I love serendipity, but I have to admit, this one strikes me as very weird. As some of you know, today is my 65th birthday.  It’s an oddly important one for me.  When I was a young teenager, for some reason (that now I have trouble understanding), I had the notion that anyone who could make it to 65 had done pretty well for him/herself and that it was a reasonable time to pass off this mortal coil (not that I had read Hamlet yet).  At least it would mean not dying  young.  So I thought that it would be reasonable goal. Ai yai yai.  Kids.  Well, I no longer think of 65 as the goal in life.  I mean, I don’t particularly want to double it, but I’m happy to plod along for a good long time still.  The other reason that it is significant for me is that my dad died at 65.  That was 1989, a good long time ago; and I remember at the time thinking that he was too young, [...]

Most of you will remember a couple of months ago I asked my old friend Robin Jones, from my conservative evangelical days (classmate at Moody Bible Institute!), to write some guest posts for the blog.  Robin is active in and knowledgeable about the kinds of social work some evangelical organizations and the evangelical Christians connected with them engage in.  Most of us are blithely ignorant of such things, knowing evangelicals only by reputation and bad press (understandably).  But in fact some are doing a world of good in a world of suffering, reaching out in ways others of us simply don't or can't, helping those we ourselves may desperately wish we too could help. Robin's first post was very moving, and can be found here:  https://ehrmanblog.org/evangelicals-who-make-the-world-a-better-place-guest-post-by-robin-jones/ .  Here now is a second. ******************************************************* This Little Light of Mine A Christian and an atheist walk into a bar… Actually, as we all know, a Christian wouldn’t be caught dead in a bar (unless, of course, no one from church was around, and they were really, really [...]

A while back I asked blog members to forward to me information about publications they have ... published.  Twice I've given a half dozen, and here are some more: a couple of articles and a couple of books.  They all look fascinating to me, and two of them are by research scholars / professors of the New Testament that I know.  Maybe one of the others is as well, that I don't know!  In any case, read through their self-descriptions, and if you're so moved, check out the publications themselves! ************************************************************************* Steve  Very Short Article Another side of New Testament Jesus wintertao Twitter.com/wintertao New Testament Jesus did and said many wonderful things. We are taught them as kids and everyone knows them. But on close objective reading the NT also contains another side of Jesus. I’ve worked on this off and on for over 10 years and have posted it many different places including a much earlier revision here on the blog in the members message board where I received valuable feedback. It’s been critiqued [...]

I need to apologize to blog members.  Yesterday I posted a link to the Christian ministry that deals with people with disabilities, and I have received a complaint that the link includes a statement of faith that forcefully condemns gay sex and gay marriage.  By posting the link it may appear that I and/or the blog, concur, support, or even accept any such view.  Nothing could be further from the truth. I’m afraid I did not do due diligence by reading through the doctrinal statement before posting the link.  That’s not a good excuse.  Mea culpa.  Apologies to all those who were offended.

One of my biggest complaints against a lot of deeply committed evangelical Christians I know, and know about, is that they don't live and act like Christians. They go to battle for issues not even addressed in their own Scriptures as if they were the most important things in the mind of God, and they completely ignore the moral imperatives Jesus himself did promote: active concern and love for those who are in need, whether they are of our own ethnic background, gender, country, socio-economic class, creed, or ... anything else.  House the homeless, feed the hungry, help the outcast, work for the oppressed. But every now and then I am surprised by some Christians whose faith drives them to fulfill the commands of their own gospel in a humble and helpful way  Many of these people do not toot their own horn; they go about silently doing amazing things for those in need. I was 17 when I met Robin Jones.  We were first year students at Moody Bible Institute.  She was sparky, outspoken, [...]

Thanks to the incredible generosity of members of the blog, I am happy to announce that there are a limited number of free three-month memberships available.  These have been donated for a single purpose: to allow those who cannot afford the membership fee to participate on the blog for three months, during our ongoing crisis. I will assign these memberships strictly on the honor system: if you truly cannot afford the membership fee, but very much want to have full access to the blog, then please contact me. Do NOT reply here, on the blog, as a comment.  Send me a separate email, privately, at [email protected].  In your email, please provide me with the following information: Your first and last name. Why you would like to take advantage of this offer.  I don't need or want a full account of your history or financial affairs, just an idea of why you would like a free membership just now. Country of citizenship (we're required, as a non-profit, to ask) Your preferred personal email. Your preferred user [...]

Last month I invited Blog Members who had published something in some way connected to the blog to tell all of the rest of us about it.  Many have done so!  If you, too, would like to make your written work known, please read very carefully the instructions in the original post: https://ehrmanblog.org/have-you-written-something-you-would-like-to-advertise-on-the-blog/   Today I publish the second batch.  They are of various kinds and all sound interesting.  I have a stockpile of others submitted, and will get to them gradually over time.  For now: enjoy these! Each one includes the name of the work, the author’s name, a description of what the piece is, and a link that can show you how to get a copy.  I will post these periodically in batches of about this size.   Novel. Kristie Almighty: Across the Street, by Katie Younger Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Kristie-Almighty-Across-Katie-Younger/dp/B0851LLWXK/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=kristie+almighty&qid=1592158391&sr=8-1 This is a novel I completed ten years ago. It is based on my years as a Fundamental Baptist who was originally raised Catholic. The characters were influenced by my time spent at a college [...]

One of the most interesting interviews I've done in recent years was for a feature-length documentary that has now appeared and available for viewing (e.g., Amazon Prime) called "The Search - Manufacturing Belief."  It was the brainchild of Patrick Payne, who also produced and directed it. This is how it is described on the Documentary Channel: Juxtaposing reason with mythology, philosophy with religion, and science with mysticism, filmmaker Patrick Payne interviews thought leaders from across this spectrum to build a penetrating, provocative and personal inquiry into the question of awe, objective truth and trust in the 21st Century. I thought it might be worthwhile to have a kind of personal introduction to the film, and so I asked Patrick to provide us with some insight into how it came into being and what it's about. Patrick is on the blog and he will be able to respond to any questions or comments you have.  Here is what he has to say: ************************************************************************* The Search - Manufacturing Belief An exploration of the spiritual experience and the [...]