What’s Wrong with this Picture?

Last updated on: May 26, 2020 at 2:14 pm By Ben Witherington

There are many things to say about this disturbing video, some of them good, most of them otherwise. In the first place, there is nothing genuinely Evangelical about this video. It is clearly about a certain kind of cultic low church Protestant fundamentalism, but sadly many people, including much of the media, has no idea how to distinguish orthodox Christian practice and belief from fundamentalistic cultic stuff. Sadly, the term Evangelical has also come to be tainted by and associated... Read more

Are You a Basket Case After Watching This?

Last updated on: May 30, 2020 at 12:29 pm By Ben Witherington

A House Named Witherington!

Last updated on: May 25, 2020 at 2:04 pm By Ben Witherington

Not just anyone has a house named after their family name….. Check this out. I’m ready to move in BW3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE-eId-fFzM Read more

A Week in the Life of Ephesus

Last updated on: May 24, 2020 at 2:43 pm By Ben Witherington

David deSilva has presented us with an excellent read in his latest offering ‘A Week in the Life of Ephesus’. Here is a summary of its plot—– “How should Christians live in an age of empire? As the city of Ephesus prepares for a religious festival in honor of the emperor Domitian, a Christian landowner feels increasing pressure from the city’s leaders to participate. Can he perform his civic duties and remain faithful to his Lord? Or has the time... Read more

Classic Rock Ripped Off by Boy Bands etc.

Last updated on: June 10, 2020 at 9:18 am By Ben Witherington

Classics Ripped Off by Classic Rock– Part Three

Last updated on: June 10, 2020 at 8:49 am By Ben Witherington

Classics that Inspired (?) were Ripped Off by Classic Rock— Part Two

Last updated on: June 10, 2020 at 8:47 am By Ben Witherington

Classics that Inspired Classic Rock— Part One

Last updated on: June 10, 2020 at 8:37 am By Ben Witherington

Helen Bond’s The First Biography of Jesus– Part Twenty Four

Last updated on: June 9, 2020 at 6:26 am By Ben Witherington

BEN: Your chapter on the death of Jesus does an excellent job of showing how a Roman audience might well hear the story of Jesus’ death, in light of Greco-Roman accounts of the death of notable figures such as philosophers. I noticed however that you didn’t deal with the irony in the Mark account, and its function. Since Mark is in the business of presenting a counter-cultural Jesus and his life, more could have been said about not only the... Read more

Helen Bond’s The First Biography of Jesus– Part Twenty Three

Last updated on: June 5, 2020 at 8:52 am By Ben Witherington

BEN: Granting the limited role that disciples and others play in a biography of Jesus, nevertheless, we could at least say that sometimes some of these figures do provide a glimpse of positive discipleship for the audience to follow, so while Jesus is overwhelmingly the main paradigm in this Gospel, we should not neglect the others. Is this a fair reading on your view? I ask because, as you say, Jesus cannot be entirely followed as an example. He’s the... Read more