CCP102: On the "Lost Gospels"
In this week’s conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a recent article in The Atlantic titled “The ‘Secret” Gospel and a Scandalous New Episode in the Life of Jesus.” The article talked about a 1958 historian who claimed he had found a lost gospel of Jesus’ life that was later deemed a forgery. This was not the first nor the last time someone would make this claim. In fact, this was the basis for one of the biggest “lost gospel” fabrications, The DaVinci Code, written by Dan Brown and later turned into a film starring Tom Hanks. So what are Christians to think when discoveries like these are put forth, and could there truly be “lost gospels” out there that are yet to be discovered?
Episode Links
We recently touched very briefly on this topic in CCP92: On Challenges to Believing the Bible which you can go back and listen to. And if you’re looking for a solid foundation for understanding the Bible and how it was compiled, we encourage you to check out a series that Dr. White gave at Mecklenburg Community Church called “How to Bible.” The installments of this series walk you through five key Bible “how tos”: get oriented, read and interpret it, apply it and believe it (two parts). You can find that series HERE.
We would also recommend that you check out Dr. White’s book Christianity for People Who Aren’t Christians. This is a great resource whether you’re exploring the Christian faith or want to be able to provide an apologetic for why you believe what you believe. There’s a chapter on the Bible that is particularly helpful.
For those of you who are new to Church & Culture, we’d love to invite you to subscribe (for free of course) to the twice-weekly Church & Culture blog and check out the Daily Headline News - a collection of headlines from around the globe each weekday. We’d also love to hear from you if there is a topic that you’d like to see discussed on the Church & Culture Podcast in an upcoming episode. You can find the form to submit your questions at the bottom of the podcast page HERE.