Genres > Christianity

New Testament

Most Read This Week Tagged "New Testament"

The Chosen: I Have Called You By Name (The Chosen, #1)

Hope in Times of Fear: The Resurrection and the Meaning of Easter

Revealing Revelation: How God's Plans for the Future Can Change Your Life Now

Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies

Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church

Becoming God's Family: Why the Church Still Matters

Strange Religion: How the First Christians Were Weird, Dangerous, and Compelling

Nobody's Mother: Artemis of the Ephesians in Antiquity and the New Testament

Finding Phoebe: What New Testament Women Were Really Like

Tell Me the Stories of Jesus: The Explosive Power of Jesus’ Parables

Why the Gospel?: Living the Good News of King Jesus with Purpose

Pauline Theology as a Way of Life: A Vision of Human Flourishing in Christ

The Herods: Murder, Politics, and the Art of Succession

Lists

Best Holy Week & Easter Reads

1 book — 1 voter

Books of the Bible

75 books — 21 voters

The Seeds of Heaven by Barbara Brown Taylor

The Gospel of Matthew Volume I by William Barclay

The Gospel of Matthew

55 books — 2 voters

Biblical Retellings

230 books — 78 voters

Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Luke by J.C. Ryle

Ignatius Catholic Study Bible by Scott Hahn

The Gospel of Luke

76 books — 2 voters

The Complete Gospels by Robert J. Miller

Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians by Martin Luther

The Authentic Letters of Paul by Arthur J. Dewey

The Acts of Thomas by Harlod W. Attridge

Scholars Version Translation

9 books — 2 voters

Related Genres

Nonfiction
Religion
Spirituality
Parenting
Theology
Christianity
Faith
Marriage

Catholic
Christian Non Fiction
Church
Lds
New Testament
Old Testament
Religión
Relígion

Featured News & Interviews

Readers’ Hit New Books of the Year (So Far)

Read »

“ 4. Religion. Your reason is now mature enough to examine this object. In the first place, divest yourself of all bias in favor of novelty & singularity of opinion... shake off all the fears & servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear. You 4. Religion. Your reason is now mature enough to examine this object. In the first place, divest yourself of all bias in favor of novelty & singularity of opinion... shake off all the fears & servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear. You will naturally examine first, the religion of your own country. Read the Bible, then as you would read Livy or Tacitus. The facts which are within the ordinary course of nature, you will believe on the authority of the writer, as you do those of the same kind in Livy and Tacitus. The testimony of the writer weighs in their favor, in one scale, and their not being against the laws of nature, does not weigh against them. But those facts in the Bible which contradict the laws of nature, must be examined with more care, and under a variety of faces. Here you must recur to the pretensions of the writer to inspiration from God. Examine upon what evidence his pretensions are founded, and whether that evidence is so strong, as that its falsehood would be more improbable than a change in the laws of nature, in the case he relates. For example in the book of Joshua we are told the sun stood still several hours. Were we to read that fact in Livy or Tacitus we should class it with their showers of blood, speaking of statues, beasts, &c. But it is said that the writer of that book was inspired. Examine therefore candidly what evidence there is of his having been inspired. The pretension is entitled to your inquiry, because millions believe it. On the other hand you are astronomer enough to know how contrary it is to the law of nature that a body revolving on its axis as the earth does, should have stopped, should not by that sudden stoppage have prostrated animals, trees, buildings, and should after a certain time have resumed its revolution, & that without a second general prostration. Is this arrest of the earth's motion, or the evidence which affirms it, most within the law of probabilities? You will next read the New Testament. It is the history of a personage called Jesus. Keep in your eye the opposite pretensions: 1, of those who say he was begotten by God, born of a virgin, suspended & reversed the laws of nature at will, & ascended bodily into heaven; and 2, of those who say he was a man of illegitimate birth, of a benevolent heart, enthusiastic mind, who set out without pretensions to divinity, ended in believing them, and was punished capitally for sedition, by being gibbeted, according to the Roman law, which punished the first commission of that offence by whipping, & the second by exile, or death in fureâ. ...Do not be frightened from this inquiry by any fear of its consequences. If it ends in a belief that there is no God, you will find incitements to virtue in the comfort and pleasantness you feel in its exercise, and the love of others which it will procure you... In fine, I repeat, you must lay aside all prejudice on both sides, and neither believe nor reject anything, because any other persons, or description of persons, have rejected or believed it... I forgot to observe, when speaking of the New Testament, that you should read all the histories of Christ, as well of those whom a council of ecclesiastics have decided for us, to be Pseudo-evangelists, as those they named Evangelists. Because these Pseudo-evangelists pretended to inspiration, as much as the others, and you are to judge their pretensions by your own reason, and not by the reason of those ecclesiastics. Most of these are lost... [Letter to his nephew, Peter Carr, advising him in matters of religion, 1787] ...more ”
― Thomas Jefferson, Letters of Thomas Jefferson

453 likes

“ It doesn’t say these signs will accompany only “the apostles.” It says these signs will accompany “those who BELIEVE.” Are you a believer? Then this verse is as relevant and true today as it was for those who wrote those very words. (Mark 16:15–18) ”
― Elliana Olivia, Upon Them All: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Purpose: True Stories to Ignite Your Faith.

0 likes

More quotes...