates the setting in which it was written. Again, frequency of common names is not something easily replicable or even discoverable without modern archeology. This is strong evidence of historical authenticity.

(3) Lastly, there are all these wonderful, unplanned, small signs of historical accuracy in the Gospels. For example, there is a correspondence between Josephus' and the Gospel account of Herod Antipas. From Josephus, we know that Herod Antipas went to war against his neighbor, King Aretas of Nabatea in AD 36. Herod had been married to Aretas' daughter, and after a long marriage, divorced her to marry Herodias (the wife of his half-brother), thus provoking conflict with Aretas. According to Josephus, when Herod was defeated in battle, the people saw it as the justice of God and the vindication of John the Baptist. Josephus does not tell us exactly how and why John the Baptist was involved. But from the Gospels, we learn that John the Baptist had publicly preached against Herod's marriage to Herodias, and was arrested and ultimately executed for this. The two pieces fit together perfectly: each source, Josephus and the Gospels, providing parts of the story that complete each other.

Salome dancing before Herod by Rochegrosse

We could add to these many other pieces of evidence. The attestation of non-Christian writers (Pliny the Younger, Tacitus), the existence of hundreds of fragments of the Gospels dating to the 2nd and 3rd centuries, etc. Each one, by itself, can perhaps be explained away. But at a certain point, Occam’s razor comes into play.

Occam’s razor is the logical principle that the explanation that requires the least number of assumptions is usually the correct one. In other words, the simplest explanation is usually correct. In this case, Occam’s razor would state that in the first century, there was a rabbi named Jesus of Nazareth who did remarkable healing miracles, taught about the Kingdom of God, died on a Roman cross, and then rose from the dead as vindication of his identity, and that his earliest followers accurately recorded his life and teachings in the writings of the New Testament.

Humility is a uniquely Christian virtue

The ancient Greeks and Romans did not have a word for humility. The reason is that they did not see it as a virtue. It was the way slaves and the conquered thought of themselves. In an honor-based culture where status and reputation was everything, this was abhorrent and to be avoided at all costs.

But the Apostle Paul and the early Christians flipped this value system upside down. Paul coined a new word tapeinophrosune [ταπεινοφροσύνη] which literally means “lowliness of mind.” It means to have a low opinion of your own status and importance. The early Christian took this trait which was tinged with shame and weakness, associated with the enslaved, and said, no, this is true greatness. This is the mind of Christ.

One of the earliest songs of the Christian church was the “hymn of Christ” in Philippians 2:5-11. It said that Jesus, though he possessed the very nature of God, yet he did not cling to it, but became a lowly servant, born in a manger, and ultimately, went down to the vilest and most shameful death in the ancient world — crucifixion. Jesus died the death of a slave.

This shows us that humility lies at the very heart of God. The infinitely great God is humble — this boggles the mind. And in the end, God raised Jesus from the dead and gave him the name that is above every name. Humility leads to glory.

Humility is not just one of the virtues in Christianity. It is the cardinal virtue. It is the foundational virtue from which all other virtues flow. It is the mind of Christ, who out of love and obedience, lowered himself in service and sacrifice for his beloved people. And thus he sets an example for all who would follow him.

Reflections on Church and Finances

In one sense, it's strange that God asks Christians to support the work of the gospel. Doesn't God own "the cattle on a thousand hills"? (Psalm 50:10) If God wanted, he could fund the church through miraculous provision from heaven. Why go through the much more inefficient and cumbersome process of tithes and offerings from the congregation?

One short answer is that God delights to see us help in his work. Many of you are parents of young children. I remember when my boys were little, as I would bring in the groceries, they would ask, "daddy, can I help?" Now technically, their "help" was more work for me, since I had to extend my arms out to let them "hold" the grocery bag with me. Even though it was quite inefficient and more work, my fatherly heart was delighted that my boys wanted to help me. So it is with our Heavenly Father. He delights to see his children help him in the great work of the gospel. It is not a burden, but our joy and privilege to help our Father in his work.

Benefits of a Ministry Mindset

My family is what is called “a ministry family.” That means that since I’m a pastor, service in the church and Sunday attendance is simply the default choice for our family. My two boys understand this in a deep way: if a school or social event interferes with church, church has the non-negotiable priority.

This might seem like a burden, but actually it is the greatest of blessings. The enormous spiritual benefits of regularly doing godly habits come on the far side of consistent, long-term commitment. In the short-run, it will often feel like a loss. You will often wonder: Why am I doing this? I'm not getting anything out of it.

Children are especially influenced by the rhythms and priorities of our lives. The sobering statistic is that about 70% of children "drop out" of church when they go to college or join the workforce. The single greatest factor that shaped their decision was observing the spiritual priorities of their parents. That is both a wonderful encouragement and a warning. The single greatest inheritance we can pass down to our children is to show them a life of passionately following Jesus.

Reflections on the LA fires

This past week, we've all seen incredible images of destruction by the wildfires in LA. This one hit close to home for me. The Eaton fire destroyed a community (Altadena) that was very close to where I grew up. Many of my childhood friends had to evacuate from their homes and everything is covered in smoke and ash. It looks like an atomic bomb was set off in the middle of Los Angeles.

The Palisades Fire. Photo taken Jan 7, 2025.

Here in the Bay Area, we are not unfamiliar with the devastation of wildfires. As we grieve for our friends in LA, I wanted to share some pastoral reflections:

(1) Life is fleeting. For many people, the fires destroyed their homes with almost no notice. There was no advance warning. There was no sense of danger even a day before. The overwhelming feeling is just shock and disbelief. We forget how fragile and ephemeral life truly is. At any moment, disaster can strike down our lives.

(2) Wealth is no protection. One of the devastated communities was Pacific Palisades. Everyone who grew up in LA knows this is the place where the ultra rich and powerful live. There were literally $100m houses that went up in flames. Wealth can buy material goods, but it cannot save us from the heartache and ruin of this fallen world.

(3) The only true shelter is God. The Bible says that if you build your life on anything in this world, you are building on shifting sands. The only rock is God. He alone is an eternal fortress that cannot be shaken. Build your life on Him. Psalm 18:2, "The Lord is my rock and my fortress, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and stronghold."

If you would like to make a financial contribution to the victims of the LA wildfires, Reality Church has set up a special fund for this purpose.

2024 Year-in-Review

2024 was our first full year as a church! It was a year of gaining new friends, deepening community bonds, and starting new ministries, like ImagoYouth!

Our annual Christmas party was a wonderful time of food, laughter, and just enjoying each other.

We launched a new ministry, ImagoYouth, for the youth kids of the church. It’s been wonderful seeing their friendships gel.

We had several baptisms. Praise God!

We gained new friends and families!

We had an impromptu wedding. Congrats Will and Steph!

Our AV team continues to make improvements!

The kids love hanging out together after service

Our faithful worship music team

Our Sunday setup team

One of our dear friends and frequent guest preacher, Scott, and his wife Eleanor.

We are filled with wonder and gratitude for God’s faithfulness to our church in 2024 and look forward to all that He has in store for us in the New Year!

Mini-book review: The Trinity

The Doctrine of the Trinity is often set aside by Christians as too obscure or too mysterious to understand, but The Trinity by Donald Fairbairn provides simple and accessible instruction on this most vital of teachings. The Trinity is not just an esoteric doctrine on the nature of God, but it goes to the very heart of the gospel:

1. The Trinity helps us to understand the self-sacrifice of God on the cross. Because Christ and God are one, the cross is not “divine child abuse,” as some critics argue. Therefore, in Christ, God was offering himself. But also, since Christ and God are distinct persons, we can understand how Jesus can cry out on the cross, “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This explains why Jesus is not praying to himself when he says, “Abba Father.”

2. The Trinity helps us understand that servanthood and submission goes to the heart of who God is. God is not just Lord and King, but in the Son, submits himself to the Father and goes to the cross as a humble servant. This helps us understand puzzling statements by Jesus like, “I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.” (John 6:38) If Christ was exalted through servanthood and submission, then greatness comes, not through self-assertion and self-ambition, but humility and lowliness.

3. The Trinity shows us that the meaning of life is love. Since God is Triune (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), God is an eternal community of persons loving and delighting in each other. Therefore, the meaning of the universe is love and friendship, since love and friendship are at the heart of who God is.

Mini-book review: The Case Against the Sexual Revolution

Growing up in the 1990s, it was de rigueur that the sexual revolution of the 1960s was a uniformly positive movement that liberated young people from the outdated rules of traditional sexuality, and that only fussy religious holdouts continued to decry these changes. Well, it’s been a 60-year social experiment now, and we can evaluate the effects with some degree of sobriety and objectivity.

Louise Perry, journalist and writer, on the Chris Williamson podcast

What’s been interesting is that the strongest critics of the modern sex culture are not from religious voices but secular and feminist voices. A slew of new books have been published from this perspective, most prominently The Case Against the Sexual Revolution by Louise Perry and Rethinking Sex by Christine Emba.

In an age of hookup culture, Only Fans, and the #MeToo movement, Perry and Emba criticize the modern sexual culture for being particularly harmful to women. Their argument is that there used to be a “double standard” where men were allowed to be promiscuous whereas women had to be chaste, which was unfair and sexist. The modern world eliminated that double standard by encouraging women to be as promiscuous as men, but that has mostly served the interest of men, particularly rich men. The vast majority of women do not enjoy random sexual encounters, which exposes them to danger and shame. Rather, Perry and Emba argue for a world where men are asked to be as chaste as women, which protects vulnerable women and privileges family formation.

Christine Emba, columnist for the Washington Post, speaking at a conference at Georgetown University

This recalls an even early sexual revolution, one that predates the 1960s by two millennia, in which a persecuted and marginalized group advocated, for the first time in history, for the rights of women and slaves against sexual predation, and a sexual standard in which powerful men were expected to practice sexual restraint and probity.

Happy Reformation Day!

Everyone knows that October 31st is Halloween (more on that below). But did you know that it's also Reformation Day? In 1517, on the eve of All Hallow's Day, Martin Luther started the Protestant Reformation, nailing his 95 Theses on the church door of Wittenberg. After centuries of darkness, the light of the gospel was recovered. Post tenebras lux--"after darkness, light!"

The Reformation was known for it's five Solas, or gospel slogans:

Sola Scriptura. Scripture alone, not church traditions, is the final authority for Christian faith and practice.
Sola Fide. We are justified by faith alone, not our good works or religious deeds.
Sola Gratia. We are saved by grace alone. Human beings are entirely unable to save themselves, but only by God's mercy.
Solus Christus. Christ alone saves--no other mediator between God and man exists.
Soli Deo Gloria. To God alone is the praise and the glory of our salvation--not saints, Mary, or popes.

Praise God that we are saved by Christ alone, through faith alone, by grace alone, to the praise of God alone!

Bible resources for children

I'm often asked for recommendations for Bible resources for children. The good news is that parents have a huge impact on the faith of their children. Praying and reading the Bible with your kids will greatly shape their faith, so that even if they  drift away from the church in their adulthood, their childhood memories often act like a homing beacon back to Christ.

Here are some great resources to read to your children:

The Jesus Storybook Bible. Each story is like a mini-sermon, focusing on faith in Christ. The book goes beyond a simple retelling to show the gospel behind the story. The tagline of the book is, "every story whispers His name."

Children's Bible in 365 Stories. This is a straightforward and faithful retelling of the basic Bible stories in simple language. This is an excellent "first Bible" for children to start reading on their own (ages 9-11). Great illustrations too.

Read Aloud Bible Stories. This book retells Bible stories in very simple language, appropriate for 3-4 year olds. The illustrations are basic but charming. This is a great way for kids to start to get familiar with the Bible.

Often, the greatest benefit of reading the Bible to your children is the benefit to the parents. You'll be amazed how often you are moved to tears by the majesty and beauty of Christ shining through these simple children's books.