Bible and Beyond Discussions

Once a month, at 8:00–9:00 p.m., Eastern Time on Monday nights (generally the fourth of the month), Early Christian Texts hosts a presentation and discussion about one of the early Christian texts.  Dr. Shirley Paulson generally leads the sessions by first sharing a well-framed overview of the particular subject and after that providing time for all participants to ask questions or share their own insights.

There is no charge, but attendees are invited to donate or become a Bible and Beyond patron. You may attend any or all sessions — you are welcome any time.  We look forward to your participation.

Folks who need a brief introduction to these rather surprising and deeply moving texts are invited to watch the archival videos below, or, for those who would like a more in-depth introduction, we think you’ll enjoy the book, A New New Testament: A Bible for the Twenty-First Century Combining Traditional and Newly Discovered Texts, edited by Hal Taussig and published by Houghton, Mifflin, and Harcourt.  

Bible and Beyond Reflections

Read more about the Bible and Beyond Reflections events, open to our Patreon community members who provide monthly support at the $10 level or higher. Read more here.

Transitioning from Head to Heart

Following each one-hour discussion program, usually participants are invited to stay connected to the Zoom meeting and participate in a 20-minute period of spiritual reflection. Rev. Karen Hagen will guide us through a practice based on the subject covered in that month’s discussion. We expect the Head to Heart portion of the discussions to lead to deeper understanding and to help participants move beyond simply taking in information to finding personal inspiration and transformation. This practice is based on the concept that the divine has given us our whole self — thoughts, feelings, memories, intuition, body, and intellect — to use in discerning the divine presence. The divine is always seeking to be in more relationship.

Upcoming Discussion

(Please note:  The Zoom meeting is online approximately 10 minutes before and during the meetings.)

Jesus: God and Man?

Guest Scholar: Dr. Robert Miller
Host: Dr. Shirley Paulson

Monday, October 26, 2026 
8:00 pm Eastern (7:00 pm Central, 6:00 pm Mountain, 5:00 pm Pacific)
Facebook Event Page

Zoom Link – Click Here
If the link above doesn’t work, copy and paste this one into your browser:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82943341573?pwd=ZTM3clpPZC9LclV3MVBST1VrOGw4QT09

The belief that Jesus was the Son of God is as old as the New Testament. For most Christians this belief is the bedrock of their faith. But what does it mean? While many Christians interpret it metaphorically—such as in the belief that we are all sons and daughters of God­—by far most Christians (and churches) proclaim it as a metaphysical truth, in the sense that Jesus had all the essential qualities of both full humanity and full divinity (“truly God and truly human”), a formula first articulated by a council of bishops in the fifth century.

That one person can be both fully human and fully God is deeply puzzling. Traditional Christianity regards this doctrine as a mystery beyond our comprehension but revealed by God. But what if it is an inherently confusing formulation developed over decades by ancient theologians attempting to reconcile very different statements in the New Testament? Worse, what if it actually obscures our most cherished teachings of Jesus about the nature of God?

Robert J. Miller is the Rosenberger Professor of Christian and Religious Studies at Juniata College in Pennsylvania. He has been a participant in the Westar Institute and its scholarly seminars since 1986, and he is the editor of Westar’s magazine, The Fourth R. He is also the editor of The Complete Gospels (fourth edition, 2010), the author of Helping Jesus Fulfill Prophecy (2016), Born Divine: The Births of Jesus and Other Sons of God (2003), and The Jesus Seminar and Its Critics (1999). 

Texts

For each passage, decide whether it equates Jesus (or the son) with God or makes a distinction between them. 

1) A man came up to Jesus, knelt before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what do I have to do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.” (Mark 10:17-18)

2) As to the exact day or minute [of the final judgment]: no one knows, not even the angels, or even the son, no one, except the Father. (Mark 13:32)

3) Jesus [on the cross] shouted out at the top of his voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani” (which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”) (Mark 15:34)

4) In the beginning was the Word [=Jesus], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)

5) Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58)

6) Jesus said, “The Father and I are one.” (John 10:30)

7) Jesus said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9)

8) Jesus said, “The Father is greater than lam.” (John 14:28)

9) Jesus told Mary Magdalene, “Don’t touch me because I have not yet gone back to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them this: ‘I’m going back to my Father and your Father—to my God and your God.” (John 20:17)

10) Thomas said to Jesus, “My Lord and my God.” (John 20:28)

Bible and Beyond Reflections is a monthly online activity open to members of the Bible and Beyond Patreon community that donate at the Bible and Beyond Reader ($10.00) level and higher. Reflections is a Zoom event in which Shirley Paulson and participants dive into the most recent Bible and Beyond Discussion topic in more depth after the public discussion is over.

Bible and Beyond Reflections are usually held at 7pm Eastern, 6pm Central, 5pm Mountain, and 4pm Pacific on the Monday a week after the public Discussion event (though scheduling conflicts may require the normal dates be adjusted occasionally).

In short, Bible and Beyond Reflections is a small group discussion open to Patreon community members who donate $10.00 per month or more.

Join our community of Patreon supporters by clicking here.

Bible and Beyond Reflections participants click here to access the Reflections page.

Private Bible and Beyond Reflections participants click here to access your Reflections page.