In my experience, the most powerful testimony often comes from those who once had no connection, or even had some bias against, the truth they later defended. Matthew’s transformation wasn’t the result of a preset agenda; it was the natural outcome of encountering the evidence. Likewise, the gospel writers did not begin as Christian evangelists. Their conversion followed the events they witnessed—after the fact, not before. Dismissing their testimony because of their later convictions misses the point of investigative work and the nature of eyewitness reliability.

Trust in the gospel accounts, despite their Christian authorship, is a topic that comes up often in conversations about the reliability of the New Testament. As a detective who has spent years evaluating eyewitness testimony, it’s not surprising that people ask me, “How can the gospels be trusted if Christians wrote them?” The assumption seems to be: if you want anything truly credible about Jesus, it can only come from a non-Christian source. But let’s unpack why that line of reasoning falls short and why, in fact, Christian authorship can enhance—not diminish—the reliability of these accounts.

If you’ve ever spent time in a courtroom, you’ll know that trusting a witness out-of-hand is never wise. I’ve learned that personally by being burned during cross-examinations and investigation broadcasts. It’s a risky thing to place confidence in a witness before carefully vetting their story. So, in my work as a detective, I don’t merely accept what witnesses say—I rigorously test them. There’s a standard template we apply to every eyewitness account: Were they truly present to witness what they describe? Can their story be corroborated by evidence or other witnesses? Has their narrative remained consistent over time? Do they possess any biases that would tempt them to misrepresent the truth? These are the same four areas I employ when I evaluate the gospel authors.

Once a witness has been evaluated across these dimensions and they pass the tests, the judge instructs the jury to trust their testimony.

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