Why are the Birth Narratives so Different? Part One

Last updated on: February 21, 2017 at 2:11 pm By Ben Witherington

What about Those Problem Texts?

Last updated on: February 21, 2017 at 2:06 pm By Ben Witherington

My Personal Journey

Last updated on: February 21, 2017 at 2:02 pm By Ben Witherington

Mark’s Gospel— The Earliest Gospel

Last updated on: February 21, 2017 at 2:01 pm By Ben Witherington

The Non-Gospel

Last updated on: January 27, 2017 at 8:48 am By Ben Witherington

Niebuhr famously once said about liberal Protestant theology that it promulgated “a God without wrath brings men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through a ministry of a Christ without a cross.” I would paraphrase and amplify that to say—- According to a predominant liberal view of Christian history, Jesus came into a world that was not fallen, to die a death that was not absolutely necessary, to save humanity from a sin that was neither original nor hereditary... Read more

Winds of Doubt

Last updated on: January 26, 2017 at 8:00 am By Ben Witherington

Used by kind permission of my friend Mark Frontziak. Read more

Spring Snow Job

Last updated on: March 19, 2017 at 8:15 am By Ben Witherington

Went to Lansdale Pa. to see our son David and his wife Emily. Ended up chopping up blocks of ice with David, blocking the mail box and throwing them on a five foot high pile of ice blocks. Read more

The Whistler—- Not his Mother

Last updated on: January 20, 2017 at 11:00 am By Ben Witherington

What should we think of whistle blowers, in the political sense of the term? Are they the good guys or the betrayers? For example, what should we think of Chelsea/Bradley Manning or Mr. Snowden, or for that matter Julian Assange? Do they provide a useful service to a democracy of exposing corruption at high levels of government? Should we applaud? Or as they bottom feeders, scum, Judas in disguise, but in this case with diamonds? John Grisham is a master... Read more

Paul the Apostle, His Life, Letters and Thought— Part Fifty

Last updated on: January 18, 2017 at 9:58 am By Ben Witherington

FINAL THOUGHTS It is the mark of an important book by a major scholar that it prompts deep thought and careful responses, even when one doesn’t agree with the author. This book does that on historical theological and ethical issues raised by Paul’s letters and thought. Ed Sander’s new large tome on Paul is well worth a slow, careful read. It makes many good points about all these things— historical, theological, ethical. For example, Sanders is quite right that Paul... Read more

3 Critiques of Sander’s Paul Book

Last updated on: January 18, 2017 at 5:15 pm By Ben Witherington

Reviewed by Keener, Barclay, Eastman Keener—- There are many new insights, readable, middle of the road, see Rom. 11.25-27. Clear and well organized. Critical consensus of which are genuine Pauline—7. Majority scholarly view about Paul’s relation to Judaism. Best way to understand Galatians is to shout the appropriate lines loudly. His understanding of the distinctive element of Paul’s faith…Christ is necessary for salvation. Says good things about Paul and women. Romans 15 climactic showing where argument was heading. Realized eschatology... Read more