Dear Devotees of the CIA :-),

      From where I sit, this blog is going very well.  On average about two new members join a day.  That may not seem like much, but at $24.95, a pop, over time, it adds up to some serious money for charities dealing with hunger and homelessness — which is what is driving my efforts in the first place.   But as I’ve indicated before, and will indicate yet again, time and time and time again, I want to do more and would like to see us be even more successful.  Far more successful!

      I would like your help.  I would like those of you who enjoy the blog to become shamelessly evangelistic for it, and try to get others to join.   Those who join will get a lot of bang for their buck, and all proceeds go to charity.  I have nothing else at stake in the whole affair: I certainly have other things I could be doing with my time (like, right now, watching the Olympics!) (OK, I’ve been watching some; and it’s been fun being in London just now) (even travel by train hasn’t been as bad as predicted) (but back to my point:) I do enjoy posting on the Blog, but I’m doing it, ultimately, for a bigger cause.  And I would like more people to participate.

     The reason I’m posting this here, and now: yesterday I got the following endorsement from someone who is a member, and I am very grateful for it.  I share it with you.  Feel free to share it or use it with others: or do something similar yourself!

     Also, please let me stress that any time anyone feels so moved, they are urged, encouraged, and even allowed to make an additional donation to the Bart Ehrman Foundation.  As with the Blog itself, I personally absorb all operating/administrative costs, so that every penny donated goes to worthy causes.

     Now, for the email I received yesterday, which this subscriber wrote up precisely so that it could be shared more broadly:

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 I remember how surprised I was when I first read that to be a member of Bart’s blog I needed to donate to his foundation that supports a number of charities. I never heard of such a thing. It took me about a week to convince myself to join, even as one who has thoroughly enjoyed Bart’s published works and debates. I almost did not join. Part of my hesitation involved the vast amount of free stuff available online related to Bart’s work (including dozens of lectures and debates on Youtube). My hesitation was not donating to charity, but stemmed from my question of “Would I get anything new on this site?” 

As one who eventually joined and has been a member since April I wanted to describe my thoughts so far for those who remain “on the fence” on whether to join. Since many have already commented on the positive value of the blog for effectively raising money to help those who are homeless and hungry due to the amount of people who have joined, I do not think there is a need for me to say anything about that. What I would like to do is make a few comments on the quality of the blog entries and the meaningful interaction between Bart and his blog members.

First, regarding the entries. When I first joined I was hoping for around 2-3 blog entries a week. However, since the blog started in April Bart has posted just over 100 blog entries. This is nearly one post a day. The nature of the posts includes Bart’s general thoughts and ideas, personal reflections, responses to his critics, discussions and previews of his current projects and books, and my favorite, responses to his readers and some of the questions from his blog members.  The content and quantity of his blog entries has surpassed my expectations.

Second, regarding the interaction between Bart and his blog members. Bart devotes a good amount of his blog entries to answering some of the questions of his blog members. This is what I enjoy most about the blog. Members are also able to make comments on his blog entries and he also briefly interacts, almost on a daily basis, with these comments. Comments made by members are also interesting, engaging, and thought provoking.

Given these two features of Bart’s blog, I thoroughly enjoy being a member. I am glad I decided to join.  If you have enjoyed Bart’s books you will certainly enjoy his blog.