What does it mean to say that the Bible tells the truth? And what should Christians do when they find a claim in the Bible that looks like a contradiction? New Testament scholar and Daily Dose of Greek mastermind Rob Plummer joins Garrick and Timothy to discuss these questions. In the process, Rob also examines the dilemma that once rocked biblical scholar Bart Ehrman’s belief in the inerrancy of the Bible. In Mark 2:26, Jesus linked an event from the life of David to “the high priest Abiathar,” but the event actually took place—according to 1 Samuel 21—during the high priesthood of Abiathar’s father Ahimelech. On the way to exploring this dilemma, Rob reveals his longstanding longing to become the lead vocalist for The Beatles.
Truth, goodness, and beauty are the focus of the second half. The featured musical group is the post-punk, sometimes goth, sometimes new-wave band The Cure. It’s clear from the song “Truth, Goodness, and Beauty” that Robert Smith of The Cure yearns for transcendent realities, and it’s also apparent that he believes in actual good and evil. The problem is that Smith ascribes to an atheistic worldview, and atheism provides no coherent explanation for the moral realities of good and evil or for the transcendental realities of truth, goodness, and beauty. In the midst of the dynamic duo’s explanation of “the transcendentals,” Bill and Ted—another duo, twice as bodacious as Garrick and Timothy but only half as dynamic—unexpectedly make an appearance to remind listeners how to find “Socrates” in the encyclopedia. Also, why hasn’t anyone created a superhero team called “The Transcendentals”?
It’s mystical magic against Sith weaponry in this week’s Toybox Hero Tournament, as a crimson lightsaber is forced into mortal combat against a one-eared unicorn. The level of violence slips dangerously close to PG-13, so be prepared to cover your children’s eyes as they listen to this week’s tournament. The solution to the conflict seems simple until your intrepid cohosts realize that both lightsabers and unicorns are in the Bible—sort of. Also, “Lightsabers and Unicorns” would be a great name for a band.
The new cover art for this season was created by Dani Wallace (daniwallace.myportfolio.com).
This Week’s Guest: Rob Plummer
Rob Plummer is chairman of the New Testament department and professor of New Testament interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Plummer has written, co-written, or edited several books, including Greek for Life: Strategies for Learning, Retaining, and Reviving New Testament Greek (Baker, 2017), Going Deeper with New Testament Greek: An Intermediate Study of the Grammar and Syntax of the New Testament (B&H, 2016), and 40 Questions About Interpreting the Bible (Kregel, 2010). Plummer is perhaps most widely known for his role in founding and hosting the screencast, The Daily Dose of Greek (www.dailydoseofgreek.com).
Links to Click
Going Deeper With New Testament Greek: book by Andreas Köstenberger, Benjamin Merkle, and Robert Plummer
Beginning with New Testament Greek: book by Benjamin Merkle and Robert Plummer
Misquoting Jesus: book by Bart Ehrman
Holy Hour: song by The Cure
Just Like Heaven: song by The Cure
Truth, Goodness, and Beauty: song by The Cure
The Cure: album by The Cure
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The Closing Credits
Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast thanks B&H Academic for their sponsorship. Music for the podcast has been licensed through Artlist.io and performed by Trent Thompson. Brief excerpts of music played in each program are included solely for the purposes of comment and critique as allowed under the fair-use provision of U.S. copyright law. “The fair use of a copyrighted work … for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, … scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright” (U.S. Code § 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).
Robert Plummer: Do the Gospels Tell the Truth? + "Truth, Goodness, and Beauty" (The Cure)