Sharing the Love of Christ Around the World

CHRIST UNDER SCRUTINY

Jim is the second member of a three generation law enforcement family. His father was a cop and detective for nearly thirty years. By the time Jim was in his 30s, he had already been a patrol officer, on the SWAT Team, and a senior detective on the Crime Impact Team. He was a devoted husband and father. He was also an atheist. “I rejected supernaturalism thoroughly, denying both the existence of a supernatural God and the possibility of the miraculous,” he says. “I truly believed everything I observed in the universe could be explained and attributed to natural, physical causes and processes."  

When a fellow officer invited him to church repeatedly, Jim finally acquiesced and attended church. When the pastor spoke of Jesus as a teacher, Jim listened for the first time. He was intrigued and willing to listen to Jesus as a teacher but not ready to accept Him as savior yet.  

While reading the Gospels, Jim was struck by the fact that they resembled eyewitness accounts. He decided to investigate this Jesus of the Bible like he investigated all of his cases: by reviewing the evidence. He was trained to use forensic statement analysis (FSA) while conducting interviews with suspects. So, he decided to also use this approach while investigating the Bible. 

“Within a month, and despite my deep skepticism and hesitation, I concluded that Mark’s gospel is the eyewitness account of the apostle Peter. I was beginning to move from a belief that Jesus was a wise teacher to a belief in what He said about Himself,” Jim explains. 

INVESTIGATIGATING LIKE A DETECTIVE

For most of Jim’s career, he investigated cold cases. Such cases are from the distant past and have little or no forensic evidence. After much research, Jim says, “In the end, a strong cumulative case can usually be made by collecting witness statements, testing their reliability, and verifying observations with what little forensic evidence is available. By taking this approach I arrested and successfully prosecuted several cold-case suspects who thought they had gotten away with murder.” Similarly, Christianity claims an event from the distant past for which there is little forensic evidence. 

If Christians learn to approach their beliefs evidentially and take the same forensic approach detectives take when examining an event from the past, the rest will take care of themselves. When Jim began reading the Gospels he found variations in the eyewitness testimonies. For example, one gospel account says there was only one woman present during the morning of the resurrection and another gospel says there were three present. Jim says that those variations didn’t deter the evidence for him. In contrast, the differences comforted him. Jim explains, “In real cases, witnesses never, ever, ever agree and that’s a good thing. If they agree, we call that collusion.”  

When Jim is called by dispatch to investigate a case, he always has one request: He asks that the officers separate the witnesses. “People remember things differently based on a variety of things like perception and background,” he explains. For example, if Jim asks an eyewitness what kind of gun the suspect had, he might get different answers. One eyewitness might know a lot about guns and the other one might not. If he asks what the suspect was wearing, one person might not pay attention to that kind of detail, while another witness does. Jim says that even though there are thousands of variations between the documents, 99.9 percent of the variants are NOT contradictory to the Gospel message.

Jim gives us 10 principles that every person searching for truth needs to master:

1.    DON’T BE A “KNOW-IT-ALL:” All of us hold suppositions impacting the way we see the world around us. It’s important to do your best to enter every investigation with your eyes and mind open to all reasonable possibilities. Objectivity is paramount and it’s the first principle of detective work. Never investigate anything with your mind already made up. 
2.    LEARN TO INFER: Investigators use a methodology known as abductive reasoning (also known as “inferring to the most reasonable explanation”). 
3.    THINK CIRCUMSTANTIALLY: There are two types of evidence: direct and indirect. Direct evidence is the testimony of the eyewitnesses. Indirect is everything else.
4.    TEST YOUR WITNESSES: Ask the following questions about your witness: 
a.    Were they even there?
b.    Have they been honest and accurate over time?
c.    Can they be verified?
d.    Do they have an ulterior motive?
5.    HANG ON EVERY WORD: Pay close attention to every word a person uses. We all choose the words we use. Sometimes as a matter of habit. Sometimes consciously or subconsciously. Jim has learned to hang on to every word because they offer clues.
6.    SEPARATE ARTIFACT FROM EVIDENCE: Jim says that every scene contains important evidence guiding us to truth while also containing unrelated artifacts that cause uncertainty. 
7.    RESIST CONSPIRACY THEORIES: “We all need to take the time to understand the elements of successful conspiracies so we can communicate them to others… I’ve come to learn they are very difficult to pull off,” Jim explains. 
8.    RESPECT THE CHAIN OF CUSTODY: If the evidence isn’t carefully handled, it diminishes its validity in court. Jim learned about this as a detective and used it to investigate the reliability of the Gospels. 
9.    KNOW WHEN “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH:” Jim explains that sometimes we don’t know the impact some evidence will have on others. Even if we don’t think it’s important, it might be to someone else. That’s why they created what is known as the “standard of proof” (SOP)—which varies depending on the case under consideration. It includes Some credible evidence; Preponderance of the evidence; Clear and convincing evidence; and Beyond a Reasonable Doubt proof. 
10.    PREPARE FOR AN ATTACK: Jim learned when presenting evidence in court, be prepared for a counterattack from defense attorneys. Preparing to defend your case, backed with solid evidence, is vital. 

UPDATED & EXPANDED EDITION

In the updated and expanded edition of Cold-Case Christianity J. Warner Wallace includes his personal testimony, 300 new illustrations and graphic elements, and a new afterword that includes the most commonly asked questions about the realiablity of the New Testament. 

Get your copy of J. Warner Wallace's Cold-Case Christianity and discover more at: coldcasechristianity.com.
 

“When I think about Jesus, the first word that comes to mind is hope. He’s my hope! And man, this world can get crazy sometimes,” declared Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher, Clayton Kershaw.

Within the revered baseball sanctuary of Dodger Stadium – a rare post-game Sunday cathedral emerges, with a different pitch delivered by a future Hall of Famer. Before a crowd in the stadium’s seats Kershaw asks, “What anchors you, what gives you hope past this world? For us that’s Jesus. Jesus is our eternal hope.”

Kershaw, a handful of teammates, and manager Dave Roberts, returned the Dodgers Faith and Family event to engaged, devoted participants after a 4-year absence. 

Clayton Kershaw: “We’ve had it here for a long time! Once Covid hit we kind of forgot about it and with everything that’s gone on this year as a team it just kind of felt like the best way to show what I stand for and what some of our teammates stand for...is we believe in Jesus and we get to talk about it and we’ve got a cool platform to be able to bring fans out and hear it.”  

Dave Roberts: “When you’re managing an organization with different beliefs it’s a tricky, slippery slope trying to respect everyone’s faith and their values. But in this context, we have the opportunity to speak openly and candidly!”  

Question: “The team, the organization, you had been a part of the Faith and Family Nights before – Dave, why was it important to bring it back?”

Dave Roberts: “You know I think I’d been a part of it as a player, as a coach and as a manager. I think for us it was important because this world of - inclusivity – I think is important on all fronts, but I also believe that sometimes we get overly criticized because of our Christian beliefs. Our voices need to be heard too so I’m very proud to be a part of this!”  

Max Muncy: “This is just an important day, we wanted to bring it back to Dodger Stadium. It‘s been awhile since we had it and what a turnout we’ve had! This is incredible! I don’t think any of us expected this many people to show up.”   

And more than just messaging, a genuine, Christ-following life is urged and embraced!

Question: “How do we love with His unconditional love, Dave – in the face of adversity, in the face of opposition or in the face of disagreement?”

Dave Roberts: “I think that’s what it is – it’s love! I was raised to treat everyone with love and respect, and you know we’re not all going to have the same beliefs. But I do trust in my belief and faith and I think at the core of it: to pray for people to love everyone even if we don’t always agree with how we live our lives. But I think my job as a Christian is to continue to treat people with love.”  

Evan Phillips: “Yeah, that’s the unique challenge of the world we live in. And I feel like we’ve been given that challenge by our Lord and it’s in a way there’s all this different combativeness coming from different angles and coming from different viewpoints, but I feel like it’s a challenge to each other to continue to encourage to love each other as one’s brother.”  

Clayton Kershaw: “We are called as disciples of Jesus to show ­­how He lived his life and try to be the best disciple we can be for Him. Because I think some people will get the wrong reason about what Jesus is. ‘Oh its this exclusive group that judges everybody and that’s not true at all! It’s a choice to follow Jesus and in that way it is exclusive but at the end of the day the way people follow Jesus is to love everyone well.”  

Max Muncy: “I think the most important thing is to put ourselves out there among other people. Show them what it truly means to be a Christian and not­­ criticize other people and not to say they’re doing things wrong. But to show them that when you’re a Christian this is what can happen and show what it really, really means to love Jesus.”  

Question: “After you hit home runs, you’ll acknowledge Him, you’ll head to the dugout, you’ve got fans there – but now you’ve got them not just as Dodgers fans, you’ve got them as brothers and sisters. Does that give you and the guys a sense of strength?”

Max Muncy: “I think it always does. It’s a family! It’s a family and you know we’re all here on this earth for a purpose and that’s to glorify Jesus and glorify God and to get to do it on this field – it’s a very special thing!” 

Question: “Do you find 2023 Christianity is growing more intense, requiring more?”

Clayton Kershaw: “There is a little bit more of a cultural war these days and there’s a lot more people with more opinions with social media about different things. What I don’t like is Christianity gets bled into politics or Christianity gets bled into society or culture. That’s not what it is at all! Jesus is following Jesus and that’s all it is! If anything, it gives you chance to be bold about your faith because its just not understood.”  

Question: “How would people pray for you?”

Dave Roberts: “You know I really appreciate that and I think prayer for me is important and people praying for me, and the prayer for me: calmness, stillness, clarity and remain true to who I am – and at the core of who I am is my faith. I manage the Dodgers, that’s my job. It’s not who I am. To not have Jesus Christ to fallback and lean on, I just wouldn’t, I just don’t think I would survive this.”
 
 

Britnie Turner is an International real estate investor, developer and humanitarian. In 2016, Forbes recognized her company, Aerial Development Group, as the sixth fastest-growing woman-owned company in the world. As a young girl, she had an experience that she could only describe as being from God.

Britnie recalls, "I was sitting at youth group, not really even paying attention, and God, just showed me this vision of doing this work in Africa. And so, I worked five jobs at a time from 13 on, so I could save and go on these mission trips every single year."

It's always been important to Britnie to be faithful in tithing and giving.

Britnie says, "The best download God's ever given me is to give first. I always gave to things I wanted to expand in my life. When I was very passionate about helping orphanages, I gave to orphanages."

To create wealth to finance what she referred to as her "holy ambition", Britnie started studying real estate every hour she wasn't waiting tables.

Britnie explains, "I bought a house at 18 and desired to learn how to flip houses so I could have cash flow and live in Africa and build my own orphanages."

In 2007, she bought a fixer-upper and rented out the spare rooms for income. Two years later, Britnie remembers one 9-hour waitressing shift when she was short $350 to cover her mortgage. So far, she had only made seven dollars in tips.

Britnie remembers, "And I threw my hands up at God, and I said, 'God, why am I here?' And I heard Him say loud and clear, 'Because I want to bless you.' And I was like, 'Really? Really!'"

She ended up waiting on a group of real estate investors that invited her to their seminar. Britnie ultimately negotiated a job with one of the speakers. She quickly packed up, rented her house, and moved to Nashville. That was 2009, and the real estate market was still reeling from the 2008 housing crisis.

Britnie recalls, "In less than two months, they're like, 'Yeah, we don't need this position anymore. Real estate is doing really bad.'"

Worse yet, the first month's rent check from the new tenants bounced.

Britnie exclaimed, "And I've got a mortgage payment, and I've got to evict these guys, and so I did the only logical thing, which was to move into my car." 

She looked for reliable renters to move into her property back home while, for nine months, she lived in her car.

Britnie remembers, "I felt pretty abandoned when I was living in my car and working for free, trying to learn the business. And many times throughout my journey, I thought God had left me. The biggest lie I ever had to face was this constant worry that I was off track because I was hitting obstacles."

After finding reliable tenets, she took an unpaid gig with another investment group. There Britnie learned every aspect of the real estate development business.

Britnie states, "I was able to eat by getting my real estate agent license and finding properties for them. No matter what's going on in your life, you still have to give first, and that's why tithing works so well. It's literally proving that you believe you have more than enough to where you can show the action of giving as a result of your faith."

With that experience, Britnie launched her own company. 

Britnie says, "But after a year of almost everything that could possibly go wrong and went wrong, I became the biggest rehabber in Nashville." 

Next, her company revitalized downtown neighbourhoods by removing blighted and burned-out properties and building homes.  

Britnie says, "I had no idea that God was teaching me how to take the most broken places -- where there's no job, no opportunity, there's high crime, and make them thriving economies. And then, over the next year, I became one of the biggest urban developers in Nashville."

Above her personal tithe, Britnie's company sponsored an orphan in Africa for a year for every home that sold in the new homeowner's name. With her success in urban renewal in Nashville, now she was able to focus her attention on a special project in Africa.

Britnie reports, "We're building an orphanage! We picked this area because parents were selling their 2-year-old little boys and little girls for $25."

Now over 600 hundred children have been sponsored through Britnie's humanitarian work. Her husband, Jeremy, a Green Beret Veteran, also shares Britnie's compassion for others, whether rebuilding a remote school ravaged by a flood or delivering emergency supplies during a volcanic eruption.  

Jeremey reports, "As we were coming out here on the boat, we saw another gigantic eruption. Us being X-Military, we come in to map out what sort of infrastructure been affected and what sort of items are needed." 

Britnie's newest business venture is a Caribbean resort in the British Virgin Islands. 

Britnie states, "The success that I have experienced has been 100% tied to giving. So, as you grow, again, like your tithing, you're giving grows with it. And the more resources you have, the more God can use you to be His hands and feet."

Linda Ingram, a military veteran and retired teacher, loves travelling with her husband to craft fairs in her family camper. She shares her passions with us about her hobby. “I do a lot of crocheting. I've got a couple of craft fairs that I do during the year. I have made pillow covers and blankets. I also do some woodworking and make ornaments.”

In the summer of 2021, she started having sciatica, causing pain in her hip and leg. “It limited my ability to do things, you know, my normal daily routine, it really affected it,” she explains. Despite taking over the counter medications, the pain only got worse. “It got so bad where I was crying several times a week.” She confessed. “I needed to make an appointment and find out what was going on.” Finally, Linda saw a doctor who prescribed physical therapy and a spinal injection.

The relief was welcome, but only lasted a few weeks. “There was a day in February where I needed to load up some supplies and equipment for an upcoming craft fair. When I did that, I overexerted myself and the pain came back again.” Linda shared. “I was in pain. I was getting the throbbing in my hip, the throbbing next to my knee, the throbbing down, you know, above my ankle.” 

On March 9th, Linda was watching the 700 Club when Gordon started praying for viewer’s needs. “You’ve got a shifted pelvis too,” he said. “You heard the story about that and said please say that again. I’d love to get that for me. God has heard your prayer. He loved to give it to you. In Jesus name, be healed.”

Linda recalls her experience with Gordon’s prayer. “I went ahead and I took my hand, I put it on my right hip and I took my other hand and put it all up and down my leg. I felt the warmth of the Holy Spirit come over me, and the pain was gone. I said, 'Thank you Jesus.' It was wonderful. It was a miracle.”

Just four days after her healing, she went into her doctor’s office for a follow up appointment. She told him that she had been completely healed while watching the 700 Club. “I said, that's the power of prayer,” she exclaims, “and he said, 'that is the power of prayer.' He wrote down, ‘prayed,’ in his notes.”  

Linda is still free from her sciatica pain and is once again enjoying the activities she loves. She also serves as an encouragement to others that God can and does heal. “God is our healer.” She says, “So never underestimate the power of prayer and God's healing. He healed me and answered my prayer, and He can do that for you.”