Toto

Bart Ehrman now has a blog - http://ehrmanblog.org

But not just an ordinary blog where he, a public employee and a public intellectual and a well paid author, joins the fray on the internet.

He's taken a leaf from Glen Beck and Coast to Coast - paid membership.

All the proceeds go to charity - world hunger and homelessness.

Now, you might wonder what particular charity your money would support, since there is a lot of fraud and inefficiency in charitable giving, BUT YOU HAVE TO PAY MONEY TO READ THE BLOG POST WHERE EHRMAN DISCLOSES THE CHARITIES HE WILL SUPPORT.

I have conflicting feelings. $3.95 a month to fight poverty is not so bad, but it's the principle. Keeping his blog posts behind a paywall ensures that google will not see them or index them. It turns the search for the historial Jesus into a private club.

jdl

If you want to hear Ehrman defend his academic integrity, you'll have to pay him first.

My God. The irony.

Joseph

jdl

Neil Godfrey remarked that the wording leaves open the possibility of server cost being covered, since that isn't strictly-speaking "profit".

Joseph

thief of fire

Darn you Bart Ehrman!
M'eh, Bart Erhman writes crap anyway.

Logical

Given his popularity, you'd think just having ads on his blog would cover the costs.

I guess he feels that he's not just a regular person posting his worthless opinion like the rest of us; he's an expert and his opinions are worth money.

Solo

I think you are right; this looks like a statement about his moral superiority and the culture of the internet which he despises. It's the kind of charity that Matt warned against in saying "do not let you left hand know what the right hand is doing".

Best,
Jiri

spin

I don't see why you don't just suffer the galling feeling and pay the cash. How many of you have already bought the latest rag?? The forum has no compunction advertising his earlier servings. Does anyone think he has any more insight into the limited information that is already on the table? Is the task before us to work to understand what can be understood or to collect pearls of wisdom as though it they are currency?

Horatio Parker

And a type of vengeance or one-upmanship on people like Price or Doherty who solicit. If they're about money why should he be any different? It's another way to appeal to authority.

Sheshbazzar

:constern02:

:realitycheck:

:hysterical:

I wouldn't even walk across the street to hear him whine.

Toto

My apologies - there is a public forum where you can read Bart Ehrman's post on why he is charging money, and a few other things.. (But most of the posts in this "public" forum are teasers to pay money to read the real good stuff...)

The money will go to two local charities and two international, all good.