Anchored by Truth from Crystal Sea Books - a 30 minute show exploring the grand Biblical saga of creation, fall, and redemption to help Christians anchor their lives to transcendent truth with RD Fierro

Episode 262 – Evolution: A Word in Doubt – An Interview with Dr. Jonathan Sarfati Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script Notes: For the LORD is God, and he created the heavens and earth and put everything in place. He made the world to be lived in, not to be a place of empty chaos. “I am the LORD,” he says, “and there is no other. I publicly proclaim bold promises. I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner. I would not have told the people of Israel to seek me if I could not be found. I, the LORD, speak only what is true and declare only what is right. Isaiah, chapter 45, verses 18 and 19, English Standard Version You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased. Revelation, chapter 4, verse 11, English Standard Version ******** VK: Hi! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. Today we are continuing to explore the origin of the universe and the beginning of life with our series that we call The Truth in Genesis. To help us in our exploration we’ve invited Dr. Jonathan Sarfati to be our guest in the studio. Dr. Sarfati is the lead scientist for Creation Ministries International. He has written a number of widely selling books that bring an understandable, yet comprehensive, scientific perspective on what empirical observations actually tell us about the age of the earth and the origin of life. Dr. Sarfati has sold hundreds of thousands of books such as Refuting Evolution volumes 1 and 2, By Design, The Greatest Hoax on Earth and The Genesis Account. During this series Dr. Sarfati has been answering questions about a wide variety of topics that pertain the evidence that supports the historicity of the literal Biblical account. Of course, we recognize that the overwhelming view in our culture today is that the universe is billions of years old and that life somehow arose spontaneously by a process labeled as “evolution.” But, surprisingly enough, the science that supports life arising from non-living chemicals is not nearly as settled as is usually thought. Moreover, as we’ll learn today, evolution as a hypothesis is defined so flexibly that it is nearly impossible to find a consensus on what the term actually means. Today we’ll be looking at what the terms “evolution” and “natural selection” actually mean and how God’s provision for the adaptation of species has been misused in a way that violates the rules of logic and evidence. Specifically, today we’re going see that the concept of natural selection had actually been recognized by Biblical creationists before Charles Darwin ever put a pen to paper to publish his most famous book. But before we get too far into our discussion, Dr. Sarfati would you like to say a word of greeting to the Anchored by Truth listeners and maybe tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became interested in studying the subject of creation and biological adaptation? Dr. Sarfati: - Thanks for inviting me. It’s a pleasure to be on Anchored by Truth today. Introductory comments. VK: Dr. Sarfati, during our last few episodes we have been discussing several key points demonstrate that the earth and universe are much younger than conventionally assumed. First, there are significant scientific problems with the way dates have been traditionally been assigned to the age of the universe and the earth. Second, there is a considerable body of scientific evidence that supports the ages for creation and the earth derived from Genesis. Third, the Noahic flood dispels the need for a long-age uniformitarianism to explain the geological configuration of the...

Episode 261 – Dinosaur Duplicity – An Interview with Dr. Jonathan Sarfati Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script Notes: Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox. What strength it has in its loins, what power in the muscles of its belly! Its tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of its thighs are close-knit. Its bones are tubes of bronze, its limbs like rods of iron. It ranks first among the works of God, yet its Maker can approach it with his sword. Job, chapter 40, verses 15 through 19, New International Version I will not fail to speak of Leviathan’s limbs, its strength and its graceful form. Who can strip off its outer coat? Who can penetrate its double coat of armor? Who dares open the doors of its mouth, ringed about with fearsome teeth? Its back has rows of shields tightly sealed together; each is so close to the next that no air can pass between. They are joined fast to one another; they cling together and cannot be parted. Its snorting throws out flashes of light; its eyes are like the rays of dawn. Flames stream from its mouth; sparks of fire shoot out. Smoke pours from its nostrils as from a boiling pot over burning reeds. Job, chapter 41, verses 12 through 20, New International Version ******** VK: VK: Hi! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. Today we are pressing forward with our series that we call The Truth in Genesis. To help us in our exploration of one of the most fascinating – and controversial – parts of scripture, we’ve invited Dr. Jonathan Sarfati to be our guest in the studio. Dr. Sarfati is the lead scientist for Creation Ministries International. He has written a number of widely selling books that bring an understandable, yet comprehensive, scientific perspective on what empirical observations actually tell us about the age of the earth and the origin of life. Dr. Sarfati has sold hundreds of thousands of books such as Refuting Evolution volumes 1 and 2, By Design, The Greatest Hoax on Earth and The Genesis Account. During this series Dr. Sarfati is addressing a wide variety of topics that pertain to a proper understanding of scientific evidence that conflicts with the conventional view that the earth is billions of years old. Today we’ll be exploring some of the most fascinating parts of that evidence because we’ve devoted today’s show entirely to dinosaurs. Specifically, today we’re going see that recent discoveries about dinosaur fossils are at odds with the hypothesis that these fossils are tens or hundreds of millions of years old. But before we get too far into our discussion, Dr. Sarfati would you like to say a word of greeting to the Anchored by Truth listeners and maybe tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became involved with Creation Ministries International? Dr. Sarfati: - Thanks for inviting me. It’s a pleasure to be on Anchored by Truth today. Introductory comments. VK: Dr. Sarfati, in our first couple of episodes of our Truth in Genesis series you addressed some of the major problems that affect the validity of dating methods that are used to support the belief in an ancient earth. Last time we saw that the world-wide flood described in Genesis casts further doubt on the reliability of many of the popular claims about the old age of the universe and earth. Would you like to give us a brief overview of a few of the observations that you made? Dr. Sarfati: Review comments for evidence of a young earth VK: Thank you. That was very helpful. As we observed last time - it’s very important to note that the dates developed from geology depend entirely on the assumption that the current...

Episode 260 – A Flood of Biblical Proportions – An Interview with Dr. Jonathan Sarfati Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script Notes: In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights. Genesis, chapter 7, verses 11 and 12, New King James Version Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. Genesis, chapter 7, verses 17 through 20, New King James Version ******** VK: VK: Hi! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. Today we are continuing our series that we call The Truth in Genesis. To help us do that we’ve invited a gifted scientist and logic expert, Dr. Jonathan Sarfati, to be our guest in the studio. Dr. Sarfati has written a number of widely selling books that bring a clear and comprehensive scientific perspective on what empirical observations actually tell us about the age of the universe and the origin of life. Dr. Sarfati has sold hundreds of thousands of books such as Refuting Evolution volumes 1 and 2, By Design, The Greatest Hoax on Earth and The Genesis Account. During this series Dr. Sarfati is addressing a wide variety of topics that pertain to a proper understanding of the opening chapters of the book of Genesis including evidence that the earth’s surface provides abundant evidence of a world-wide flood. Today we’ll be exploring that evidence in greater detail. But just as a refresher for where we are in the Truth in Genesis series, in our last couple of episodes we learned that there are a number of very significant scientific problems with the dating methods methodologies that are typically used to assign ancient dates to the age of the earth. We also learned that there is a substantial volume of empirical observations that fit perfectly with the timeframes found in Genesis. Today we’re going to add to these earlier observations by taking a look at how a catastrophic world-wide flood also calls into question many of the dating assumptions so prevalent in popular discussions. But before we get too far into our discussion, Dr. Sarfati would you like to say a word of greeting to the Anchored by Truth listeners and maybe tell us a little bit about yourself and how you pursued your interest in logical argumentation? Dr. Sarfati: - Thanks for inviting me. It’s a pleasure to be on Anchored by Truth today. Introductory comments. VK: As I mentioned, in our last couple of episodes of Anchored by Truth you addressed some of the major problems that affect the validity of dating methods. You also showed us that there are some scientific facts that are completely at odds with the hypothesis that the earth is millions or billions of years old such as the recovery of intact soft tissue, such as blood vessels, from the skeletons of dinosaurs. Would you like to give us a brief overview of a few of the observations that you made? Dr. Sarfati: Review comments for evidence of a young earth VK: Thank you. That was very helpful. It’s very important to note that when it comes to assigning dates most conventional geologists today depend entirely on the assumption that the current appearance of the earth reflects...

Episode 259 – Younger Than You Think – An Interview with Dr. Jonathan Sarfati Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script Notes: You alone are the Lord, Creator of the heavens and all the stars, Creator of the earth and those who live on it, Creator of the ocean and all its creatures. You are the source of life, praised by the stars that fill the heavens. Nehemiah, chapter 9, verse 6, Contemporary English Version Because of our faith, we know that the world was made at God's command. We also know that what can be seen was made out of what cannot be seen. Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 3, Contemporary English Version ******** VK: VK: Hi! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. Today we are continuing our series that we call The Truth in Genesis. To help us do that we’ve invited one of the premier scientists and experts on the question of origins, Dr. Jonathan Sarfati, to be our guest in the studio for the next several weeks. He’s written a number of widely selling books that challenge the conventional views of what chemistry, geology, and paleontology say about the age of the universe and the origin of life. Dr. Sarfati has sold hundreds of thousands of books such as Refuting Evolution, By Design, The Greatest Hoax on Earth and The Genesis Account. During this series Dr. Sarfati is addressing a wide variety of topics during this series including problems with conventional dating methods, affirmative evidence that the universe is actually fairly young, scientific challenges to life arising from non-living chemicals, and evidence that the earth’s surface provides abundant evidence of a world-wide flood. We are even going to do an entire show just on dinosaurs and what the latest dinosaur research actually tells us about the earth’s history. In our last episode we learned that there are a number of very significant scientific problems with the dating methodologies that are typically used to assign purported dates to events of the distant past. Today we are going to build on that discussion and learn that there is a substantial volume of empirical observation that actually indicate that the earth is much younger than traditionally assumed. But before we get too far into our discussion, Dr. Sarfati would you like to say a word of greeting to the Anchored by Truth listeners and maybe tell us a little bit about yourself and how you came to be persuaded that so much of what is typically taught about the age of the universe and earth isn’t supported by real science? Dr. Sarfati: - Thanks for inviting me. It’s a pleasure to be on Anchored by Truth today. Introductory comments. VK: As I mentioned in our last episode of Anchored by Truth you addressed some of the major problems that affect the validity of dating methods such as the use of radiometric dating. Would mind briefly reminding our listeners of the major points that you made? Dr. Sarfati: Review comments for problems with dating methodologies VK: Thank you. That was very helpful. It’s so important to be very clear about the fact that there’s a difference between scientific evidence and the interpretation of that evidence. Contrary to popular belief not all scientists are unanimous that the universe and earth are billions of years old. There are many highly qualified scientists who have pointed to empirical observations that can only be explained by an earth that is thousands of years old. Dr. Sarfati: Introductory comments on the evidence that the earth is thousands of years old. VK: So let’s expand on the basic point that you’re making. Question List: a. What types of evidence exist that would place the age of the earth and the universe in the range of...

Episode 258 – Disappointing Dating – An Interview with Dr. Jonathan Sarfati Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script Notes: When Lamech was one 182, he had a son. Lamech said, “I'll name him Noah because he will give us comfort, as we struggle hard to make a living on this land that the Lord has put under a curse.” 0Lamech had more children and died at the age of 777. After Noah was 500 years old, he had three sons and named them Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Genesis, chapter 5, verses 28 through 32, Contemporary English Version But first you must realize that in the last days some people won't think about anything except their own selfish desires. They will make fun of you and say, “Didn't your Lord promise to come back? Yet the first leaders have already died, and the world hasn't changed a bit.” They will say this because they want to forget that long ago the heavens and the earth were made at God's command. First Peter, chapter 3, verses 3 through 5, Contemporary English Version ******** VK: VK: Hi! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. Today we want to continue our discussion series that we’re calling The Truth in Genesis and to help us do that we’ve invited one of the premier scientists and experts on the question of origins, Dr. Jonathan Sarfati, to be our guest in the studio for the next several weeks. Dr. Sarfati has sold hundreds of thousands of books such as Refuting Evolution, By Design, The Greatest Hoax on Earth and The Genesis Account. During this series Dr. Sarfati will be addressing a wide variety of topics that are pertinent to the question of the origin of the earth and the universe. During the series he will be providing us with insight into the extensive body of scientific evidence that supports the truth of the Genesis text. Along the way he will be addressing a number of subjects, including problems with conventional dating methods methodologies, affirmative evidence that the universe is actually fairly young, scientific challenges to life arising from non-living chemicals, and evidence that the earth’s surface provides abundant evidence of a world-wide flood. In our last episode we learned that, contrary to many claims, the text of Genesis is actually very clear that God created the entire earth and universe in just six, normal 24 hour days. We are well aware that this position is at odds with the claims of contemporary culture. Yet, surprisingly enough, there is an enormous body of empirical observations that reinforces the Bible’s declaration and refutes the cultural consensus. But before we get too far into our discussion, Dr. Sarfati would you like to say a word of greeting to the Anchored by Truth listeners and maybe tell us a little bit about yourself and Creation Ministries International? Dr. Sarfati: - Thanks for inviting me. It’s a pleasure to be on Anchored by Truth today. Introductory comments. VK: As I mentioned in our last episode of Anchored by Truth you addressed why the Genesis text actually rules out the possibility that God performed His work of creation in six successive stages of indeterminate duration. Would mind briefly reminding our listeners of the major points that you made? Dr. Sarfati: Review comments for the meaning of the Genesis text VK: Thank you. That was very helpful. It’s so important to be very clear about a proper understanding of the opening verses of Genesis is essential because any other view of the creative period would require the existence of animal and human death before Adam’s sin? This would undermine God’s declaration of the unspoiled creation being “very good.” It would also undermine the clear link scripture makes between sin and...

Episode 257 – Creation According to Genesis – An Interview with Dr. Jonathan Sarfati Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script Notes: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day. Genesis, chapter 1, verses 1 through 5. New Living Translation “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’” And he said, “‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.” The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 19, verses 4 through 6. New Living Translation ******** VK: VK: Hi! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. Today we want to continue our discussion series that we’re calling The Truth in Genesis and to help us do that we’ve invited one of the premier scientists and experts on the question of origins, Dr. Jonathan Sarfati, to be our guest in the studio for the next several weeks. For those who aren’t familiar with Dr. Sarfati’s work we would encourage listeners to check out his impressive body of writing. He’s written a number of widely selling books that challenge the conventional views of what chemistry, geology, and paleontology say about the age of the universe and the origin of life. Dr. Sarfati has sold hundreds of thousands of books such as Refuting Evolution, By Design, and The Greatest Hoax on Earth and The Genesis Account. During this series Dr. Sarfati will be addressing a wide variety of topics that are pertinent to the question of the origin of the earth and the universe. He will be providing us with insight into the extensive body of scientific evidence that supports the truth of the Genesis text. Along the way he will be addressing a number of subjects, including problems with conventional dating methods, affirmative evidence that the universe is actually fairly young, scientific challenges to life arising from non-living chemicals, and evidence that the earth’s surface provides abundant evidence of a world-wide flood. We will even be doing an entire show just on dinosaurs and what the latest dinosaur research actually tells us about the earth’s history. But before we get too far into our discussion, Dr. Sarfati would you like to say a word of greeting to the Anchored by Truth listeners and maybe tell us a little bit about yourself? Dr. Sarfati: - Thanks for inviting me. It’s a pleasure to be on Anchored by Truth today. Introductory comments. VK: Is it fair to say, Dr. Sarfati that you believe that what some have termed the “Battle for the Beginning” is one of the most significant challenges facing the church today especially in America and in much of the developed world? Dr. Sarfati: Opening comments VK: It sounds as though you have a real heart to increase what we might call an awareness of the truth in Genesis to our culture today. So that sounds like you believe that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God which is a point of view we definitely share on Anchored by Truth. Is it fair to say that one of the reasons it’s so important to be very clear about a proper understanding of the opening verses of Genesis is because any view of creation other than a...

Episode 256 – Competing Truth Claims About Genesis Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: (Bible quotes from the New Living Translation) “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” Job Chapter 38, verses 4 through 7, New Living Translation “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see... Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together it.” Colossians Chapter 1, verses 15 through 17, New Living Translation ******** VK: Hi! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m here today with RD Fierro, author, founder of Crystal Sea Books, and part-time interior designer. He arranges the books in the display case in the lobby. And speaking of arranging things, we have arranged a very special series on Anchored by Truth that will begin next week. Starting next week and for several weeks in a row we will doing a very special series and to help us do that we will have a VERY special guest. RD, do you want to tell us about this extra special series that we’re introducing today on Anchored by Truth? RD: I do indeed. Today we’re going to launch a series of shows I’m calling “The Truth in Genesis.” Obviously, Anchored by Truth is all about demonstrating that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. We start every show with that proclamation. But I think one of the big challenges that most Christians face today who believe that the Bible is the word of God is how to sustain that belief in a relativistic world and culture that bombards us constantly with the message that there is no such thing as absolute truth and that there is no way to know whether any book, including the Bible, can be shown to be the word of God. And certainly for Christians in contemporary culture one of the most immediate challenges that is placed before us is right at the beginning of the Bible in Chapter 1 where the Bible tells us that God created the heavens, the earth, and everything that exists on the earth including all living creatures and most especially, us. Supposedly, that claim is at odds with what contemporary science tells us about the universe and life. So, for a Christian to maintain their faith in the Bible today culture they must immediately confront the cultural challenge to the Bible’s proclamation about creation. VK: And your contention is that it is a cultural challenge more than a scientific one. Your view is that there is substantial scientific evidence that absolutely supports, as you are saying, the truth in Genesis. And that’s what this series of radio episodes is going to be about. We are going to review some of the scientific evidence that pertains to the age of the universe and earth and the origin and development of life. We believe that conducting this review listeners will be able to see how objective, scientific observations fit very well with a proper understanding of the Genesis text. And to help us do that for most of the shows we have a very special, invited guest to help. But before we provide the details about our upcoming special guest or get too much farther into our discussion about the serious stuff, we’d like to start by just reminding the folks about how the...

Episode 255 – Archeology and the Bible – Part 10 – The Forest and the Trees Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: After he said this, Jesus … made some mud … he rubbed the mud on the man's eyes and told him, “Go and wash your face in the Pool of Siloam.” … the man went, washed his face, and came back seeing. The Gospel of John, Chapter 9, verses 6 and 7, Good News Translation ******** VK: Hello and welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m Victoria K. This is our 10th and final episode in our series on archeology and the Bible. This is not our final episode because we have exhausted the pool of archeological findings that support the trustworthiness of the Bible. You could do a radio show or podcast every day for the rest of your life and never cover all of that evidence. Instead, in our series we have discussed just a few of the thousands of archeological discoveries that support the accuracy of the Bible’s text. But we hope the examples that we have cited will inspire listeners to do some further exploration on their own. RD Fierro is an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books and he is in the studio today as we wrap up this series. RD, we could go on for months or years talking about all of the archeological evidence that demonstrates that the history contained in the Bible is reliable. So, why limit this series to 10 episodes? RD: Well, before we get started I’d also like to welcome everyone to this episode of Anchored by Truth. And, if this is your first time being with us, we’d encourage to you to check out – not only the earlier episodes in this series but all of our previous series because Anchored by Truth is the only radio show that we know of that focuses exclusively on demonstrating the inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility of scripture. And that’s why we do series like this one on archeology and the Bible. But archeology is only one of the disciplines that support the accuracy of the Bible. While most people don’t realize it because of the Biblically hostile culture in which we live physics, chemistry, biology, geology, paleontology, and many other scientific disciplines – as well as basic logic and reason – support the fact that the Bible is the inspired revelation of an almighty God. In fact, you really can’t have a truly coherent worldview without acknowledging that the Bible is God’s inerrant word. And that’s our purpose – to help people develop not only that awareness but also be able to cogently explain why this is true. VK: That’s a big statement. I don’t think many people in the world, especially in the western world, would accept the fact that we must accept the truth of the Bible to form a coherent worldview. RD: It’s a big statement but that doesn’t mean that it’s not true. And in the future we are going to do a series on why forming a coherent worldview necessitates a Biblical worldview. But for today’s wrap up we’re just adding one more piece to the assembly of that much larger puzzle. VK: What you’re saying is that building a coherent worldview – a truly coherent worldview – isn’t something that can be done in a few minutes, hours, or days – or even months. Building a truly coherent worldview and seeing how and where the Bible fits in takes years. You must build a coherent worldview just as you would assemble a jigsaw puzzle - one piece at a time. But each piece that you put into place enables you to see the larger picture or pattern more clearly. And that’s what we try to do with these series. We keep adding pieces to the larger picture – one episode at a time and one series at a time. This series on archeology is just one piece of evidence that demonstrates the...

Episode 254 – Archeology and the Bible – Part 9 – As Old As the Bible Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: The LORD possessed me [wisdom] at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. Proverbs, Chapter 8, verses 22 and 23, English Standard Version ******** VK: Greetings. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m Victoria K. This is our 9th episode in a series that we are doing on archeology and the Bible. We’re 9 episodes into this brief overview of just a few of the thousands of archeological discoveries that support the accuracy of the Bible’s text. So often today we hear critics attempt to label the Bible as a book that has little connection to the real world. But when reviewed objectively it is obvious that the Bible is a book that is firmly set in time and place. And as a book set in time and place it is demonstrable that the human history that the Bible chooses to report is accurate. And archeology is very supportive of the Bible’s historical trustworthiness. That’s why we wanted to do this series. To help us continue to explore this topic, in the studio today we have RD Fierro. RD is an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books. RD, today you said you wanted to begin to wrap up the series. So, what do you want listeners to begin to think about as we think about the series as a whole? RD: Well, before we begin our summary I’d also like to greet everyone and welcome them to Anchored by Truth. As we have stressed throughout this series archeology is the study of the past. And the vast majority of archeological interest pertains to times and dates that occurred long before anyone currently living was alive. This means that anyone attempting to glean information about the past from archeological finds and artifacts is always looking at evidence that is available in the present and interpreting it. This is going to be true whether the person making the interpretation is a Christian or non-Christian. This means that it is likely and reasonable for similarly qualified experts to disagree on what a particular find means or tells us. In other words, we cannot obtain the same degree of certainty about past events from archeological science that we can from branches of operational science where the replication of results is possible. This certainly doesn’t mean that rigor and discipline aren’t possible in archeology. They are. And it doesn’t mean that we can’t rule certain possible explanations in or out based on the application of evidence and reason. But it does mean that alternative explanations are possible in many situations and we must therefore be prepared to sort among those explanations. VK: What you’re saying is that as Christians we must always be aware that – no matter how convincing a Biblical explanation may be for a find, artifact, or site – that we must be aware that other explanations for that same evidence are possible. And we must be prepared to deal with those alternative non-Biblical explanations because the world is going to consider those explanations. Because if we can’t intelligently discuss why the Christian explanation is at least as reasonable as the non-Christian alternative we will be far less effective in our witness for Christ in the public arena. In other words, we have to know what “the other side” believes and we must be prepared to engage their arguments – kindly, compassionately, and sensibly – but firmly. RD: Right. The old saying is that “there are two sides to every story.” But, while the saying has some truth to it that does not mean that each side is equally credible or...

Episode 253 – Archeology and the Bible – Part 8 – Jericho Old & New 2 Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: Jesus and his disciples went to Jericho. And as they were leaving, they were followed by a large crowd. A blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus … was sitting beside the road. …The blind man [said], “Master, I want to see!” Jesus told him, “… Your eyes are healed because of your faith.” At once the man could see ... The Gospel of Mark, Chapter 10, verses 46 through 52, Contemporary English Version ******** VK: Hi. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m Victoria K. This is our 8th episode in a series that we are doing on archeology and the Bible. It’s popular today, especially in academia and the media, to attempt to portray the Bible as a book that has little connection to the real world. But when reviewed objectively the it is obvious that the Bible is a book that is firmly set in time and place and accurately reflects a large body of important history. And archeology has been extremely supportive of the Bible’s historical trustworthiness. That’s why we wanted to do this series. We want everyone, especially listeners to Anchored by Truth, to have a firm grasp on evidence by which they can be assured that the Bible is the inspired word of God. To help us continue to explore this topic, in the studio today we have RD Fierro. RD is an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books RD, thus far in this series we have reviewed a number of specific archeological finds that have confirmed details of the Bible. And in our last episode of Anchored by Truth we spent some time providing evidence that the story of the fall of Jericho told in the book of Joshua is true. Can you give us a brief reminder of some of the things we talked about? RD: Sure. One element of the Biblical story that is attested to by archeology is that Jericho was strongly fortified and could have held enough people to be militarily significant. A second element is that it was small enough for the Israelite army to march around seven times in one day. A third element is that when the archeologists excavated at Jericho they found a one-meter-thick layer of ash and debris, including jars of burnt wheat, in many sections of the city. Joshua, chapter 6, verse 24 says “Then [the Israelites] burned the whole city and everything in it …” One final piece of evidence that is consistent with the Bible is that one section of the city wall was found to still be upright and that there were houses whose back walls were actually part of the city’s walls. The Bible explicitly says that the harlot Rahab’s house was built into the city wall. Joshua, chapter 2, verse 15 says, “So [Rahab] let [the Hebrew spies] down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall.” A German exploration team in 1907–1909 found that on the north a short stretch of the lower city wall did not fall as everywhere else and formed the back wall of a house. VK: The main point of the evidence we cited is that there is ample archeological evidence to support the reliability of the Bible’s account the Israelites captured the city of Jericho exactly as the Bible describes. And then we talked briefly about, “why does it matter whether the story - as told in the Bible - is true?” Some people might very well say that whether the story is literally true or just an embellished account doesn’t make a difference. RD: And, as we said last week, the answer to that question is that it makes all the difference in the world whether the story is true. The city of Jericho was the first major obstacle the Israelites encountered when they ended their period of...

Episode 252 – Archeology and the Bible – Part 7 – Jericho Old & New Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it. They completely destroyed everything in it … The men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, and all the other relatives who were with her. Joshua, Chapter 6, verses 20 through 23, New Living Translation ******** VK: Hello and welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m Victoria K. This is our 7th episode in our series on archeology and the Bible. Throughout this series we have been talking about the large number of archeological finds that supply evidence that confirm that the history contained in the Bible is real history. It’s popular today, especially in academia and the media, to attempt to dismiss the long-standing relationship between the Bible and archeology. But when reviewed objectively the only fair conclusion is that archeology has been extremely supportive of the Bible’s trustworthiness. To help us continue to explore this topic, in the studio today we have RD Fierro. RD is an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books RD, thus far in this series we have reviewed a number of specific archeological finds that have confirmed details of the Bible. But you said that today you wanted to switch things up a bit. What do you have in mind? RD: Well, thus far in this series we have mostly been talking about archeological finds and artifacts that came from places that today are in ruins. Some of the sites we have discussed were destroyed so thoroughly like Nineveh, the capital of the ancient Assyrian Empire, that they were lost to secular history or considered legendary. But today we are going to talk about a city that not only plays a prominent role in the Bible but also is still in existence today – Jericho. Jericho is one of the few cities that is mentioned early in the Old Testament and later in the New Testament. Most of the locations from that time in Bible history have turned into piles of rubble and most have disappeared beneath multiple layers of sand, rock, or dirt. But Jericho didn’t. It still exists today in the West Bank territory and according to recent estimates has about 20,000 occupants. But we must emphasize that while the city exists it is not on exactly the same spot as the Old Testament city mentioned in Joshua. VK: Some scholars believe that Jericho may be the oldest continuously occupied city in the world. And while the secular dating for how long Jericho has been around doesn’t conform with a Biblical view, pretty much everybody agrees Jericho is thousands of years old. Jericho is well known to students of the Bible and even in popular culture because of the popular incident that is related in chapter 6 of the book of Joshua. We heard a part of the description of the incident in our opening scripture. Just to refresh everyone’s recollection though, the book of Joshua is set in history just as the Israelites are ending the 40 years of wandering in the desert. Moses has died but before he did he named Joshua as his successor to actually lead the Hebrews across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land to begin their occupation of it. While it’s not evident today, Jericho was a very imposing obstacle in Joshua’s day. Its defensive walls were famous and since it was located near one of the fords in the Jordan River it occupied a strategic location. RD: Right. Both militarily and psychologically it was important for the Israelites to conquer Jericho if they were to have any hope of actually fulfilling the mandate they had...

Episode 251 – Archeology and the Bible – Part 6 – Names We Know 2 Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: … [in] the fourth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, the city wall was broken through. … the officials of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer …and all the other officials … of Babylon. . Jeremiah, Chapter 39, verses 1 through 3, New International Version ******** VK: Hello and welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m Victoria K. This is the 6th episode in our series on archeology and the Bible. At Anchored by Truth we think most people understand that archeology is generally relevant to the study of the Bible - but they have a limited understanding of what the relationship is. But if we take the Bible seriously – which we definitely do at Anchored by Truth - we all need to know a little bit about archeology. That’s because archeological explorations and finds have supplied an abundance of evidence that confirms that the history contained in the Bible is real history. That’s why we decided to do this series. Despite the fact that popular culture has tried to dismiss the long-standing relationship between the Bible and archeology the truth is that archeology as a whole has done much to provide evidence of the Bible’s trustworthiness. To help us continue to explore this topic, in the studio today we have RD Fierro. RD is an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books RD, throughout this series you have pointed out that despite the skepticism we often hear many scholars, including ones who aren’t Christian, have used the Bible as a source document when planning or conducting archeological explorations. In fact, the Bible’s history has regularly been shown to be accurate even when doubted, right? RD: Right. And during our most recent episodes of Anchored by Truth we have been covering specific examples of times secular history doubted what the Bible reported but archeology proved that the Bible’s report was right. Today we are going to continue in that same vein and provide another example of an archeological find that shows that the Bible not only gets the “big things” right but is also accurate in details that most people wouldn’t even consider are significant. VK: Well, perhaps we should start by briefly discussing one of the specific criticisms that is frequently hurled at the Bible – the idea that many of the books of the Bible weren’t actually written by the person whose name is associated with that particular book. This would include books like Daniel and Jeremiah but it extends to the first five books of the Bible which are historically attributed to Moses. RD: One of lines of evidence that the Bible is the inspired word of God is that the Bible contains a large body of fulfilled prophecy. We have provided a lot of examples of successful prophecies in many of our different series on Anchored by Truth. We have talked about the fact that the prophet Isaiah provided the name of the Persian king who would conquer the Babylonian Empire about 200 years before that happened in history. VK: For anyone who wants to verify that prophecy for themselves they can go chapters 44 and 45 of the book of Isaiah. For example, Isaiah, chapter 45, verses 1 through 3 say, “This is what the LORD says to Cyrus, his anointed one, whose right hand he will empower. Before him, mighty kings will be paralyzed with fear. Their fortress gates will be opened, never to shut again. This is what the LORD says: “I will go before you, Cyrus, and level the mountains. I will smash down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. And I will give you...

Episode 250 – Archeology and the Bible – Part 5 – Names We Know Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: [Belshazzar] called in his advisors, who claimed they could talk with the spirits of the dead and understand the meanings found in the stars. [Belshazzar] told them, “The man who can read this writing … will become the third most powerful man in my kingdom. Daniel, Chapter 5, verse 7, Contemporary English Version ******** VK: Hi! I’m Victoria K and I want to welcome you to Anchored by Truth. Anchored by Truth is brought to you by Crystal Sea Books because we have a passion for wanting everyone to reawaken to the life giving truth that is found only in the pages of the Bible. The Bible is the only book in the world that provides God’s special revelation to mankind and contains the good news of salvation that is available through Christ Jesus. Today we are going to continue our series that we are calling “Archeology and the Bible.” The Bible is a book that is firmly set in place and time. It contains a significant amount of history and, despite the doubts of some critics the history contained in the Bible is accurate and reliable. And one way the reliability of the Bible’s history has been demonstrated is through archeological finds and artifacts. So, to help us continue our discussion today in the studio we have RD Fierro, who is an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books. RD, can you give us a brief summary of the points that we have made thus far in our “Archeology and the Bible” series? RD: Sure. But before I do that I would also like to say “hi” to everyone and welcome them to Anchored by Truth. As you mentioned our passion at Crystal Sea Books is to help people either connect or reconnect with the Bible as an essential part of their life. Until relatively recently, for hundreds of years in fact, people have recognized the Bible as being of immeasurable value for both life and success. President Theodore Roosevelt once said that “A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.” What Roosevelt recognized is that the Bible is a unique book. The Bible imparts not only knowledge but wisdom. VK: And that is a point that is often missing in our technologically obsessed culture. We have more facts and data at our fingerprints, literally in our pockets and purses, than any generation in history. Yet, as important as some of that information may be it does surprisingly little to contribute to wisdom. In fact, in some cases it seems like the more information we can command the less wisdom we choose to absorb. RD: Sadly, I agree with you. Our smart phones can tell us every address on the planet and how to get to them but they do precious little to helping us get the most important place in all of creation: heaven. VK: And what good would it do us to have visited every amazing site or attraction on earth if we don’t ensure that we are steadily on course for heaven as we travel this world’s highways and byways? RD: Exactly. As that quote from Teddy Roosevelt tells us the way we can be really smart with our “smart phones” is to use them to give us immediate access to the Bible. But no one is going to be motivated to read the Bible, whether it is on their phone, their computer, or on paper, if they aren’t convinced that the Bible has important things to say. And for them to be convinced of that they must believe the Bible is true. VK: I saw a yard sign the other day that said “Read banned books.” Ironically, the book most banned in today’s culture is the Bible. It’s not permitted in government run schools and it’s excluded from a lot of government buildings. At one time Bethesda Naval Hospital wanted to keep visitors...

Episode 249 – Archeology and the Bible – Part 4 – Amazing Accuracy Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 2 Kings, Chapter 18, verse 28, English Standard Version ******** VK: Hello! Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m Victoria K. Today we’re moving on in the series we began a few episodes ago called “Archeology and the Bible.” Archeology as a science can be very helpful to show an unbelieving world that that the Bible is true. The Bible is a book that is firmly set in place and time. It contains a large body of history and, despite the doubts of some, the history contained in the Bible has been shown repeatedly to be reliable. And one way the reliability of the Bible’s history has been demonstrated is through archeological finds and artifacts. So, to help us continue our discussion today in the studio we have RD Fierro, who is an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books. RD, one of the big points that we are trying to make in this that archeological finds can be a valuable source of support for the accuracy of the history that the Bible reports. Can you give us an example of that? RD: Absolutely. But before I do that I would also like to say “hi” to everyone and welcome them to Anchored by Truth. So, here is a quick example that will lead us into today's discussion. Most people who have read the Bible know that the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles are historical books. They describe the history of the nation of Israel after the period of the judges ended. VK: As a quick refresher just about everybody knows that at one time the Hebrews lived in Egypt for a period of hundreds of years. Then around 1445 BC, plus or minus a few years, Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt. After a period of 40 years of wandering in the desert the Hebrews finally entered Palestine and displaced many of the Canaanites who had been living there. Well, for the first 400 or so years after they entered Palestine the Hebrews lived a loose confederation of tribal states under a succession of judges. And the book of Judges in the Bible describes this time period. But around 1100 BC Saul was anointed king and the Hebrews lived in a monarchial system for the next 500 years or so. Under Saul, David, and David’s son, Solomon, Israel had a united kingdom. But after Solomon died the kingdom split into the northern and southern kingdoms. The northern kingdom was called Israel and the southern kingdom was called Judah. RD: Yes. Well, chapter 17 of the book of 1 Samuel describes the epic encounter between David and Goliath. The encounter took place in the Valley of Elah which is very near the boundary between the Philistines and Israel. Today there is a site called Khirbet Qeiyafa which is the site of an ancient fortress city overlooking the Elah Valley of Israel. It’s about 20 miles southwest of Jerusalem and 7 miles from Goliath’s hometown of Gath. Since 2007, excavations by Yosef Garfinkel of The Hebrew University and Saar Ganor of the Israel Antiquities Authority, have uncovered a large number of artifacts at Qeiyafa. One of the artifacts they found was a jar with the name “Eshbaal” on it. Eshbaal was one of the sons of Saul. 1 Chronicles 8:33 says “Ner became the father of Kish; and Kish became the father of Saul; and Saul became the father of Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal.” VK: And what is interesting is that Garfinkel has dated the find to about the time that Saul would have been the king. But you’re not asserting that this jar actually belonged to...

Episode 248 – Archeology and the Bible – Part 3 – Archeological Axioms Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: Noah was 600 years old when he went into the boat to escape the flood, and he did everything the LORD had told him to do. His wife, his sons, and his daughters-in-law all went inside with him. Genesis, Chapter 7, verses 5 through 7, Contemporary English Version ******** VK: Hello! Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m Victoria K. Today we’re going to be doing the third episode in a new series that we are calling “Archeology and the Bible.” Some scholars estimate that there are over 4,000 different religions in the world. With that many religions out there it’s reasonable to ask whether we can be sure which of those religions, if any, is true. The good news is that we can reasonably differentiate among the competing truth claims made by the various religions using logic, reason, and evidence. And one source of evidence that demonstrates that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God is archeology. Archeology helps us to show an unbelieving world that that the Bible contains a large body of reliable history. So, to help us continue our discussion today in the studio we have RD Fierro, who is an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books. RD, one of the big points that we are trying to make in this that archeological finds can be a valuable source of support for the accuracy of the history that the Bible reports. In fact, the Bible’s history has been shown to be accurate even when doubted by secular historians and we talked about that in our last episode of Anchored by Truth, right? RD: Right. But before I get to a reminder of what we discussed last time I would also like to say “hi” to everyone and welcome them to Anchored by Truth. At Anchored by Truth we often say that there are four lines of evidence, at a minimum, that will help people understand that the Bible may be differentiated from all other books that claim to be the word of God. Those four lines of evidence are reliable history, remarkable unity, fulfilled prophecies, and redeemed destinies. And one way we can show that the Bible’s historical reports are accurate is through archeological finds. And there have been some pretty graphic examples of the Bible getting history right even when skeptics for centuries dismissed the Bible’s report. A case in point is the Bible’s report on the existence of the ancient kingdom of Assyria and its famous capital city, Nineveh. Nineveh and the Assyrian Empire literally disappeared beneath the sands of time in the 6th century BC and for over 2,000 years physical evidence of the once-mighty empire was missing. VK: Nineveh disappeared so completely that a Greek writer, Lucian of Samosata ([who lived from] A.D. 120-180), once lamented: "Nineveh has perished. No trace of it remains. No one can say where once it existed" ... This lack of visible evidence caused many scholars and historians as late as the 19th century to doubt that the Assyrian Empire even existed, much less was once the dominant military power on earth. RD: Yes. But then all that changed. The online Encyclopedia Britannica has this to say about the rediscovery of Nineveh. “The first person to survey and map Nineveh was the archaeologist Claudius J. Rich in 1820, a work later completed by Felix Jones and published by him in 1854. … Sir Henry Layard during 1845–51 discovered the palace of Sennacherib and took back to England an unrivalled collection of stone bas-reliefs together with thousands of tablets inscribed in cuneiform from the great library of Ashurbanipal.” VK: But while secular history had lost sight...

Episode 247 – Temporary Defeat, Permanent Victory Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script Notes: [The king said] “We will never find a better man than Joseph, a man who has God's spirit in him… you have greater wisdom and insight than anyone else. I will put you in charge of my country ... . Genesis, chapter 41, verses 37 through 40. Good News Translation ******** VK: Hello! Welcome to another episode of Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m Victoria K in the studio and today we’re going to do something a little different on Anchored by Truth. Today we’re going to interrupt the series that we began a couple of episodes ago to focus on a news story that has been particularly important in our home broadcasting community of Tallahassee, Florida. As just about everyone knows Tallahassee is the home of Florida State University which down through the years has had a notable football program. And in 2023 the football team had a particularly noteworthy year under head football coach Mike Norvell who was in his 4th season with the team. The team won their first 13 games in a row and was so highly ranked nationally that they fully expected to play in the Bowl Championship Series. Playing in that series would have given Coach Norvell and his players an excellent opportunity to become the national champions. But … that’s when the story changed. So, to talk about what came next and why we wanted to discuss this on Anchored by Truth RD Fierro, the Founder of Crystal Sea Books is back in the studio. RD, talking about news events is not something we normally do on Anchored by Truth. So, why this story and why now? RD: Well, you’re absolutely right that this is a departure from what we normally talk about on Anchored by Truth. Anchored by Truth is the only radio show that we know of that focuses exclusively on demonstrating the inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility of scripture. But the reason we do that is because we want people to know that the Bible is a reliable resource (the only absolutely sure resource) to guide their faith, lives, and Christian practice. But the Christian faith is not a sterile faith. It’s not a faith that is meant to be lived out in a vacuum or be disconnected from the real world and daily life. The Christian faith is a faith that recognizes and looks forward to eternity but is lived out through a daily life that serves others while proclaiming God’s eternal truth. And part of living out our daily lives is encountering and overcoming obstacles and challenges. And that’s why I thought it was important for us to talk about what went on with the FSU football team in 2023. There has been a lot of “ink spilled” about what happened with the team but I thought in all the clamor and discussion some key thoughts weren’t being given much coverage. VK: In other words, you thought that too little attention was being focused on some important insights that come to us from our Christian faith about what happened with the team. I mentioned a second ago that after winning 13 games in a row, including their conference championship, FSU had a very reasonable expectation of being invited to play in the series that leads to the national championship. But that invitation never came did it? RD: No, it didn’t. And the decision by the committee that issues the invitations to the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) has received a lot of comment and criticism. And it’s received enough comment and criticism that I don’t think we need to spend much time on it today. VK: Well, I know we don’t want to spend too much time on the invitation committee’s actions but I do think a couple of the things you wrote in response to a...

Episode 246 – Archeology and the Bible – Part 2 – The Resurrection of Nineveh Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: One day the LORD told Jonah, the son of Amittai, to go to the great city of Nineveh and say to the people, “The LORD has seen your terrible sins. You are doomed!” Jonah, Chapter 1, verses 1 and 2, Contemporary English Version ******** VK: Hello and welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m Victoria K. All of us at Anchored by Truth are excited to be with you at the start of a New Year and a new series. As we often talk, the Christian faith in America has been subjected to more challenges in the last couple of decades than it was in the first 225 years of the country’s existence. One comment that we hear frequently in the popular media – that is completely false – is that the Bible is a book filled with “myth and fairy tales.” Nothing could be further from the truth and this is a claim that is easily refuted. And one way it can be refuted is by knowing that the Bible contains a large body of reliable history. And one way to demonstrate that the history the Bible contains is reliable is by pointing to archeological discoveries. So, RD has entitled this series “Archeology and the Bible” and we have RD, who is an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books, in the studio today. RD, in our first episode in this series you pointed out that archeological finds can be a valuable source of support for the accuracy of the history that the Bible reports. Despite the fact that popular culture has tried to dismiss the connection the truth is the relationship between the Bible and archeology has been mutually supportive. Many scholars, including ones who weren’t Christian, have used the Bible as a source document when planning or conducting their excavations. The Bible was and is widely regarded as an important source of information about ancient peoples and cultures. The trend to dismiss the Bible’s accuracy in matters of dates and places in the Mideast has become popular among skeptics but it is completely out of sync with how the Bible was viewed among professionals. In fact, the Bible’s history has been shown to be accurate even when doubted and you said that’s something you wanted to illustrate today, right? RD: Absolutely. But before we get into that I would also like to welcome the listeners to our show. Anchored by Truth’s sole purpose is to equip believers to be able to answer the question “how can we be sure the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God.” And one way to do that is to use confirmed archeological discoveries to show that the Bible’s historical reports are accurate even when they have been doubted by secular scholars. Today I want to revisit one of the most famous examples of the Bible getting history right even when skeptics for centuries dismissed the Bible’s report. VK: So, since our opening scripture was from the book of Jonah I’m guessing that today you want to talk about the discovery of the city of Nineveh in the 19th century. Nineveh was the capital of Assyrian empire and was one of the most prominent cities in the ancient world. You wouldn’t think that a city as important as Nineveh could get lost in history but it did. An article on the United Church of God’s website says this: “Nineveh, the capital city, fell to the Babylonians in 612 B.C. About 50 years after its peak, [the Assyrian Empire had] collapsed and virtually vanished from history. By the time of Jesus Christ and the apostles, no physical evidence of Nineveh could be seen. Lucian of Samosata ([who lived from] A.D. 120-180), a Greek writer, lamented: "Nineveh has perished. No trace of it...

Episode 245 – Archeology and the Bible – Part 1 - Affirmation Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: Goliath … wore a bronze helmet, and [a] bronze coat of mail ... He also wore bronze leg armor, and he carried a bronze javelin on his shoulder. … The shaft of his spear was … heavy and thick … His armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a shield.” 1 Samuel, Chapter 17, verses 5 through 7, New Living Translation ******** VK: Hello and Happy New Year! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. We’re excited to be with you at the start of this New Year and we pray that this year will be a year of joy and blessings to all our listeners. We pray especially that this year will see us all grow in our knowledge and adoration of our Lord Christ Jesus. Today on Anchored by Truth we’re going to start the new year with a new series. As just about everyone knows, the Christian faith in America has been subjected to more challenges in the last decade than probably in the first two centuries of the country’s existence. So, as we open up this New Year we want to revisit a subject that has particular relevance in our day and time –being able to demonstrate that the Christian faith has a firm basis in reason and evidence. RD has entitled this series “Archeology and the Bible.” So, we have RD who is an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books, in the studio today. RD, why did you decide we need to take a special look at the topic of archeology? RD: Well, I’d also like to say Happy New Year to everyone who is joining us here today. As we begin a new year I wanted to take several episodes of Anchored by Truth focusing on archeology because it seems like in the last few years the number of times I’ve heard the Bible criticized as a book of “myth and fairy tales” has increased dramatically. This is sad but it’s also silly because it is a criticism that is so easily disproved. The Bible is a book that is set in place and time. While the Bible contains a large variety of literary genres, a large part of the Bible is the history of those places and times. As such we can validate the accuracy of the Bible’s reporting through other ancient documents that also contain reports about the same places and times. And we can also affirm much of the Bible’s reporting through the findings of archeology. VK: As Anchored by Truth listeners know at Crystal Sea Books we believe that there are two criteria that would have to be true for any book that claims to be the word of God. First, the book would have to be consistent with what we know about human and natural history. How could you trust a book that claims to be the product of a divine and infinite mind if it contains easily demonstrable errors? Second the book would have to contain evidence of supernatural inspiration. After all, humans write books all the time. And even human beings can produce books that accurately report history and contain meaningful insights about life and society. RD: Yes. There are other criteria that some people might think are appropriate when considering whether a particular book is the word of an almighty, everlasting God but we would submit that those two criteria would have to be true at a minimum. And we would urge that anyone who is trying to decide whether one book or another is God’s word should apply their minds as well as their hearts to the decision. Many people think that faith is believing in something in spite of reason and evidence, but it’s not. Becoming a Christian and embracing faith in Christ Jesus doesn’t require us to suspend the use of our minds. To the contrary, knowing and loving Jesus means we should increase our efforts...

Episode 244 – Jesus and the Great Commission Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script Notes: The devil took [Jesus] to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” The Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 4, verses 8 through 10, New International Version ******** VK: Hi! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m here today with RD Fierro, author and founder of Crystal Sea Books, and part-time event lighting technician. He straightens out the cords on the Christmas lights before we put them up. Today on Anchored by Truth we’re going to finish up our current series where we have focused on the life and historicity of Jesus. And we’re going to hear the last installment of our seven part, epic Christmas poem The Golden Tree: The Frost Lion. When we left off last time the koala bears who live in the arctic village that surrounds the Golden Tree had just encountered the Frost Lion for the first time in their history. The bears have lived in the valley surrounding the tree for many generations and had heard of the Frost Lion but this is the first time they have ever seen him. And they have only seen him now because the lion has chosen to come to their village. Why did the Frost Lion choose to come to their village now, RD? RD: Well, the biggest reason that the Frost Lion has chosen to enter the bears’ village at this time is because something else has happened to the bears for the first time in their generations around the tree. For the first time since the bears have lived in the village they have had visitors from their ancestral homeland. A bear named Roleb and his travelling companion had made an arduous journey to the north because they were concerned about the state of their village’s faith. Roleb’s travelling companion died just before they could reach the village. Roleb himself was almost at the point of death. They had known that their quest to travel to the great far north would be dangerous but they had made it because their homeland had lost its faith in the bears’ creator who they thought of as the Great White Koala Bear. To try to preserve their own tribe’s faith the two bears from down under had gone searching in the arctic even though they were mocked for doing so. Fortunately for them, two teenage bears from Golden Tree village had spotted Roleb just as he collapsed on the snowy wastelands outside their village. This had kicked off a search for Roleb’s friend. With the aid of a Great Ice Eagle, Gabriel, they had found the friend but he had just died. But when they brought the friend back to the village the Frost Lion was there. But no one knows what the Frost Lion can do – and no one knows what the Frost Lion will do … VK: So, it’s time to find out what happens to Roleb, and his travelling companion in this Christmas epic poem: The Golden Tree: The Frost Lion. ---- The Golden Tree: The Frost Lion – Part 7 VK: So, the Frost Lion was able to raise Roleb’s friend from the dead. But I hope that most listeners noticed that the Frost Lion didn’t just stop with restoring the life and health of the two bears down under. The Frost Lion began the process of addressing the deeper need – the fact that the bear clan down under was losing its faith. So just like Jesus did after His resurrection the Frost Lion commissioned missionaries from the Golden Tree village to carry the good news back with Roleb and his friend. Obviously, the message you are sending through this poem is...

Episode 243 – Jesus’ Birth – The Dividing Line of History Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script Notes: After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” The Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 2, verses 1 and 2, New International Version ******** VK: Hi! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m here today with RD Fierro, author and founder of Crystal Sea Books, and part-time event librarian. He straightens up the books on the book shelves when one falls over. Today on Anchored by Truth we’re going to begin finishing up our current series where we have focused on the life and historicity of Jesus. And we’re going to hear the next-to-last installment of our seven part, epic Christmas poem The Golden Tree: The Frost Lion. When we left off last time a group of small koala bears that lives in a valley in the arctic north was trying to save the life of a bear who had gotten lost. This bear had journeyed to the arctic not knowing that a group of koalas already lived in the far north near a Golden Tree that had saved a group of their ancestors. To find the lost southern bear the village bears had enlisted the aid of a great ice eagle. Unfortunately, by the time the village bears found the lost bear the southern bear had died? So, it doesn’t look like it’s going to be a happy Christmas for the Golden Tree villagers, does it RD? RD: No. It does not. As our last installment of The Golden Tree: The Frost Lion ended two of the villages’ teenage bears, Koest and Kopaul, had flown with Gabriel, the great ice eagle. They had gone looking for the bear because earlier in the story Koest and Kopaul had saved the life of Roleb, another bear from the south. Roleb and his friend had made the journey to the north because their own village was in desperate trouble. Their fellow villagers in the south were in danger of losing their faith in their Creator, the Great White Bear. These southern bears knew that many generations ago a group of bears had travelled north but their legends had said that ancestral group had died. The southern bears had no idea the first group that travelled to the north – while they didn’t find the Great White Bear – they had found the Golden Tree. Now the question is whether salvation is still available? VK: So, it’s time to find out what happens to Roleb and his travelling companion in this Christmas epic poem: The Golden Tree: The Frost Lion. ---- The Golden Tree: The Frost Lion – Part 6 VK: Wow. So, now the village bears have met the great Frost Lion – the One who actually created the bears and the ice eagles. But Roleb’s friend is still dead. And we still don’t know what Roleb’s fate is going to be. Is it just too late for the Frost Lion to do anything to help Roleb and his friend? Seems there are still a lot of unanswered questions. RD: Well, hopefully we’ll get the answers to all these questions next week since next week is part 7 and there’s only seven parts to this part of the Golden Tree saga. But part of what listeners should be listening for is why did the Frost Lion choose to appear at this time in the village bears’ history. After all, they had lived near the Golden Tree for many generations? What was it about this situation that made the Frost Lion arrive in the village? Maybe we’ll hear something about that next time too. VK: And that’s a great lesson for why listeners should grab some friends and family and encourage them to tune in. It would be a good starting point for a discussion in a family...