aa5874

Do Biblical scholars have any effect on the Christian Community? Are their findings taken seriously by the leaders of Christian Doctrine?
What exactly is the role of Biblical scholars with respect to the propagation of the truth of the Gospel?

If Biblical scholars have determined, by concensus, that the Jesus of the NT was merely an itinerant preacher whose birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension, as written in the NT, are enormous exaggerations, and if these scholars deduce that the dating of the writings of the NT are later than originally thought, then it would be expected that these findings would be reflected or least be advanced or taken into considration by the major leaders of the Christian faith.

Yet, when one reads or listens to information coming from the major leaders of the Christian society or examine their Bible, Biblical scholars appear to be completely ignored, it would appear they are relegated to writing and selling literature for profit.

I have a KJV Bible, printed sometime about 1997, which states Jesus was conceived through the Holy Ghost, now if by concensus, scholars have determined that this event was unlkely, can't they at least get the publishers to put an asterisk on the verse?
Or is that none of the major leaders in the Christian Community gives a hoot about Biblical Scholars?

driver8

What you are suggesting would be bad for business. There is no profit in sewing doubt.

Mythra

Well, it's been awhile - but I think I can still relate to the fundy perspective of biblical scholars who cast doubt upon God's word.

"Thinking themselves wise they became fools". Obviously they don't have the holy spirit available to help them keep things in their proper perspective.

There were so many things of which I was not aware. Such as early christianity and it's many diverse views. I had heard of adoptionism and gnosticism, of course.

But I had never heard the term docetism or proto-orthodox. Or the name Marcion. Or pagan parallels found in the gospel story. Or greek cynicism. Or textual variants and the possible driving forces behind them.

I tended to stay with "safe" authors. Like Lee Strobel, Josh McDowell, and C.S. Lewis.

and driver8 is right. There was no use in putting things into my head that would have sewn doubt.

Dogfish

Well, they DO suck, so I'd guess the answer is "yes"!

mountainman

The vacuum is Hermetically sealed
against archaeological evidence
until the fourth century.

Its really a big bubble waiting
to go pop. There's alot of hot
air in it and its contributing to
the greenhouse effect.


Best wishes,


Pete Brown

Sharkee

Exactly, Being a former fundamentalist minister, raised in churches, I had NEVER seen a work by a biblical scholar (or known a minister who had) until my doubts started me to investigate. All the elder ministers I talked to in my confusion said that I would have nothing but sorrow if I desired to know the truth. They were all hypocrytes who didn't want the gravy train interrupted by an inconvenience like reality. They are not about to give their congregation a book on serious biblical research.

Zeichman

You might want to look into the work of the Jesus Seminar and some of its fellows, such as Marcus Borg, JD Crossan, and Robert Funk. They all wrote popular-level works on the historical Jesus. I think some Jesus Seminar members (Robert Miller comes to mind) go on tours of churches and do lectures on the parables, the historical Jesus, and similar things.

gurugeorge

This would have been my expectation, as a rationalist (but also a participator in "mystical" experience from a rationalist point of view, so I'm not unfriendly to spiritual experience altogether), based on my general understanding of human nature.

Also, people are quite capable of keeping things in separate "compartments" (a technical term in psychology ) in their minds. If one is in the thick of it with a believing congregation, it's easy to "believe" oneself; while in one's quieter, more reflective moments, the sceptical side might take the front of the stage. (Or for others, e.g. the kinds of people who become monks, it might be the other way round - participation in the hurly burly of life makes them world-weary and sceptical, while in their quieter moments they find it easier to "believe".)

Tim Holt

It's very difficult to generalise about the church. While some Christians may be afraid of what liberal scholarship has to say about the Bible, others embrace it.

Lugubert

It's possible that I'm exagerrating a tiny bit, but I think that the former Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden might label Bishop John Shelby Spong a conservative.