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Anthropology
3Comments

The Poverty of Loneliness

Mother Theresa had this right. I have seen this all my life, tried my best to deal with it many years as a singles’ pastor, and experience it myself in some areas of my life...

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Christian Life
12Comments

The Shame of Hating Sunday Mornings

I don’t know if there is any greater feeling than being truly known. Wait . . . I need to add something very important: I don’t know if there is any greater...

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Grace
6Comments

Expressing a Frustration About Christians Who Don’t Discriminate

There is no such thing as Christianity with without doctrine which discriminates true beliefs from false beliefs just as there is no such thing as a country without borders...

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Apologetics
3Comments

Were People in Christ’s Day More Naive Than Us Today?

There are some out there who say that the Bible is filled with myths. To them, all of Christ’s miracles are easily dismissed by attributing them to “the fact” that people in...

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Christian Life
45Comments

Dear God, What Good Do I Do For You When I’m So Broken?

Have you ever prayed this prayer? “Lord, why in your name are you so slow? Why do you push me to this point? Pardon the language, but this is [curse word]. Seriously. You...

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Culture
9Comments

Thanks for Nothing, QAnon

What is QAnon? What is its influence within Christian circles and in public life? What is the verdict on this movement?

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Uncategorized
3Comments

God Won’t Give Your More (Money) Than You Can Handle

Do you know what I hate? I hate that when Peter needed money to pay his bills, (in this case, the Temple tax), that he did not have the money. After Jesus and his disciples...

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Apologetics
45Comments

The Reason Darwin Left the Faith (And How We Can Learn Through His Pain)

A few years ago I was diagnosed with “severe degenerative disc disease.” This is a lower back issue. For the last six years, the pain has often been tremendous, keeping me...

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Trinity
2Comments

How Historic Christianity May Have the Wrong Definition of the Trinity

For the most part, every evangelical Christian who finally studies the doctrine of the Trinity (. . . and I mean, really digs deep to understand it for the first time) finds...

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Theology Unplugged

Theology Unplugged
Theology Unplugged

Get your weekly dose of one of the longest-running theology podcasts there is.

87. Through Theology in a Year: Evidencing Inspiration
byC. Michael Patton

How can we be certain that the Bible is inspired? What evidence supports the Christian claim that the Scriptures are uniquely the Word of God? In this episode of Theology Unplugged, Michael begins examining the cumulative case for biblical inspiration, including Scripture’s self-attestation, its uniqueness, its historicity, its prophetic character, the testimony of Christ, its life-changing power, and the testimony of the Holy Spirit.

Michael begins with Scripture’s testimony concerning itself. The Bible repeatedly claims to speak the words of God, but self-attestation cannot stand alone as the entire argument. Simply saying that the Bible is inspired because the Bible says it is inspired would appear circular. Nevertheless, self-attestation is a necessary part of the evidence. If Scripture truly is the Word of God, there can be no higher authority by which its divine inspiration may be authenticated. As Hebrews says of God, because He had no one greater by whom to swear, He swore by Himself.

The episode also considers the remarkable uniqueness of the Bible: a collection of 66 books, written by more than 40 authors from very different backgrounds, in three languages, on three continents, over approximately 1,500 years. Despite these differences, the books form a unified theological and redemptive story unlike any other collection of literature.

Michael then turns to the historicity of Scripture and explains the importance of examining both internal and external evidence. Christianity does not ask people to accept its historical claims merely because the Bible is inspired. Rather, the historical claims themselves—most importantly, the resurrection of Jesus Christ—must be investigated. If the resurrection occurred as a historical event, Christianity is true whether or not someone has already accepted a complete doctrine of biblical inspiration.

Finally, Michael begins considering the internal evidence for Scripture’s historical reliability, especially its striking honesty. The biblical writers consistently record the sins, doubts, embarrassments, and failures of their own heroes. David murders, Peter denies Christ, the apostles abandon Him, Abraham and Sarah doubt, Jonah runs, Noah becomes drunk, and Israel repeatedly rebels. These are not the kinds of carefully polished stories normally produced to glorify a nation, its leaders, or its founders. Scripture also preserves apparently incidental details that are difficult to explain as deliberate legendary embellishments.

This episode begins a larger cumulative argument. No single evidence by itself establishes everything Christians believe about inspiration, but together these evidences provide substantial reasons for believing that the Scriptures are what they claim to be: the written Word of God.

Get involved:
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87. Through Theology in a Year: Evidencing Inspiration
87. Through Theology in a Year: Evidencing Inspiration
2026-07-15
C. Michael Patton
Will the True Church Please Stand Up?
2026-06-24
C. Michael Patton
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  • 87. Through Theology in a Year: Evidencing Inspiration 2026-07-15
    How can we be certain that the Bible is inspired? What evidence supports the Christian claim that the Scriptures are uniquely the Word of God? In this episode of Theology Unplugged, Michael begins examining the cumulative case for biblical inspiration, including Scripture's self-attestation, its uniqueness, its historicity, its prophetic character, the testimony of Christ, its […]
  • Will the True Church Please Stand Up? 2026-06-24
    What happens when we become convinced that our church, our tradition, or our denomination is the official gatekeeper of the kingdom of God? In this episode of Theology Unplugged, Michael explores a surprising pattern that runs throughout the Gospels. Again and again, the disciples appoint themselves as the guardians of God's kingdom. They try to […]

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