John MacDonald


Former Secular Activist AYAAN HIRSI ALI Is Now A Christian

See full article here Of course, if you like the Christian worldview but don’t believe the supernatural stuff, it’s not necessarily an either/or. A secular activist may follow Nietzsche’s vision of “Caesar with the soul of Christ.” Jesus did not find meaning but bestowed it, transfiguring widow, orphan, stranger and enemy to be lovable. This … Former Secular Activist AYAAN HIRSI ALI Is Now A Christian

Two Upcoming Books To Look Out For

At the end of the month, the brand new Society of Biblical Literature study bible in the NRSVUE translation is coming out: In March, Bart Ehrman’s new book on Armageddon is coming out: These two volumes are must-haves for anyone interested in the secular critique of religion!

(2/2) Current Events: The Richard Carrier Controversy

So, last time I pointed out Carrier’s spicy blog post that religious studies scholars are simply not fact-checking evidence for the existence of Jesus, because if they did more people would agree with Carrier’s mythicism. Again, here is Carrier’s post:

(Speaker 6) New Insights Into The New Testament: The Gospels In Review (CONFERENCE)

Robyn Faith Walsh spoke next, and raised the issue that the gospel writers were not literate spokesmen for their faith communities, but highly educated Greek speaking Christians working within a network of writers, as was the practice in the ancient world. Given this, if there are sophisticated Greek literary allusions in the gospels, how does … (Speaker 6) New Insights Into The New Testament: The Gospels In Review (CONFERENCE)

New GOP Speaker Mike Johnson

CNN KFILE: GOP House speaker Mike Johnson once wrote in support of the criminalization of gay sex, calling it a “dangerous lifestyle” Get to know the new GOP speaker Mike Johnson, because being a superstitious fundamentalist Christian is still viewed as conducive to wise leadership:

(Speaker 5) New Insights Into The New Testament: The Gospels In Review (CONFERENCE)

Jodi Magness talked about the archaeology evidence from Jesus’ day. In some ways, the archaeological record contradicts the biblical record. The archaeological evidence contradicts the biblical record of the walls of Jericho falling down, for instance. If temples always had a commercial areas, why would Jesus have gotten so mad? Magness says perhaps Jesus was … (Speaker 5) New Insights Into The New Testament: The Gospels In Review (CONFERENCE)