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Roman Catholicism
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Theology Unplugged: Roman Catholicism – Part 15 – Icons, Images and Relics

[display_podcast] Join Michael Patton, Tim Kimberley, JJ Seid and Sam Storms as they continue their series on Roman Catholicism by discussing Icons, Images and Relics....

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Credo House Ministries
Christian Life
51Comments

When Churches Produce Heretics instead of Disciples

“Tim, we need your assistance up front.” I heard this from one of our Baristas (professional coffee worker) recently. He continued, “There’s a guy in...

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Credo House Ministries
Uncategorized
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The Apostles Confront Modern Atheists and Postmoderns

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Credo House Ministries
Christian Life
19Comments

How to Sin More Boldly

At a staff meeting, Chuck Swindoll once gave us a tip about interviewing for pastoral positions (as many of us were thought to be candidates for other jobs). He said, “When...

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Credo House Ministries
Credo House of Theology
7Comments

Introducing the BibleMap App…a Must Have for Everyday Bible Study

Yesterday morning I was studying through Jeremiah 48. I have read this chapter several times but was surprised this time how many locations mentioned in that chapter are still...

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Credo House Ministries
. . . and other stupid statements
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If procreation is part of marriage, are infertile couples unmarried? And if human beings walk on two legs, are amputees not human beings?

Simple logical errors sometimes pass by undetected, and in a few cases a persistent fallacy becomes so frequent in the wider public conversation that we don’t even think to...

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Credo House Ministries
Pneumatology
96Comments

Why Jesus is Greater than the Holy Spirit

I believe in the doctrine of the Trinity. This is how I would formulate this doctrine: I believe in one God (ousia), who exists eternally in three persons (hypostasis) —...

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Credo House Ministries
Apologetics
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You Think You’re Special, and You Think You’re Right. How Arrogant Can You Possibly Be?

There are some beliefs that, if I held them, I could easily and justifiably be called arrogant. For example, if I held to the belief that I am inherently superior and more...

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Credo House Ministries
Apologetics
151Comments

Christianity, the World’s Most Falsifiable Religion

This belief has been a source of contention with many people, even Christians, in the past. But the more I research, the more I find it to be the case that Christianity is the...

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Theology Unplugged

Theology Unplugged
Theology Unplugged

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88. Through Theology in a Year: Why the Gospels Are Embarrassing
byC. Michael Patton

Why do the Gospel writers preserve stories that appear awkward, damaging, or even embarrassing to the earliest Christians? If the Gospels were invented to persuade people to follow Jesus, why did their authors include details that made Jesus’ family, His disciples, and some of His most important witnesses appear doubtful, confused, and unreliable?

In this episode of Theology Unplugged, Michael continues developing the cumulative case for the historical reliability and inspiration of Scripture by examining the criterion of embarrassment. Historians recognize that people who fabricate stories normally avoid including material that damages their credibility. Nations celebrate their victories, movements polish the reputations of their founders, and religious communities generally portray their earliest leaders as courageous and faithful. The Gospels repeatedly do the opposite.

Michael considers Jesus’ baptism by John, whose baptism was associated with repentance and the forgiveness of sins. Why would the sinless Messiah submit to a baptism intended for sinners? He also examines the unbelief of Jesus’ brothers, the claim that His family thought He was out of His mind, and John the Baptist’s question from prison about whether Jesus truly was the one who was to come.

The Gospel writers are equally candid about the failures of the disciples. Matthew records that some doubted even while standing before the risen Christ. Mark preserves Jesus’ statement that no one knew the day or hour of His return—not even the Son. The Gospels place women at the center of the empty-tomb testimony despite the limited public and legal standing often given to women’s testimony in the ancient world. They also preserve the strange account of Jesus cursing the fig tree when it was not the season for figs.

Most significantly, the earliest Christians proclaimed a crucified and bodily risen Messiah. Crucifixion represented weakness, shame, rejection, and apparent divine curse. Bodily resurrection also sounded foolish to many within the Greco-Roman world. These were not culturally convenient beliefs created to make Christianity easier to accept. As Paul acknowledged, Christ crucified was a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.

The criterion of embarrassment does not prove that every Gospel account is historical, nor should it be applied mechanically or in isolation. Nevertheless, these embarrassing details contribute to a powerful cumulative argument when considered alongside the historical context, eyewitness characteristics, incidental details, manuscript evidence, and other marks of authenticity. The Gospels do not read like carefully sanitized propaganda. They preserve the story in all its difficulty because the writers believed these events actually happened.

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Michael’s public blog: https://credohouse.org
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88. Through Theology in a Year: Why the Gospels Are Embarrassing
88. Through Theology in a Year: Why the Gospels Are Embarrassing
2026-07-16
C. Michael Patton
87. Through Theology in a Year: Evidencing Inspiration
2026-07-15
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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