Ancient Lies, Ancient Truths

Musings on Biblical texts, Joe Rogan, and standing for truth in the face of deception

Not too long ago, I didn’t know who Wesley Huff or Billy Carson were. But when I heard that a Christian apologist named Wesley Huff appeared on the Joe Rogan show, I started listening to interviews and reading about the backstory (and controversy) involved. As interesting as some of the drama might be, I think there are several important lessons Christians can learn from the whole situation. And sadly, some warnings about deception as well.

A brief recap of the key players and events: Joe Rogan is a former MMA fighter with a huge podcast empire. Y’all probably know him better than I do. I’d heard of him, but never listened to his podcast before. (In all honesty, I’d only ever seen him in Here Comes the Boom, a pretty decent movie if you haven’t seen it). Rogan is crude, not a believer, and has a lot of crackpots on his show, but he’s also a skilled interviewer. Billy Carson is a conspiracy theorist who appeared on the Rogan show, among other places, and made a lot of outlandish claims about the Bible. And Wesley Huff is a Christian apologist who made videos debunking Billy Carson’s claims, then was invited to debate Carson. Wesley Huff’s debate with Billy Carson went viral, as it really exposed Carson’s ignorance about ancient texts and the Bible.

After that debate blew up, Huff was invited to speak on the Joe Rogan Show. On the show, Huff gave a lot of thoughtful insights into Christianity and Biblical texts, and made a good historical argument for Christianity.

It’s been an interesting saga with a fair amount of drama surrounding the debates, and I’m sure more excitement is still to come. But what lessons can Christians learn from this whole shindig?

The first lesson is that Christians must always be prepared to “make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” (1 Peter 3:15) Part of why so many Christians were fired up about Wesley Huff is because he was able to give a reasonable answer and defense for Christianity, specifically with his expertise in ancient New Testament manuscripts. He didn’t have all the answers (and I had a couple nitpicks with what Huff said on Rogan, though he did clarify some things in a follow-up video, which I greatly appreciated), but he did a good job defending the historical evidence for Christianity. In a world of chaotic, terrible hot takes, someone with a thoughtful, well-reasoned Christian response was very refreshing!

And we need to be prepared to do the same. If someone asks you why you believe in God, or the historicity of the Bible, or that Jesus was resurrected, what will you say? You likely won’t be talking to millions of listeners, but your answers are just as important when you’re talking with a neighbor or a friend.

We need to study to truly know what we believe, and why we believe it, because there WILL be challenges to our ideology. Billy Carson brought up a lot of old manuscripts that seem to argue against Christianity. And I’ve heard plenty of similar arguments from people in my own life. Why do we believe the Gospel of Mark but not the Gospel of Barnabas? Doesn’t the Da Vinci Code prove the Bible wrong? What about the Dead Sea Scrolls? When uncertainty and questions like these are brought up, many Christians find themselves wavering. But the good news is, you can rebut these arguments, even without a theology degree or a knowledge of ancient languages!

It’s good and necessary for Christians to learn about the history of the Bible, and why we include some texts and not others. (Here’s a hint: whenever there’s a news story about a “new gospel that will change Christianity forever”, it’s probably just a Gnostic text). You don’t have to speak Greek to know that Gnosticism and Christianity are different religions with different texts, even if they share some similar terms between them! Learn the Bible, know its history, and stand firm when people make outlandish claims about it.

And you can be confident that there will always be people with outlandish claims and deceptions. Christians need to be cautious, not getting swept up in endless conspiracy theories and lies. Unfortunately, I know of many believers who fall down conspiracy rabbit holes, and it often leads them to listening to folks like Billy Carson. I would encourage people to watch a little of Carson’s videos, not to learn anything meaningful, but to have a clear example of what a deceiver sounds like. Don’t believe what Carson says, but learn the mannerisms of someone who shouldn’t be speaking into your life. And even if he does manage to say something correct about the Bible, I guarantee you that solid Christians are saying the same things, without muddying the water with lies.

For example, Billy Carson claimed in various interviews that the “Sinai Bible” (Codex Sinaiticus) didn’t mention the crucifixion, implying that this was because Christians were burying the real history. This is meant to seed doubts, to make people question if the Bible they read is even the same book that the Apostles wrote. You can almost hear the whispered words hissing in the background, “But did God really say…?” It’s the most ancient of lies, and still we humans fall for it today.

But like so many arguments that seek to derail Christianity, this claim about the Codex Sinaiticus is patently false. And you can look it up for yourself! The British Library has online scans of the Codex Sinaiticus, as well as transcriptions in Greek and English. The manuscript details the crucifixion in Matthew 27:35, plain as day! There is no grand conspiracy by Christians to hide the truth of the crucifixion, but if you don’t look it up for yourself, you might be tricked into believing it’s a possibility.

Billy Carson also brought up things like the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife (a 21st century forgery that became a scandal in its own right) or the Gospel of Barnabas (a historically inaccurate medieval text) as proof that Christianity isn’t what it claims. These false arguments sound good at first glance, and if we Christians aren’t careful, we can get swept away and begin to doubt what’s true and good. Yes, do your research, but “doing research” means going to primary sources and knowledgeable scholars, not just conspiracy-minded guys with flashy YouTube videos!

I really hope these last few months are a wake-up call for Billy Carson and that God works on his heart, but in the meantime, people like him are exactly who Christians need to stop listening to. I’m saddened when Christians are led astray by someone who sensationalizes heresy by telling you “What THEY don’t want you to know.” The end result is often that these deceivers lead believers into snarled nests of lies and confusion. Because of this, we should all strive to learn truth and history, so that we will “…no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” (Ephesians‬ ‭4:14‬) And Wesley Huff did a great job showing how a Christian can stand up for historical truth in the face of nonsense and falsehood.

In addition to Billy Carson, I hope these events and interviews are a way for God to work on many other peoples’ hearts who otherwise might not have thought about Christianity or the Bible. The viral nature of these interviews meant that millions of people listened to these discussions, and I hope that some of these listeners were swayed by the truth. We should pray that God lets people hear the gospel, and look for opportunities to share the Good News with folks, on platforms large and small. So get out there and love God, read your Bibles, study the truth, and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks!