Solo

Ehrman does not teach at a bible college but a regular non-denominational university. The situation would not be parallel. Ehrman's fame puts UNC at Chapel Hill on the map, so to speak, and guarantees enrollment. The governors would be dumb to kill the goose that lays the golden egg.

I have been told by a local professor that the religion departments are generally very 'hierarchical' in their tenure policies; i.e. students of famous names would be preferred to a candidate without a doctoral "pedigree", i.e. an illustrious name approving one's thesis. So, Ehrman is known to the academics as Metzger's bright student, and Mark Goodacre's as Ehrman's.

On this score, btw, Anthony LeDonne's career seems assured outside the Biblical Lobotomy Science circuit. His doctoral advisor was J.D.G Dunn.

Best,
Jiri

funinspace

I am curious, as to just how few humans you think might make into the Heaven, by the grace of the God of your theology (the inverse evidently entering into eternal torment)? A 100 million? Maybe 10 million? Or? I would think you could come up with a crude approximation…

No Robots

No worries. The Jesus mythers are busy saving the world from the historical Jesus, making everything safe again for believing in the supernatural godman.

Juststeve

James The Least:

Fear not for Ehrman. He has tenure, a stellar reputation and because he is at a public university robust first amendment rights. He is free to write what he pleases.

Steve

No Robots

Juststeve:

Haven't you been reading the Ehrman threads around here? The mythicists would love to see that guy tarred, feathered and run out of town. The mythicists and the fundies are one on this, as on most things.

Perspicuo

Poor fellow, but I agree it's great.


You and your mythology stay out of our science departments, and we and our reality testing will stay out of their theology departments. Birds of a feather flock together. (And by "we" I don't mean atheists and mythicists, but reasoning people, people who dare to ask questions and alternate scenarios, as opposed to those who don't). Thinking people belong to history departments... serious history departments, where subjects are treated scientifically instead of "confessionally".

Juststeve

Robots:

I know the mythers are impatient with Ehrman but I was responding to post # 10 where James suggested that it was a good thing Ehrman had tenure.

Do any of the mythers have tenure, or even academic jobs?

Back to the OP I am disgusted that any institution claiming to be a college/university would even have a binding statement of faith or that any alleged scholar would sign one.

Steve

sotto voce

Perhaps 5%, very little of which would come from the USA and Canada, which if anything is more doggedly antichrist than even the USA. Maybe it's the climate, or the stark scenery.

Anyone who adopts a 'catholic' approach to this is de facto incorrect, because Jesus said that the broad road goes to destruction, the path is narrow that leads to life. So the 'volkskirche' model of Romanist and Eastern catholicism, where initiation is by water baptism, is discounted entirely. The USA is afflicted with egregious heresies, that account for most who are religious, and these followers can be discounted almost entirely.

It's btw not uncommon for American skeptics to pay much attention to these heretics; for one thing, it is easier to argue against those who misrepresent Christianity. For another, if one is unsure of one's atheist or skeptical arguments, it's perhaps preferable to support fake Christianity, rather than the real thing, in case one's arguments fail. So tilting at windmills is a popular pastime among American skeptics.

aa5874

But, Ehrman himself ADMITTED "FEAR and TREPIDATION". See Did Jesus Exist? page 6--line 12-13.

Ehrman now ADMITS the Myth Jesus position is now in the popular consciousness and stated "these claims are SEEPING into the popular consciousness at an ALARMING rate". See Did Jesus Exist? page 6-7.

Ehrman cannot stop the ALARMING rate now.

Did Jesus Exist? will INCREASE the ALARM that Jesus of Nazareth did NOT exist.

Sheshbazzar

DON'T DRINK THE KOOL-AID!