Jesus, (Un)Interrupted

There’s a new book out called “Jesus, Interrupted” by Bart Ehrman. And it touches on some of issues that Christians have been under attack on for quite a while. Here’s how the books cover describes itself:

Ehrman reveals what scholars have unearthed:

Jesus, Interrupted

• The authors of the New Testament have diverging views about who Jesus was and how salvation works
• The New Testament contains books that were forged in the names of the apostles by Christian writers who lived decades later
  Jesus, Paul, Matthew, and John all represented fundamentally different religions
• Established Christian doctrines—such as the suffering messiah, the divinity of Jesus, and the trinity—were the inventions of still later theologians

These are not idiosyncratic perspectives of just one modern scholar. As Ehrman skillfully demonstrates, they have been the standard and widespread views of critical scholars across a full spectrum of denominations and traditions. Why is it most people have never heard such things? This is the book that pastors, educators, and anyone interested in the Bible have been waiting for—a clear and compelling account of the central challenges we face when attempting to reconstruct the life and message of Jesus.

A book pastors have been waiting for?  A pretty limited survey that.

But Christians can’t ignore books like this – and we don’t want to.  We want to engage with people, understand where they’re coming from, and work hard at uncovering and making clear the truth.  Ben Witherington, a Christian scholar, has written a review of Ehrman’s book.  Have a look at what he’s got to say here.  (It’s long, but worth a read!)