The Christian Classics Ethereal Library is an excellent resource if you are interested in seeing what some of the greatest Christian minds in history have to say about various topics related to the faith. Why should you care? Because it is important for Christians today to see that others have wrestled with weighty questions of the faith just like we do. It is important to understand that the faith does not require us to check our brains at the door. To the contrary, it demands that we use all of our God-given talents as we seek to remain faithful to God and his teachings.

I am thinking of the recent interview with Bill Maher I watched on The O’Reilly Factor the other night (Part 1 here and Part 2 here). Maher is clearly contemptuous of Christians, but like most critics, he distorts the facts and uses half-truths to make his points. Frankly, O’Reilly did a very poor job in refuting Maher, primarily because it was obvious O’Reilly was not well versed in OT Scripture nor did he appear to understand the function and purpose of the Law in ancient Israel. Maher and his ilk need our fervent prayers because they are lost souls and no one should wish their eternal separation from God. But we also need to be familiar with arguments like his so that we can respond clearly to them without vitriol or malice.

The CCEL  also has a new feature called Big Questions. Below are some samples and links to the corresponding resources.

What is the nature and purpose of prayer?

What is the Trinity?

Do yourself a favor and check it out. You can also access it by clicking on its link in the Links section in sidebar of this blog.

Christians call the Bible their Holy Scripture. Historically, this is because Christians believed the Bible to be the only book inspired by God. But what does it mean that the Bible is inspired by God? And why do different Christian thinkers believe it is inspired? And why think it alone is inspired? For generations, Christians have simply wondered: what is special about the Bible that makes it trustworthy? Fortunately, the Christian tradition has spent a long time thinking about these issues.

–Christian Classics Ethereal Library

A fine and concise overview about biblical inspiration. Read it all and check out the resources available.

Although God’s revelation is final and complete in Christ, this does not mean that it is exhaustive. In Christ God has revealed all of himself that it is possible for him to reveal through human flesh, and all that it is his pleasure to reveal to man in this age. But we do not mean that we now know everything. On the contrary, there are many indications in the New Testament itself that our knowledge, though immeasurably increased in Christ, is still strictly limited. Did not Christ say that he himself was ignorant of the day of his return (Mk. 13:32), and later add that it was not for us to know (Acts 1:7)? Did not the great apostle Paul liken his understanding to that of a child’s and his sight to the reflections of a mirror, and add that our knowledge now is imperfect and partial (1 Cor. 13:9-12)? Did not the saintly, philosophical St John concede with regard to the next life that ‘it doth not yet appear what we shall be’ (1 Jn 3:2)? Let Moses have the last word in this matter. ‘The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us’ (Dt. 29:29).

–Dr. John R.W. Stott, Fundamentalism and Evangelism

A thought-provoking and provocative article from Christianity Today editor, Mark Galli. Christians (and others) have always struggled with the idea of the homoousios, the Greek word that means “same substance.” It was used at the Council of Nicea to describe the one nature shared by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

What do you think? Has Galli honored Jesus’ humanity and divinity? Don’t let his graphic description of Jesus’ humanity get in the way of his overall thesis about the scandal of the Incarnation.

But is it possible to tarnish the image of God any more than he has already tarnished it? To put it another way, if we’re anxious to protect the reputation of the holy, infinite, immutable, and all powerful YHWH, we probably should stop talking about the Incarnation. The Incarnation means that the transcendent God took on mutable flesh; pure Spirit assumed a decaying body; holy divinity trafficked with sinful humanity.

Read it all.