Today I wrote a paper for my Synoptic Gospels class about why the Bible is trustworthy, how to read the Bible, and I also debunked some accusations of contradictions in the accounts of the crucifixion. Here’s the writing prompt I was given:

Pretend you are a leader in a church that has a strong focus on the importance of the Bible for life and also tends to assume tensions between biblical passages do not exist. You frequently work with the youth and are often sought out by students seeking spiritual guidance. One of the high school Juniors in the youth group has been surfing the net and has discovered the following website: http://atheism.about.com/od/gospelcontradictions/p/. This has clearly troubled her and she wants to know if the claims being made are true. And if they are true, can she trust the Bible as the Word of God any longer?

In a paper…provide your answer to her questions. What would you say to assure her that the Gospels are worthy of trust and of value for her life? Also, provide a solution to one of the supposed contradictions highlighted on the website accessed through the links provided on the home page. Your response should reflect knowledge of the course readings, lectures, and discussions. In particular, the literary context of each Gospel should play a significant role in this response. You should employ at least four scholarly sources and properly footnote them where appropriate, but make sure a high school Junior could understand the primary content of your paper.

You can read the paper below, I hope you enjoy: