Dr Paul Allen

Skeptics sometimes argue that Christianity in its early years looked different than modern-day Christianity. Specifically, the question of whether Jesus claimed to be God or if he was deified by a band of disappointed followers after his crucifixion.  Christianity is grounded on the view that the claims of the New Testament are true. The gospels describe historical events, accurately recorded. The Apostle Paul wrote, “if Christ is not [truly] raised… our preaching is in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:14). Did Christianity “evolve” as skeptics claim? If the truth of Jesus of Nazareth has been radically changed; if his message has been altered, and the truth of the Resurrection changed, Christianity itself would collapse even by its own standard. New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman suggested the claims of Christianity had changed over time in a 2014 interview with NPR, stating: “During his lifetime, Jesus himself didn’t call himself God and didn’t consider himself God, and… none of his disci...

According to Jesus, it is what we do in secret that matters most. Jesus is not suggesting that the outward is unimportant—far from it. "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?" (James 2:14). The answer is emphatical no. Still, it is also possible to have outward works but no inner reality. In this instance, religion is a pretence.  Six times in the Sermon on the Mount, alluding to three distinct exercises, Jesus employs the term secret: Give "in secret…and your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (Matt. 6:4). Pray "in secret…and your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (v. 6). Fast "in secret…and your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (v. 18). The Sermon on the Mount is addressing the issue of authenticity. Just how genuine is our relationship with the Lord Jesus? It is altogether possible to practice an outward display of piety—to "talk the tal...