I hope many of you will join us for this, either live if you can, or through donations. Unfortunately, the news from the Middle East, Ukraine, and our November election sucks all the media air out of the global room, and this unbelievable tragedy is almost ignored. All funds go to the project. And I anticipate a great discussion as well. This is coming up soon so please sign up and help us promote this as you can.

Our topic is a fascinating one. Not “When” but WHY interpretations of Bible Prophecy regarding the “End of the Age,” have a 100% failure rate! I have worked on this topic for decades and Bart Ehrman’s recent book: Armageddon: What the Bible Really Says About the End, is a great take on his understanding of this phenomenon. Both of us grew up in evangelical circles in which such matters were hot topics–going back to Hal Lindsey, The Late Great Planet Earth, in the 1970s–and a host of other books. Youtube is literally FLOODED (to use an apocalyptic image), with the latest views and interpretations of what is going on in the Middle East–and what “most assuredly” is ahead–at least according to countless proposals of the End Times.

Fundraiser for Sudan With James Tabor

https://ehrmanblog.org/fundraiser-for-sudan-with-james-tabor/

April 21, 2024I am very pleased to announce a fund-raiser for the Bart Ehrman blog on May 6, a special event in which I interview fellow New Testament scholar and social commentator Dr. James Tabor on a topic sure to be of interest. James, as you may know, is a retired professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. He is a public figure who has a large following on his own blog and in his many public appearances. Among his numerous popular is Why Waco, which deals directly with the 1993 disaster at Waco just over 31 years ago. James was consulted by the FBI, testified before a joint Committee in the US Congress on Waco, and was able to interpret the apocalyptic views endorsed by the Branch Davidians under David Koresh.

The topic of our conversation will be connected to a broader issue that lay behind the disaster. As you know, modern “prophets” in the Christian tradition (not just Koresh) use ancient texts to support their prognostications of what is soon to happen. They are almost always completely wrong. Why is that?

The reason may seem obvious: They have no actual way of knowing, even if they say their views are divinely inspired from Scripture. But there is actually a lot more to it than that. There is something about “biblical prophecy” that almost inevitably creates a consistent stream of wrong predictions. What would that be?

That will be the topic of our discussion: Why Does Prophecy Fail?

James and I have both been interested in this topic for (alas) decades. If you want to hear about it, join us at the fundraiser!

All of the funds we raise will go assist Doctors Without Borders in their efforts to deal with the horrible crisis occurring right now in Sudan. This ongoing disaster is not much reported in the news, since the terrible events of both Ukraine and the Middle East are occupying attention. But it is a truly catastrophic situation and we on the blog would like to provide some humanitarian assistance. One place to read more about the situation in this recent article in the Guardian: For a full year, the bodies have piled up in Sudan – and still the world looks away.

The fundraiser will occur on Monday, May 6, 7:30 pm EDT. We are asking for a donation of $20 to attend. The donation is fully tax deductible. If you can give more PLEASE do so. Donations up to $20,000 are accepted. If you can’t afford the $20, let us know and we’ll cut you a deal or let you in for free.

To make your donation, please go to https://www.ehrmanblog.org, scroll to the bottom, and click on one of the two options (Stripe or Paypal). To indicate that this is a Sudan fundraiser donation, please end it in $.01, as in, $20.01. (If you forget, don’t worry, just send an email to ehrmanblog@gmail.com). You will receive the Zoom Link for the event in 24 – 48 hours.

I hope you can join us for an extraordinarily enlightening discussion.