Erik Manning

Erik is the creative force behind the YouTube channel Testify, which is an educational channel built to help inspire people's confidence in the text of the New Testament and the truth of the Christian faith.

Joseph Smith’s Failed Prophecy About David Patten

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In Doctrine and Covenants 114:1, dated April 17, 1838, Joseph Smith records the following revelation from God: “Verily thus saith the Lord, it is wisdom in my servant David W. Patten, that he settle up all his business as soon as he possibly can, and make a disposition of his merchandise, that he may perform a mission unto me next spring, in company with others, even twelve including himself.” Notice that this verse is structured as a divine command issued in the spring of 1838, instructing Patten to prepare for a mission with the quorum of the Twelve Apostles in spring 1839. But the prophecy failed. On October 25, 1838, just six months after this … Read more

Did Luke Botch the Census? A Historical Look at Luke 2

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Manuscript Illumination with the Evangelist Luke

Critics love to point out that Luke’s Christmas story is riddled with contradictions and historical goofs. That there’s a 10-year gap between Matthew and Luke’s timelines. That there was no census. That Quirinius wasn’t in charge. That Rome wouldn’t have done a census under a client king. That nobody traveled for registration. And that Luke was just making stuff up to get Jesus to Bethlehem to fulfill prophecy. As usual, Bart Ehrman leads the charge, claiming “Luke’s Christmas story is filled with historical problems” and laughing off the idea of people returning to their ancestral towns. Let’s walk through the charges against Luke and see if they stick. 1. Luke is not confused. His chronology … Read more

The Historical Challenge of Surah 3:55 and 61:14: Who Were Jesus’ True Followers?

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an open koran book

The Quran makes several claims about the fate of Jesus’ followers after his departure. Two particularly striking verses are Surah 3:55 and Surah 61:14, which state that those who followed Jesus were made superior or dominant over disbelievers. This raises a historical question: Who were these true followers, and when did they achieve dominance? While these verses are often interpreted by Muslim scholars to affirm Islam’s eventual victory, they present a major historical challenge: there is no clear record of an Islamic-style monotheistic movement among Jesus’ followers that was both dominant and continuous until Muhammad’s time. Instead, the overwhelming historical evidence shows that the dominant followers of Jesus were Trinitarian Christians who affirmed his divinity … Read more

Who Actually Did Miracles—Paul or Muhammad?

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a statue of saint paul

Paul’s followers believed he worked miracles. His own letters say it. Acts records them in detail. Even skeptics admit the early church believed it. Muhammad? The Quran flat-out says he did no miracles. The only place you’ll find them is in Hadith—written over a century later. So if miracles are a sign of a true prophet, and we’re going by actual historical evidence, let’s be real—Paul has way more proof than Muhammad. Let’s break this down. Paul didn’t just claim to work miracles—he actually used them as proof that he was a real apostle. In 2 Corinthians 12:12, he tells the Corinthians: “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, … Read more

What’s the Injil?

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monochrome photo of opened quran

According to the Quran, what is the Gospel, or (in Arabic) the Injil? In this post, I’ll show that on Islam, this question has no answer. The Quran ties itself in a knot that it cannot escape. The Quran says that Allah taught the Injil to Jesus (Quran 3:48, 5:46, 5:110, 57:27). Whatever this Injil is, let’s call it Injil-J. Maybe it was written down, maybe not. Whatever these verses are referring to, whatever Jesus received, that’s Injil-J. The Quran also refers to the Injil as something that is with the People of the Book in Muhammad’s time, centuries later. Quran 5:46-47 says, “let the people of the Injil judge by what Allah has revealed … Read more

Debunking Dawah Spin: Muhammad Allowed Wife-Beating

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I just made a video about how unclear the Quran is regarding Surah 4:34, the infamous “wife-beating” verse. Some modern translators try to water it down—saying “separate from them”, which is very different. But if the Quran is so clear, why is there so much disagreement about a moral command? And if it’s clear, why did earlier translators—including classical Muslim scholars—have no issue saying “beat”? And if it’s not clear, then it’s contradicting itself, since Surah 11:1 literally says the Quran is a “book whose verses are perfected and explained in detail.” So either the Quran is unclear or it’s bad. Pick your poison. Sunan Ibn Majah 1851 – “Don’t Leave a Mark” Now, I’ll … Read more

The New York Times and Ivy League Professor Team Up To Debunk Christmas

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Hate to barge in on your Christmas joy as you reflect on the miracle of the Incarnation, but The New York Times is back with its annual dose of skepticism wrapped in tinsel. This time, it’s an interview with Elaine Pagels, a famed Ivy League biblical scholar. You’d expect some highbrow insights from the Times, but instead, we get baseless speculation that Jesus was a rape baby, dressed up as serious scholarship. Kristof of the NYT starts with this question: So let’s go back to the Nativity. Of the four gospels, two describe the virgin birth of Jesus and two don’t mention it. The Gospel of Mark has people of Galilee referring to Jesus as … Read more

The Question No Muslim Can Answer

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Muslims: Here’s a challenge. From pre-Muhammad sources, name someone who lived between 40 AD and 600 AD who you consider to be a true follower of Jesus. No excuses. Don’t say “Islam believes” or “the Quran says.” A name, and a pre-Muhammad historical source. Go. Cue the crickets. Prediction: You can’t, and that’s a big problem. In Quran 3:55, it says: “Allah said, ‘O Jesus, indeed I will take you and raise you to Myself and purify you from those who disbelieve and make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection.’” Allah promised Jesus that his followers would be superior. Quran 61:14 says that they will be dominant: … Read more

Deen Responds Fails the Muslim Challenge

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Guys, I’m living in Deen’s head. The rent is free, but the view is terrible. Here’s his video response to me on the question no Muslim can answer. Here’s my original video for context: And finally, here’s another similar version of the argument: First, Deen Responds says I’ve “refuted myself” by using an argument from silence against Islam but not applying it consistently to the way I defend the New Testament. But let’s get this straight—not all arguments from silence are created equal. I’ve never claimed all arguments from silence are fallacious. See Dr. Tim McGrew’s 2013 peer-reviewed paper on the argument from silence. (Link) That’s what I reference when I discuss this topic. A … Read more

No, DeenResponds. Muhammad Ain’t the Paraclete.

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A while back, I dropped a video breaking down why Muhammad isn’t the Paraclete Jesus promised in John 14-16. Fast forward a few months, and now DeenResponds and his buddy are trying to hit me with a rebuttal. Spoiler alert: it’s… well, let’s just say creative is putting it kindly. Let’s take a look at some of his “top-tier” critiques and claims. Sorry this isn’t a video—edited response videos aren’t really my thing. Maybe I’d do one live, but honestly, I don’t have tons of spare time, so you’re stuck with this for now. For context, here’s Deen’s video and my original breakdown: Here’s my original video: The Paraclete would be a Prophet like Moses? … Read more

Is Jesus Alive?