Transcript
Sola Media Announcer (0:00)
The five SOLAs of the Reformation brought essential truths of salvation and purpose into clear focus. These truths are just as critical to Christian life today as they were 500 years ago. Rediscover their meaning and relevance in our newest booklet, the Five Essential Truths for a Modern Reformation. Inside, you'll explore each of the five SOLAs. Grace alone, faith alone, Christ alone, Scripture alone, and God's glory alone, and why they still matter today. Support our work with a gift of any amount and we'll send you a copy. Visit solamia.orgoffers to get yours today.
Christian Apologist (0:45)
Well, Christmas is just around the corner. And not too long ago, around this time of year, you'd always see shows on the History Channel or online claiming that Christmas actually came from a mix of pagan myths, or that Emperor Constantine called the Council of Nicaea to write the New Testament, and so on. Now, those kinds of claims, usually made by hobbyists and bloggers, have been thoroughly debunked over the years. But here's the problem. In the age of AI, we're seeing a whole new wave of fake historical content reaching hundreds of thousands of people. So we thought we'd take a look at one of these AI generated videos about the origins of Christianity, see what's being said and respond to it. Because this is the kind of stuff a lot of people are watching every day.
AI or Skeptical Narrator (1:34)
Christianity is often seen as unique among world religions, largely because it is built upon a series of specific events that allegedly occurred some 2000 years ago. Unlike other belief systems, Christianity rises or falls on the truth of these events, which are recorded in the New Testament. This scripture is not only central to Christian faith, but but also serves as its historical foundation. Yet as we examine these texts questions, how historically reliable are these stories? And why do they seem to lack earlier corroboration? The Church itself provides us with startling admissions. It acknowledges that the New Testament scriptures, the primary source of Christian belief, date back only to the mid 4th century.
Christian Apologist (2:21)
Well, this is.
Christian Apologist (2:24)
The sort of thing that you hear from Jehovah's Witnesses and Latter Day Saints and other groups. Been hearing it for hundreds of years. It isn't actually historically accurate at all. We have, for example, the Muratorian fragment, which dates back to the second century, that lists the biblical books, the New Testament books, and leaves out a couple of them like Hebrews and two Peter and James. But the rest of the New Testament is there in the fragment. But even beyond that, Christians knew what the canon was. They knew what the New Testament was because they heard it read in church every Sunday. Only canonical books could be read publicly in church. You could even go back further to Peter and Paul. Paul quotes the Gospel of Luke as on a par with Deuteronomy. And Peter refers to Paul's writings as Scripture. So people knew as these writings from the apostles were being produced, they knew what was genuine and what was not. They didn't get together at the Holiday Inn to figure out what they would include in a New Testament. People knew what it was because it went back to the apostles themselves in the apostolic circle, and because it testified to, to the Lord Jesus Christ. These are the inspired words from God himself. That's what the Christians believe, what Christians still believe, and it's historically valid. The APostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 gives us a summary creed that Jesus was crucified, buried, and on the third day, he rose again from the dead and appeared to many. And this, he said, was something he had received. It was a formula, a creed he had received, which means even non Christians believe non Christian scholars. This goes back to within two or three years of the crucifixion. So there just isn't enough time for fabrication and the creation of a kind of Da Vinci Code Jesus.