The method

Examine before you conclude.

The same four steps apply to every question — including the ones where we already think we know the answer.

1. Identify the claim or question

State it plainly and fairly, in words its strongest advocates would accept. A vague claim cannot be tested.

2. Locate the biblical texts and historical sources

Go to the passage in context, and to the dated publication, letter or transcript itself. Distinguish primary sources from secondary scholarship, and quotations from interpretations.

3. Compare the evidence with the explanation

Does the source say what the summary says it says? Read what comes before and after. Note where the familiar explanation is well supported, and where it is not.

4. Evaluate — and stay correctable

Weigh the conclusion honestly, including evidence that challenges the investigator's own position. An examined conviction can survive scrutiny; it does not need to avoid it.

"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." — Acts 17:11 (KJV)

Try the method with a Question Trail