Kitchen Table Theology
Where Coffee, Conversation, and Theology Meet. During my 40 years in ministry, I’ve developed an increasing burden for what I sense to be an increase in biblical illiteracy, not only among those in our churches, but also in the young men and women entering the ministry. Conversely, I am hopeful, because I also sense a hunger from people to learn and know biblical truth and the things of God has revealed to us in Scripture. Our Kitchen Table Theology team has developed a list of over 150 doctrinal topics which I, along with one of my cohosts, Jen Denton or Tiffany Coker, examine weekly. Our goal is to educate and share biblical truth on the same level as if we were sitting at your kitchen table with a Bible and a pot of southern pecan coffee in front of us. Welcome to the table!
Kitchen Table Theology
299 Why the Gospel of Thomas Didn’t Make the Cut
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Why isn’t the Gospel of Thomas in the Bible?
The Gospel of Thomas includes sayings attributed to Jesus, but it wasn’t included alongside Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. What criteria did the early church fathers use when recognizing the closed canon, and why didn’t this text meet those standards?
In this episode, Tiffany Coker and Pastor Jeff Cranston examine the Gospel of Thomas through the questions the early church used to evaluate Christian writings. They discuss theological consistency, early origins, and widespread acceptance among churches.
Chapters:
01:19 Why Isn’t the Gospel of Thomas in the Bible?
The Gospel of Thomas contains sayings attributed to Jesus, some of which resemble passages in the New Testament. However, it doesn’t present the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus in the same way as the four canonical Gospels.
03:21 How Did the Early Church Recognize Scripture?
The early church considered whether a writing had an apostolic connection, agreed with the faith passed down by the apostles, was widely accepted among churches, and belonged to the earliest Christian testimony.
04:26 When Was the Gospel of Thomas Discovered?
The complete text was discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945. Although some sayings may preserve earlier traditions, most scholars date the document’s original composition to the second century, long after the time of the Apostle Thomas.
07:09 How Does the Gospel of Thomas Differ from the Biblical Gospel?
The Gospel of Thomas emphasizes hidden knowledge and secret truth as the path to salvation. The New Testament presents the gospel as the public announcement that Jesus died for sin, was buried, rose again, and appeared to witnesses.
12:19 Did the Church Choose Which Books Belonged in the Bible?
The church didn’t create the authority of the New Testament books. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were already being read, taught, copied, and recognized as authoritative across Christian communities before later canon lists documented them together.
15:57 Was the Gospel of Thomas Suppressed by the Church?
There is no strong historical evidence that the Gospel of Thomas was an apostolic text deliberately hidden by church leaders. It wasn’t recognized as Scripture because it lacked apostolic authority, widespread early acceptance, and theological consistency with the New Testament.
“The church was recognizing which writings carried apostolic authority and which writings faithfully communicated the apostolic gospel.” — Pastor Jeff Cranston
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Remember, the real power of theology is not only knowing it but applying it. Thanks for listening!