Reasonable Faith Podcast Question of the Week #959: Correcting Wikipedia
Oct 2, 2025
A listener questions the historical claims of Jesus' divinity, sparked by a misleading Wikipedia quote. The host debunks the quote and cautions against trusting such sources. He presents the trilemma—liar, lunatic, or lord—while introducing 'legend' as a critical counterpoint. Emphasizing historical realism, he advocates for understanding Jesus’ self-identity through well-supported historical explanations. For those wanting deeper insights, he recommends his book for a comprehensive defense of Jesus' divine claims.
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Verify Wikipedia Claims
- Verify Wikipedia claims and check original sources before trusting quotations or interpretations.
- Do not assume online summaries accurately reflect an author's position; inspect the cited source yourself.
Refining The Trilemma
- The famous liar, lunatic, or lord trilemma needs refinement to be historically rigorous.
- Craig argues we must add and then rule out 'legend' as a fourth alternative when assessing Jesus' claims.
Distinguish Logical From Historical Possibilities
- Logical possibilities are not the same as historically realistic alternatives.
- Historians must focus on plausible explanations rather than every logically imaginable scenario.
