Consider two things, first from the perspective of anyone who claims to be a Christian of some sort. Christianity is religion rooted in historical claims. There is no getting around it. A man names Jesus really lived, did certain things, taught certain things, died, rose from the dead, etc. If certain things like these did not really happen, then Christianity is simply false. Hence, Christians cannot be indifferent to historical considerations.
Now consider a fact about human nature and popular media. The “same old same old” is BORING. Successful programs cannot be boring. People want novelty. Shock and awe are good for ratings. This is why popular media tends towards the sensationalistic. The producers of these shows will simply make more money the more they can get people to watch their programs. Sensation creates excitement, and excitement gets more viewers, and more viewers means more money. Period.
For this reason, we shouldn’t expect the traditional views regarding the historical Jesus to be accurately represented in the mainstream media. The traditional story is “boring” and “old news.” It is much more exciting to hear that Jesus had a wife, that the four Gospels are not accurate, that there may be other “gospels” which give us better information about Jesus, and so on.
Given that so many today get their education from television programs and not (good) books, it is no surprise then that so many people are flat out misinformed about the historical sources regarding the life of Jesus.
Christians cannot afford to ignore this phenomenon. So if you are a Christian, it is vital that you get some grasp of the historical sources regarding Jesus. The brief video clip above covers the three main types.
This clip is taken from the Christ 101 course. Click the link below for more information.
Click here to get the Christ 101: Evidence for Christianity course.
