Search Afterall.net

As a scholar, professor, and author, Dr. Bart Ehrman has undeniable influence over students and much of the American public. Yet there are equally qualified scholars who deal with the same issues and come to very different conclusions than Dr. Ehrman. The Ehrman Project is a website dedicated to engaging the ideas that Dr. Ehrman is famously expounding in the complex and nuanced realm of Biblical scholarship. It is not intended to answer all of Dr. Ehrman's claims nor answer the ones it does completely. Rather it is intended to give small snapshots that will potentially motivate viewers to research more information on the particular topic. After interacting with many students over the years, Miles O’Neill, a campus minister at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, began considering an online resource in response to Dr. Ehrman’s popular claims. Dustin Smith, a Religious Studies major of UNC-CH, enrolled in Dr. Ehrman’s New Testament course in the spring of 2009. Soon after, Mr. O’Neill and Mr. Smith started collaborating together on The Ehrman Project. With the help of numerous students, colleagues, professors, and friends, EhrmanProject.com was able to launch in early 2011. ~ Site's Self Description

Randal Rauser is a systematic and analytic theologian of evangelical persuasion. He is driven by apologetic concerns and above all by the tireless pursuit of truth. The downside is that this requires him to recognize when he is wrong (which is often) for truth is complex and it offers us no guarantees that we shall always find it. At the same time, Randal does not despair of finding truth, for he believes that in a profound sense Jesus Christ is the truth. For Randal, being like Jesus means knowing the truth, loving the truth, and living the truth. As Randal seeks to live the truth he promotes a culture of life that is anti-militaristic and pro-family, pro-environment and anti-abortion, anti-consumerist and pro-animal. A disciple on the way … alas, he is not half as smart or as good or as right as he thinks he is.

In its own words: I consider myself an atheist and a skeptic. I care whether my beliefs are true or false. I believe I have good reasons for being an atheist, and that those reasons can stand up to the scrutiny of Christian apologetics. But – as Christians are so often fond of saying – what if I’m wrong? So this blog represents my effort to take Christianity seriously; to engage with the best Christians have to offer and see how my general Case for Atheism stacks up by comparison. I deliberately chose a gerund as the name for this blog; I view this as a process, and not an end goal. If you’re a Christian, my goal is not to “convert you to atheism;” my goal is to engage with, understand, and evaluate the best arguments you have for what you believe and see how that affects what I believe. At the end of the day, all I hope is that you will come away with a bit more understanding of (and hopefully, respect for) what makes someone an atheist.

In its own words: Navigating through life can be complicated.  We do well to check ourselves with trusted and tested sources as well as to learn methods to reliably test our worlds.  All beliefs are fed by our emotions, our dispositions and our environment.  For this reason, triangulation is always of utmost importance. ... I use the pen name “Sabio Lantz”  since  I work and live in a predominantly Christian community where many patients of mine would stop coming to me if they knew how I felt about religion.   Further, many casual, but useful relationships may be damaged if they knew what I write here.  Several families who we are friends with us would stop meeting with us and stop their children from playing with ours.  People can get ugly when it comes to religion (or politics, or sex ...   OK, people can just be plain ugly).

Tagline: Analyses of God beliefs, atheism, religion, faith, miracles, evidence for religious claims, evil and God, arguments for and against God, atheism, agnosticism, the role of religion in society, and related issues.

In its own words: I want to know why some people believe in gods, and what the psychological and social consequences of those beliefs are. I read the research, and when I find something juicy I write it up and post it here! Who am I? Well, I'm a medical writer by profession, living and working on the south coast of England (Hove, actually). I have a PhD in biotechnology, and an interest in what makes people tick.

In its own words: Over the past several years, I have observed to my dismay the forces of militant religious fundamentalism gaining in strength, both in my home country, the United States of America, and worldwide. This ominous development, driven by those who are dedicated enemies of all the progress and enlightenment that has been achieved over the past several centuries, threatens the liberty and happiness of all people everywhere. As a result, I have been compelled to grow more involved in political causes to help oppose it, and to defend the human rights that once more need defending. This process of awakening led to my writing the essay "Unapologetic", but did not stop there. We need as many voices as possible calling attention to the evil of the religious right and shining the light of scrutiny on their true goals. Only by doing so can we hope to stop them, and I hope to play some small part in that. The final motivating factor is the fact that there are not nearly as many good atheist weblogs as there should be. There are many blogs written by atheists, but relatively few that are about atheism, relatively few that are well-written and address the subject frequently and knowledgeably.

In its own words: Vridar is my doppelganger. The name comes from Vardis Fisher’s fictionalized biographical two-part novel “The Orphans of Gethsemane” and is a near-anagram of the author’s own name. To read this novel, or even his 1939 Harper prize winning “Children of God”, is to read my life too. Everything from boyhood, religion, women, fatherhood, personal growth to atheism is there. For info on who Vardis Fisher is check out Vardis Fisher (American Atheists site), Vardis Fisher (VardisFisher.com) and Vardis Fisher (wikipedia article). But if you’re really wanting to know where I’m coming from it might be easier to simply read my own odyssey from heavenly thrones down to earth. My background is in history teaching, postgraduate educational studies and information science, academic librarian, metadata specialist with a project building regional university repositories in Australia and New Zealand, and digital repository manager. Currently I am a Principal Librarian and Bibliographic Consultant to the Singapore National Library Board. So the biblical studies interest is a hobby, although a serious one. I do like to check out the foundations of significant beliefs as thoroughly as my real-life commitments will allow.

Tagline: Sex, atheism, politics, dreams, and whatever. Thinking out loud since 2005.

In its own words: Rationally Speaking is a blog maintained by Prof. Massimo Pigliucci, a philosopher at the City University of New York. The blog reflects the Enlightenment figure Marquis de Condorcet's idea of what a public intellectual (yes, we know, that's such a bad word) ought to be: someone who devotes himself to "the tracking down of prejudices in the hiding places where priests, the schools, the government, and all long-established institutions had gathered and protected them." You are welcome.

In a culture that is increasingly indifferent and ignorant of Christianity, it is not only important for Christians to understand what we believe but why. We must see it necessary to reclaim the importance of the intellectual life, not only to safeguard the witness of the New Zealand church but also its health and identity. Without diminishing a passion for lives that demonstrate radical love and conformity to the Gospel, we must yet take seriously the biblical call to always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15) and to thoroughly refute secular arguments that are raised against it (2 Corinthians 10:5). More

I study the bible, with bits of Christian origins and early Christianity thrown in. I’m also an atheist, both in the sense of not-believing-there-is-a-God, and believing-there-is-no-God. I’m fascinated by all kinds of things, from typography to chess, from conlangs to competitive swimming, from creative cartography to the mathematics of music. This is my bible and religion blog. I have been studying the bible for 20 years now. I’m particularly interested in New Testament criticism, although I have a soft spot for non-canonical Christian literature and try to dabble and keep up with the broad movements in Hebrew Bible scholarship and early church history." ~ Ian

I grew up in a liberal progressive agnostic family, became a christian in college, and left the faith nearly two decades later. Leaving the faith was a gut-wrenching process over a long period of time, but in the end was painful but rather quick, sort of like pulling off a band aid. It has proven more difficult to untangle myself from the web of religion because of the relationships involved. I am not here to disuade anyone from Christianity. I am happy to help dissuade anyone from an unexamined faith, though to be honest, when I examined my faith, it pretty much crumbled away. I believe contemporary american evangelicalism is woefully inadequate in this regard, and I seriously question whether it is intellectually compatible with modern thought. I strongly believe people need to be allowed and encouraged to think for themselves, and my experience of evangelicalism was that it only promoted that within very limited parameters. I know there are others forms of Christianity out there, but an experience with conservative christianity can make it very difficult to honestly consider them."

I'm an ex-Christian, but I think some part of me still clings to Christianity in a very loose, irrational sense, but I do not believe anymore and consider myself an Agnostic Atheist. I think spirituality is a personal thing and should be between the individual and whatever he or she chooses to focus on. In that regard, I respect others views regardless of whether or not I agree with them. I simply do not experience anything in my life that I would identify as God, but wouldn't ignore a grand revelation."

The Centre for Public Christianity (CPX) is an independent research and media organization seeking to promote the public understanding of the Christian faith in Australia and beyond employing the best of scholarship via the best of media. Established by Dr John Dickson and Dr Greg Clarke the Centre: seeks to be a benchmark for Christian thinking and communication in Australia and beyond; offers free vodcast/podcast comment, lectures and interviews, and other web-based resources; produces a range of popular and academic works exploring the relevance of the Christian faith; is a one stop shop for media outlets in search of informed and independent Christian comment; runs events and short courses for the curious and sceptical alike; supports a network of Christian scholars and research projects across the disciplines; serves as a speakers bureau and training facility for Christian thinkers and communicators. The Centre has no denominational affiliation and seeks to represent historic Christianity as defined by the Nicene Creed.

Hendrik van der Breggen, Ph.D., is assistant professor of philosophy at Providence College, Otterburne, Manitoba.From the introduction: "Any argument in an apologia centers on showing respect to those persons with whom one disagrees. (Yes, I am here influenced by 1 Peter 3:15b.) Because many people today are eager to belittle or hurt those with whom they disagree (for example, by insult or, worse, by wearing explosives), I am convinced—and convicted—that the art of apologia should be revived. Hence, this column. Caution: I will undoubtedly err in this column. I hope, therefore, that my mistakes will provide opportunities for us to work together to draw nearer to truth. Plato calls truth our “common master.” I believe he is right.

The Harvard Ichthus is a journal of Christian thought. It exists for the purpose of fostering deep Christian thought among the members of the Harvard community, taking seriously the motto of Harvard University: “Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae,” in English “Truth for Christ and the Church.” In an age of skepticism, many come to the College with misconceptions about Christianity and whether a vigorous intellectual life is compatible with a Christian one. The Harvard Ichthus seeks to engage, critique, and ultimately defy these falsehoods about Christian faith. We will do so in a thoughtful, generous, and professional manner that bears witness to a God who desires-commands!-each of us to love Him with all our mind. ~ The About Page

Although the progress of scholarship has raised new questions and provided additional lines of evidence, many older works on apologetics are of more than merely historical interest. Most of the objections raised against Christianity today are variations on objections that go back hundreds of years. These objections were thoroughly discussed by some of the finest minds of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and their responses are as cogent now as when they were first printed. Unfortunately, there has been little guidance to this literature for interested Christian readers, and as a result some masterpieces are almost unknown even among seminary graduates and students of apologetics. The Library of Historical Apologetics is dedicated to making accessible these historical resources and to advancing the ongoing dialog about Christianity’s historical claims.

Authored primarily by David Smart (Ryft) of British Columbia, the Aristophrenium addresses philosophy, religion, science, and politics. In its own words, it is: "a modest platform launched in early 2009 as a center for publishing intelligent, opinionated and engaging articles from a growing range of sincere contributors who are interested in exploring and sharing their unique perspective on issues related to philosophy, religion, and science. It is intended by its co-founders as a grassroots effort to broaden opportunities for collaboration and dialogue on these subjects between open-minded thinkers who are not imprisoned by either sacrosanct dogma or popular propaganda, people who are passionate about exploring the issues authentically and rationally with a civil tone." ~ From the About Page More