Kevin Rogers speaks on the New Testament manuscripts. These are the earliest physical copies that we currently have of the New Testament text.
The topics covered are:
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A central claim of the Biblical Old Testament is that God (YHWH) appeared to Moses and empowered him to lead the descendants of Jacob out of their slavery in Egypt back to the land of Canaan promised to them 430 years earlier when their ancestor Abraham dwelt there.
This thin strip of land between the south east coast of the Mediterranean and the Jordan River is now one of the most disputed territories on Earth contested by two peoples descended from Avraham (Jewish pronunciation of Abraham) otherwise known as Ibrahim (to the Arab people).
The Biblical book of Joshua gives an account of how the Israelite people conquered this land with the miraculous help of YHYH some 1200-1440 BC and is the main source of the Jewish claim to the territory that is still in dispute today. So, can the Joshua account be believed?
This presentation looks at the Joshua account, the disputed timing and the archaeological evidence for accepting the plausibility of Joshua’s account.
The presentation can be viewed on You Tube.
Matthew James Gray recently completed his doctorate on religious toleration and persecution in seventeenth-century England. In this talk, he shares some of the things he learned during his studies.
Specifically, Matt argues that the dynamics of toleration were always multi-dimensional. It wasn’t just that the government had to decide whether to tolerate religious minorities; toleration and intolerance were occurring in various directions, including between the various religious groups themselves. Matt also explores
This presentation can be viewed on YouTube
The Acts of the Apostles is vital to the overall credibility of the New Testament. It alone provides a historical account of the development of the early church immediately after Jesus’ ministry. Unsurprisingly, there are diverse views on the reliability of Acts. FF Bruce claimed that “Luke’s reputation as a historian is unsurpassed”, whereas the Acts Seminar claims that it is a 2nd century document that reflects the nature of the church at that time. Who is right?
This presentation discusses:
The presentation and discussion can be viewed on You Tube
Eusebius of Caesarea (263 AD – 339 AD) is commonly known as the “Father of Church History”. He lived during a time of great persecution under the Emperor Diocletian but survived to see Emperor Constantine give Christianity official recognition. He also lived within a few generations of the lives of the first Christian apostles and had access to early copies of their writings and those who they discipled. As Bishop of Caesarea he participated in the Council of Nicaea and mixed with fellow church leaders. Caesarea had a great library on which he was able to draw. From this experience, Eusebius was able to look back on the first 300 years of the Christian faith and document its growth, its heresies and its persecutions.
His major work is “Ecclesiastical History” (or Church History), which is our most important source on the development of Christianity from the completion of the New Testament through to the time of Emperor Constantine the Great (early 300s). So, he has done us a service in recording the foundations of the Church from an early perspective. He also wrote a glowing biography of Constantine, as though the Church had entered its millennial blessing. With such a reputation, he has of course come under attack. So, is his history reasonably accurate and can he be trusted?
Stephen’s talk can be viewed on You Tube.
One of the miracles ascribed to Jesus is that of feeding over 5000 people with 5 small loaves of bread and 2 fish. Interestingly this is one of very few stories that appears in all 4 gospels. So, how are these stories different and how do they differ?
Kevin does not try to prove that this miracle really happened, but shows that there are a large number of incidental details which strongly indicate that, at the very least, this story is based on an actual event.
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Is Christianity a force for good?
On Thursday 11th April, Reasonable Faith Adelaide held an informal debate between Kevin Rogers (director RFA) and Scott Sharrad, the president of the Atheists Federation of Australia on the topic “Is Christianity a force for good?”
The debate and discussion have now been published on You Tube.
