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Dan Wallace - Contra Mundane
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51% Protestant

Blast from the past. This post was written by Daniel Wallace back in 2007. On the flight back from Athens last week, I sat in front of a gregarious Irish gentleman. He was a...

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Clinton Roberts
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Shocked and Appalled? Why?

  Pardon me for not being “stunned” by the latest political “bombshell.” Or should I say, “for not pretending to be stunned”? To put it another way, pardon me for not...

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Creation/Evolution
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Forget About Evolution and Inerrancy (For a Moment)

The “Weight” of Evolution “What about evolution?” This was her question. It was a question that before this day I was prepared to answer. I had read...

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Culture
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The God Who is [Still] There

It is fairly common knowledge to anyone who knows me that along with CS Lewis, Francis Schaeffer had a huge impact on my thinking in my early twenties. When asked why I work...

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Calvinism
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12 Myths About Calvinism

1. Calvinism is not a system of theology that denies God’s universal love. While there are some Calvinists who do deny God’s universal love for all men, this is certainly not...

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Credo House Ministries
Anthropology
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Honestly, Do Any Lives Matter?

  Months ago in a Democratic primary debate, a national audience heard this urgently profound question put to the candidates, “Do black lives matter or do all lives...

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Apologetics
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Why Arminianism Won’t Preach (And Calvinism Won’t Sell)

Thesis: Calvinists have  a corner on theologically-themed conferences. Arminians have apologetically-themed conferences. Calvinists Dominate Theology Think about the major...

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Calvinism
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Christianity Falling Down

One of the first things that I have to teach my students this: The Christian faith is not a house of cards. Most assuredly, there are foundational issues of the faith that, if...

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Depression
18Comments

Waiting to Die

Over the last year, I have been hospitalized with a condition called rhabdomyolysis nine times. Each time, my kidney’s shut down. A few of these times the doctors said I...

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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.

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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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