RT Article
T1 Running the Numbers on the Gospels: Statistical Analysis of the Gospel of Matthew
JF The international journal of religion and spirituality in society
VO 8
IS 1
SP 31
OP 52
A1 Stephens, Phillip T.
LA English
PB Common Ground Publishing
YR 2018
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1840937599
AB The Christian Right polarized American society and politics with its vision of a Christ-centered nation. Advocates claim a scriptural basis for their beliefs, but many Christians question their interpretation of scripture and a few openly challenge their vision. When conflicting interpretations of scripture come into dispute, how can the conflicts be resolved? The following article proposes using a statistical analysis of scriptural topics discussed by Gospel authors—which received the most emphasis and which received the least. If we assume New Testament writers gave more weight to topics of greater importance to their churches, then acknowledging those preferences should lend credence to which side of the dispute the author leaned. This article will focus on the Gospel of Matthew to determine if, indeed, the weight the author lends to particular topics supports or undermines the Christian Right’s interpretations of Jesus’ message.
K1 Christian Right
K1 Core Values
K1 Foundation Values
K1 Gospel of Matthew
K1 Sermon on the Mount
K1 Statistical Analysis
DO 10.18848/2154-8633/CGP/v08i01/31-52