Saturday, June 28, 2008

I Can't Wait to Meet the Apostles

Like many others, I confess to having difficulty understanding the lives of those who wrote the New Testament. My perception of Paul was that he was something of a firebrand who was turned by Jesus from an opponent into a supporter. I saw the apostles as just being average guys, with the odd hothead, skinflint and scoundrel thrown in, for good measure. Two thousand years was just too long of a gap for me to be able to identify easily with these biblical heroes.

Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins’ new series have been an incredible help in putting flesh on these old bones. The first book is "John’s Story," a plausible reenactment of John’s life from his own perspective. Book two, "Mark’s Story" does a similarly excellent job. I caution all to not treat these works as fact, merely as an aid to better understanding of the lives, times, and circumstances of those first Christians. I now find myself eagerly looking forward to meeting these early followers and evangelists, and thank them for a job well done.

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