Books of the Month - June 2007

Both offerings in my Book of the Month feature for June deal directly with the myths floating around about Jesus and evidence for the Christian faith.

The first selection this month was written by Ben Witherington, a professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky.



"With all the talk these days about a diversity of Christian beliefs in the first century, here's a book designed to smack some sense into the dialogue. Traditional sense, that is. Witherington, professor of New Testament interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary, creates well-researched profiles of people in Jesus' inner circle—profiles that stand up to the most rigorous biblical criticism. No flights of fancy—just the historical understandings as they can be agreed upon by the best and brightest evangelical biblical scholars. At times, there is a strong whiff of defensiveness about the orthodoxy of the canon as Witherington skewers views on early Christian beliefs made popular by Gnosticism scholars Elaine Pagels and Karen King (they being among the purveyors of the "strange theories and bad history" in the title). Readers seeking a uniform and conservative view of early Christianity will find a wealth of information about Jesus and his early followers, which offers an ardent corrective to recent popular works by Bart Ehrman and others."
Order a copy for yourself at amazon.com or cbd.com.

The second selection this month was written by Josh McDowell, a former skeptic and atheist who set out to refute Christianity to some college friends but instead came to believe in the exact thing he was trying so hard to discredit.



"Whether debating Marxists, college professors, or Islamic apologists, Josh McDowell's hallmark has always been to walk boldly into enemy territory and speak truth. This book is based on the expectation that, with a growing number of adults becoming increasingly skeptical toward Christianity, there is a need for a solid body of persuasive evidence to be presented to them. This is a source book for doubting seekers as well as current believers who need persuasive information to share with friends. Evidence for Christianity is McDowell's compelling answer to the hard questions so many Christians are afraid to discuss."
Order a copy for yourself at amazon.com or cbd.com.