Evidence for Jesus / Joseph Smith / Discipleship without unhealthy pressure / Short survey

Author

Douglas Jacoby
March 17, 2026

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

This is the first of two March bulletins, and includes Q&As, a guest article on the origins of Mormonism, a discussion between two high-power thinkers on the evidence for Jesus, and more.

It’s been a great few weeks! Let me share about just one of the events, a double Zoom session on the Trinity—a topic of great interest of late. The event was hosted by a church in Tswane (formerly Pretoria). Other cities in South Africa participated, as well as Christians in Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Uganda (where Thabani Mashava, the event coordinator, was on temporary assignment). The multinational audience was eager to learn—always highly encouraging to any speaker.

Q&A

Our bank of Q&As continues to grow. Here are the latest:

  • 1731: An evangelistic tactic to help us as we share the truth with our friends — here

  • 1732: David Wilkinson’s excellent talk on the interface of science & faith — here

  • 1733: Should the book of Jubilees be included in the Bible? — here

  • 1734: Does the Bible really legislate stoning for adultery? — here

  • 1735: Discipleship without unhealthy pressure? — here

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But that’s not all. See also the addenda to Q&A 0236 (Why don’t children take communion?) and Q&A 1569 (Does 1 Corinthians 11:3 mean women are forever subordinate to men?) from Malcolm Cox (England) and Jeanie Shaw (Connecticut).

EVIDENCE FOR JESUS

Watch "Is there evidence for Jesus?”, featuring historian Tom Holland & Tyndale House Principal Peter J. Williams HERE. I have immensely enjoyed Holland as an author, and Williams as a friend. The talk will be especially valuable for those interested in Christian evidences.

WHO WAS JOSEPH SMITH?
By Kyle Beshears


“Joseph [Smith] is a man of God, a prophet of the Lord set apart to lead the people—If we observe his words it will be well with us; if we live righteously on earth, it will be well with us in Eternity.” ~ Lucy Mack Smith, mother of Joseph Smith

FEATURED BOOKS

In the coming months we’ll feature some of our bestselling books. All titles are in English, although several have been translated into Spanish—and a handful into Russian, Chinese, French, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. Today I highlight my two most personal works.

THRIVE! Using Psalms to Help You Flourish

No other book in scripture is quite like Psalms. It reaches into our hearts, bringing comfort and restoration for our souls. But the Psalms were written and spoken / sung / prayed for specific spiritual purposes; the chapters of this book organize them as such, according to the need of the moment. It's my hope that you will find this to be a useful way to quickly benefit from the passages that are most relevant to your needs.

Order Thrive here.

When God Is Silent: The Problem of Human Suffering

We inhabit the same world Jesus did-one of pain, joy, surprise, suffering, and wonder. At times life is good, joyous, and fair. At other times it's dreary, unfair, and hard. We may pray with little sense that God is listening. In many ways, divine silence is part of this life. It can be deeply unsettling when we have been wronged, misrepresented, defrauded, violated, or betrayed. Inwardly or perhaps vocally, we cry out for divine justice. To hear nothing in response is difficult, even disorientating. In this work, Douglas addresses questions we all ponder.

Order When God is Silent here. Also available in Spanish.

2026 ENGAGEMENTS

Jan: A Call to Rise (Resiliency Training)—conclusion of 10-month course
Jan: Atlanta Braves Front Office Bible Study (4 days, Sermon on the Mount)
Jan: Online communion services (weekly throughout the year, many guest speakers)
Feb: Honolulu, HI: Teaching Day and Sunday sermon
Feb: Honolulu, HI: Athens Institute-Pacific Graduation
Mar: Tswane, South Africa, Kampala, Uganda—and other African nations [Zoom]: The Doctrine of the Trinity
Mar: Gainesville, GA: fellowship visit with Rubel Shelly
Mar: Athens, GA: The Second Mountain
Mar: Cambridge, MA: Faith & Veritas 2026, Harvard University
Apr: The Call, with Nancy Sabato — interview on When God is Silent
Apr: Atlanta Braves Front Office Bible Study (2 days, Sermon on the Mount)
Jun: Greece & Turkey: Paul’s Aegean Voyages
Jun: Turkey & Cyprus: Antioch Seminar
Jul: Antigua & Barbuda: Caribbean Teachers Fellowship
Oct: Greece & Turkey: Biblical Study Tour
Nov: St Simons Island, GA: Soul Shepherding Retreat
Nov: Evangelical Theological Society, Society of Biblical Literature, Institute for Biblical Research, and Tutku Educational Travel
Dec: iFaith Asia tour
Dec: Vientiane, Laos

THE PODCAST

Our podcast is posted every four times a week.

You can check them out anywhere you normally listen to podcasts (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcast, Radio Addict, Overcast, Castbox, Podbean, iTunes, Pocket Cast)—please make sure to subscribe!


A commendation from Lincoln Crane (adapted)

“Listening to podcasts—in the hundreds—has really helped me straighten out my doctrine and answer my own questions about Christianity. I especially appreciate the breadth of the podcast—so many special subjects. Since I’ve known of Douglas and listened to and respected his fearless defense of the gospel, the way he interacts with sorts of people—his faith and growth in discipleship from his early days to present—I would tell anybody that this ministry is one of the greatest resources available in the world, and benefiting from this material is one of the best uses of your time.

“It’s also been amazing to me that these resources are so often under-utilized, and I hope that anybody reading my positive review will seriously not only look into the exciting way that Douglas and his associates spread the gospel, but also realize that contributing to the teaching ministry helps many ministries in places you never imagined—doing so much with so so little. Time is one of our most valuable commodities. The podcast and resources available through the International Bible Teaching Ministry are well worth your time.

“My prayers are always with you guys and your travels, and as long as I’m able, I will work to support you.”

Thank you, Lincoln

SURVEY: Your feedback requested

We seek your help: advice on the upcoming iFaith series and feedback on the newsletter / bulletin. The survey is short and to the point. (If you have any further input, please feel free to email me with your thoughts.) Many thanks!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

There are many ways to support this ministry. Today the focus is Africa—and also the ancient city of Colossae (as in Paul's letter to the Colossians). The site is now being excavated, and IBTM has been contributing.

  • Training—$105,000 needed for calendar year 2026—$7435 received so far.

  • Uganda—$3347 (Bibles)

  • Kenya—$2568 (teaching materials)—$1800 received so far

  • Indonesia—$780 (website access)—$100 received so far

  • Nigeria—$3000 (evangelistic materials)

  • Ghana—$750 (evangelistic materials)

  • Sierra Leone—$300 (evangelistic materials)

  • Liberia—$300 (evangelistic materials)

  • Gambia—$150 (evangelistic materials)

  • Colossae—$4000 (archaeological excavation)

Click here to make a donation. (Target your giving in the memo line.)

ALL FOR NOW…

Next week: the Veritas & Faith Conference at Harvard University. This will be my first trip since shoulder surgery. In our next newsletter: Approachable leadership, Shibboleths, How many resurrections are there? Is the Son of God also the Father and the Spirit? and Who is Beatrix?

Thanks for your prayers and support!
Douglas

For all bulletins 2004-2026 (100s of pages of biblical material), click here. Access the website here. New material every week—typically, every day! Become a website member ($0.10/day, paid annually) here. Your membership is a tremendous boost to this ministry. To donate, click here.