tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29179803.post5602432224496370581..comments2024-03-23T13:45:19.208-04:00Comments on Serene Musings: Why I Reinterpret the BibleScotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10535260741343975445noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29179803.post-21250970755273863832007-11-27T10:46:00.000-05:002007-11-27T10:46:00.000-05:00Sorry for the late response, Daniel. I've been of...Sorry for the late response, Daniel. I've been offline for a few days. As for biblical scholars, I would recommend several:<BR/><BR/>1. For a Christian who wants a more spiritual, authentic, and reasonable perspective on Christianity (that is, without all the doctrines, dogmas, and mythology), I would highly recommend John Shelby Spong or Marcus Borg. Spong is a retired Episcopalian Bishop, and Borg is a retired religion professor and Jesus scholar.<BR/><BR/>2. For scholarly views of Jesus, I would recommend either the aforementioned Borg, or John Dominic Crossan. Crossan is one of the world's most prominent Jesus scholars, though his writing style is a little less approachable than Borg's and others (meaning, he writes very academically).<BR/><BR/>3. For a good account of the rise of Christianity, read Charles Freeman's The Closing of the Western Mind. Freeman is not a biblical scholar, but a historian.<BR/><BR/>4. For scholarly looks at Gnostic Christianity (which is the umbrella term that more or less includes all forms of Christianity that were stamped out by the Catholic Church in the Dark Ages), read Elaine Pagels. <BR/><BR/>5. Bart Ehrman is the head of religious studies at UNC and has written a number of really good, highly readable, books on Christianity. Any of his might interest you. Bruce Metzger is another scholar I could recommend, based one what I have heard about him, but I've never personally read any of his stuff. I know that Metzger's book on how the books of the New Testament came to be chosen is considered the pre-eminent work on this topic. <BR/><BR/>Well, that's probably enough. But to put it in short...I would think John Shelby Spong is the best place to start, especially for someone who has a background in Christianity, but has left it behind.Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10535260741343975445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29179803.post-21645535990729892792007-11-22T14:13:00.000-05:002007-11-22T14:13:00.000-05:00Scott,Thanks for your reply. Say, can you recommen...Scott,<BR/>Thanks for your reply. Say, can you recommend any good Biblical scholars who have written books I could find? I'm quite interested in that area. I just found your blog yesterday, so I apologize if you've already covered this. I've read from authors like Randy Helms but despite his interesting insights I don't know that he'd be considered an official Biblical scholar, per say.<BR/><BR/>Definitely it's true Rush fans are eclectic. That's what makes being a fan so much fun and that diversity is apparent in the loyalty & strength of their fan base.<BR/><BR/>A Happy Thanksgiving to you, Scott.<BR/><BR/>DanielDaniel Fisherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02385225068969785843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29179803.post-18747630424796851132007-11-22T13:41:00.000-05:002007-11-22T13:41:00.000-05:00Thanks for the responses Daniel. Yes, you are rig...Thanks for the responses Daniel. Yes, you are right about Rush fans in general, but I think you'd be surprised at how eclectic and thoughtful the people are who post in the religion forum on the message board I'm on. I actually know a number of them personally (that is, in real life, not just in cyberspace), so it's not like debating with total strangers. Still, you are right that it is easier to be combatitve on the Internet than in real life, even among friends.<BR/><BR/>As for picking and choosing from the Bible, yes, I agree. Most every Christian takes what makes sense to her, and tosses the rest, whether moderate or conservative. One thing I like about many biblical scholars, however, is that they approach scholarship from a purely academic standpoint, seeking not to find a religion that suits them, but to provide an unbiased historical analysis. The problem is separating the legitimate scholarly works from apologetics masquerading as legitimate scholarship (such as the best-selling "Case for Christ" series by Lee Strobel -- those books pretend to be "scholarly" but they are nothing of the sort).Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10535260741343975445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29179803.post-24770526243732452352007-11-21T01:59:00.000-05:002007-11-21T01:59:00.000-05:00Scott, some great comments and thoughts there. I c...Scott, some great comments and thoughts there. I come from a pretty strict fundamentalist background but am now an agnostic. <BR/><BR/>I think you should be careful about drawing conclusions from the Rush board (I'm a big Rush fan) as a good amount of Rush fans tend to be very structured (often black & white) in their thinking. Rush music is very highly structured, lyrics the same way. <BR/><BR/>There's a whole world of atheists (though a smaller world than I'd like) who definitely don't think in such black and white terms regarding Christianity. For many years now, I've said the biggest detractor from the Christian view point is the Bible. No matter what a Christian believes, she or he picks and chooses the Bible verses that support her/his viewpoints and basically ignores all the other ones that don't. <BR/><BR/>And the people who comment on what you say in an argumentative manner in this electronic format are going to have stronger and, thus, probably more black and white takes on what you're saying. <BR/><BR/>Definitely keep up the excellent writing and analysis!<BR/><BR/>DanielDaniel Fisherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02385225068969785843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29179803.post-12008775715107855562007-11-21T00:55:00.000-05:002007-11-21T00:55:00.000-05:00Of course there are fundies who believe that God i...Of course there are fundies who believe that God is a general, but I think most Christians recognize that the army with the biggest guns win, regardless of which god is on their side. But you make a fine illustration of why I don't listen to country music.<BR/><BR/>As for stuff from my life, I'll post something like that soon. It's just that nothing that interesting has been going on, other than constant work and constant stress.Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10535260741343975445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29179803.post-17152329842350478882007-11-20T14:26:00.000-05:002007-11-20T14:26:00.000-05:00So now your Jesus?You always have had a big head. ...So now your Jesus?<BR/><BR/>You always have had a big head. :)<BR/><BR/>And why don't you ever share some stories about....oh I don't know....what the eff is going on in your life!!!!??? I like your religious rants, but I'd like to see some other commentary as well.Elissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06377709828849342884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29179803.post-20071854698217354112007-11-20T14:18:00.000-05:002007-11-20T14:18:00.000-05:00"what reasonable Christian today would assert that..."what reasonable Christian today would assert that Jesus helps countries win wars? Of course, there are plenty of people like that, but I think most mainstream, modern Christians recognize that Jesus doesn’t intervene on the battlefield to make “the good guys” win."<BR/><BR/><BR/>Uh.....are you living in the same country I'm living in? 'cause it seems to me that there are a whole HELLUVA bunch of right wing, flag waving, fundies running around thinking just this. Just listen to 25% of country music.Elissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06377709828849342884noreply@blogger.com