Isn’t atheism an extreme position to take?  If you (or, well, I) give up believe in the Christian God we were (I was) raised on, why give up on the idea of any god entirely? I’m on a trip giving lectures to a group of folks who, well, want to see Norway (!) but also want to discuss issues closely related to what we do on the Blog – questions about the New Testament, the historical Jesus, early Christianity, related topics in religion, and questions about religion in general.  It’s a great group with people of a wide range of backgrounds and lots of interesting stories. Already we have discussed lots of interesting things, and one of my fellow travelers has pushed me on why I became an atheist.  They agree that there are real problems with believing in an all-loving and all-powerful God who wants humans to thrive, be happy, be content with life, and who is certainly able to make that happen for everyone if he chooses (even if there does [...]

I'm with a group of travelers just now who are interested in critical approaches to the Bible (not views that are criticizing per se, but views that approach the Bible using historical methods -- "Biblical Criticism").  One of them - as usually happens - has asked me about the very popular writings of John Shelby Spong, who was an unusual figure in numerous ways, most famously because he was both highly skeptical about the reliability of the New Testament AND a long-time bishop in the Episcopal church.  How does that work? Well, work it did.  He had a deservedly huge following. Years ago I posted comments on a book he wrote near the end of his career on the Gospel of John, which takes an even more skeptical view of its reliability than I do.  But I realized I should first set the context for those of you who don't know who he was by re-posting my "Memorium" for him written soon after he died.  So here is that first, then my summary/discussion of his [...]

In my previous post I gave a brief overview of the doctrine of predestination, especially as developed by the great 16th century Protestant Reformer John Calvin and his followers.  I ended the post by indicating – surely this is a surprise for many people – that one of the most interesting and formative understandings of modern capitalism is that its has it can be traced back in its origins to Protestant views of predestination.  How does that work exactly? The key text is Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, tr. Talcott Parsons (NY: Scribner, 1958; German original, 1920).  Weber (= VEY-ber) was an important German intellectual often credited as being the founder of modern Sociology as an academic discipline. He begins his book with an intriguing question about modern economic systems that, till then, had never posed: why [in his time, the early 20th century] are there more capitalist ventures, capitalists, and trained capitalist laborers in Protestant countries than in Catholic ones?  And in countries of mixed populations, why are there [...]

Some think that, in contrast to miracles & martyrdom, the fear of perpetual torment in hell may be what drove the early growth of Christianity. After all, who WOULDN'T want to avoid eternal fiery torture? Here’s what I said about that in my book Triumph of Christianity (Simon & Schuster) ****************************** I’ve indicated that fire and brimstone preaching won many converts in early Christianity.  What about the idea that the stalwart faith of Christian martyrs, the willingness to “die for the truth” had a big effect on ancient people as well?  As it turns out, those two were closely related. The horrors of hell may have been the argument for why people should convert, but it was the miracles that made the argument persuasive.  God had shown, and continues to show, what he could do to counteract the ravages of pain, misery, and suffering.  Anyone who refused to side with him now would pay a price later.   Or as one group of Christian martyrs is said to have proclaimed to the pagan hordes [...]

Miracles converted millions of people to the Christian faith in the ancient world.  What about the fear of hell? Here’s how I talk about it in my book Triumph of Christianity (Simon & Schuster) ****************************** One of the reasons stories of miracles proved so effective in making converts is that Christians combined them with the claim that God’s manifestation of power in the present foreshadowed what he would do in the future.  The present life may have been filled with pain and suffering: people were starving; they were afflicted with blindness, loss of hearing, paralysis, the ravages of disease, or abject poverty; they were attacked by hordes of evil demons.  Life could be, and for many it was, a wretched existence, a cesspool of misery.  But God’s miracle workers cured these ills.  They could multiply the supplies of food, cure the body’s deficiencies, heal any disease, and overpower the demons. Moreover, all that was merely a prelude to what was to come.  After this life humans could enter into a world of sheer [...]

Miracles seem to be everywhere in the early Christian literature, and it is striking how insistent all these ancient sources are it was precisely the wonder-working abilities of the Christians in the name of Christ and the Christian God that convinced potential converts to leave the religious traditions that nearly everyone around them had and had had for time immemorial to join this bizarre new faith in only one God who would provide salvation only to those who believed in the death and resurrection of Jesus. But that's the consistent testimony, and to cap it off I turn to Augustine, the greatest theologian in the history of Christianity, famous still today, incredibly learned, devout, and sincere, and not one who was prone to deception.  Augustine in fact wrote two treatises about lying, arguing that in NO circumstances, WHATSOEVER, was it EVER right to lie.  Not EVER. He too reports that Christians did miracles and more than that, he claims explicitly that he had seen a whole lot of them.  He gives some details. Here's what [...]

I'll be in Waynesville NC next week and would love to have a blog dinner with anyone who can make it, on the evening of Tuesday May 19.   Interested? I'll probably start around 6:30 or so for drinks with whoever is interested in quenching thirst before satisfying hunger, with dinner at 7:15 or so.  Location TBD. You interested?  My plan is to limit the table to 8, me and the perfect number 7.   For those who come there are no obligations other than: Being a blog member Showing up Talking Paying for whatever you ingest.  (Whatever you exgest is free.) If you're interested, do NOT reply here as a comment.  Send along an email at [email protected]. Hope some of you can come!  

For over a year now I've been thinking and saying my next book would be on the formation of the New Testament canon -- how we got these 27 books and not others.  I definitely am going to write that book, but something else has come up that is going to occupy my time, brain, and research first. My publisher, now that Love They Stranger is out, has asked me to consider writing a book about Jesus and capitalism (and socialism and marxism etc.).  At first I was hesitant.  I'm obviously not an economist.  And there are plenty of books like that (look them up online).  BUT, not so much by New Testament scholars approaching the issue the way I would. So I'm gonna do it. Books like this take shape over time.  I never know exactly where my research will take me or what I will turn up that is hugely interesting but that I never thought about much before.  (Did you ever see that old Daffy Duck cartoon when he's rowing a [...]

Are you interested in going beyond reading blog posts on topics connected with the New Testament/early Christianity and in having a chance to interact with other blog members (and a New Testament scholar) on important and interesting topics or biblical passages? It is an option on the blog.  It involves joining a special group called the “Blog Stewards.” We meet once a quarter for a focused seminar.  In advance I pick a topic or important passage of the NT; I write up directions for how one might go about studying it; and I explain some of the lesser known background.  Then we get together remotely for an hour and a half and discuss it all. No one is required to do the “homework.”  Some members just want to sit and listen in while others talk.   Others want to bounce their ideas around. I run it as a seminar, much like I would a university course: I usually begin by making a brief presentation about some of the key issues and puzzling and/or debated [...]

I was so very sorry to announce that we will not be able to do the Cruise on the Nile we had planned for the fall, but Thalassa Journeys has now come up with an alternative that is, well -- how many ways can you say "spectacular?" It is a cruise on a sailing vessel to some of the most gorgeous islands of the Caribbean, January 25-February 1, 2027.  The ship, the Sea Cloud Spirit is amazing (just look it up): 136 passengers (our group will be a part of that), small enough to get into remote places the big cruisers cannot, and large enough to be, well, rather luxurious. There will be great sites, great vistas, fantastic food and drink, and friendly like-minded people in our group who will have intriguing stories and lives, and common interests to discuss to our hearts' content. I will be giving lectures on the cruise on one of my all-time favorite topics:  “The Greatest Manuscript Discoveries of Modern Times.”  Here I will talk about archaeological finds that have revolutionized [...]

In mid-March I announced on the blog that I would be doing a cruise on the Nile (and seeing other interesting parts of Egypt) later in the year.  I am sorry to say that because of the situation in the Middle East, we have decided to cancel the trip.  Or rather, cosmic forces willing, to postpone it.  I very much want to do it ... sometime down the road when potential travellers will be more inclined to go to the region. BUT, I will be doing another trip in its place.  To the Caribbean.  Whoa.  It'll be a good one.  I'll give the details in my next post. For now, the Nile cruise has been canceled.