21 Myths: Jesus is Just a Legend

Robby Bradford21 myths, apologetics, Christian origins, early Christianity, gospels, Jesus Christ, New Testament, resurrectionLeave a Comment

One way or another people sometimes make this claim while trying to deny the historicity of Jesus and the resurrection. It was just a legend.  Jesus died and then legends about him arose later, and that was where we get the gospels and Paul’s letters. The problem with this is that we have eyewitnesses reports (that go back to the … Read More

21 Myths–Jesus Mirrors Pagan Religions

Robby Bradford21 myths, apologetics, Bible, Christian origins, gospels, Jesus ChristLeave a Comment

This myth is repeated a lot on the internet.  I’ve heard and read all kinds of conspiracy theories (especially on the internet). Osiris. Krishna.  Horus.  Mithras. Dionysus.  Adonis.  Just to name a few.  As Dan Brown, the author of The Da Vinci Code, put it, “Nothing in Christianity is original.” So how does one answer these criticisms? For one, these … Read More

21 Myths: Jesus’ Resurrection is all the Resurrection There Is

Robby Bradford21 myths, Christianity, death, doctrine, early Christianity, eschatology, heaven, Jesus Christ, Judaism, judgment day, life after death, New Testament, resurrection, theologyLeave a Comment

A lot of Christians in the 21st century, it seems, have lost touch with the ancient, New Testament idea of the resurrection.  Many Christians are mystified by the teaching of the New Testament about resurrection, assuming that arriving in spirit in heaven is the end of blessed existence.However, ancient Judaism (Jesus and the apostles and much of the earliest church … Read More

21 Myths: Jesus is A Republican

Robby Bradford21 myths, Christian origins, Christianity, Jesus Christ, politicsLeave a Comment

You know you’ve heard it.  Maybe you even have said it or thought it.I don’t know exactly how to explain it, but it seems that worldwide, those who take the stories of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John as literal accounts of history are more likely to find themselves on the conservative side of the political divide.That may be why evangelicals … Read More

21 Myths: Jesus was Never Crucified

Robby Bradford21 myths, cross, Islam, reconciliation, soteriology1 Comment

Muslims and the Koran teach that Jesus was never actually crucified. They think someone else took his place and perhaps everyone was fooled into thinking they were killing Jesus. That would be one amazing miracle. Of deception. I think the reason why Muhammad couldn’t imagine that Jesus would actually be crucified may be the same reason why the Jewish religious … Read More

21 Myths: Jesus of Faith, Not of History

Robby Bradford21 myths, apologetics, Bible, Christianity, hermeneutics, Jesus Christ, New TestamentLeave a Comment

Myth: The Bible gives us theological insights about Jesus, but not historical ones. Some people are interested in the Jesus’ religious ideas, but deny that the Bible provides, or even intends to provide, any historical accounts about him. Are they right? Is the Bible meant to be taken seriously as a historical description of Jesus’ life and ministry? I would … Read More

21 Myths: Jesus Wasn’t Divine

Robby Bradford21 myths, Christian orthodoxy, incarnation, Jesus Christ, New TestamentLeave a Comment

So far in this series, I’ve dealt primarily with two different kinds of myths about Jesus. Secular myths–like that Jesus didn’t actually rise from the dead or that he is in agreement with other world religious teachers. I’ve also dealt with myths started by Christians–like that Jesus wants his followers to be rich or that he was an only child. … Read More

21 Myths: Jesus Was All About Love and Peace

Robby Bradford21 myths, Christian origins, Christianity, gospels, hell, Jesus Christ, sinLeave a Comment

Would the real Jesus please stand up?People who have a somewhat distant awareness of the content of the gospels end up bringing this myth to life from time to time.It’s the idea of a soft Jesus who maybe got angry once in the temple.It’s the notion that Jesus would never have actually had any hard feelings with any sin.It’s the … Read More

21 Myths: Jesus & Mohammed Taught the Same Thing

Robby Bradford21 myths, apologetics, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jesus Christ, world religionsLeave a Comment

I bet you’ve heard some version of this myth about Jesus.  I would guess it’s most often repeated by people who don’t really want to come to terms with the fact that claims about religious truth aren’t all equal or the same.The versions I’ve heard of this myth kind of go along these tired and cozy lines:“Well, Jesus and Mohammed … Read More