Bart Ehrman

A friend of mine wrote to me yesterday to recommend a book by Bart Erhman, a man who speaks and writes on the texts of the Bible, and the quality of the New Testament manuscripts. Her letter caused me to reflect on Ehrman’s popularity, especially in academic circles, and I thought I should share a bit about him here.

Mr. Erhman was a confessing Born-Again, Evangelical as a teenager, went to Moody Bible Institute and Wheaton College. It was while studying at Princeton University, as a student of  Bruce Metzger,  that he rejected orthodox Christianity and embraced Agnosticism and a Deconstructionist view of the Bible.

His books question the reliability of the writings of the Paul and the other Apostles, the life and teachings of Jesus, and claim that the Bible is full of contradictions

Here is a video clip where he shares his story about leaving the Christian faith and rejecting the authority of Scripture:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ln-S7ZraUc&feature=player_embedded#at=17[/youtube]

Dr. William Lane Craig, who has debated Mr. Ehrman has a series of videos that I wanted to share with you so that you can familiarize yourself with his work, and hear why his scholarship is not to be trusted.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zANl-OcPnfI[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4spvyiywrc&feature=related[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gai3wvjox48&feature=related[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT1Wn8-8t_E&feature=related[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gai3wvjox48&feature=related[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foY31C6CZ-Q&feature=related[/youtube]

Finally, just for fun, Stephen Colbert, grilling Bart Erhman on his liberal theological views: