Are the stories recorded in the Bible real history, or just mythology?  There’s only one way to know for sure: through biblical archaeology. This week Kevin talks with archaeologist Dr. Scott Stripling of the Associates for Biblical Research, author of The Trowel and the Truth.

Dr. Stripling grew up in a Christian home, hearing the stories of the Bible from his mother.  He became an avid Bible reader in his teen years, but was perplexed by the huge cultural divide between the biblical text and modern day readers such as himself.  His desire to better understand the historical context of the Bible led him to study archaeology, and he went on to earn his Doctorate in Ministry with an emphasis in Ancient Near Eastern archaeology.

Today Dr. Stripling is the director of ABR’s excavation in Khirbet el-Maqatir, located 9 miles north of Jerusalem in the disputed territory of Security Zone C.  Though excavation only takes place five weeks out of the year, his team has made many discoveries that verify biblical history.  Dr. Stripling tells Kevin about some of the most significant of these finds, such as an Egyptian scarab that helps to verify biblical accounts of Israel’s exodus and the conquest of Canaan.

Christianity is not a religion of mythology and blind faith; biblical events really happened, and the evidence is out there.  Some of it still needs to be unearthed, and the Associates for Biblical Research are doing just that.  You can support their archeological mission to show the truth of the Bible at BibleArchaeology.org, and even volunteer to participate in a dig yourself!

This episode first aired on May 10th, 2015.