Opondo, accept Jesus as your Lord, saviour
I wish to respond to Mr Ofwono Opondo’s article, “Christianity is a forgery†published on january 14.<br>Opondo expresses his ignorance on the person of Jesus Christ and Christianity.
Peter Asiimwe
I wish to respond to Mr Ofwono Opondo’s article, “Christianity is a forgery†published on january 14.
Opondo expresses his ignorance on the person of Jesus Christ and Christianity.
I challenge him to consider the following:
-Christianity is based on historical realities concerning the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
To find out whether an event took place in history, common sense rules out the use of the scientific approach that demands getting empirical data, having a controlled experiment, and repeating what happened in order to draw conclusions. No, we cannot put history in a test-tube.
Instead we use the legal- historical approach which requires a cross examination of eye witnesses, contemporaries and close contemporaries, and evaluating circumstantial evidence of the event under investigation. The events of Christ’s birth, life, death and resurrection took place about 2000 years ago.
Common sense demands that we reject Opondo’s so- called evidence seeing that it is close to 2000 years old. Any court of law would throw out his opinions. he was not an eye witness. Instead we need to examine the record of those who saw Jesus and who lived close to him.
Opondo should consider the writings of independent historians like Josephus Flavius, a close contemporary of the events (A.D. 37-100). Flavius records the life of Jesus Christ including his resurrection (Antiquities, XVIII, 33).
Consider the writing of the annals which cover the period from Augustus Ceasar’s death in AD14 to that of Nero in AD 68. Cross-examine eyewitnesses like Matthew, Peter, and John who wrote what they saw, heard, and touched (1 John 1:1). You will discover that Christianity is based on historical realities which have been supported by the numerous manuscripts and archeological findings I don’t have space for here.
From this it appears that Opondo did not engage in the legal-historical inquiry before writing what he wrote.
- To understand who Jesus is, one needs to examine His claims to deity. There are only two alternatives to his claims —either they were true or false. If his claims were false, there are two alternatives.
Either he knew his claims were false in which case he made a deliberate misrepresentation and therefore was a liar, a hypocrite, and a fool for he died for a lie.
But when we look at his ministry of healing the sick, raising the dead, his moral and wise teachings, the churches, schools and hospitals which sprang up because of His cause, one would but conclude that a ‘lie’ has done more good for humanity than all good intentions of humanity put together.
He could not have lied about his birth, death and resurrection. If on the other hand, his claims were false but he did not know that they were, He was sincerely deceived and therefore a lunatic. But how could a lunatic teach with such practical wisdom that astonished his opponents?
How could a lunatic read human hearts, heal the sick and raise the dead? The attempt to disprove a resurrection is first an admission of Jesus’ existence in human history for no one could disprove the resurrection of a non-existent person.
Examine the following:
lHe was declared dead by a Roman soldier and buried with a Roman guard, and his grave sealed to prevent his escape from the grave.
But he left the grave (Matthew’s and Luke’s accounts). His grave is still empty today!
lThe Roman guard was perplexed by the power of resurrection. Their very lives were at stake for not being able to prevent it. To keep their necks, they said that his disciples stole the body while they slept (Matthew 27:11-15).
Moreover, more than 500 people saw Jesus alive after his death.
Jesus is Lord and has saved my life. Opondo, understand that Jesus died for your sins and bridged the gap between you and God. Please make a personal decision by faith to invite him to come and live in your life and to give you eternal life.
The writer is a researcher and national Christian leader
* Acknowledge that man is sinful (rebellious) and therefore separated from God and that the wages of sin is death (eternal separation from God) Romans 3:23; 6:23
* Understand that Jesus died for your sins and bridged the gap between you and the Father. John 14:6
* Make a personal decision by faith to invite him to come and live in your life and to give you eternal life (abundant life) John 1:12; Ephesians 2:8, 9. Revelation 3:20
I hope this helps Mr. Opondo understand why we believe what we believe. My life is not a gamble.
Peter Asiimwe: A researcher and national Christian leader asiimwe@africaonline.co.ug
I wish to respond to Mr Ofwono Opondo’s article, “Christianity is a forgery†published on january 14.
Opondo expresses his ignorance on the person of Jesus Christ and Christianity.
I challenge him to consider the following:
-Christianity is based on historical realities concerning the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
To find out whether an event took place in history, common sense rules out the use of the scientific approach that demands getting empirical data, having a controlled experiment, and repeating what happened in order to draw conclusions. No, we cannot put history in a test-tube.
Instead we use the legal- historical approach which requires a cross examination of eye witnesses, contemporaries and close contemporaries, and evaluating circumstantial evidence of the event under investigation. The events of Christ’s birth, life, death and resurrection took place about 2000 years ago.
Common sense demands that we reject Opondo’s so- called evidence seeing that it is close to 2000 years old. Any court of law would throw out his opinions. he was not an eye witness. Instead we need to examine the record of those who saw Jesus and who lived close to him.
Opondo should consider the writings of independent historians like Josephus Flavius, a close contemporary of the events (A.D. 37-100). Flavius records the life of Jesus Christ including his resurrection (Antiquities, XVIII, 33).
Consider the writing of the annals which cover the period from Augustus Ceasar’s death in AD14 to that of Nero in AD 68. Cross-examine eyewitnesses like Matthew, Peter, and John who wrote what they saw, heard, and touched (1 John 1:1). You will discover that Christianity is based on historical realities which have been supported by the numerous manuscripts and archeological findings I don’t have space for here.
From this it appears that Opondo did not engage in the legal-historical inquiry before writing what he wrote.
- To understand who Jesus is, one needs to examine His claims to deity. There are only two alternatives to his claims —either they were true or false. If his claims were false, there are two alternatives.
Either he knew his claims were false in which case he made a deliberate misrepresentation and therefore was a liar, a hypocrite, and a fool for he died for a lie.
But when we look at his ministry of healing the sick, raising the dead, his moral and wise teachings, the churches, schools and hospitals which sprang up because of His cause, one would but conclude that a ‘lie’ has done more good for humanity than all good intentions of humanity put together.
He could not have lied about his birth, death and resurrection. If on the other hand, his claims were false but he did not know that they were, He was sincerely deceived and therefore a lunatic. But how could a lunatic teach with such practical wisdom that astonished his opponents?
How could a lunatic read human hearts, heal the sick and raise the dead? The attempt to disprove a resurrection is first an admission of Jesus’ existence in human history for no one could disprove the resurrection of a non-existent person.
Examine the following:
lHe was declared dead by a Roman soldier and buried with a Roman guard, and his grave sealed to prevent his escape from the grave.
But he left the grave (Matthew’s and Luke’s accounts). His grave is still empty today!
lThe Roman guard was perplexed by the power of resurrection. Their very lives were at stake for not being able to prevent it. To keep their necks, they said that his disciples stole the body while they slept (Matthew 27:11-15).
Moreover, more than 500 people saw Jesus alive after his death.
Jesus is Lord and has saved my life. Opondo, understand that Jesus died for your sins and bridged the gap between you and God. Please make a personal decision by faith to invite him to come and live in your life and to give you eternal life.
The writer is a researcher and national Christian leader
* Acknowledge that man is sinful (rebellious) and therefore separated from God and that the wages of sin is death (eternal separation from God) Romans 3:23; 6:23
* Understand that Jesus died for your sins and bridged the gap between you and the Father. John 14:6
* Make a personal decision by faith to invite him to come and live in your life and to give you eternal life (abundant life) John 1:12; Ephesians 2:8, 9. Revelation 3:20
I hope this helps Mr. Opondo understand why we believe what we believe. My life is not a gamble.
Peter Asiimwe: A researcher and national Christian leader asiimwe@africaonline.co.ug