Peter Kirby

I have been given the opportunity to speak to students in a Christian high school for one hour during their normal 'New Testament Survey' time slot. I am fishing for advice on how best to structure a presentation that fills about 40 minutes, leaving 20 minutes for open discussion. The emphasis will be on how modern critical scholars (atheist and liberal-religious) approach the New Testament, presented to an audience familiar with fundagelical teaching. Thoughts?

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Peter Kirby

The Evil One

Maybe approach the synoptic problem by asking "Did the authors of the Gospels read one another's work or not?" and present some very rudimentary evidence for the former. Possibly approach Markan priority.

Peter Kirby

Hmmm. Interesting, but I assume the teacher will at least cover that much in the rest of the semester.

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Peter Kirby

The Evil One

If they're fundagelicals, i doubt it - surely they will be presented with the view that each gospel author was an independent eyewitness.

Maybe worth asking the teacher for a quick summary of what they've covered?

Peter Kirby

Their exposure is to fundagelicalism, but I'm assuming from what the teacher said that he's not trying to pull the wool over their eyes overall. I would imagine that they will be at least exposed to a Synoptic Problem type subject in a 'New Testament survey' course. But you are right that it is worth asking.

Another interesting idea that I got from someone else is to spend much of the hour exploring the dichotomy between the Synoptic Gospel Jesus and the Pauline Epistles. That could get me somewhere.

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Peter Kirby

Amaleq13

What grade level are the kids? I would hope 11th/12th for your sake.

How are you being presented to them (ie what are they expecting?)?

Has the teacher expressed any specific expectations?

-Jay-

Peter -
Two very fundamental (pardon) and potentially thought provoking topics might be those of the authorship and compositional chronology of the constituent NT books. I have a copy of a 10th grade A Beka Bible Doctrines book, and it tabulates the NT books according to the traditional authorship, with no indication that there is any disagreement with those assignations. Chronology is less emphasized, for reasons known only to the author.

My limited experience suggests that topics such as these are more likely to maintain a receptive audience, since they aren't directly bringing up inconsistencies and errors in the NT itself (which cause many a fundagelical to put up the mental barriers).

Respectfully,
NinJay

Peter Kirby

They are 11th grade.

The teacher is going to say who I am, probably that I was referred to him by Atheist Alliance International, and then I get the hour. I don't think he's going to poison the well in any way (well, beyond knowing that I am an atheist lol).

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Peter Kirby

EverLastingGodStopper

Technically you were referred by a rogue Board member of the AAI who acted without authority or approval of the actual AAI Board.

rlogan

Good Lord Peter. Although it is an excellent experience for you.

I think you probably already know that you need to take great care not getting the defensive hackles up.

When I've gone into enemy territory I've found that asking sincere questions and showing how you go about answering them is better than coming out of the gate with "lecturing" them.

As an example: "I was intensely curious how the New Testament came to be compiled in the manner we have before us. For there are actually several versions depending on what kind of church you attend, and the New Testament does not answer that question. So it is a legitimate question for believers and unbelievers alike which is answered via standard historical means without running afoul of scriptural instruction."

None of them are threatened in their beliefs by such a question, and it sets the stage for all the ancillary questions like which came first and how the differences in the Pauline Jesus and Gospel Jesus has led to the absurd beliefs of people like Jesus Mythers.