John Dominic Crossan Speaking in Australia

For those interested in New Testament studies and historical Jesus scholarship, bible scholar and member of the Jesus Seminar, John Dominic Crossan will be speaking in Carlton, Victoria, Australia from Tuesday August 31 - Friday September 3, 2010. This event is sponsored by the Progressive Christian Network of Victoria.

Dr. Crossan's lectures will address three fundamental questions:

1) What does it mean that, before Jesus ever existed, there was already a human being in that Mediterranean world whose titles were Divine, Son of God, God Incarnate, and God from God?

2) What is the difference in content when Caesar and Christ are both proclaimed as "Savior of the World"--if we have only one world, why two Saviors?

3) Finally, is the God of the Christian Bible violent or non-violent? And, if both, do we conflate those twin visions or--and how--do we decide between them?

Though I won't be able to go, simply the content of these questions to be addressed leads me to believe that these lectures and discussions will be very intriguing and informative concerning early Christian thought, ancient near-eastern culture, and the personalities of Jesus and Paul.

Click here to read more about event details.

New Book Explores Relationship Between Ancient Biblical Laws and Contemporary Church Controversies

One of the Old Testament professors at my alma mater, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL, Cheryl Anderson, is publishing a scholarly book called Ancient Laws and Contemporary Controversies: The Need for Inclusive Biblical Interpretation (Oxford, 2009).

The Religion Press Release Service states of Dr. Anderson's book: "Anderson contends that biblical laws, such as one requiring unmarried women to marry their rapist, or those accepting slavery, reflect a privileged male perspective and not necessarily those of everyone in faith communities. She argues that traditional Christian practices and biblical interpretations still exclude voices of women and certain others, including homosexuals and different racial/ethnic groups. She maintains that contemporary controversies in churches - such as homosexuality and the ordination of women - result from these groups expressing their own realities and perspectives on faith. According to Anderson, inclusive biblical viewpoints are consistent with Christian tradition. She bases her conclusions on the Bible (Old and New Testaments) and Protestant reformers (Martin Luther, John Calvin and John Wesley), and parallels them with the U.S. Constitution."

I remember Dr. Anderson as being an intriguing professor for several reasons, but especially because of the way she was able to relate Mosaic, biblical law to contemporary legal issues and legislature due to her background and degree in American law. This especially suits her in writing such a scholarly piece about the relationship between ancient biblical law and current issues in legality. It should be an academically rigorous and provocative work.

Check out a review of the book at RNS.

The Conservative Bible Project

Through the wonderful blogosphere essay forum, Religion Dispatches, I've been made aware of a particular group of conservative Christians called "The Conservative Bible Project." Interestingly, according to this community (founded by Andy Schlafly, also founder of Conservapedia), apparently the English translations of the Bible have become too liberalized and must be re-written, re-translated, and edited so as to free it from its progressive-liberal bias.

Although most scholars and practitioners alike find this project to be a bit of a joke, I somewhat find this to be a fascinating project. I think it lifts up some very pertinent and significant questions about biblical translation and interpretation and the Bible's relation to politics. As Joseph Laycock and Thomas Fabisiak write in their Oct. 21, 2009 essay in Religion Dispatches, "Is Schlafly a profoundly cynical politician, attempting to manipulate religion in a way that would put Machiavelli and Karl Rove to shame? Or does he truly believe that the Bible has been tainted by 'liberalism' for over a thousand years?" They have a point.

I also share Laycock and Fabisiak's connection of this project to The Jefferson Bible. For those who are unaware, America's 3rd president, Thomas Jefferson, felt that the Bible had been abused, corrupted, and misappropriated by Christians for so many years that he set out on a project where he excised all the supernatural passages out of the New Testament, or those that referred to miracles of some kind. After his cut and paste venture, all that was left was largely those pericope's of Jesus' teachings and parables. The connection to Schlafly is striking. The question becomes, "Is Schlafly attempting a conservative version of the Jeffersonian editing enterprise?"

Probably not exactly. Jefferson's pursuit was totally personal and wasn't published until years later, whereas Schlafly's project is aimed at being very public, political and geared toward dispelling a certain category of infestation -- "the liberal."

Check out Laycock and Fabisiak's essay at Religion Dispatches.

There also a write-up of the project by Rachel Weiner in the Huffington Post.

(Image from Religion Dispatches website; it's a section of the Conservative Bible Project's Bible translation, which translates "Pharisee" as "Liberal.")

"Pulitzer Prize Nominee Examines Jesus' Authentic Message"

Pulitzer-Prize nominee Rex Weyler's account of the modern quest for a historical Jesus, The Jesus Sayings: The Quest for His Authentic Message, is now available in paperback from Anansi Press.

Reviewing modern biblical scholarship and scores of ancient texts, Weyler uncovers a consistent thread in the historical record regarding the words, deeds, and teachings of Jesus. Weyler shows how the message of Jesus has been misunderstood, and how the authentic Jesus message is as useful today as ever.

Read the press release by the Religion News Service.