No credible historian has ever suggested Jesus didn’t exist. Regarding the Bible’s accounts prior to Jesus, archaeologists, ‘textual critics’ and others have likewise evidenced the historical realities of the accounts.

Regarding Jesus, the four Gospel accounts were written by eye witnesses of Jesus or their associates, and are widely accepted as historically trustworthy by experts from a wide variety of fields. Beyond these, there are also historians from that time who did not believe in Jesus – yet who wrote to confirm the same historical details. The key difference in their accounts is, of course, that these other historians did not believe Jesus rose from death. For example, Josephus or Tacitus, or the writings of the Jewish leaders who didn’t like Jesus (like in the Babylonian Talmud). You can find more of the scholarship on this topics summarised very concisely in some of the ‘Faith Q&A’ videos at 10DayChallenge.co.nz/faithqa

However, some will suggest the Bible’s accounts ‘are a hoax’ not because of the historical evidences, but instead because of their own foundational belief that no God of any kind exists. Where this is the case, the conversation is back to the big questions of origins, meaning, morality, and hope. How did we get here? Why are we here? Does an actual morality (right and wrong) exist – or do we just make it up? And, is there any real hope beyond what we see and experience in this life?

Because a design needs a designer, a book (or software code) an intelligent author, a creative painting a painter and any moral law a moral-law-giver, the majority on our planet happily conclude there is a creator of some kind. Meanwhile, if someone really does see reason to believe information, design, complexity and beauty can come about as the result of accidents, and that no greater meaning or hope exists for humans in the way so-radically suggested by Christianity, that is their free choice.

While it is important is that we all try to seek out what is true, its necessary that we concurrently show respect to others. These questions are very important, but people will conclude differently!

(For more details, we’ve created a ‘Faith Q&A’ videos series to give more detail – while still in short approx. 3min videos. Watch them HERE.)