Do Only Christians Go to Heaven?
Surprisingly, even this description of torture and eternal punishment offers no hint of punishment due to a flawed, sinful nature. . . . People suffer from their own choices, not from an almighty judge.
Who Are All the Marys in the New Testament?
"I can say that there are at least seven Marys, depending on how you count them. I’ll start off with those seven and explain how we get to that seven."
Will Reading Nag Hammadi Texts Weaken My Faith?
What is especially liberating about this for me is that I know these [Nag Hammadi] texts don’t belong to any other competing faith tradition either. All Christians ‘own’ them on an equal footing.
Christian Heresy: Is the Idea Still Relevant?
"So they feel there’s a need to say, 'OK, we know this is a time of crisis, so we need to know who counts in our group and who doesn’t.'"
How Do We Really Stay Safe?
‘Safety’—as it was understood among the early Jesus followers—was neither escape from sin and punishment, nor technological advances… It was a better understanding of our relationship to the divine power.
Charles Hedrick and Nag Hammadi Manuscripts
"One of my hobbies was to read things from antiquity that nobody else had ever read before. … Preparing a translation for publication is separate from translating as you put it together." An interview with Dr. Charles Hedrick.
How Can Jesus Promise Eternal Life?
"This ancient text sheds light on the link between the stark limitations of mortality and the possibilities of eternal life."
What the Apostles Did after the Resurrection
"Christian believers for the past two millennia haven’t distinguished between canonical and noncanonical sources. Lots of stories in noncanonical texts have been just as much true stories for believers as canonical texts. Lots of stories in noncanonical texts have been just as much true stories for believers as canonical texts." An interview with Dr. Janet Spittler.
Shapira Deuteronomy Fragments: Forgery or Authentic?
"I would suggest keeping a cool head and reserving judgment. Good scholarship takes time—thinking about … all the stuff that comes out on the internet very, very rapidly." An interview about the Shapira Scroll with Dr. Tony Burke.
The Gospel of Matthew’s Problematic Prophecies
"Looking at contemporary writers helped me understand how Matthew was quoting the Old Testament—which ... turned out to be pretty much the common practice of the day." An Interview with Robert J. Miller.