Truth Be Told

The argument between science and God is finally put to rest here! The idea that we need to take an either or approach to these two topics is a false dichotomy often leveled at Christians, so that antagonistic skeptics, atheists, and extreme naturalists can pretend like God isn't real just because He isn't hemmed in by their isolated field of study. A biblical approach to things allows for God, sci...

*NOTE: throughout this episode I refer to Moses as a "murderer." I'd like it to be clear that I, personally, view Moses' action of killing the Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave as a justified act not worthy of the title of murder. Modern Torah readers, and even first century Christians (see Stephen's statement on this event) seem to view Moses' actions as appropriate, heroic social justice,...

Discussing our faith opens us up for criticism, critique, and antagonism from some and might alienate us from others. Talking about our beliefs is fine in some circles but uncomfortable in most others. This can put a Christian who believes they're supposed to be unashamed about their relationship with God at odds with themselves and create a lot of unease. Don't worry - you're not the only one!  ...

With the topic of foot-washing entering the public eye with the "He Gets Us" campaign Super Bowl commercial, it felt appropriate to look into the topic to clear away some of the wrong ideas surrounding the practice.  Who did it? To who? For What? Often, the people that actively perform foot-washing as a Christian practice either think that it's a generic act to be done for anyone in order to show...

Those who worship Jesus Christ have been called all kinds of derogatory things since biblical times. We're told this is expected to continue as we get closer and closer to the time of Jesus' return.  In this episode we look at 4 names leveled against people of the faith during the time of the New Testament and the responses of the ones facing the criticism. Modern aggression towards Christianity h...

Russ Ramsey is a pastor and author from Tennessee with a vested interest in art and how it communicates to us on a fundamental level. In this interview we use his fantastic book, "Rembrandt Is In The Wind," as a jumping off point to discussing the broad topic of beauty. In a world that is obsessed with image, are we overvaluing beauty or are we just using an improper definition? What is the balanc...

The phrase, "God works in mysterious ways," is so commonplace in Christian circles that it often gets mistaken for a Bible verse. Any time we perceive that God has worked in a way we don't expect, we might shrug our shoulders and say this. However, should His workings be mysterious to us? Of course, God is all-powerful, all-knowing, omnipresent, etc. His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are...

The Bible is a complex series of books. It bears the marks of God in its cohesiveness across time, cultures, and personalities foretelling the end from the beginning and it bears the marks of humanity in its reflection of circumstances, periods in history, and perspectives. It wasn't perfectly understood at the times it was written and it isn't perfectly understood now because it is a book meant t...

The Stoic philosopher, Seneca, offered a lot of wisdom on the topic of death - how to die well, how not to fear death, and how to live more fully in light of the knowledge that death is inevitable. Some, however, accused Seneca of being "obsessed with death," to which he might say, "No! You are obsessed with life!" Which team should the Christian be on? Though so many want to paint the Old Testame...

There is a constant debate going on regarding the Church's messaging to the world. Should we "cry aloud and spare not" reflecting the sins of the world back at them, hoping to convict the world of its evil, and drawing hard lines in the sand about moral rightness? Or, should we recognize the broken state of the world and try to share the hope that surrounds what Jesus Christ has done, is doing, an...

THE FINAL EPISODE! This episode clips along at a pretty good pace - a lot to see and hear about, but this recounting of events matches the feeling of trekking across Israel, barely making it into the country of Jordan, and seeing all there is to see before getting out of the country. It all blurred together and happened so quickly that, despite having 3 days in Jordan, it felt more like wandering...

OUR FINAL DAYS IN ISRAEL! I am feeling almost as sad about this as I was at the time of actually leaving Israel. However, all good things must come to an end and this is no exception. Of course, this series won't be over with this episode because we still traveled into Jordan and there's a lot to talk about there that I'd be remiss not to mention. On Day 13 in Israel we visited the two primary pro...

The temple mount was a surreal experience. To have stood closer to the proposed spot of the Holy of Holies than most of my biblical heroes could have in their time was humbling. Being there while it was almost deserted was ethereal. Picturing the layout of the first century scenery was enlightening. Standing at the Dome of the Rock, facing the Mt. of Olives, and looking up at the sky where Jesus s...

Masada is one of the most sobering stories in Jewish history. The final stand of the first Jewish Revolt following the destruction of the temple by Rome saw 960 inhabitants kill themselves rather than be captured or defeated by their enemies. To this day, the swearing in ceremony of the Israeli military swears that what happened at Masada will never be repeated. Qumran isn't much to look at, thoug...

**LINK TO PICTURES DOWN BELOW** Day 10 was, by far, our busiest day in Israel. For one, the buses couldn't follow us into the narrow streets of Old Jerusalem so, basically, we were a walking tour for most of the day. Looking back, I'm surprised by how familiarized I was with the layout of the city by the end of this day. Even though it just felt like endless stairs and turns down outdoor corridors...

Prior to leaving the region of Galilee we stopped at Beit She'an, the historical location where Saul and his son's bodies were hung by the Philistines after they died at Mt. Gilboa. I took a bit of detour from the main group to climb to the top which made me feel anxious but turned out alright. We, then, drove south to Jerusalem, passing Jericho on the way. Finally seeing the city itself was defin...

Day 8 was our last full day in the region of Galilee before heading down/up to Jerusalem for the remainder of the Feast of Tabernacles.  In this episode we'll walk through the proclamation by Peter when he stated at Caesarea Philippi that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. We'll also talk about how the landscape of this area plays a big part in interpreting this conversation between Jesus and H...

On this day in Israel we balanced resting on the Sabbath day (seeing what that looked like on a national scale) and still seeing some incredible sites. Specifically, we visited the town of Magdala, home of Mary Magdalene, where we strolled through the ruins and learned about the first century synagogue uncovered there. It's likely that Jesus Himself would have taught at this synagogue at some poin...

Friday, just prior to the Sabbath, we had a full day of touring in Israel. The biblical site of Hazor was first on the agenda. This is one of the largest archeological sites in all of Israel and is also one of the earliest, in-tact sites.  The Mt. of Beatitudes, though less certain that Jesus would have actually spoken at exactly this location, is home to a beautiful church overlooking the sea of...

The rest of our group joined us on this day for our touring and trip up to the Galilee region. First, we stopped at Caesarea Maritime to see another of Herod's constructions. Paul was on trial in this area and was, presumably, sent to Rome from here. This was also the site of Rabbi Akiva's death in the 130s A.D. On Mt. Carmel we got a panoramic view of the various mountains in Israel and a lesson...

We are currently caught up at the rate of 1 episode per day (we'll see how long it lasts)! On Day 4 of touring we ventured into the West Bank for the first time to see one of Herod the Great's most impressive architectural structures: Herodium. This constructed mountain became one of his primary places of rulership within sight of Jerusalem where he would host dignitaries and important people. Thi...

This episode wraps up day 3 in Israel going through the sites of Nazareth, Akko (Acre), and Haifa.  At this point in the trip we are still in the Northern part of Israel with Nazareth in the land allotted to Zebulun, Akko being in the land allotted to Asher, and Haifa near the border of Asher and Manasseh.  The primary sites here are the Church of Annunciation, the Hospitaller Fortress, and the Ba...

It's widely known that Saul didn't end up being a good king for Israel. However, most people read the stories surrounding his start and miss something pivotal that the biblical author of 1 Samuel is trying to show us. Did you miss it too?   Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com Logo: Matt Hernandez Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

I think I said the word "interesting" in this episode about 500 times, followed closely by the word "beautiful." If you have grace for that minor annoyance, this episode covers my 2nd day in Israel (first full day), and the first stop of our intentional touring: Tzippori. While not a site expressly mentioned in Scripture, Tzippori or Sepphoris is an important site for archeologists and historians...

Since returning from Israel, I've been struggling to know what to do with the information I picked up while there. It seems a waste to have gained so much from such a transformative trip, only to have that gain be for no purpose or benefit to anyone else.  On the other hand, stories and explanations fall so short of the desired goal and can sometimes end up being boring and self-indulgent.  After...