Dear Friend of ABR,
Thank you for your prayer and financial support of our dig at Khirbet el-Maqatir in Israel over the years. We believe this project will have far-reaching consequences in the areas of biblical archaeology and biblical studies, and we appreciate your part in helping uncover the evidence. The Board of Directors of the Associates for Biblical Research is especially proud of the job Dr. Bryant Wood has done to initiate, direct and facilitate this work. I would like to take this opportunity to put in a few good words for his ministry with ABR.
The heart of any Christian organization is the people who work for it. The ministry of the organization will only be as effective as those who are working within it. ABR is no exception. We have been richly blessed since God has sent us exceptionally well-qualified people to do the unique work He has called ABR to do.
Bryant is a case in point. He left a lucrative career as a mechanical engineer with the General Electric Company to pursue archaeology and serve the Lord in that field. His training is exceptional: he earned a doctorate from the University of Toronto in Syro-Palestinian archaeology. His specialty is ceramic analysis, which is central to Palestinian archaeology. Almost all dating is dependent upon the analysis of pottery. Before Bryant came along, there were no evangelical scholars trained in this particular area. We were dependent upon the say-so of secular scholars, many of whom were biased against the Bible. Now, evangelicals have a voice in the interpretation of archaeological data.
A good example of the impact Bryant has had is his research on Jericho. Kathleen Kenyon, who excavated the site in the 1950s, said Jericho didn’t exist at the time of the Israelite conquest because it had been destroyed 150 years earlier. This conclusion was based on her interpretation of the pottery evidence. Bryant conclusively has demonstrated that Kenyon was wrong. Jericho actually was destroyed in about 1400 BC, the very time the Israelites burned the city according to biblical chronology! Bryant's results have shaken the scholarly community and received worldwide media attention. Before Bryant's work, scholars had written off the biblical account of the conquest of Canaan. His research has forced scholars to rethink their position on the historicity of the book of Joshua.
We are at a critical juncture with regard to the Khirbet el-Maqatir excavation. The digging is finished and it is time to publish the results. Scholars and the general public need tp have access to this important evidence. As with Jericho, scholars maintain that the findings at et-Tell, the agreed-upon location for Ai, do not square with the biblical account in Joshua 7–8, therefore the Bible is unhistorical. The results of our excavations from 1995–2000 and 2009–2016 are amazing. Overwhelming evidence was found to demonstrate that Kh. el-Maqatir is the correct location for Ai, not et-Tell. The evidence matches the Bible perfectly!
Bryant is responsible for publishing the fortress phase of the dig, the fortress attacked and destroyed by the Israelites! He needs your financial support in order to accomplish this task. There is much work that needs to be done. We have the data to support the historical reliability of Scripture, but it must be documented in order to be effective. It is up to evangelicals to underwrite and carry out this much-needed work. If we don't do it, no one else will! And ABR is the only Christian organization engaged in this type of research. Bryant has the desire, training and scholarly reputation to get the job done.
“Why is this work necessary?” you may ask. Many Christians have the attitude that it is not necessary to prove the Bible; we know that it is true, no matter what the critics say. Yes, certainly that is correct. The sad thing is, however, that the anti-Bible theories of the critics are being taught in our colleges and universities and, I am sorry to say, even in many of our seminaries and churches. Academics are leading young people and others under their influence away from the truths of God’s Word. ABR is not out to prove the Bible, but to set the record straight and disprove the critics. We are dedicated to turning around the current negative attitude toward the Bible prevalent in our society today. Secular scholars are raising millions of dollars to support their anti-God research. Evangelicals should be just as eager to support research which upholds the truth of Scripture.
Paul admonished the Philippians to “stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you” (1:27–28, NIV). Should we do any less today? I'm asking you to stand with us as we contend for the faith in our generation.
Bryant needs an additional $500 per month in order to meet his minimal support needs. Won’t you become a member of Bryant’s support team? He needs your prayers and regular financial help. Please click here to make a donation to support Bryant’s ministry with ABR. Under Special Instructions, write “For the ministry of Dr. Wood.” I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours for the truth,
Scott Lanser
ABR Director