I'm excited for a debate happening October 1, called "Can We Trust the Text of the New Testament?"
The debate will feature Dr. Daniel B. Wallace and Dr. Bart D. Ehrman, who present cases 'for' and 'against' whether we can trust our New Testament manuscripts to tell us about Jesus and the early Church.
Since I can't make it to the debate I will probably buy a DVD. Here's why I'm excited: while I'm a professing Christian who trusts the New Testament, I only began to trust the Bible near the time I began to trust Christ. And I know plenty of people who trust neither. Some people I know are convinced by Dr. Ehrman's arguments, or similar ones, so I'll listen to the debate with one ear tuned to its value for apologetics. But I'm intrigued by these scholars' points of view anyway; I expect Dr. Ehrman to give all the best evidence against trusting the New Testament, and I expect Dr. Wallace to have clear, excellent counter-arguments.
Below you'll find event details, debater profiles, and a short list of recommended reading on whether we can trust the New Testament.
Attending the SMU Debate
WHEN October 1, 2011, 7pm CDT.
Learn more about the DVD Release
Can't make it to Dallas in person? A DVD of the debate will become available for purchase. Details are forthcoming, so to stay up-to-date visit smudebate.com or find SMU Debate on Facebook. |
Who are the Debaters?
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Dr. Bart D. Ehrman (bartdehrman.com), the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, is a New York Times bestselling author who has published over 20 books. His book Misquoting Jesus: The Story behind Who Changed the Bible and Why argues that Christian scribes have corrupted the New Testament text irreparably through both uninentional errors and deliberate changes. |
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Dr. Daniel B. Wallace, director of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts (CSNTM.org) and New Testament Professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, has spent his life studying and digitizing ancient copies of the New Testament. He has authored and edited numerous books (including these biblical Greek resources for Zondervan). Wallace asserts we have good reason to believe that the New Testament text is reliable. Most recently Dr. Wallace has edited and contributed to Revisiting the Corruption of the New Testament: Manuscript, Patristic, and Apocryphal Evidence.
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Recommended Reading on Trusting the New TestamentIf you're excited to look into the New Testament's trustworthiness on your own, I hope this list gives you a fun head start. |
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1. Reinventing Jesus by J. Ed Komoszewski, M. James Sawyer, and Daniel B. Wallace |
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2. The Christ Files: How Historians Know What They Know About Jesus (DVD & Discussion Guide) by John Dickson |
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3. Forged - Writing in the Name of God - Why the Bible's Authors are Not Who They Say They Are by Bart D. Ehrman |
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4. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels |
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5. Jesus Under Fire by Michael J. Wilkins, J.P. Moreland |
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Does this list leave out your favorite book on trusting the New Testament? Share your favorite book in a comment.
One more question: To you, what is the most convincing reason we can trust the New Testament? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
(-Adam Forrest, Zondervan Internet Team)

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