As my last post showed, one of the tropes in the approach adopted by Mushtaq is to simultaneously quote from Scripture to support his case whilst also seeking to undermine its authority. We aee an example here:

that current four canonical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) put together are no more greater in worth than New Testament Apocrypha, dozens of which were forged by Christians as “God inspired” books (Just like Trinity was forged as Inspired). 

Oh dear, where to start when there is so much error? There is a good series on the Canon on this blog, with other posts here and here and here. What they show is that there never were any more than those four Gospels accepted by the Church, and that was why they were received into the Canon when other books were not. But surely, even logic should suggest there was a reason to accept one set and not the other?  In that case they cannot be of equal worth. Geoffrey’s post here provides a comprehensive account of the formation of the Canon which will correct any misunderstanding.

When Mushtaq asserts:

It is certain that Church has made serious mistake in identifying true words of Blessed Jesus and God. Church has picked Apocrypha level books as “Canonical gospel” and after already rejecting New Testament Apocrypha, now Church has no Gospel truly divine inspired. 

All Christian Churches have the same New Testament, which is where the only ‘Canonical Gospels’ are to be found. The fact that they disagree on the canon of the OT does not mean any mistake has been made on the New.

When he says:

Are you talking about the Church which has made serious errors in identifying word of God as shown in Easter Challenge? How can you claim that such Church is able to recognize Concept of God i.e. Trinity i.e. {Trinity formula = Father is full and complete God, Son is full and complete God, Holy Spirit is full and complete God, but these are not three gods, but One full and complete God} ?

No, I am talking about the Church which knows full well that your Easter challenge is a joke, easily dealt with (as I shall show in a future post). I am talking about the Church which canonised the book you keep trying to use against it. Now, if you don’t accept the book, fine, but stop using it then.  If it is so without authority, why does he keep using it? Either it is authoritative or not.

There is, embedded in this trope, a failure of historical understanding. To assert, as Mushtaw does that:

“It was the Church of 4th Century where Arius and Athanasius, two greatest theologians of their times fought on Trinity, the final approval authority was not a Christian, but a pagan Emperor which baptized on his death bed by Arian Priest as a Unitarian Christian and thus defying Trinity and Trinitarian Christians

is to show a confusion worthy of the father of confusion himself.

Arius was not a great theologian, indeed he wrote nothing, it was his opinion that the Son was ‘creature’ which gained him notoriety. Eusebius was not a unitarian (he it was who baptised Constantine) but a semi-Arian, and the Orthodox Church recognises Constantine as a saint, which it would not had he been a unitarian. Mushtaq appears not to know the difference between a semi-Arian and a unitarian, or the doctrine that the unworthiness of a minister is no bar to valid sacraments.

The Canon, as the links provided here show, was the product of the Church. Parts of it had always been received everywhere, such as the Gospels; parts were widely received, other parts not so, but God’s Church recognised the authentic voice of its Master, and whilst accepting some books, such as Barnabas were worthy of pious attention, directed that only the books it recognised be canonised. It knew the Master’s voice and it knew how to read that book. Those who do not hear that voice do not know the Master, and what is revealed to the sheep of His pasture is not revealed to others – in the words of Our Saviour Himself”

“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.”