Every major world religion is based on a set of principles or truths. Adhering to these bodies of wisdom is the essence of following that religion. However, Christianity is unique in that the essence of biblical belief is centered upon a person—Jesus Christ. My guest on this episode argues that if we see the greatness of Jesus’ character, then we can’t help but follow him. His name is Tom Gilson and he has written a book called Too Good to be False. We discuss the book and what it means for belief, apologetics, and everyday life.
Tom Gilson is a senior editor with The Stream, and the author or editor of six books, including most recently Too Good to be False: How Jesus’ Incomparable Character Reveals His Reality (Deward Publishing, 2020). Other books of his include A Christian Mind: Thoughts on Life and Truth in Jesus Christ and Critical Conversations: A Christian Parents’ Guide to Discussing Homosexuality With Teens. He was chief editor of the anthology True Reason: Christian Responses to the Challenge of Atheism, and he’s the author/host of the Thinking Christian blog.
Tom lives near Dayton, Ohio with his wife, Sara. They’re the proud grandparents of two grand-dogs, a grand-cat and a grand-bunny, by way of their twenty-something son and daughter and their respective spouses. He received a B.Mus. in Music Education with a specialty in performance from Michigan State University and an M.S. in Organizational Psychology from the University of Central Florida. When he’s not writing he loves drinking coffee, canoeing, walking in the woods, and playing his trombones.
Show Highlights
When Tom asked some very different questions in studying the Bible he discovered some surprising insights into the greatness of Jesus.
Jesus Christ is the only figure in history who had ultimate power and was ultimately good. He never used his power for his own benefit.
The uniqueness and consistency of Jesus’ character add to the credibility of the Gospels’ testimony to his life.
If Jesus is so great, then we cannot help but devote our lives to him.
Resources
Buy Tom’s book Too Good to Be False: How Jesus’ Incomparable Character Reveals His Reality.
Follow Tom’s blog and receive a free preview of his book at Thinking Christian.
Check out the news, columns, and cultural analysis provided by Tom and the team at The Stream.
Connect with Tom on social media:
Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tom.gilson1
Professional Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thinkingchristian1
Twitter: @TomGilsonAuthor
Subscribe and Connect
Follow Aaron on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter at @aaronmshamp.
Support This Podcast
PayPal: https://paypal.me/AaronShamp?locale.x=en_US
Venmo: @AaronShamp
Cash App: $AaronShamp