Posted on 07/28/2019 6:02:04 AM PDT by Kaslin
In an imaginary “ranking” of Christian topics that elicit the most fervent discussions, Jesus Christ is No. 1. But near the top is the Shroud of Turin — believed by millions of Christians to be the authentic burial cloth of Jesus. This “ranking” was inspired by you — Townhall readers who wrote over 500 impassioned comments in response to my July 21 piece, “Shroud of Turin: New Test Concludes 1988 ‘Medieval Hoax’ Dating Was a Fraud.”
I purposely read all your comments to gain insight into my role as an adviser and fundraiser for a groundbreaking exhibition about the Shroud of Turin at the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C. This spectacular museum, among the largest and highest rated in the city, is located only three blocks from the Capitol. And just prior to the January 20, 2021, presidential inauguration is when this high-tech Shroud exhibit is scheduled to open.
Threaded throughout hundreds of your responses about all aspects of the Shroud was one overarching theme summarized by these three comments:
“Anyone who requires physical evidence to underpin their faith doesn’t understand the concept of faith.”
“JESUS CHRIST died for all. HE is what is important. Making such a fuss about this piece of cloth is a distraction from HIS work of SALVATION.”
“I respectfully submit that the only ‘relic’ which really matters is the one which was left us on that first Easter morning: The tomb is empty! He is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia!”
Of course, “He is Risen” is also the foundation of my Christian faith, (made slightly more complicated by having been born Jewish). But I feel compelled to discuss and explore the comment that reads in part, “…such a fuss about this piece of cloth...”
And my response is simple: The Shroud of Turin exists because HE exists. An answer that echoes what God said to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14).
Thus, the existence of the Shroud of Turin raises two questions that I will attempt to address: First, what exactly is the Shroud? And second, a deeper dive into “Why does the cloth exist?”
The Shroud of Turin is a 14.5-by-3.5-foot linen cloth with a linear front to back mirror image of a crucified man. The Shroud has the distinction of being the most studied artifact in the world, yet the cloth’s numerous mysteries remained unexplained by modern science.
At this moment the Shroud lies in a fireproof box in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, Italy, as it has continuously since 1578. (But secretly relocated between 1939 and 1946 when Italian authorities feared Hitler was seeking possession.)
Dating the Shroud has been controversial and the subject of my July 21 piece.
Among Shroud historians, there is no dispute that in 1352, over 200 years before the Shroud was housed in Turin, Geoffrey DeCharney displayed the cloth in Lirey, France marking the beginning of the Shroud’s documented "modern" dating.
There is also much circumstantial Shroud evidence through art, artifacts, and coins that pre-dates 1352. Moreover, scientifically verified botanical evidence found on the cloth in the form of pollen, dust, flowers, and even the weave and type of linen traces the Shroud back to first-century Jerusalem.
The cloth with its mysterious properties has survived wars, invasions and the ravages of time including numerous fires — most recently in 1997 at its home cathedral in Turin.
Most harrowing was the 1532 fire in Chambéry, France. Miraculously the entire cloth was not destroyed but left those distinctive linear markings along both sides of the Shroud that we see today. Hard to imagine, but the linen cloth was stored in a silver box, folded in 48 layers, when drops of molten silver burned through the cloth’s outer folded edges.
The point is, against all the odds, the Shroud exists. And, as stated earlier, because He exists. There is also a significant Bible-based reason found in the Gospel of John known as “Doubting Thomas” (John 20:24-31).
But first, a “guest” who will explain this passage needs a proper introduction:
It turns out that the many Townhall readers who commented about not needing the Shroud’s “physical evidence to underpin their faith,” represent a large swath of Christian believers. I learned this when asking Russ Breault— my fellow Shroud exhibit team colleague, and a world-renowned Shroud expert and speaker — if he had experienced similar attitudes after over 30 years of hosting his popular “Shroud Encounters” to sell-out crowds.
Breault replied:
“I get that statement all the time! When someone says, ‘I don't need the Shroud for my faith,’ I usually say, ‘That is fantastic! But that doesn't mean the Shroud was not meant for someone else.’ ”
Breault continued: “In the Doubting Thomas story, Jesus pronounced a blessing on those who ‘believe yet have not seen,’ but Jesus did not condemn Thomas for his unbelief. In fact, a week after the Resurrection, Jesus appeared a second time, and the first person he spoke to was Thomas, who was not there to witness Jesus’ first appearance. Jesus then quotes Thomas' words back to him, ‘Thomas, thrust your hand into my side and place your fingers into my nail wounds and be not faithless but believe.’
At this point, Thomas — forever known as "Doubting Thomas" — makes the strongest profession of faith in the New Testament saying, "My Lord and my God." Then Jesus pronounced a blessing on those who can believe without seeing. So we are blessed if we can believe without seeing, but we are not cursed if we can't get there without some additional evidence.
Therefore, perhaps the Shroud is a silent witness to the world offering all of humanity the same opportunity Jesus gave to Thomas. In some proverbial sense by looking at the Shroud, we too can thrust our hand into His side and place our fingers into His nail wound and find our faith in the process.”
Thank you, Russ! And now my final thoughts for Townhall commenters.
If blessed with great faith, you are free to ignore or downplay the image on the Shroud showing Christ’s great suffering and victory over death. Yet, take comfort in knowing that the Shroud is there to supplement or reinforce the faith of others while potentially witnessing to the ever-increasing number of Doubting Thomases found throughout the world.
In the end, I believe that the Shroud exists as proof of God’s greatest gift to mankind —the Lord Jesus Christ — who lives and reigns forever and ever. Alleluia!
(Now, let the comments begin!)
Just of your attitude.
Scripture interprets Scripture, they say.
But you're not.
Wrong.
He does it NOW.
Paul used the past tense in those words.
It would be a given that once we are in heaven it's a done deal.
There's no need to tell people THAT.
Nope, we are sealed here and now as the Scriptures say.
We do indeed, MM. I was embarrassed to be a catholic, trying to explain some of the peculiar doctrines of the Catholic Church. The thing that embarrassed me most, was holy water. Whoever heard of something so ridiculous as holy water?
Anyway, I was a very rebellious catholic. I didn’t really want to be one, but I didn’t think there was anything out there. I hated catechism class, cuz all I wanted to do, was flirt with the females in class. I guess maybe some of them felt the same way, since they flirted right back at us guys. 👍😁
As long as you’re amused...
(See, ridiculous ad hominem can be directed at Protestants, too.)
He was quoting something from a military person, talking about how the Japanese hate {something} "like the devil hates Holy Water." ...and this was signed, Halsey.
(Admiral Bull Halsey, from World War 2, who commanded the US Third Fleet in the battle of Leyte Gulf).
So, tell me all about it. I'm all ears.
“And, newsflash. Sola Scriptura was not a doctrine of the Christianity historically.
It’s a later development. Ironically enough, one taught by men. It’s not found in the Bible.”
It’s absolutely in the Bible. The Scripture says for salvation, teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness the hell bound sinner and the born again Christian need nothing else for salvation or condemnation.
2 Timothy 3:15-17
15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
The funny thing about your quoting of C.S. Lewis is that you’re proving my own point for me.
Why not pray directly to the Father? Why do you need dead people who probably don’t even hear you to pray for you?
Why not just go and ask directly?
I don’t accept 2 Timothy 3:16-17 as relevant, nor as dispositive of the issue.
Why?
Because it says “all Scripture is inspired by God.”
It DOES NOT say “Scripture is the only thing inspired by God, and will remain forever the only thing inspired by God.”
It’d be nice if the Sola Scriptura crowd realized that themselves! :-D
***
We DO.
It would be nice if you returned the favor instead of throwing smarmy comments around while accusing people of being trolls.
You’re still using the strawman definition of sola scriptura.
I already told you the correct definition upthread; why not use it?
"I've kind of a feeling he likes to be asked."
Why do you need dead people who probably don’t even hear you to pray for you?
Because He is not the God of the dead, but of the living!
(Jesus spoke in a parable of Lazarus dying and being carried by angels into the bosom of Abraham. And they converse with one of Lazarus's deceased brothers, who ends up in...that other place.)
“I’ve kind of a feeling he likes to be asked.”
***
Exactly, so WHY AREN’T YOU ASKING?
Why are you telling other people to do it for you?
Why aren’t you going directly to the Lord with your prayers?
(Also, in that parable both people conversing are dead anyways, so it doesn’t prove any kind of point)
I'm not using the "revised and extended version" which claims "if a historical event is not mentioned in Scripture, it is necessarily demonic".
Or "any teaching which is later than the Scriptures, is by definition merely the teaching of men, and must be rejected."
I do not accept that. There are Scripture verses in which Jesus says He had many more things to say, but the disciples could not bear them right then; that the Holy Spirit will guide them into all truth.
And there are New Testament epistles which come out and say to continue in the teachings of the Apostles and elders.
I suspect the confusion comes about because of Jesus admonition of the Jewish leaders, in Mark 7:11, and the Apostles in Acts saying "We must obey God rather than men."
But on the other hand, Paul writes explicitly to subject oneself to every human authority as instituted by God; in Phillippians it is written that Jesus who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, and took up a servant's nature, humbling Himself, even to death on a Cross (in other words, he *submitted*); and when the some believers from Antioch wrote with questions, the Apostles wrote back, "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us" ... indicating the continuing role of the Holy Spirit in guiding the Church, through the leadership.
I do both. I pray, and I ask others to pray. Why are you saying *inaccurate* things about me?
Do you suppose 1st Corinthians 2:14 applies?
Huh. Is that why Satan *quoted* Scripture at Jesus to tempt Jesus?
It's too bad Catholicism fell for that lie so long ago.
Satan also hates the Church and wants to sow strife and discord.
There can be attacks on individual Christians as well as on the body. And from more than one direction.
So you’re taking some time that you COULD be using to exercise a great gift, to pray to God the Father directly, through the sacrifice of Christ...
And you’re using that precious time that you COULD be spending in the presence of the Father to ask other people to ask for you instead.
Why?
Yes, I know you’re attacking the strawman version.
Why are you then using the words ‘sola scriptura’ when defining what you’re attacking?
That’s classic deception; stop doing that.
Scripture commands us to pray for one another, as well as enjoins us to ask for prayers from others.
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