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It's Wednesday Bible Study, everyone! This is continuing our weekly video series on why the books of the New Testament were written - this week (part 8) we're taking a look at Philippians.Video: Why Paul Wrote PhilippiansFor those of you who've complained that I can be a tad long-winded, this is the shortest video I've made so far...clocks in at 6:36.

Hey everyone! Welcome to Wednesday night Bible study!This is part 7 of our weekly vlog series on why the books of the New Testament were written. This lesson is a three-for-one, as Paul wrote his first three imprisonment letters (Colossians, Philemon and Ephesians) at the same time for essentially the same reason.Why Paul Wrote Colossians, Philemon, and EphesiansVideo clocks in at 14:19.

The Purpose of Exile By Philip Cottraux Assyria. The terror of the ancient world is still infamous for their extreme brutality. When the Assyrians would conquer a city, they were known to have “child fires,” lining up the city’s children and forcing the parents to watch while they burned them en masse. They would flay survivors of defeated armies alive and adorn the walls of Nineveh with the skins. Inside, the streets were decorated with “head pyramids,” large piles of decapitated heads of conquered people. Lines of dismembered limbs were strewn from building to building, adorning the city like gruesome...

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Who's ready for another "Why the New Testament Was Written" vlog?In part 6, we're studying the synoptic gospels...that is, Matthew, Mark and Luke. We'll talk about the historical reason the early church decided to record the life of Christ 20+ years after the fact, and we'll compare and contrast the original three.Why the Synoptic Gospels Were WrittenVideo runs at 16:19.

The Price Lot Paid By Philip Cottraux Because of a conflict between their herdsmen, Abraham and his nephew Lot decided to part ways. The grazing land just wasn’t big enough for both tribes. Lot could choose where to go; in Genesis 13:9, Abraham said is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. Then lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that...

Welcome to Wednesday night Bible study!I was off last week due to a vacation. This week, however, we're resuming the vlog series on why the New Testament was written, focusing on Romans.Why Paul Wrote RomansA little shorter than last time, but the history behind Romans isn't all that complicated. Video runs at 11:16.

The Dangers of Scientism By Philip Cottraux “Science, like other outmoded systems, is destroying itself. As it gains in power, it proves itself incapable of handling the power. Because things are going very fast now…it will be in everyone’s hands. It will be in kits for backyard gardeners. Experiments for schoolchildren. Cheap labs for terrorists and dictators. And that will force everyone to ask the question - ‘What should I do with my power?’ Which is the very question science says it cannot answer.” -Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park****** Atheists often accuse religious people of being anti-science. They cite past examples...

Hi everyone! I've been doing a vlog series on YouTube about why historically the New Testament books were written. I usually upload these on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, but will be out of town this week so I decided to do it a few days early.Video: Why Paul Wrote I and II Corinthians.Since the story behind these epistles is somewhat complicated, this will probably be the longest video in the series, clocking in at almost 26 minutes.Source is Frank Viola's Book "The Untold Story of the New Testament."

Wednesday night Bible study is here!This week is part 3 of the "Why the Books of the New Testament Were Written" vlog series. We're focusing on why Paul wrote I and II Thessalonians.Why Paul Wrote the Thessalonian LettersVideo clocks in at 20:55. A bit longer than the last two, but the story behind Paul's Second Missionary Journey, which included planting the churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Ephesus is very complicated.

The Danger of Hitler Comparisons: Part 2 By Philip CottrauxClick here to read part 1. After I wrote about why it’s dangerous to compare your political enemies to Hitler (which is an epidemic right now), I thought I was done with the subject. In fact, last week I moved on to something else. But I started thinking more about it and realized that I still have much to say. While the first blog was about why it’s both dangerous and intellectually lazy to categorize a politician you didn’t vote for as “the next Hitler,” this week I want to explore...

Welcome to Wednesday night Bible study!Last week I started a weekly vlog series on the historical reasons the New Testament was written, starting with the first book, Galatians (49 AD).This week's video, part 2, is why James was written (50 AD).Why James Was WrittenVideo clocks in at 12:15. Thanks for watching!

The World Gets Worse, But Victory Is Just Ahead By Philip Cottraux August is interesting. As summer draws to a close, the days get shorter and the shadows longer, and one starts to expect cooler temperatures. Technically the temperatures are higher in July, but August feels hotter. The sun seems brighter and the hot air is somehow more searing as it beats down on you. Summer almost seems to throw out everything it has, burning hotter than ever in its dying gasps. The same thing happens every March. After three long months of bitter cold, I can’t wait for spring...

This is the first of a new vlog series I'm starting on why the books of the New Testament were written. We'll be doing these in historical order, starting with Galatians (49 AD). Hopefully everyone will enjoy this Wednesday night Bible study! I'm hoping to have new videos up every Tuesday, but I may not get around to sharing them until Wednesdays. We'll see.Why Galatians Was WrittenVideo clocks in at 17:17. I decided to post it in General because the subject focuses more on the ancient historical context of the New Testament rather than the theology.

The Danger of Hitler Comparisons By Philip Cottraux October 26, 1948. Facing possible defeat from Republican challenger Thomas Dewey, Harry Truman said in a campaign speech in Chicago: “A Republican victory on election day will bring a Fascistic threat to American freedom that is even more dangerous than the perils from communism and extreme right crackpots.” The New York Times headline the following morning screamed loudly: “PRESIDENT LIKENS DEWEY TO HITLER AS ‘FASCIST TOOL.’” A new tradition was born. Every Republican presidential candidate since has been compared to Hitler. In the aftermath of World War II, this cynical attempt to...

Why God Brought Back the Feast of Tabernacles By Philip Cottraux Ezra and Nehemiah are twin books that cover the so-called “Second Exodus.” In 586 BC, Jerusalem was sieged by the Babylonian armies led by Nebuchadnezzar, who burned the city and razed the temple to the ground. Most Jews were taken as slaves into exile. Those that escaped fled into the desert and formed small nomadic communities. The Ark of the Covenant disappeared and was never seen again. But God had not fully abandoned them. Babylon eventually fell to the Medo-Persians, who were much more merciful to the captives. Seventy...

Does Suffering in the World Disprove God’s Existence? By Philip Cottraux War. Plagues. Starvation. Natural disasters. Children dying in the streets. Rapes. Massacres. The Bible says For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16), yet why does He allow these things? If He is all-powerful, couldn’t He intervene and stop all of it in an instant? This is perhaps the most common argument against His existence, at least from my experience. If an atheist sniffs out a tweet I’ve made about God’s love, they’ll respond with an image of a child’s body blown to...

Why Paul Is Important to Christianity By Philip Cottraux Skeptics often ask what makes Christianity right and all other religions wrong. The implication is that various contradicting faiths renders none of them right. But the Christian’s best answer is to point out how well Christianity holds up under historical scrutiny. The ministry, death, and aftermath of Christ is the most well-documented event of the ancient world. The time span between His life and the first historical mentions of Him is the shortest in history; and even when we don’t include the sheer volumes of ancient copies of the four gospels,...

His Hand is Stretched Out Still By Philip Cottraux Isaiah is a reflection of the entire Bible itself. The Bible is 66 books. Isaiah is 66 chapters. The Bible is divided into Old and New Testaments. In the 39 books of the Old Testament we tend to view God as angry and vengeful, destroying Sodom and Gomorra with fire and brimstone, killing the firstborn of Egypt during the tenth plague or having all the men, women, and children of Jericho slaughtered by Joshua’s army. Likewise, the first 39 chapters of Isaiah focus primarily on dire warnings of God’s judgment; but...

The Molten Sea By Philip Cottraux Exodus 30:17-18: And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. The laver was a brass tub outside the tabernacle between the altar and entrance. Like a perfect procession, a ram was sacrificed at the outer altar, then the priests would enter the outer court to the brazen altar to make the burnt offerings. But they had to wash...

By Philip Cottraux First, some background info. A friend of mine posted a recent chat on her YouTube channel with an orthodox professor of Biblical studies who doesn't believe the first 11 chapters of Genesis should be taken literally. While he still maintains to be a Christian, he believes that the Garden of Eden, the flood, and the tower of Babel are myths that God used as symbols of his relationship with man. I thought I would present historical evidence for Noah’s flood to contribute to their discussion (I've linked the following blog to them on Twitter to read and...