Greetings Friends,
Are you looking forward to the April 9th live debate between atheist Bart Ehrman and Christian Mike Licona on the resurrection of Jesus Christ? It’s scheduled for 7 hours – perhaps a little overkill but I’m certainly interested nonetheless – as well as debate recaps from a few more of my favorite content creators: David Wood of Acts17Apologetics and Apostate Prophet (a professing atheist and apostate from Islam). Also, he really likes engaging with David Wood … so God willing a future Christian? 😀
Wikipedia describes Ehrman and Licona as follows (and yes – I notice there’s a clear ‘downplaying’ of Licona in favor of Ehrman – no surprise here).
Bart Denton Ehrman is an agnostic atheist American New Testament scholar focusing on textual criticism of the New Testament, the historical Jesus, and the origins and development of early Christianity. He has written and edited 30 books, including three college textbooks.
Michael R. Licona is an American New Testament scholar and author. He is Associate Professor in Theology at Houston Baptist University, Extraordinary Associate Professor of Theology at North-West University and the director of Risen Jesus, Inc.
Here are links regarding the event:
https://apostateprophet.com/bartehrman
Regardless of where you stand on this topic, I rejoice to see any open dialog regarding our Lord Jesus Christ and the scriptures, so long as the evidence of the Bible is articulated. ‘Come let us reason together’ is found in Isaiah 1:18 – but just prior to this is the following:
…16Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil! 17Learn to do right; seek justice and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.” 18“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool.
It took me years to receive Christ – so I fully realize we’re all a work in progress and I pray these debates continue. Honestly, most of my adult life I’ve struggled with an orphaned spirit which drove me to focus on survival. Growing up without parents or stability made it very difficult to trust Father God – so I certainly have patience with others in this area and welcome an inquisitive heart.
Now, as a more mature Christian, I can fully appreciate and spot where God had protected and nurtured me – even in those darkest of places – like Hamilton Hill in Schenectady or Arbor Hill in Albany. It’s in those places that I met the most amazing people and it just so happened that the church I began attending was smack-dab inside a Baptist Theological Seminary School (which incidentally, years later became one of my best broadcasting clients). I loved their library – and although at the time I thought I must be driving these people crazy with all of my questions, but I quickly found that they welcomed me and loved me … with all of my questions and insecurities. Surely, iron really does sharpen iron … so bring on the debates … God can handle it and more saints are gathering!
Blessings, Mary Budesheim
WORLD-RENOWNED SCHOLARS DEBATE THE FOLLOWING:
- Is there real evidence for the resurrection?
- Can we trust the gospel accounts of Jesus’ death and resurrection?
- What proof do we have of the earliest witnesses to the resurrection?
- Could the story of the resurrection have been a later fabrication?
- What about the early doubt traditions among Jesus’ followers?
- Does historical proof make people believe in the resurrection, or does belief in the resurrection make people believe in the historical proof?
- Is the resurrection of Jesus a matter of Christian faith or historical proof?
- Can Christianity exist without the literal resurrection of Jesus?
