Over the past decade, my ministry responsibilities have given me the opportunity to interact with men right off the street, all of whom have also spent years struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. Coming from Christian, Moslem, Jewish, agnostic and even atheistic backgrounds, everyone has lots of questions and opinions. Class time is seldom dull.
But my 12 years as a public high school track coach and my ongoing work as a field archaeologist, with some 20 seasons excavating in Israel and Jordan, gives me just enough “street cred” to earn an honest hearing with these guys. We talk openly about their different religious views (or lack thereof), their intellectual struggles with the Bible and science and even their struggles of faith. We wrestle with scientific concepts and Bible passages, and frequently have to agree to disagree. But it has been my joy to share my own faith walk with them and encourage them to try it, too. And I am very happy to report that many have responded and are well on their way in their own spiritual journey today.
In this environment, I often get asked, “Why should I trust the Bible?”
I know they are looking for answers which are way beyond theoretical concepts. They need help in their lives today – right now – and some even need a reason to keep on living just one more day.
Since I generally don’t need to convince these guys that they need help, I just need to offer them a reasonable answer of hope. I tell them, as an archaeologist, how I trust the Bible for the past. I have seen enough, even dug enough with my own hands, to be comfortable that archaeology demonstrates that the historical reliability of the Bible…
This is excerpted from an article by the same name I recently wrote. To read the whole article, you can go to
Trusting Him for the Past, Present and Future.
Pastor Gary Byers
Spiritual Life Director