Frank Turek--Is The Bible Historically Reliable? Episode 473

Frank Turek addresses the historical reliability of the Bible.

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Do you ever doubt your ability to answer bigger than life questions like, “Why do I exist? What is the purpose of life? Can I know God? If so, how? Are miracles possible?” And if God exists what’s with all the evil in the world? Do questions like these ever nag at you? If so, you’ve come to the right channel. I too am a fellow wonderer who thinks about stuff like this.

[Jeff_H_the_Guitarist]

This was right on time. Reminds me of a book title I saw once. "The Right Words and the Right Time." Thanks!

[iansmith]

This is a great way to summarize the ways the Bible is historically accurate. Helps to remember!

[abdx]

Its not about historically reliable, the question is how accurate is the bible ? and what percentage can be considered correct and not modified ?

[debunkingthefundamentalist]

Sure, because Turek is so objective. Well first you have to understand, as I say many times in my own vids, that it was written by countless people over centuries separate from each other. And translated through the cultures. And parts may be based on historical events--to an extent. But it has also been modified for the Hebrew culture and later the early Christian viewpoint. The virgin birth is not novel to Christian faith. Neither are the Ten Commandments Christian nor Hebrew. Or the flood story which is neither Christian nor Hebrew. And the real problem is where is the actual evidence for the supernatural? Or actual authorship of witness to Jesus? There is none thus far and period, end of story. Cheers, DCF

[thepianoman]

I don’t think the martyr argument is reliable because there are many other religions where people would die or sacrifice their selves for what they believe.

[tobymorgan]

I have no problem believing the validity of the new testament, it seems fairly obvious to me, I do, however, struggle with the validity of parts of the old testament, notably the story of Noahs Ark being referenced in the epic of Gilgamesh which was written prior to the bible? If anyone could provide some clairty or point me in the direction of resources that explain this I would be very greatful! :)

[barryjones]

If you believe in the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, then why do you calibrate your presentations the way non-Christian salesmen do (i.e., flashy backgrounds, horror-movie effects, which appear geared toward ADHD children who might get bored if you preached the way Paul did in the 1st century)?

Admittedly, you are using psychological tricks to get your intended audience interested, but if you believed in the convicting power of the holy spirit, I'm not seeing why you choose to employ such tricks at all. Does the Holy Spirit need your creative marketing ideas to enhance his ability to make people feel guilty?

It would seem reasonable, if not infallible, to conclude that you employ such tricks because, despite what you might claim, you think you WILL likely "lose" an intended audience member if you don't employ such tricks. That is, your claim to trust in the convicting power of the Holy Spirit merely highlights your own inability to recognize your true beliefs. You wouldn't be employing so much flash and pomp if you seriously believed in the Holy Spirit today can do all that he did back in the 1st century, where such flash and pomp were unavailable.

[gz]

Gosh I never thought of it this way. When you tell lies you can make anything sound true.
I know there’s a lot of gullible and uninformed people around. It’s a shame charlatans like this pray off of those people.

[channelname]

I consider myself Christian, I don’t believe that the stories of the Bible are literally true but I think they convey a story in parables that are meant to explain the correct way to lead your life that will bring about the most good in life for yourself and for others by following the word. I think the explanations he provides can be used to explain other philosophies such as Marxism (which I consider to be religious in nature) could be considered “true” just as he uses them to define the New Testament as true.