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The following Christianity Today editorial originally appeared in Oct. 23, 1995, issue of the magazine.

Christians and Jews owe a lot to biblical archaeology. Over the past century, archaeologists have repeatedly confirmed and illuminated the historicity of the biblical record. Although, as Calvin taught us, we trust the Bible because of the inner witness of the Spirit, having physical evidence that confirms the historical context of God's saving acts bolsters our faith.

But will biblical archaeology survive? An acerbic essay entitled "The Death of a Discipline," published recently in the lively Biblical Archaeology Review, decries the trend in American universities to downgrade or eliminate programs in biblical and Middle East archaeology. According to the author, William Dever of the University of Arizona, the secular academic institutions that have been leaders in this field (Arizona, Chicago, UCLA, and Harvard, among others) have failed to keep their programs fully operational. In Dever's case, his institution has decided to cancel their program. Likewise, writes Dever, religious schools have cut back their commitments to biblical archaeology. (Counter to Dever's argument, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary has made a strong commitment to biblical archaeology and continues to educate specialists at the master's level.) The picture Dever paints is bleak. Other archaeologists interviewed by Christianity Today quickly noted Dever's gift for hyperbole, but they joined him in sounding the alarm: the situation is indeed serious.

Alarums and Excavations
We urge evangelical Christian institutions to stand in the gap, to create academic programs and cooperate in field archaeology ("digs") and to promote the importance of biblical archaeology in our churches. This is an expensive, but necessary undertaking.

It is necessary because biblical archaeology has not only enlightened our reading of Scripture (the recently discovered Tel-Dan inscription, for example, illuminates the character of David's dynasty) but has often confirmed the Bible's historicity.

It is necessary because, over the past 10 to 15 years, Middle Eastern archaeology has shifted from interpretation of the evidence in the light of the written records (including Scripture) to a bias against giving Scripture the benefit of the doubt. Dever himself bears responsibility for much of this secularization and has alienated the constituency most likely to cheer and financially support the archaeology of the Middle East: committed Jews and Christians. Believers must once again firmly grasp the task and conduct original research in a faith-friendly manner.

It is necessary because our therapeutic culture has divorced Christian faith from its narrative and historical framework. The faith is often repackaged as a set of timeless insights about God and human nature. But Christianity, no matter how many insights it brings with it, is at its core about the life and death of the Messiah in ancient Palestine and about the covenant people into whose midst he was born. The discipline of archaeology helps to ground our faith in the concrete context of the times and places where God has acted.

It is necessary because, as the discipline shrinks, there are fewer places where archaeologists can study their specialty at the doctoral level. Without the cooperation of the broader evangelical community, no Christian college alone will be able to lift the load of a research-driven program. Thus the discipline may indeed become moribund.

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September (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47