One of the first lessons you learn in Sunday school is that there are four Gospels—four different accounts of the life of Jesus. What we sometimes forget, however, is that only one of them, the Gospel of John, claims to be an eyewitness account. John’s recall of his participation in the ministry of Jesus, his memories of life with Jesus, are his own. That helps to explain why John is so different from the other three Gospels, which are called “the Synoptic Gospels.” While the Synoptic Gospels can be studied together, John demands special attention. So, along with our sister radio program White Horse Inn, we’re devoting the entire year to a study of the Gospel of John.
Over the course of the next six issues of Modern Reformation magazine, we intend to take our readers on a theological and exegetical journey of John. We begin with this issue, which takes up important questions about John’s veracity. None of the books of the Bible have escaped the critical eye of scholars intent on undermining the reliability of God’s word, but John has been a favorite target. It is popular in some circles to speak of John as a theological rather than historical treatise. Maybe, some critics allege, it was written by an early adherent to the Christian faith as a work of “fan fiction.”
Shane Rosenthal, executive producer of White Horse Inn, kicks off this issue by exploring some of the common claims against John, revealing how even within the text itself we find important clues about its historicity and reliability. We’re honored to have an old friend, Craig Parton, join us for this issue. Craig is an experienced trial lawyer and knowledgeable Lutheran layman who brings his education and experience to bear on John and John’s eyewitness claims. Our third feature article is a transcribed interview of Shane Rosenthal with Dr. Lydia McGrew on the undesigned coincidences in the Gospel of John that help establish its authenticity. Over the course of the year, we will also feature sermons from the Gospel of John in our revived preaching column, Ex Auditu. This issue features a sermon from Dr. Brian Lee, pastor of Christ United Reformed Church in Washington, DC, and a frequent contributor.
As we begin this new journey, we encourage you to read John carefully and in community. Maybe your Bible study group can work through these articles together as you seek to grow in your understanding of this Gospel, or maybe you can find someone in your church or neighborhood who needs to learn how to study the Bible. Our prayer is that the scholarship within these pages in the coming months does more than just enlarge your knowledge. May it also increase your love for and devotion to Jesus, “the Word made flesh.”
Eric Landry executive editor
