Short ‘Commercial’ for the Misquoting Jesus Podcast by Bart Ehrman

His scholarship is stellar. His reputation both impeccable and controversial.

AFBR

Hello. I know I haven’t blogged for a while, and this will not be a long post (I don’t think), but I wanted to make a short, sort of commercial, for an influential thinker who has meant a lot to me over the years.

Dr. Bart Ehrman is a professor in Biblical Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and has written many books – both highly academic and of public or general interest – in the field of New Testament topics from an academic historian’s point of view. Dr. Ehrman is a scholar who has informed much of my thinking about the Bible, especially the New Testament, and we share similar histories and points of view. He is someone about whom I often say, ‘That’s what I was thinking,’ or, ‘Wow, I wish I’d thought of that,’ or, ‘That seems obvious, but it isn’t until Bart said it that it now makes sense.’

His scholarship is stellar. His reputation both impeccable and controversial, depending on whom you ask. Since he (like me) was once an evangelical and is now an agnostic/atheist, many conservative Christians criticize him (very often unfairly and without reading him seriously) for trying to deconvert people of faith. He does not. He is sincerely a scholar who does not presuppose the infallibility of scripture, but studies it as any historian would study essential tests from any era.

Dr. Ehrman has a blog that donates to its proceeds to charity and a free podcast/Youtube channel hosted by Megan Lewis, who interviews Dr. Ehrman each week on topics around biblical studies, usually focusing on the New Testament, but geared not for experts, but for the generally inquisitive lay person.

Named after one of Dr. Ehrman’s popular books, the Misquoting Jesus podcast covers such topics as:

-       Who Chose the Books of the New Testament?

-       Faking it: Is the Bible Full of Forgeries?

-       What is the King James Version?

-       The Genius of the Gospel of Matthew

-       Christians and Romans

-       The Gospel of Thomas

-       Does the Bible Condemn Homosexuality?

-       Is the Gospel of John Anti-Semitic?

-       Did Scribes Change Luke’s Theology?

-       And many, many more

Again, Dr. Ehrman takes on these subject areas from the point of view of a historian and not as someone who has signed a pledge to believe in the Bible’s inerrancy. If you’re interested, as am I, in what the best scholars say about the Bible and textual studies, this is a podcast to add to your queue.