In this photo are my friends Con Campbell (TEDS) and Timothy Gombis (GRTS) in the Baker Bookstore reading How God Became Jesus. This calls for a caption contest. Might even arrange a free copy for the best suggestion! Read more

Last week I was featured in an on-line Radio Show, Real Talk with MVP, based in Atlanta where I had  a ten minute chat with Marcus about, “Was Jesus White?” Good fun, a few laughs, and talking about ideas on Jesus, race, ethnicity, and artistic license. I would sum it up as follows: Some people seem to have a stereo-typical idea of a white middle class Jesus rather than an Aramaic-speaking middle eastern Jesus! You can listen to the talk here, interview... Read more

Bart Ehrman, on his blog, Christianity in Antiquity, mentions our response book to his book about the origins of belief in Jesus’ deity. He also mentions a forthcoming debate between him and Simon Gathercole that will be recorded on the UK’s Premier Christian Radio station on the show Unbelievable hosted by the talented Justin Brierly. Will be aired after both books are formally released on 25 March. You will not want to miss that when its out!!! Read more

One of my students, young Miriam Dale, is a bit of a poet, and has written a lovely collection of poems called The Common Condition: Poems & Praise, with several moving pieces therein about God, suffering, injustice, and life in general. I particularly liked her poem on Rom 12:15, “mourn with those who mourn, weep with those who weep.” I will sit down next to you, and Wipe the ash onto my face too, and Let the gloom settle down. Dark... Read more

Lent begins this Wednesday March 5th. My good friend Eric Ferris has designed a user friendly discipleship program for Lent called The Lent Experience. If you are looking for some guidance or creative ways to structure your worship and discipleship through a Lenten journey this year, I encourage you to check out TLE. Here’s a blurb: Meaningful and customizable, TLE is an interactive website designed to help you participate in the amazing season leading up to Easter. Lent is a... Read more

Just a reminder that the St. Andrews Ecclesia and Ethics II conference begins tomorrow. My paper, “Blogging in the Name of the Lord: What is the Virtue and Value of Christian Blogging and other Social Media?” will be on approximately Saturday, 2 March, 1700 hrs Chicago time for those interested (1000 hrs on 2 March for those in Australia). Only $5 to attend and some great speakers like Ben Myers, Scott Rae, Bill Mounce, and Douglas Groothius among others. Hope... Read more

There’s been a lot going on the internet about whether the account of domesticated camels in the patriarchal narratives is anachronistic. You can read a good intro piece over at Christianity Today on the subject and Peter Enns also chimes in as well. <— Photo is not George Athas! In addition, my friend, George Athas (Moore Theological College) has a great piece in ABC Religion and Ethics, on Did the Camel Break the Bible’s Back? Nice Try, but No! Athas... Read more

N.T. Wright gives the James Gregory Public Lecture on “Can a Scientist Trust the New Testament?” Watch the video here. Read more

Over in Publishers Weekly, there is a piece on Man or God? Scholars Again Debate the Divinity of Jesus, featuring Bart Ehrman’s book How Jesus Became God and Michael Bird et al on How God Became Jesus. To clarify one thing, despite all of our criticisms of Ehrman’s book, we never say that Ehrman’s work is filled with “populist conspiracy theories and sloppy history.” Ehrman’s book makes some strange and objectional arguments,yet many valid one’s too! The article does give one of... Read more

David Capes announces on his blog a session to be held at the “The Extent of Theological Diversity in Earliest Christianity” section of SBL which will be reviewing Bart Ehrman’s book, How Jesus Became God, with the authors of the book, How God Became Jesus, as the respondents. Plus a few others who they hope to get like James McGrath! To paraphrase the former Aussie prime minister Paul Keating, “This is the session that we have to have!” Moral of the story,... Read more