Thanks to all who chimed in. In the group, upon questioning Ratzinger's harmonizations I was told by the leader (PhD in theology-Luther&Augustine) that consensus historical-critical takes stem from bad epistemology, the overconfidence of enlightenment rationalism + the myth of objectivity 🙅‍♂️🙄

But at the last meeting of this group, someone confidently stated "of course, we now know Quirinius was governor 2x so that argument against historicity doesn't work anymore" 🙄

I was wondering if even someone on the v conservative end of scholarship like an ETS member but w decent credentials like P Williams, M Bird, Bauckham, Gathercole etc, had ever tried to advance the idea. It just seems so out there to me...

@religionprof.bsky.social @goodacre.bsky.social @evandeneykel.bsky.social @vox-magica.bsky.social @maklelan.bsky.social
...and any others. Have any of you come across scholarship that makes this claim as opposed to pure apologetic supposition of a middle class Joseph owning property in 2 locations?

For context: I'm an exvangelical armchair biblical studies nerd & DON'T find that assertion plausible, heard it for the 1st time in a debate between Cath apologist Jimmy Akin+Bart Ehrman & thought Akin made it up til coming across it in Ratzinger's book which I'm reading for a mixed-faith book group

I think it's the same as before-life i.e. non existence. I didn't exist or suffer for not existing prior to being born. I think it's most likely after death will be the same. If there is a peaceful pleasant afterlife as in some NDE's that would be a nice surprise

Any chance this discussion/session was recorded? With over 1M views for the original video on YT I'm sure there would be a large potential audience of interested non-specialists, me among them

Imo the problem is dogma that can't be questioned, the absence or suppression/discouragement/punishment of all questioning or of criticizing the prevailing system. Some secular systems can function like political religions, effectively

Kudos to folks like Wartburg Watch, Sojourners, CBE and other prophetic voices who for decades saw (at least many of) those good guys for what they were

Reading your lead-in I was ready to read a fundamentalist Christian screed. Good reminder that such screens can emanate from multiple points of the compass

Thank you for this. As an exvangelical, ex-christian Wheaton grad (early 90's) who once avidly followed those white evangelical elites and took pride in their/my supposed intellectual rigor, so much of this rings true and turns on light bulbs for me