Who Chose the Books of the Bible? (VIDEO)

Where Did the New Testament Canon Come From?

Who Chose the Books of the Bible and Why? Where did the New Testament Come From? How was truth transmitted by the earliest Christians in a largely oral and illiterate culture? What did Christians read before there was a Bible? In this video, author, and speaker Jonathan Morrow shares about these questions and more at the Reasons to Believe AMP conference. This talk is based on the fuller discussion of these important issues in his book Questioning the Bible: 11 Major Challenges to the Bible’s Authority.

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Questioning the Bible by Jonathan Morrow [Podcast]

The Bible is the most influential book in human history. But what are we supposed to do with it in the 21st century? And even more importantly, can it still be trusted as the Word of God? There are an unprecedented number of sophisticated attacks on the origin, credibility, and reliability of the Bible today. It can be difficult to know what to say when skepticism and secularism take over so many conversations. The questions are coming from all sides:

Has the biblical text been corrupted over the centuries? Who really chose the books of the Bible and why? Is the Bible unscientific? Which interpretation of the Bile is correct? Are there contradictions in the BIble?

These are just a few of the questions that Jonathan Morrow deals with in his new book Questioning the Bible and that we will discuss in this episode of the Think Christianly podcast.

***Exclusive code for 35 % off of Questioning the Bible from Moody Publishers for the Think Christianly audience by following this link ( QTB35 ).***

What People Are Saying About Questioning the Bible:

“Questioning the Bible is simply a fabulous book. It asks the skeptical questions people are asking about the Bible and then gives solid answers that are aware of where the real discussion is and what the good options are. In a world that is becoming more skeptical and in a church where many have no idea how to answer such questions, here is a resource that can give real aid and comfort.” – Darrell Bock, Senior Research Professor of New Testament and Executive Director of Cultural Engagement at Dallas Theological Seminary

“Jonathan Morrow deftly addresses eleven major challenges to the Bible’s authority… It needs to be read and studied in groups or individually. And it must be given to friends and relatives, especially college students, who need to consider the wisdom in its pages.” – J.P. Moreland, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the Talbot School of Theology (from the Forward)

Questioningthebible-JonathanMorrow“The Bible is under more scrutiny than ever before. Yet Jonathan Morrow is up to the task! Questioning the Bible offers insightful and well-researched responses to the top objections. It is ideal for the person who genuinely wants to know whether the Bible can be trusted. I highly recommend it for individuals and group study.” – Sean McDowell, PhD is an assistant professor at Biola university, popular speaker, and the author of Apologetics for a New Generation

“Anyone who thinks apologetics is no longer important doesn’t know the world students live in and the questions they ask (and are being asked). But Jonathan Morrow knows students. He knows what they need to know, and that’s why this book is so helpful. In it, you will find clear, concise answers that Christians, especially students, need when (not if) the truthfulness of their faith is challenged.” – John Stonestreet, Senior Fellow of Worldview and Culture for the Colson Center for Christian Worldview and co-host of BreakPoint radio

“For the skeptic, the Bible is a big target. He raises serious questions about alleged errors, apparent contradictions, canonicity, authorship, textual corruption, morality and much more. At the end of this intellectual onslaught, the Bible’s authority is seemingly wiped out and the skeptic feels justified in dismissing it altogether. Tragically, most believers have no adequate response and when the challenges come, most retreat into an anti-intellectual privatized “faith” or worse, lose all confidence in the Bible’s authority as well. Church leaders have largely failed to equip their people. That’s why Jonathan’s book is so important. He answers the most pressing objections to the Bible in a way that is intelligent, relevant and accessible. You don’t have to be a scholar to defend the Bible, you just need this book.” – Brett Kunkle, Student Impact Director at Stand to Reason – str.org

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Interview with Michael Kruger on the Canon of Scripture [Podcast]

Who chose the books of the Bible and why? Can we be confident that we have the right books in our Bible? In this podcast, I interview leading New Testament scholar Dr. Michael J. Kruger on the origins of the canon of Scripture. 

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See Michael Kruger’s excellent books Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books (Crossway, 2012) and The Heresy of Orthodoxy: How Contemporary Culture’s Fascination with Diversity has Reshaped Our Understanding of Early Christianity, co-authored with Andreas Köstenberger (Crossway, 2010) for more on the origins of the New Testament canon.

Michael J. Kruger, “The Authenticity of 2 Peter,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 42.4 (1999): 645-671.

Michael Kruger’s Website / Blog I Books I Twitter I Reformed Theological Seminary (Charlotte)

If you enjoyed this topic, you would also enjoy our podcast with New Testament scholar Darrell Bock on “Is the Bible Full of Contradictions?”

Need a graduation gift idea for your high school seniors? Check out Welcome to College: A Christ-Follower’s Guide for the Journey

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Who Chose the Books of the Bible and Why?

How Did the New Testament Canon Come into Existence?

***NEW from Jonathan Morrow – Questioning the Bible: 11 Major Challenges to the Bible’s Authority – Go deeper on this topic, explore other objections, and increase your confidence in the Bible***

Were the books of the New Testament selected by Emperor Constantine for social and political reasons in the 4th century (cf. the claims of Dan Brown via The Da Vinci Code) or were the books included in the New Testament Canon because they fit with the authoritative teaching that can be traced back to Jesus himself? Was this simply a power play? Another example of history being written by the winners?

I think the best way to come at this is by asking which of these documents tells us the truth about ‘the faith’ that was preached and received in the earliest communities of Christ-followers (cf. Jude 3). This is a (more…)