10/3/2024 Update: Bart has returned safely home and recorded the below video message for you:
Original Post:
As many of you know, Hurricane Helene swept through the mountains of Western North Carolina over the weekend, leaving significant destruction in its path. On Sunday, we announced a fundraiser to support relief efforts.
We’re asking for a suggested donation of $50.00, though any amount is appreciated. Those who donate will be invited to attend a lecture by Bart to be given on Monday October 7th at 7:30pm ET on the topic of: Why Do Disasters Hit? The Bible’s Views. All those who donate and register for the event will be sent a recording of the lecture, so please consider donating even if you’re not able to attend live.
To the many of you who have already donated, we sincerely thank you for your generosity and look forward to seeing you on Monday.
If you missed that email, we’re sharing the details here as well.
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Hi from Jen,
I hope this message finds you safe and well. I know this isn’t the usual day you hear from me, but given the urgent nature of recent events, I wanted to reach out directly with an important opportunity to make a difference.
As many of you know, Hurricane Helene recently swept through the mountains of North Carolina, leaving a path of devastation. Homes, roads, and entire communities have been severely impacted, and the images coming out are devastating. The road to recovery will be long and difficult for many.
For those of you directly impacted, please know that our thoughts are with you.
Bart was among those affected, as he was in the mountains west of Asheville when the storm struck. I’m incredibly relieved to share that Bart is safe—he has food, power, and plenty of books to keep him company. However, he’s currently without internet and unable to leave the area for now.
In light of the overwhelming damage and hardship facing the community, Bart is eager to contribute to the recovery efforts. On Monday, October 7 at 7:30 PM ET, he will be hosting a special webinar, and we invite you to join the event in support of this important cause.
Event Details
Date: Monday, October 7 at 7:30pm ET
Topic: Why Do Disasters Hit? The Bible’s Views
Suggested Donation: $50 (Any amount—large or small—makes a difference.)
Steps to Register & Attend
Step 1 — Make a Donation: Visit the Bart Ehrman Blog Homepage, scroll to the bottom, and make a one-time donation. We suggest $50, but any amount is appreciated. Please end your donation with $.01 (e.g. $50.01) so we can easily identify it.
Step 2 — Register for the Webinar: Click here to register by Saturday, October 5, 2024 at 11:59pm ET. Register with the same first name and last name that you used to make your donation. Late registrations may not be accepted.
Step 3 — Confirmation: After your donation is confirmed, Zoom will send you a link to join the webinar. If you do not receive the email from Zoom within one business day, please send an email to [email protected] with your donation information (method, name, amount) so we can ensure you receive your join link.
Where Your Donation Goes
We are raising funds for the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina’s Emergency and Disaster Response Fund, supporting recovery efforts for communities affected by Hurricane Helene.
We hope you’ll join us for what promises to be not only a thought-provoking discussion but also an opportunity to come together and support those in need. Your participation can make a real difference for the people of Western North Carolina as they begin the long process of recovery.
Thank you for your generosity and support. Stay safe, and we look forward to seeing you at the event!
With gratitude,
Jen Olmos
CEO, The Bart Ehrman Blog and Foundation
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Dang Professor, once again you are giving your time and effort to host a special fundraiser to benefit those who are suffering substantial hardship. Yet you do not consider yourself to be a Christian. Could have fooled me.
Glad you’re safe and back home. I feel so bad for everyone in that area. 😞
I was wondering if you’d be stranded for longer. Did you have neighbors around? How did you figure out it was so bad and you were trapped? You said you didn’t have electricity but the email we got said you did have electricity. Did you have a generator or did the electric company just get it up and running again?
I know, so many questions lol …all we talk about around here is what happened in Asheville and the dock worker strike.
We have a generator, but did not have internet or cellular for days, and the roads were blocked. For me it was a big inconvenience; for so thousands of others it was completely life-wrenching or -ending disaster.
I’m on a fixed income but I’ll give what I can …
Thank you so much.
For some reason a few Christians believe that those who do not believe as they do could not have the same compassion as they claim to have. Such an erroneous presumption only shows me that such Christians are rather intolerant and too filled with condescension, conceit and holier-than-thou-ness. Thanks Bart for your fine example of compassion. I am thankful to have one like you as an example of a person who is not only an honest, free-thinking seeker of the truth but is also so gracious and willing to share his knowledge and beliefs with us in a very civil and, can I say, Christ-like manner.
Thank you Dr Ehrman for this helpful summary of the earliest development of our current Christian bible. It has raised many questions. I will mention just two. 1. Is there evidence that the early church was aware that our present gospels have inconsistences among themselves and therefore could not all be entirely divinely inspired? If so the church must have considered them to be human products, authoritative but not inerrant or infallible as 20th evangelicalism has taught. 2. When did each of the 4 gospels received their attribution to their individual current authors? Were there challenges to this pseudo-authorship?
Yup these are key issues. 1. Yup, but it’s a long story. some church father such as Origen thought that the inconsistencies were inspired by the Spirit to force readers to interpret the texts symbolically rather than literally. Others thought they could all be reconciled. 2. The first to name the four was Ireanaeus in 185 CE or so. There were never any serious proposals of other names, so far as we know, or much dispute about these attributions.
Thanks Bart! Enjoyed attending and much food for thought as usual!
Great! Thanks.