Posts Tagged ‘The Bible’

Life Lessons in Genesis

Monday, March 28th, 2011 by JEL

Last week, John R. Coats wrote a nice piece called “Five Lessons from Genesis (About Being Human) That Still Apply Today.” There are some great insights, and I loved the way Coats took an ancient text and made it understandable and relevant for current times. For Cliff Notes aficionados, here are the lessons:

  1. Nursing anger is a fool’s game: Cain.
  2. You reap what you sow, and that thing you want more than anything might arrive with more than you bargained for: Jacob.
  3. There are people who just don’t get it (and never will): Laban.
  4. Even though Mommy and Daddy say it’s not you, if everyone else hates your guts, it’s probably you: Joseph.
  5. There are certain experiences that we humans are not designed for: post-flood Noah and his family.

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Bart Ehrman’s New Book

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011 by JEL

Bart Ehrman is a serious biblical scholar and a prolific writer. His past books include Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why and Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible. The guy does his research and can back up everything he writes.

Well, he’s got a new one: Forged: Writing in the Name of God–Why the Bible’s Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are. There’s a press release out now about the book and its claims “that parts of the Bible contain intentional deceptions, and that some of its texts were deliberately and painstakingly crafted to further the agendas of Christians living after the apostles…” Here are some examples:

  • The Apostle Peter was illiterate, and therefore could not have written two letters (1 & 2 Peter) credited to him in the Bible.
  • Six of the Pauline letters in the New Testament are forgeries.
  • The First Book of Timothy, known to be a forgery, is still used today to oppress women, and provides the Scriptural basis for the Roman Catholic Church’s refusal to ordain female priests.

Sounds like another interesting read for the open-minded.

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