Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Happy Feast of St. Stephen: "Some Difficulties in the Speech of Stephen, Acts 7" by William F. Arndt



Longtime professor at Concordia Seminary--St. Louis, William F. Arndt, wrote numerous books and articles on "Bible difficulties." These works focused on disabusing people of the notion that the Bible contained errors, showing that with calm logic and careful investigation one could resolve most alleged discrepancies, or, even when the resolution surpassed our knowledge or insight, that this did not necessitate or prove a contradiction. Sometimes a fair evaluation was one that might not be able to settle upon a single resolution, but had to leave several possibilities open. Arndt's purpose was to both dismiss alleged proofs of inaccuracies or mistakes that skeptics clung to and to lead believers to trust in the reliability of the Scriptures and have humility when approaching God's Word.




A delightful and brief essay, or perhaps a delightfully brief essay, on this theme by Arndt was one in which he covered the alleged "difficulties" and discrepancies in Stephen's Speech in Acts 7. I encourage you to read it in honor of St. Stephen and the commemoration of his martyrdom.

http://www.ctsfw.net/media/pdfs/ArndtSpeechofStephen.pdf



Need to Get Read Level: 10/10--Why wouldn't you read this great essay on St. Stephen's Day.


Note: A couple of full length books that Arndt wrote on the topic of "Bible difficulties" are:

Bible Difficulties: An Examination Of Passages Of The Bible Alleged To Be Irreconcilable With Its Inspiration

https://www.amazon.com/Bible-Difficulties-Examination-Irreconcilable-Inspiration/dp/1164483900

Does the Bible Contradict Itself?: A Discussion of Alleged Contradictions in the Bible

https://www.amazon.com/Does-Bible-Contradict-Itself-Contradictions/dp/0570037212

Or, get them both in one revised and expanded volume:

Bible Difficulties and Seeming Contradictions

https://www.amazon.com/Bible-Difficulties-Seeming-Contradictions-William/dp/0758618468

I honestly don't see why resources that are so helpful and have proven themselves over several generations shouldn't be on everyone's shelf.

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